Around this same time, I proposed and received approval to create a children’s book for my tribe through the Indigenous Place Keeping Artist Fellowship (IPKA). This unique fellowship offered by the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde provides artists with an opportunity to create work that will have a direct impact on the local Indigenous community.
I proposed a book that would feature one of our traditional stories. So, I began my fellowship with a visit to my tribe’s reservation in Grand Ronde, Oregon where I met with staff at Chachalu Museum and Cultural Center to research our traditional stories and select the right one to illustrate. We decided on the creation story of Willamette Falls, which is also a Coyote story.