Get to know our Indigenous neighbors.
Learn more about tribal sovereignty, treaties, and ceded lands from an Indigenous perspective. We’ll explore the past, present, and future with enrolled tribal members from the Warm Springs, Burns-Paiute, and Klamath Nations.
About the Presenters:
Jaylyn Suppah: Alishwaláx (ah-lish-wa-luxsh) is Jaylyn’s Indian name given to her by her grandmother, Margaret Suppah. Jaylyn Suppah is her English name. She is a citizen of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, located within what is now known as the state of Oregon and a descendant of the Yakama Nation on her paternal side. On her maternal side, she is a descendant of Shoshone-Bannock and Cree from Canada. Jaylyn is a mother of two, a community organizer and educator, an advocate for social justice, equitable education, and equitable representation. She was raised on the northern part of the Warm Springs Reservation in a community called Simnasho. She is the founder and executive director of Papalaxsimisha, a reservation based non-profit, which provides healing spaces and services to her community. She is the co-founder and co-director of Tribal Democracy Project that works to protect, uplift, and empower Indigenous communities through Tribal civic engagement, equitable representation, and Tribal sovereignty. She obtained her Bachelors of Arts degree with an emphasis in Tribal Governance from The Evergreen State College through the Native Pathways Program. She is always looking for ways to advocate for her Tribe, her people, her community, and building the capacity to work collectively towards our liberation. She ensures she cultivates spaces that allow for others to learn, have a voice, and to join the efforts.
Tracy D. Kennedy: Tracy Kennedy is an enrolled member of the Burns Paiute Tribe, also known as the Wadatika Band of Northern Paiute, whose homelands are in the northern Great Basin. Born and raised on the Burns Paiute Reservation near Burns, Oregon, Tracy’s life and work are grounded in her community, her culture, and a deep responsibility to future generations.
The first in her family to attend college, Tracy earned her associate degree from Haskell Indian Nations University and a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Oregon. After completing her education, she returned home with her two children and dedicated herself to strengthening her community. As the Tribe’s Director of Community and Economic Development for six years, she led initiatives to improve infrastructure, expand economic opportunities, and support long-term self-sufficiency.
Tracy has served on Tribal Council since 2016 and currently serves as Tribal Chairwoman. In this role, she works to uphold Tribal sovereignty — the inherent right of Tribal nations to govern themselves — while advancing sustainable growth and opportunity for her people. She believes that decisions made today should positively impact people for generations to come.
In addition to her Tribal leadership, Tracy serves as a field coordinator for The Ford Family Foundation, where she builds partnerships among Tribal nations, rural communities, and philanthropic organizations. She is widely recognized for her ability to bring people together, foster trust, and advocate for solutions that create lasting, meaningful change.
Above all, Tracy remains grounded in her identity as a Burns Paiute woman, mother, grandmother, and leader — working today to ensure a stronger, healthier future for our children and their children.
Willa Powless: Willa Powless is an enrolled member of the Klamath Tribes (Klamath, Modoc, and Yahooskin Paiute), an Indigenous grandmother, Tribal Council member, and founder and co-director of Honor the Treaty of 1864. She advocates for Indigenous history, treaty rights, shared stewardship, and Land Back efforts grounded in responsibility to land and community.
About the Book:
Supersonic charts the rise of a boomtown city in the American West where ambition outpaces memory. In the present day, PTA president Sami Hasegawa-Stalworth is determined to rename her daughter’s elementary school after her late grandmother—a beloved music teacher and Japanese internment survivor. What begins as a symbolic family gesture spirals into a kaleidoscopic, multi-generational story of struggle—for and against change, and over who gets to define the future.
Through interwoven lives—an opioid-addicted 19th-century conman, a disgraced Navy seaman building a jet that will fly faster than sound, a stay-at-home dad turned weed entrepreneur, and a family haunted by the ghosts of progress—Supersonic reveals how each era tries to remake the same ground beneath its feet. At once intimate and panoramic, the story channels the restless energy that propels the West.
About the Author:
Thomas Kohnstamm was born and raised in Seattle. He still lives in the same house he grew up in—now with his wife and two children. A freelance writer for over twenty years, he’s been a Spanish & Portuguese translator, travel writer, video & animation producer and has covered subjects ranging from rainforest conservation to quantum computing to backcountry skiing. Supersonic is his third book.
Learn more about A Novel Idea
Questions? Contact lizg@deschuteslibrary.org
AGE GROUP: | Adult |
EVENT TYPE: | Adult Program |
