' .f ;:!: PLANK HOUSE ,'. ·.::, fh , ' ' \ ,, Lower Columbia- · ,.1 ,. ·' . ,, i (25' x 40' to 40' x 120') · China Doctor of john Day, by Jeffrey Barlow and Christine Richarc;lson, 1979, 118 pp., $5.95 from: Binford and Mort, Publishers 2636SE11th Portland, OR 97202 This story of Lung On, the businessman, and Ing Hay, the Chinese herbalist, reveals an interesting facet of western history. Many Chinese migrated to the U.S. in the mid-1800s because they'd heard of the Gold Mountain (the 1860 gold strikes in Oregon and Idaho). The Chinese in central Oregon, who had originally come to work in mining and railroad building, were resented by white men. In fact, racial and social prejudice against the Chinese led to the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which prevented all but intellectuals (men only) from entering the.U.S.; it wasn't repealed until the mid-1900s. The authors recount the career of Ing Hay, the "China Doctor" of John Day, Oregon. He used pulse diagnosis to diagnose his patients, then prescribed herbal brews and often effected what his patients considered miracle cures. Patients whose condition had been worsened by western medical practitioners would come to Doc Hay, and he would use traditional Chinese herbs to cure blood poison, meningitis,· flu, and other conditions. (The appendix to the book includes descriptions of 62 herbs.) In addition, the authors discuss Lung On, who served as translator for · Ing Hay and as leader of the John Day Chinatown. Lung On was a businessman who was financially successfulan anomaly for a Chinese at the time. He had been an intellectual in China, November/December 1984 RAIN Page 33 Western Oregon Winter Dwellings and many people he met said he was "the smartest man I ever knew." The authors do not provide an indepth study in this short volume, and · the account should rnrtainly have been edited (and written) better, but the information is valuable. -TK Oregon Indians: Culture, History, and Current Affairs, by Jeff Zucker, Kay Himmel, and Bob Hagfoss, 1983, 230 pp., $15.95 from: Western Imprints Oregon Historical Society -1230 SW Park Portland, OR 97205 This is probably the most comprehensive and auth,oritative book on Oregon Indians currently available. The book is divided into three parts: traditional, historical, and contemporary. Part One describes the traditional Indian cultures of Orego~ before contact with , white people. Part Two describes the. period of transition after Euro-American settl(i'rs arrived, outlining the many changes and conflicts that occurred. Part Three examines the current situation of Indian people in Oregon, including recent.federal policy and the controversy over Indian fishing rights. The book is useful to both the serious researcher and the general reader who simply wishe.s a general . overview of the indigenous peoples of this region. Extensive resource notes. accompany each page of text in a way that allows the.researcher.to pursue any particular topic in greater depth. but doesn't detract from the readability of the basic text. A generous amount of charts, maps, and illustrations also FROM: Oregon Indians accompanies the text. A bibliography of over 60 titles is included, and a special booklet profiling 22 Indian organizations currently active in Oregon is attached in the back of the book.-FLS The Alliance, monthly, $15/year, $5/ year for low-income, from: Oregon Coalition of Alternative Human Services PO Box 14742 Portland, OR 97214 A voice for progressive political action in the Portland area for the last four years, The Alliance has recently begun more regional coverage as well. Recerit issues have featured reports on the Cathedral Forest Action Group blockades, actions at the Hanford PUREX facility, and local antinuclear and antiintervention efforts. The Alliance is· primarily action-oriented and seeks to foster communication and coalitionbuilding among groups working for social change. Each issue contains a calendar of political events for the month and a directory of local political organizations and socially responsible businesses. The Alliance has just begun publishing an edition for Salem, Oregon, as well as the Portland edition. The. Salem edition will feature a four-page insert with a Salem-area calendar and directory in place of the Portland calendar and directory, but will otherwise be the same. Plans are to publish editions for Eugene and Corvallis under this same arrangement. This is an exciting development for communication among Oregon political activists. -FLS
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