Nature Matters presents an evening of culture Dec. 17

Canoes flourish in Chinookan culture today with the members of the Chinook Indian Nation using their canoes in family events, ceremonies and the annual "Tribal Journeys." Join Tony Johnson, Chinook Indian Nation Chairman, in a discussion about canoe technology and the Chinookan canoe culture. Johnson will focus on the creation, and life, of Lewis and Clark National Historical Park's canoe, Okulam. Johnson will present Thursday, December 17 at the Nature Matters Lecture series. Nature Matters is free, open to the public, and takes place in the Fort George's Lovell Showroom. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the talk begins at 7 p.m.

Tony Johnson was recently elected Chairman of the Chinook Indian Nation, is a scholar of language and culture, and an artist born in his family's traditional territory on Willapa Bay. He attended the University of Washington and Central Washington University and directed the Language Program for the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde in Oregon from its beginnings in 1997 until 2010. He acquired Chinuk Wawa as a second language from his elders. Johnson currently is the education director for the Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe, is a teacher of students of all ages and lives with his wife and five children on the Willapa River.

Nature Matters takes place on the third Thursday of each month, October through May. Nature Matters is hosted by Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, Lewis & Clark National Park Association, the North Coast Watershed Association, and the Fort George. The series delves into the many ways that human beings look to the natural world for inspiration, sustenance and survival - the intersection of nature and culture. For more information, see http://www.nps.gov/lewi or follow the park on Facebook, lewisandclarknationalhistoricalpark.