Nadine Jelsing

In 1981, Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, a spiritual leader from India, and thousands of his disciples, set out to build a new city, a utopian community in the desert -- Rajneeshpuram -- on what had been the Big Muddy Ranch in Eastern Oregon. Thousands of people from around the world gathered here to celebrate life and transform the landscape. But by 1986, they were gone.

The Pacific Northwest was once home to a remarkable diversity of Indian tribes and native languages. All of Oregon was "Indian Country", supporting its population with an abundance of natural resources. "Before the non-Indians got here we were some of the richest people in the world." - Warm Springs elder Louie Pitt, Jr. Broken Treaties offers an introduction to the Indian tribes of Oregon, the treaties they signed and the land they lost. It examines the injustice endured by the tribes and illuminates an aspect of Northwest history that is rarely talked about.