Listening to the Birds: Native Art Market & Book Signing with Dr. Roberta "Robbie" Paul

Native Art Market & Book Signing with Author Dr. Roberta "Robbie" Paul Friday, November 13, 2026 · 6:00–9:00 PM Native Action Network · 55 Bell Street, Suite 201, Seattle (Belltown)

This November, Native Action Network's monthly Native Art Market welcomes Nez Perce scholar and author Dr. Roberta "Robbie" Tawlikitsanmay' Paul (Woman of the Forest) for a reading and signing of her new memoir, Listening to the Birds: A Nez Perce Woman's Journey of Self-Discovery and Healing (Washington State University Press).

After a time of deep emotional pain, Dr. Paul began to notice birds everywhere she went. She took them as messages from her ancestors and started to listen. With help from her relatives, she pieced together five generations of her family's story. It begins with a Nez Perce chief who met Lewis and Clark in Idaho. It moves through a warrior who died fighting alongside Chief Joseph in the War of 1877, then three generations sent to government boarding schools. It ends with a sixteen-year-old Irish American girl who defied her parents to marry the young Nez Perce man she loved.

Dr. Paul draws on official records and history books, and also on family stories, dreams and memories held in the land. The result is a story of removal, war, exile, allotment and boarding schools told from a woman's point of view. It also shows a way of healing from intergenerational trauma that is rooted in homelands, ancestors, language and culture.

Spend the evening with us during Belltown Art Walk:

•        Book reading and signing with Robbie Paul

•        Native vendors and artists with original artwork, jewelry and more

•        Light refreshments

•        Community, conversation, and a chance to support Native creatives this holiday season

About the author: Dr. Roberta Tawlikitsanmay' Paul is a mother, wife, grandmother and enrolled Nez Perce Tribal member. She grew up on the reservation in Craigmont, Idaho. She was the Founding Director of Native American Health Sciences at Washington State University. She has been named a WSU Woman of Distinction and a University of Washington Women's Center "Woman of Courage." She earned her doctorate at Gonzaga University, where her research focused on intergenerational trauma and healing. She now leads workshops that teach storytelling as a Native way of healing.