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The Space Between Ancient Tradition And Colonization Explored In 'White Magic'

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Maybe you own a dreamcatcher or some other artifact that conveys a sense of kinship with Native Americans.

Elissa Washuta, a member of the Cowlitz Tribe, grew up taking note of cheap recreations of "Indian" artifacts, along with other off-target manifestations of medicine and magic. She writes of sweeping most of that away and becoming a witch, in a book of essays called White Magic.

Navigating difficulties in her own life and the lives of indigenous people collide with white cultural trends in the writing; the author visits to talk about her changing perspective.

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The Jefferson Exchange is Jefferson Public Radio's daily news program focused on issues, people and events across Southern Oregon and Northern California. Natalie Golay is the program's senior producer, Charlie Zimmermann is the assistant producer, and Mike Green hosts the show.