Know Us, Remember Us
How It Came to Be
Donna Rae arrived at Somes Bar with her mother and stepfather in 1954. The owner of a one-half interest in a mining claim, stepfather Gordon, built a house on a bench overlooking the Salmon River. Three weeks after arriving, Donna Rae met a Karuk man who would later become the grandfather of her children. Donna’s love for the Karuk country and the Karuk people began..
From 1957 to 1961, the downriver Karuk’s way of life was her way of life. Dip nets, smoked salmon, squiggly eels, green beans from Grandma Tripp, madrone and oak wood for the heater and cook stove, kerosene lanterns, dirt one-lane roads, and H O N K your horn at each corner! Ahh, the people and places, so many fond memories.
The early 1960s were spent on the Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation, where hubby worked at Humboldt Fir Lumber, and Donna worked as a nurse’s aide at the Klamath-Trinity Hospital. That experience provided the opportunity to know many Hupa people and learn the ups and downs of life on the reservation. Unfortunately, the great flood of December 1964 covered their home, leaving nowhere to live in Hoopa.
Settled later near Los Gatos, the yearning for Indian country was intense. Donna found solace at the local library, where she began reading and learning about California Indians. Meanwhile, the family made trips back to Karuk country, especially on Labor Day weekends, for a trip to “The Falls” to dip for Salmon.
Donna learned bookkeeping and set up a small office in 1977. She also began attending night school. After many years she received a bachelor’s degree in business accounting. Later she passed the CPA exam.
In the mid-1980s, Donna’s sisters-in-law urged her to work up the Goodwin family genealogy. So, she did. And it grew. And she kept at it.
Moving forward to the present time…
Julian Lang invited Donna to join him in the language booth at the Karuk Tribal Reunion in 2017, 2018, and 2023. He wanted her to share genealogy data and encourage tribal members to share family stories. In 2018, nearly 100 people signed in at the booth, many of whom talked with her, asking, “Do you have my family?” Some shared family stories. Those interactions planted the seed in her mind to write a book, sharing the memories and facts gathered over the past 30-some years as the family tree for her children’s people was built, family by family.
More about Donna Rae Hays
Donna Rae Hays has been an avid reader since the fourth grade and loved history since the eighth grade. As an adult, much of her spare time is spent on self-education.
Donna is a skilled and persistent researcher. She took genealogy trips to England, Scotland, and Germany seeking her own people and history. She authored stories about family members.
Donna strives to document the memories and daily lives of Karuk ancestors, so they will not be forgotten. Family stories and photographs are an integral part of preserving history. She is seeking the participation of descendants in gathering Karuk family stories and photographs.
Donna is a member of the:
- The Authors Guild and the Willamette Writers
- Siskiyou County Historical Society
- National Women’s History Museum
- Rogue Valley Genealogical Society
founder of and past facilitator of the Genetic Genealogy Interest Group and presenter of several related seminars.