He wanted to learn about Oregon. So he visited archives in Spain.

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Matías Trejo de Dios is among the few Spanish speakers who still pronounce Oregon stressing the second “o” like early Spanish settlers did, and he does it proudly. 

He is the executive director of Instituto de Cultura Oregoniana, a Salem-based nonprofit that works to keep the Spanish language alive and embrace linguistic diversity as an integral part of Oregonian culture.

One of the many activities the organization does is promote academic research on the histories of early Spanish-speaking Oregonians. In 2023, ICO collaborated with historian Olga Gutiérrez Rodríguez and other researchers to publish a scholarly work titled “Hispanic Origins of Oregon,” which tells the story of early European settlers in the Pacific Northwest before Lewis and Clark’s expedition and the evolution of the Spanish language in Oregon. 

Trejo de Dios, originally from Spain, was involved in the project doing archival research in Seville and collaborating with Spanish historians to find documentation about the early colonial period of Oregon. Many of the historical data used in the book also came from archives in Mexico and other countries. 

“We wanted to start an integration project that pays tribute to all those who sailed, inhabited, and traveled through these territories: The crews of the ships of the Spanish expeditions, the Native Americans who populated this part of the continent, the New Hispanics, the British and Russians who settled here to trade, the Americans who made pilgrimages to these lands, etc.” Trejo de Dios wrote in the book.

The team found that settlers from European countries like Spain, France and Russia traded extensively with tribal groups throughout the West Coast before the Lewis and Clark expedition, and were instrumental in the early development of what would later become Oregon. This finding contradicts the popular belief that Lewis and Clark and Methodist missionaries were the first European populations to settle in the state. 

Spanish colonizers in the late sixteenth century were surprised that many Indigenous people wore long earrings that made their ears look bigger, and started using the word “orejón” (big ear), which may have been the origin of the name Oregon, according to the book. 

Lost language, lost culture

Children and grandchildren of immigrants in the United States often try to assimilate linguistically and do not pass on the Spanish language to the next generations, Trejo de Dios said. To address the issue, ICO organizes events statewide centered on Spanish-speaking identity, especially promoting history, art, poetry and literature in Spanish.

“Many kids cannot communicate with their Spanish-speaking grandparents, it’s terrible,” he said.

For many descendants of immigrants, especially Indigenous Latin American families, losing the ability to speak Spanish implies losing oral histories and distinct family culture, Trejo de Dios said. 

“Spanish-speaking culture is very rich and present everywhere, but it is not being promoted here like it should be. Instead, we promote Hispanic leaders who don’t speak Spanish,” Trejo de Dios said. “Would you understand it if an American leader elsewhere did not speak English?” he said. “No, right?”

Immigrants in the United States are often regarded as not entirely American or from their home countries, Trejo de Dios said. “First they take away our culture, then they give it back their way,” he said, referencing that Spanish-speaking identities go beyond stereotypical Mexican holidays like Cinco de Mayo or Día de los Muertos. 

As a response, his organization encourages Spanish speakers in Oregon to embrace both their Oregonian and Spanish-speaking identities, as they are not mutually exclusive. 

“Many people here speak two or even three languages but have not had the opportunity to speak them loud and clear on the street because they are embarrassed. Not only with Spanish, but also Mesoindigenous languages like Qechua, Mixteco or Purépecha,” Trejo de Dios said.

He arrived in Oregon in 1995 and described that most Spanish speakers who migrated to Oregon ever since have been focused on working and have not had the chance to embrace a Spanish-speaking Oregonian identity. For instance, Spanish-speaking Oregonian poets, rock bands, authors and other artists need support and recognition more than ever, he said.

But not all agree with his vision. 

“We work against the current here. Many view the development of the Spanish language in the United States as a threat to the Anglo-European cultural monopoly,” he said.

ICO, which is entirely volunteer-led and relies on grants and donations, often collaborates with schools, universities, museums, other nonprofits and members of foreign countries’ embassies and consulates in the United States to promote Oregonian culture in Spanish. 

Oregon Community Foundation grant

The organization recently received $10,000 in a grant from the Oregon Community Foundation to support its mission, as part of its Latino Partnership Program. The money will be used to further develop Spanish-speaking culture among high school students, Trejo de Dios said. 

Among the programs the organization has for high school students is the Oregon School of Mother Tongues, which includes after-school workshops in Spanish and an archive of oral histories told by multiple generations of immigrants, according to their website. 

“The Oregon Community Foundation is a fundamental pillar of cultural and artistic development in Oregon,” he said. His organization had already received grants from the Oregon Community Foundation before, some of which were key to funding the publication of Gutiérrez Rodríguez’s book. 

Without this financial support, the organization might not be able to fulfil its mission in the long run, he said. 

The Latino Partnership program which funded the $10,000 grant was established more than 20 years ago and has become an integral funding source for many Spanish-speaking organizations like ICO. This year, the Oregon Community Foundation awarded more money than ever through this program, said senior program officer Mirna Loreli Cibrian. 

Other Salem nonprofits received grants, including the Latino Business Alliance, Mid-Valley Literacy Center and Salem Keizer Coalition for Equality.

ICO “provides a valuable resource to Oregonians, and we’re proud to support their work,” Cibrian said.

Contact reporter Alan Cohen: [email protected].

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