Film director and animator Roger Scott prepares a display for the Confederated Tribes at the Coos Bay Public Library. Contributed Photos

During the month of May at the Coos Bay Public Library, centuries of time can be traversed in mere meters. Between the lobby’s glass display cases and the gallery walls of the main reading room, more than 10,000 years of art, culture and information are available — with or without a library card.

Portrait artist Joan Emm displays her hand-altered Polaroids on the wide, white walls of the reading room, showcasing her distinctive approach to 21st-century photography.

In the lobby, the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians offer a glimpse of ancient crafts and ceremonial art, in an interpretive display prepared by Roger Scott.

“I’ve worked with the Tribe for about ten years,” says Scott, “initially developing an interpretive center, then, producing the film ‘Dark Waters.’”

The Confederated Tribes presented “Dark Waters: The Reservation Years” to nearly 50 viewers on April 11 at the library, followed by an open discussion led by tribal elders. While the film offered insight into tribal circumstances in the mid-19th century, Scott wants this month’s lobby display to provide an overview of daily objects in use by the tribes prior to contact.

“Only a very few tribes are older than these,” states Scott. “The Coos, Siuslaw, and Lower Umpqua were here about 10,000 years ago.” He claims that the tribes have been “off the radar in many ways in this community... I sense most people knew there were Indians here, and that’s about it. Researching their history tells a very different story.”

Gesturing to the baskets and bundled grasses, Scott says he’d like to communicate that these tribal people were here for thousands of years. “The (descendants) of these people are still among us,” he says.

Scott is acutely aware of the dangers posed by humidity, mold, and light on the display of artifacts. “They can be a challenge to handle,” he notes, “especially the older organics. Some practically explode when you touch them.” Scott’s professional experience as a producer, animator and designer in New York led to his work on interactive touch screen multimedia. Today, he wants to find a new way to engage with the community, to share the “life ways” of the Confederated Tribes.

The exhibits in the lobby feature replicas of objects widely used by the native people of Coos County. Tall sheaves of tules anchor both displays. According to assistant Cultural Director and Siuslaw tribal member Jesse Beers, the locally gathered and woven bulrushes were used for sleeping mats, as room dividers, and — if correctly woven — for insulation.

Beers quickly identified the different grasses within one glass case: bear grass, maidenhair fern, a rough, mahogany-colored tangle of spruce root. He describes how a central basket had been stained with mud, and notes that chittam bark and the roots of Oregon grape will provide a yellow stain. Alder bark yields a reddish orange, and Beers, who creates dyes for use by his wife, will also use salmon eggs for color.

Turning to the exhibit on the left, Beers points out a wealth, or gift paddle, noting that it could be used as a dance paddle as well — fitting in with the object below, a feather stick reserved for ceremonial use. The case contains a digging stick topped with antler, used, says Beers, for the harvest of Camas, of roots, or perhaps even to start a lodging. The halibut hook is an eye-catching half-foot in diameter. The swirl of cedar, says Beers, defined the size of the fish to be caught. Too big, and the fish line (made of the scraped filaments of wild iris, or stinging nettles, or animal sinew), would snap.

As Scott draped fabric and arranged reed bundles, Education Intern Josh Davies noted that the Coos people “always have gathered. We never stopped.”

Teri Albert reviews art and artists for The World. Comments on or story ideas for this column are welcome, and can be e-mailed to malbert3@verizon.net.