Casandra Hanson is a self-proclaimed lover of chaos.

With a farm full of five dogs, eight (or nine, she’s lost count) pigs, chickens, geese, a 9-5 job and six children, her life is packed. But that hasn’t stopped her from opening a bookstore to follow her true passions — reading, learning, cultivating Indigenous knowledge and welcoming community.

Opening Saturday in Southeast Portland, Hanson wants her new bookstore Sahaptin Stories to be a champion of Indigenous storytelling, collecting books from Indigenous authors from the Pacific Northwest and beyond for young readers and adults alike.

“Sahaptin” is another word for the Warm Springs language Ichishkiin. Hanson is an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs in Central Oregon, currently living in the small Clackamas County community of Colton after splitting her time between the reservation and the metro area.

Her drive to open a business centered only around Indigenous stories is fueled by a desire to help highlight Indigenous cultures, but also comes from a personal wish to better understand who she is.

“In a way the reason I thought of Sahaptin Stories is because our language is important to our stories and they’re very hugely connected and I want more of that connection,” Hanson explained. “The name is just a reminder that I need to continue working towards my goal of learning our language but also encouraging others to learn their stories.”

Partially hidden by a parking lot in a lower level of a building, the bookstore is embellished with a cozy armchair and Indigenous artwork — including a drawing by her grandfather. Hanson hopes it feels like a family living room — welcoming, homey and comfortable. “There’s nothing better than the smell of books,” she said.

Dark wooden bookshelves are stacked with everything ranging from picture books and middle-grade books to genres for adults, including nonfiction, horror, thriller, fantasy and some romance. Hanson said she’s really selective about which authors she features in Sahaptin Stories, and includes local writers Steph Littlebird and Leah Altman.

“So I really try and research their descendancy and where they grew up, where they come from, you know, and all that just to ensure that they’re truly an Indigenous author that I want to have in my bookstore,” she explained. “Because I want to hear their stories. I don’t want to hear someone else’s story.”

Hanson’s dad is Mexican, and her mom is a citizen of Warm Springs, so Hanson grew up feeling a bit lost between the two identities.

“For a long time, it was really hard to figure out who I am as a person. Because I had, you know, grown up in two different places, two different worlds — being Native, being Mexican, but also trying to fit in in the modern world,” Hanson said. “It’s a lot to unfold.”

She was raised in the Oregon City area, and after becoming a teen mom, moved back to Warm Springs in 2012. She earned an associate degree while raising her kids, and went on to work as a behavioral specialist with adults and children who had disabilities, and later on, took on a role as director of the Warm Springs child care program.

When the COVID-19 pandemic tore through Oregon, Hanson felt the losses were “starting to impact our language and impact our culture — and so I feel like I want to learn more.”

Hanson went back to school. She would earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree and work for the federal government’s Office of Child Care, until her team was cut by the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. Now, she’s a subcontractor for the OCC.

“I have the mindset of like, I can’t be bored and I prefer chaos over boredom,” Hanson said, laughing.

But in the back of her mind, Hanson always dreamed of discovering more about her identity through literature. She had planned to write a book with her grandmother, who beaded, wove, and knew a lot about food sovereignty, but her grandmother died last year. Support from her kids, parents, husband and ex-husband enabled Hanson to instead pursue opening a bookstore — first as a pop-up at powwows and fairs, and now as a tangible storefront.

“The book is kind of half done and so I was like well, I’m just going to start a bookstore, because I really like books and I just want to highlight Indigenous authors because I feel like our stories are important, we have things to say,” Hanson said. “I want to bring it to mainstream media and have representation and be part of that representation and really push it for Indigenous authors to have a voice and to be heard and to have their stories out there.”

Personally, Hanson said reading helps her keep her sanity and find downtime in the midst of her chaos, no matter where she is.

“Whether that’s just listening to an audiobook while I cook dinner or in the car, I listen to audiobooks,” she said. “But I also carry my Kindle with me everywhere and I also always have a book. So I always have like three forms of books.”

While there are piecemeal collections of Native books here and there, like Third Eye Books’ Indigenous people’s section, or Multnomah County Library’s Indigenous stories collection, it’s rare in Oregon to have an entire bookstore or library dedicated to Indigenous literature.

At first, with her expert background on childhood and family development, Hanson thought she might focus on books for Indigenous children. But she has expanded to include books for adults from Native authors.

She hopes the bookstore serves as a hub for kids and families to receive support, whether that’s free math tutoring from her brother, crocheting lessons led by her 10–year-old Jolee, crafting events or group readings — a space “for whatever the community needs,” she said. In November, Sahaptin Stories will host an event at the Oregon City Public Library in honor of Indigenous Heritage Month.

“Because I’m not the only one that’s going to want to know more about culture and identity. I expanded and so now I have books from people from Alaska, the lower 48 tribes. I have some authors from Puerto Rico, from Mexico, from Hawaii,” Hanson said. “And so I’m really trying to expand my store to hold all Indigenous stories.”

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/09/25/portland-bookstore-indigenous-sahaptin-stories/