Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation Archives

Could the Northwest’s basalt rocks help slow climate change?

By Courtney Flatt May 30, 2023

A women in a blue and red plaid shirt stands in front of a blue river. She is holding two gray rocks on top of each other. in the background, on the other side of the river, there are rocky hills and a blue sky.

Casie Davidson, a scientist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, points out how basalt rocks are layered on top of each other. The rocks formed millions of years ago after volcanic… Continue Reading Could the Northwest’s basalt rocks help Read More

Moving up the line: Northwest tribal women and girls gather wild celery amid challenges

By Anna King March 10, 2023

Látis Nowland, of Mission, Oregon, digs for wild celery, or latit latit in the Umatilla language, as Tatum Ganuelas, right, and Beth Looney search the surrounding hills. Nowland said she’s been doing this work since the Sunday after she was born, when her mother, Trinette Minthorn, brought her along in a baby board. The women were among a group of about 15 women and girls who gathered for the sacred tradition that marks the arrival of spring for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation

Around this time each year, women and girls from the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation gather wild celery. They say their ancestors come back through the plant, and the ceremonial dig marks the arrival of spring. Read More

In their own words: Donella Miller

By Dori Luzzo Gilmour December 2, 2022

From Left: Aleeyah McJoe, Donella Miller, Ava McJoe, Monica Miller, Audrina McJoe, Laura Mark. Credit: Courtesy of Donella Miller Listen (Runtime 3:31) Read Northwest Public Broadcasting reporters are interviewing Indigenous… Continue Reading In their own words: Read More

Native American Heritage Month: In their own words – Curtis Bearchum

By Dori Luzzo Gilmour November 29, 2022

Native American man wearing traditional clothing used in a dance.

Curtis Bearchum, a member of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society, in regalia demonstrating a Native dance. CREDIT: Courtesy of Curtis Bearchum Listen (Runtime 3:35) Read For over 30… Continue Reading Native American Read More

Native American Heritage Month – In their own words: Don Sampson

By Dori Luzzo Gilmour November 23, 2022

Two men stand in front of the CTUIR flag clasping hands and smiling toward the camera. The man on the left is white, tall, wearing a plaid shirt and khaki pants, the man on the right is shorter, Native, his hair braided into two braids, pulled over his shoulder, he's wearing a blue patterned shirts with geometric, patterns and jeans.

Gary James, left, and Don Sampson, the two original employees of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation’s Fisheries Program, at the tribe’s Department of Natural Resources 40-year anniversary… Continue Read More

Native American Heritage Month – In their own words: Andrew Wildbill

By Dori Luzzo Gilmour November 16, 2022

a white woman and two Native men sitting behind a display of skulls

From left: Lindsay Chiono, with the tribe’s Department of Natural Resources; Iosefa Taula, a wildlife technician with the tribe; and Andrew Wildbill, the Wildlife Program manager for the tribe. The… Continue Reading Native Read More

Native American Heritage Month – In their own words: Teara Farrow Ferman

By Dori Luzzo Gilmour November 9, 2022

Teara Farrow Ferman stands in front of a display of photographs and containers documenting and displaying first foods. Farrow Ferman wears large, colorful, circular beaded earrings, she has long, dark hair and is smiling.

Teara Farrow Ferman (Wapaytáwaat Kóomayn) stands in front of a first foods display in the Nixyáawii Governance Center in Pendleton, OR. Source: Dori Luzzo Gilmour / NWPB Listen (Runtime 3:07)… Continue Reading Native American Read More

First foods lead the way in Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation natural resource management

By Dori Luzzo Gilmour November 3, 2022

Native Woman in a colorful headscarf holds muffins on a tray

Sadie Mildenberger holding Elderberry Crumble muffins. CREDIT: Dori Luzzo Gilmour Listen (Runtime 4:06) Read Forty years ago, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation’s Department of Natural Resources started… Read More

‘Camp Crier’ App Gives Tribes Custom Way To Communicate

By Lauren Paterson September 14, 2022

A young Native American girl with long black hair and a bright blue shirt holds a mobile phone with the Camp Crier app.

Alyssa Farrow, an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, is one of the early users of the Camp Crier app. Listen The Confederated Tribes of… Continue Reading ‘Camp Crier’ App Gives Tribes Custom Way To Read More

CTUIR Scientists Snorkel Rivers To Help Save Freshwater Mussels In The Northwest

By Courtney Flatt July 28, 2022

Alexa Maine surveys the Middle Fork of the John Day River, searching for freshwater mussels.

Checking every inch of a streambed for freshwater mussels requires a snorkel and a wetsuit. It’s a messy job, but it’s vitally important as these keystone species are declining throughout the West. Continue Reading CTUIR Read More

Remaking Oregon Trail Video Game With An Eye Toward More Accurate Native American Depictions

By Anna King May 12, 2021

The fresh Oregon Trail game is part of the new Apple Arcade. It features more accurate depictions of Native American characters, historically-based story lines and researched clothing styles. Courtesy of Gameloft

The company Gameloft tackled the redesign of Oregon Trail for Apple Arcade just in time for the increase in worldwide play because of the pandemic. Its target audience: the now-40-year-olds and their kids. And more Native American players. Read More

Confederated Tribes Of The Umatilla Reservation Open Vaccines To Anyone In 11 Counties

By Anna King April 12, 2021

Staff administer a COVID-19 vaccine shot at the Wildhorse Casino, April 12, 2021 at a mass vaccination site managed by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation and Oregon National Guard. Courtesy of Jane Hill/CTUIR

The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation are opening a two-day mass vaccination event to any resident age 16 and above who resides in the 11 counties that span the tribes’ ceded territory. The offer is open to anyone, not just tribal members. Read More

‘Generations That Follow Us Are Going To Remember’: Coronavirus Threatens Tribes’ Funerals

By Anna King April 9, 2020

A recent spring sunset on the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation. Northwest tribes are having to cut back their traditional ceremonies for their dead, because of the global pandemic.

The coronavirus pandemic is also crushing to many traditions and religions trying to mourn their dead — no matter the cause of death. But for Native Americans in the Northwest, normal funerals can last two to three days and involve physical contact among tribal members. Read More

Helicopter Rescues, Roads Closed, Sandbags Filled: SE Washington And NE Oregon Hit With Floods

By Anna King February 9, 2020

Many houses in Waitsburg, Washington, a small wheat town, are still sitting in lakes of trapped water. Residents were busy moving out their valuables, and accessing damage on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020. CREDIT: Anna King/N3

Flood waters in southeastern Washington and northeastern Oregon are starting to recede. But this relatively good news follows days of bad news and inundated towns – along with collapsed bridges, dozens of helicopter rescues and washed-out roads. It’s all caused by recent heavy rainfall and fast-melting snow. Read More

‘A Total Sense Of Belonging’: Northwest Tribes Lament Fire On Rattlesnake Mountain

By Anna King August 1, 2019

The Cold Creek Fire burned nearly 42,000 acres of sagebrush and grass land near Hanford in July -- including on Rattlesnake Mountain.

The fire that engulfed Notre Dame cathedral shocked the world earlier this year. And a wildfire in July on Rattlesnake Mountain in southeast Washington similarly shocked Northwest tribes. Continue Reading ‘A Total Sense Of Read More

Northwest Tribes Bringing Traditional Wildfires Back To Their Lands

By Anna King May 4, 2018

Glacier lilies spring up in sunny clearings left by recent treatments to the landscape by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation. CREDIT: ANNA KING

Tribes across the West are trying to restore their forests and grasslands to the way they were before white settlers arrived. Their goal is to return traditional foods like roots, huckleberries and big game. But it’s a complex job. Continue Read More