Celebrate Indigenous Oregon

Indigenous peoples have lived on this land since time immemorial.
October 8, 2021

Local Tribes have long fished Oregon’s wild rivers and great waterfalls, like the now submerged Celilo Falls on the mighty Columbia River. They’ve scored petroglyphs in rock canyons like those at Picture Rock Pass and left behind the world’s oldest pair of footwear (9,000-year-old sandals) at Fort Rock. Proud ancestors of those first people make up nine federally recognized Tribes of Oregon. These are their stories.

Person in a wheat field holding a brightly colored work of art and blue sky above.
The author holds the piece "Indian Edge" by James Luna, a former artist-in-residence at Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts.

Oregon Tribal Spotlight: Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation

Few words sufficiently describe the grandeur of road-tripping through Northeast Oregon, but even fewer sum up the added awe when remembering that a place is far more than the beauty of the topography — human stories are embedded in these landscapes. And you don’t really know a place like this until you know its history, peoples and cultures.

Read more

Indigenous women harvesting camas in a field in Oregon.
Margaret Suppah (right) has been harvesting wild camas in Oregon with her family.

Rooted in Culture: Oregon’s Wild Camas

Oregon’s beauty is not just rooted in its incredible landscape, it is the roots themselves that hold treasures. Camas root has long nourished the people of the Northwest as a culturally significant staple.

Read more

Two indigenous women fishing on Columbia River with Bridge of Gods in background.
Sisters Kim Brigham-Campbell and Terrie Brigham own a fish market in Cascade Locks.

Brigham Sisters Carry on Family Tradition

Since 2014 Terrie and her sister, Kim Brigham-Campbell, members of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, have shared their generations-old family tradition with the public.

Read more

Fire lookout tower perched atop Acker Rock with mountains in the distance.

Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians

Hidden beyond the steep, oak-savannah hillsides that surround Interstate 5 are Southern Oregon’s greatest treasures. Stands of old-growth Douglas fir trees tower above lush pocket valleys, springtime wildflowers turn grass oceans blue, and summertime huckleberries grow fat and purple on the bush.

Read more

Indigenous woman holding a young child at a powwow with attendees in regalia in background.

Celebrate Oregon’s Native Culture at a Powwow

There’s a place on the Oregon Coast that’s out of the public eye — high on a tree-lined hilltop with the Siletz River winding below, far from the noise of cars. If you’re lucky, you can spot eagles or hawks in the sky, and feel the energy of this sacred piece of tribal land.

Read more

View of Three Rivers Resort buildign with pond and duck in foreground.

Oregon Casino Resorts

Where to go for gaming, golf, restaurants, pools, arcades, bowling alleys and other family-fun activities at these Tribal-owned destinations.

Read more

About The
Author