Today is Indigenous Peoples’ Day—a day we honor and celebrate Indigenous peoples who have acted as the first and best stewards of the land since time immemorial.
In Oregon, more than 50 tribes and bands have thrived and continue to thrive on the landscape, including nine federally recognized tribes: Burns Paiute Tribe, Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians, Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, Coquille Indian Tribe, Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians, and The Klamath Tribes. Others, like Chinook Indian Nation, are still fighting for recognition.
While they all have their own unique language and history, what they have in common is that their identities and culture are inseparable from the landscape. Their lifeways are deeply intertwined with salmon that swim upstream that provide sustenance, the camas that grows from the ground, the lamprey that make their home in Willamette Falls, the willows whose branches will become baskets.
While Tribes in Oregon have the right to hunt, fish, gather, harvest, and hold ceremonies, these practices rely on having the ability to access land unimpeded. However, due to a long history of violence and removal, many Indigenous people have been stripped of access to their traditional homelands.
As a coalition of land trusts that work across Oregon’s diverse landscapes, we have a responsibility to use our resources to address the reality of Indigenous land loss, and ultimately help create pathways and partnerships for Indigenous-led conservation, land ownership, and stewardship.
As a community, we are working toward land justice in many ways. One way is through the Oregon Land Justice Project and the Indigenous Land Relationship Fund, which supports Indigenous-led community projects to reclaim and reconnect to culture, traditional landscapes and First Foods.
Today and throughout the year, we invite you to join us in reflecting, learning, uplifting, and taking action in support of Indigenous sovereignty and self-determination.
Learn
- Are Land Trusts Part of the Land Back Movement?
- Keeping a Promise this Indigenous Peoples’ Day
- Indian Country 101 curriculum
Donate
- Indigenous Land Relationship Fund
- Warm Springs Community Action Team
- New Education Pavilion at Tryon Creek
- The Chúush Fund
- Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians
- Chinook Indian Nation
Celebrate
- 10/9: Indigenous Peoples’ Day Celebration (Friends of Tryon Creek)
- 10/11: Fall Seasonal Gathering (PSU Oak Savanna & ITECK Center)
- 10/19: The Gathering (Northwest Native Chamber)
- 10/21-22: Salmon Homecoming (Metro & Native Arts and Cultures Foundation)
Support Land Justice in Oregon
If you’d like to contribute to this fund, we are accepting donations to support even more Indigenous-led projects. All donations to the Indigenous Land Relationship Fund will go directly to Indigenous individuals and Indigenous-led organizations. Give today and thank you for your continued support of this work.
