One of the main roles of Portland’s tribal relations manager is to engage in conversations with Native nations across Oregon.
That has happened with different to varying degrees of success.
In this provided photo from 2018, participants in the Tribal Nations Summit, an event where officials from seven tribal governments convened to discuss their priorities at Portland City Hall.
Courtesy of Laura John
For the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, that relationship has felt largely positive, according to a statement shared with UNN/OPB.
“We have valued the department’s commitment to regular communications and visits to our Reservation, communication that we hope continues and increases as the department evolves,” said Jonathan Smith, former Chairman of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Tribal Council and current Tribal Council member
In his three years as CEO of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, Kurtis Barker said that he felt like communication with the city, including through the tribal relations program, has been limited, including when the city’s formal tribal relations manager Adam Becenti was in that position.
“And if [Becenti] was communicating, it would have maybe been advertising an event or something that’s happening in the Portland area,” Barker said. “But creating a government to government relationship with the city? I feel like that wasn’t really happening.”
Correction: This story was updated to attribute a quote to the proper Warm Springs official.
