Tribes

On Thursday, dozens of young kayakers from a variety of Indigenous tribes will embark on the first source-to-sea descent of the Klamath River since the country’s largest dam removal project was completed last fall.

Portland uses Seattle’s structure as a model for its tribal relations program, but with a key difference — there's no Indigenous Advisory Council.

One of the main roles of Portland’s tribal relations manager is to engage with Native nations across Oregon — but those conversations haven't always happened.

Indigenous community leaders and tribal officials see an opportunity to get Portland's Tribal Relations Program back on track — if city leaders are willing to listen.

If the tribe and state’s petition is then approved by the federal government, it would return to a pre-1953 jurisdictional arrangement, giving criminal jurisdiction to the federal government and empowering tribal courts to exercise jurisdiction over civil disputes between tribal citizens.

Crowds gathered in Portland to honor Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives by raising awareness with signs and speakers while providing space for healing through ceremony.

Researchers have dubbed it Ca.Electrothrix yaqonensis. That’s in honor of the Yaqona tribal people, whose descendants are now part of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, who helped come up with the name.

Over the last decade, several hundred Native American students and their families helped design, carve, and paint a series of totem poles for the Eugene 4J School District's NATIVES program. Five were installed outside Eugene schools, often with the burning of sage and traditional drumming.

After decades of conflict, farmers and tribes say they’re working in concert to restore salmon habitat in the Klamath Basin. But two dams remain - one that blocks fish passage another that plays a key role for agriculture.

While many tribal governments hope for full criminal and civil restoration over their lands eventually, they say removing state jurisdiction is an important step toward respecting Native American nations as self-governing sovereign states.