OFF PAGE ONE
Tuesday, July 5, 2022
East Oregonian
A9
Wildhorse Pow Wow back in action
The 26th Annual Wildhorse Pow Wow on Friday,
July 1, 2022, kicks off at Wildhorse Resort & Casino
near Pendleton. The event draws the top dancers
and drummers from the western part of the United
States and Canada.
Yasser Marte/East Oregonian
CELEBRATING OUR NATION’S INDEPENDENCE
STANFIELD
HERMISTON
Community comes together
Fireworks light the Butte
Yasser Marte/East Oregonian
Erick Peterson/East Oregonian
Locals dine on barbecue and cake Sunday, June 3, 2022, at Bard Park to help raise funds for
fi reworks and kick off the July Fourth weekend.
Children play Sunday, July 3, 2022, at Funland Playground in Hermiston as fi reworks light
up the sky.
TO SEE MORE FOURTH OF JULY PHOTOS, GO TO:
www.EastOregonian.com
Dress:
Wildfi res:
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“For some reason when
indigenous women go miss-
ing in this nation they slip
through the cracks,” Morn-
ing Owl said.
Morning Owl said this is
the fi rst time the Pow Wow
held an event of this nature,
and the staff showed their
support for the new activ-
ity. Most staff members
wore red Wildhorse staff
shirts on July 3 to honor
those missing. Many of
the women participating in
other events also wore red.
The Red Dress remem-
brance initially was sched-
uled for the early evening on
July 3, but a thunderstorm
with heavy wind and rain
July 2 sent spectators and
participants alike to seek
cover, ending the festivi-
ties a few hours early. The
rescheduled slate pushed
the final day’s competi-
tions back to the evening of
July 3.
After finishing up the
previous day’s events, the
Red Dress competition took
place, where women were
judged by other members
for their dancing and dress.
The event was a part of
three days’ worth of compe-
While the fear of fire
danger in the short term has
been slightly lowered, 88% of
respondents expect wildfi res
to increase during the next 10
years. Nine out of 10 Orego-
nians (92%) see wildfi res as a
serious threat to “people living
in Oregon.”
However, not as many
people believe they are in
harm’s way. Just six out of 10
respondents (60%) see wild-
fire as a very or somewhat
serious threat in their commu-
nities. Five out of 10 people
(53%) see wildfi res as a direct
threat to themselves and their
families.
Most Oregonians (83%)
said greatest concerns over the
impacts of fi re were about the
health eff ects of smoke. Loss
of wildlife and fish habitat
registered as the second-high-
est level of concern among
Oregonians, with 82% saying
they had great or moderate
concern.
Nearly eight out of 10
(79%) respondents had moder-
ate or great concern about the
loss of public forestland.
Deschutes County resident
Robin Johnson said the best
way to deal with fi res is for fi re
offi cials to attack and extin-
Antonio Arredondo/East Oregonian
A young women dances Sunday, July 3, 2022, at the Wildhorse Pow Wow competition in
Mission.
titions with more than
$90,000 in prizes. The event
typically brings in 5,000-
7,000 guests per year, and the
crowds packed in to watch
the celebrations July 3.
Along with the guests,
nearly 100 participants from
several tribes came to partic-
ipate at Wildhorse, the fi rst
Pow Wow on the site in two
years due to the pandemic.
guish them instead of letting
forest fires burn naturally.
“The fi res can quickly get out
of control, so they need to be
managed,” said Johnson. “In
addition, the smoke impacts
larger portions separate from
the fi re causing respiratory
issues, and the fi re may take
out habitat.”
Survey results show that
75% of Oregonians agree
with Johnson. The remaining
respondents lean toward or
agree with, the idea of allow-
ing a wildfi re to burn out natu-
rally.
A respondent from Polk
County, who declined to be
named, was blunter when it
comes to managing wildfi re.
“We just can’t let our state
burn to the ground,” she said.
Just how many Oregonians
have had to evacuate due to
wildfire? According to the
survey, 19% of respondents
said they have evacuated their
homes due to wildfi re. Some
43% of respondents said they
have an evacuation plan in
place.
The Oregon Values and
Beliefs Center is an indepen-
dent, nonpartisan organiza-
tion. The center partnered
with Pamplin Media Group
and the EO Media Group,
which owns the East Orego-
nian and The Bulletin. The
survey has a margin of error
of about 2.5%.