170th anniversary this year of Treaty of 1855
Seven or so generations ago,
on June 25, 1855, the Wasco
and Warm Springs people agreed
to the ‘Treaty with the Middle
Tribes of Oregon,’ with the
United States government.
Terms included ceding owner-
ship or possession right 10 mil-
lion acres of land located south
of the Columbia River from the
Cascade Mountains to the Blue
Mountains, the traditional land
of the tribes.
The treaty reserved 644,000-
acres in Central Oregon exclu-
sively for the tribes, now the
Warm Springs Reservation. Im-
portantly, the treaty also re-
served to the tribes the rights
to fish, hunt, gather, and pasture
livestock in their usual and accus-
tomed places within the ceded
lands. Still, even with these res-
ervations, the terms were clearly
one-sided for the federal gov-
ernment, agreed to by the tribes
because of no other real choice:
By the mid-1800s the unending
migration of non-Native settlers
to the region was well underway.
This year marks the One-Hun-
dred and Seventieth anniversary
of the Treaty of 1855, signed by
89 delegates of the Wasco and
Warm Springs people, on behalf
of the tribes, at a place called
Treaty Oak near The Dalles. This
was by Celilo Falls, the area where
the tribes had lived since time
immemorial. In fact, “Celilo Falls
and the Celilo settlement were the
oldest continuously inhabited place
in North America...,” according to
archaeologists.
Pi-Ume-Sha tradition
The Confederated Tribes began
celebrating Treaty Days in the late
1960s, during the Vietnam War, as
a way of remembering the treaty
and sacrifices of ancestors, and also
honoring veterans, traditions that
continue today.
The Pi-Ume-Sha Treaty Days
Powwow this year—the Fifty-Sixth
Annual Pi-Ume-Sha—will be Friday
through Sunday, June 27-29. All
dancers and singers are welcome.
Pi-Ume-Sha Specials this year in-
clude:
The Cassie Katchia Shell Dress
Special. The 60-and-over Short
Fringe Special. The Miss Pi-Ume-
Sha—ages 7-11 Girls Traditional
Special.
The Men’s Round Bustle Special.
Team Dance. The 3-Man Old Style
Hand Drum. The Miller Family
Hoop Dance Special.
The EJ Denny Grass Dance Spe-
cial (all ages). And the Jingle Dance
Special.
The Pi-Ume-Sha Traditional
Dress Parade is Saturday, June 28,
honoring War m Springs Chief
Delvis Heath Sr. The parade is
from the campus area to the Pi-
Ume-Sha grounds, line-up at 10
a.m. and the parade at 11.
The 2025 Pi-Ume-Sha Master of
Peters Pasture Culture Camp
The Culture Camp at Pe-
ters Pasture is coming up
soon. Sign up and enjoy
sharing the tribes’ culture
and heritage with friends.
The camp this year is June
Tribal Council
summaries
The following are summaries of
recent proceedings of the Tribal
Council:
April 7
The meeting was called to or-
der by Chairman Jonathan W.
Smith Sr. Roll call: Lincoln Jay
Suppah, Chief Jefferson Greene,
Vice Chairman Raymond ‘Captain’
Moody, Alvis Smith III, Carlos
Calica, Chairman Jonathan W.
Smith Sr., Chief Joseph Moses,
James ‘Jim’ Manion. Minnie
Yahtin, Recorder.
Invocation given by Carlos.
· Bureau of Indian Affairs up-
date with Kenneth Brochert, act-
ing Superintendent.
· State legislative update with
Michael Mason. Federal legislative
update with Matthew Hill.
· Tribal attorney update with
tribal attorneys Josh Newton and
Ellen Grover: Executive session,
1:56-3:31 p.m.
Moton by Carlos to authorize
the tribe to file motion to inter-
vene in Pinnacle Utilities, L.L.C.
v. Oregon Water Resources Depart-
ment et al., Marion County Cir-
cuit Court No. 25CV07127, for
the sole purpose of filing a mo-
tion to dismiss for failing to nec-
essary and indispensable parties.
Second by Alvis. Question: Jim,
Jay, Alvis, Jefferson, Carlos, all
in favor; 5/0/0, Chairman not
voting. Motion carried.
· Other Business:
Motion by Jim approving
paperware, garbage bags, toilet pa-
per and paper towels for the Celilo
Salmon Feast. Second by Carlos.
Jim, Jay, Alvis, Jefferson, Carlos ,
all in favor; 5/0/0, Chairman not
voting. Motion carried.
· Tribal Aattorney update with
Brent Hall: Executive session,
3:40-4:35 p.m.
Summaries continue 3
12-14, Thursday through
Saturday. You can sign up
with Culture and Heritage at
the Education building, 1110
Wasco Street; or call 541-
553-3290.
Ceremonies is Council Carlos
Calica; and the Whipman is Coun-
cilman ‘Captain’ Moody. Follow-
ing is the contact information for
Pi-Ume-Sha:
Traditional Dress Parade,
Ramona Greene-Baez, 541-460-
0077. The Stickgame Tournament,
Vanessa Knight-Crance, 541-460-
0105. The Pi-Ume-Sha Rodeo,
Alfredine Smith, 541-460-3257.
Powwow Chairman is Gorkey
Mitchell, 541-325-2968. Vendor
information, Sharon Katchia, 541-
295-6046. Powwow information,
Cyrille Mitchell, 541-460-0241.