Chinook Tribe's Traditional Plankhouse Dedication Pullout
fit
A Publication of the Grand Ronde Tribe
APRIL 15, 2005
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Place Of Enlightenment Light shines through the roof of a Chinookan-style plankhouse that was opened to the public on Tuesday, March 29.
Ciiiiiiiaps Bring Traditlnna! PianEsiianse T life
Chinook Tribal people
share their legacy at
dedication ceremony.
By Toby McClary
Standing near the center of
the Ridgefleld National Wild
life Refuge and about 100
yards from Duck Lake, is a traditionally-built
replica of a Chinook
style plankhouse.
On Tuesday, March 29, the Chi
nook Tribe, the U.S. Fish & Wild
life Service and the Lewis and
Clark Bicentennial Committee
opened a red cedar plankhouse in
Ridgefield, Washington.
The structure stands about 20 feet
tall, is 78 feet long, 37 feet wide and
fits into the landscape like a piece
to a puzzle.
"We (the people of the Chinook
Tribe) built this because it is impor
tant to us," said Chinook Tribal
member and the Grand Ronde's
Culture Department Interim Man
ager Tony Johnson. "It is an op
portunity for us to exercise our cul
tural knowledge and gain experi-
"5 All Photos by
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Doorway To The Past, Entry To Another Time About 1 50 people attended the opening ceremony for a
plankhouse built in Ridgefield, Washington. The ChinookTribe, the U.S. Fish &Wildlife Service, the Lewis and Clark Bicen
tennial Committee and dozens of volunteers were all honored for the work that they invested into the construction. Everyone
gathered outside to listen to a speech put on by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service as well as words from ChinookTribal Chair
man Gary Johnson. Johnson said"It adds to our Tribal history and it helps show the path of our Tribe's survival."