By Christine Coffin, 541-322-3152 or 541-788-3438 (m), christine.coffin@osucascades.edu
BEND, Ore. Oregon State University (September 17, 2024) – Cascades will host a First Peoples Celebration on Oct. 12, an event that explores and celebrates the history and culture of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs.
Event activities are free to the public and will take place from 1 to 6 p.m. on the OSU-Cascades campus.
OSU-Cascades has an acknowledged partnership with the Confederated Tribes, which recognizes the campus’s commitment to ensuring that OSU-Cascades is “of enduring benefit to the people on whose ancestral lands it is now located.”
Activities include:
- An opening ceremony and invocation, led by tribal members.
- Demonstrations of traditional tribal crafts and artistry created by Native artists and culture bearers from the Tananáwit Artists Community of Warm Springs.
- A showcase of traditional regalia and Native dancing, narrated with descriptions and histories of the intricate, ceremonial Native fashions – including jingle, fancy, grass and traditional — and background about the dances.
- A round dance with the Black Lodge Singers. The Black Lodge Singers are a Native American, Grammy-nominated drum group led by Kenny Scabby Robe of the Blackfeet Nation. The group has more than 30 albums to their credit.
- Representatives from the Museum at Warm Springs and the High Desert Museum will be available to discuss their roles in preserving the heritage of the First Peoples of Central Oregon.
- Members of the Warm Springs Natural Resources Department and Warm Springs Community Action Team will be on hand to discuss their work.
A dinner of Indigenous foods will take place at 6 p.m. The dinner includes salmon, elk, dried corn and huckleberries. Foods will be prepared by Twisted Teepee, a nonprofit and Warm Springs-based food truck specializing in Native American fry bread and other native specialties. Dinner tickets are $25 per person. Limited tickets are available.
For a full event schedule, dinner tickets and to learn more about the First Peoples Celebration visit OSUcascades.edu/first-peoples.
For accommodations for disabilities contact 541-322-3100 or events@osucascades.edu.