Oregon State University – Cascades will host a First Peoples Celebration on Oct. 11, 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 5 p.m. in Bruckner Courtyard 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 founded 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 Community Action Team will be on hand to discuss their work.
Native American food prepared by Twisted Teepee, a nonprofit food truck based in Warm Springs, will be available for purchase.
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.
The event is supported by a grant from the Bend Cultural Tourism Fund.
About OSU-Cascades: Oregon State University’s campus in Bend brings higher education to Central Oregon, the fastest growing region in the state. Surrounded by mountains, forest and high desert, OSU-Cascades is a highly innovative campus of a top-tier land grant research university, offering small classes that accelerate faculty-student mentoring and experiential learning. Degree programs meet industry and economic needs in areas such as innovation and entrepreneurship, natural ecosystems, health and wellness, and arts and sciences, and prepare students for tomorrow’s challenges. OSU-Cascades is expanding to serve 3,000 to 5,000 students, building a 128-acre campus with net-zero goals.