Pictured Iwetemlaykin State Heritage Site
Oregon’s Indigenous heritage is a rich history of deep connection to the land, with evidence of human presence for over 12,000 years. The heritage includes a diversity of languages, complex trade networks, spiritual practices, and a legacy of resilience against historical challenges like termination policies and assimilation attempts.
For thousands of years, more than 50 tribes fished the wild rivers and great waterfalls of Oregon, including the now-submerged Celilo Falls on the mighty Columbia River. They carved petroglyphs into canyon walls at places like Picture Rock Pass and left traces of their lives, such as the world’s oldest known shoes found at Fort Rock. Today, their proud descendants make up Oregon’s nine federally recognized tribes:
- Burns Paiute of Harney County
- Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians
- Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde
- Confederated Tribes of Siletz
- Confederated Tribes of Umatilla Reservation
- Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs
- Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Indians
- Coquille Indian Tribe
- Klamath Tribes
Archaeological evidence shows humans have lived in Oregon for over 12,000 years, with early inhabitants shaping the landscape through volcanic activity and floods. Indigenous communities have survived colonization, disease, and forced assimilation, including federal termination policies that attempted to sever their status as sovereign nations and tribes. Despite historical efforts to erase their cultures, many tribes have fought to restore their federal recognition and are actively working to preserve their heritage for future generations.
To learn more about Oregon’s native heritage of the land, check out:
Tamástslikt Cultural Institute, located on the Umatilla Reservation, about 15-minutes from Pendleton, is the only tribal-run museum that highlights the history and culture of Native Americans along the Oregon Trail. While there, visit the Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts – it’s the only fine-print studio on a reservation.
The Museum at Warm Springs houses a large collection of North American Indian artifacts. 2189 US-26 in Warm Springs.
Chachalu Museum and Cultural Center tells the story of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde — the community, Tribe, and culture that has persisted despite the challenges.
The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Center for Native American Art at the Portland Art Museum has a Native American art collection with 3,500 prehistoric and historic objects created by some 200 cultural groups from throughout North America. 1219 SW Park Avenue in Portland.
