2023 Board Retreat Hosted by Yakama Nation
Board Retreat 2023
“Once we have accomplished what we've set out to do at Willamette Falls, access will be available to all. So, I can take my grandchildren there, and they can appreciate the sound, and maybe even the mist that I experienced when I was a child at Celilo Falls. That's the kind of access that I look at in terms of our relationship to this place.” Davis “Yellowash” Washines, Yakama Delegate and Government Relations Liaison in the Yakama Nation Department of Natural Resources, member of the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, and Willamette Falls Trust board member.
We’ve learned that finding moments to come together and share why we do this work rejuvenates us and reminds us of how, for millennia, the natural world, through its many seasons, connects us to our past, present, and future in a way that nothing else does. It’s times like this year’s board retreat that serve to bring us back to the core of who we are, why we’re here, and ultimately, how our connection to Willamette Falls is bigger than any one project. We’re deeply grateful for each of our board members and the depth of experience in public programming, community engagement, and community building they bring to this project, helping shape the direction of our organization. Here’s a glimpse of the time we shared together.
Building Relationships
We were welcomed to Yakama Nation by Davis “Yellowash” Washines, Yakama Delegate and Government Relations Liaison in the Yakama Nation Department of Natural Resources, member of the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, and Willamette Falls Trust board member. With prayer and song, we were invited to remember our relationship to the Falls — one that doesn’t begin or end but has always been and will remain.
One after the other, board members who have served for years, as well as our newest members, Mary Baumgardner and Jim Manion, each spoke of their relationship to the Falls, the life within it, and the future we can create together, with Jim sharing:
“I thank each and every one of you for stepping forward to... make better, for future generations, the resource that the Creator has given us. My great-grandfather had a fishing site at the Falls, it was a dip netting fishing site. The fish were so abundant that you basically just dipped for salmon and harvested that way. But that site is no longer cause the fish are no longer there. We... are ready to welcome back our brothers, the Chinook and Steelheads.”
Remembering and Protecting Relationships
Every story was a unique reminder of the great responsibility we as individuals hold, together with people from all walks of life, and with leadership rooted in Indigenous ecological and traditional knowledge and culture — to protect the relationship we have with the earth. The energy was palpable as we entered a visioning time, led by board chair, Robert Kentta, who pointed to the fact that gathering is where it all began — “A lot of our progress of coming together as a Confederation really centers around places like Willamette Falls that were always gathering places and trading places.”
As we evaluated the work that has happened over the last year and the exciting developments ahead, we took time to celebrate the collective work on a project that has often required bold belief. As an unprecedented Inter-Tribal led public access project, we’re building a vision like no other, and it’s the relationship with and the trust of our board that has supported and affirmed our direction, helping lead the way.
Associate Director and Director of Tribal Engagement, Gerard Rodriguez, put words to what we were all feeling:
“My hope is that this is just the beginning of something that we'll see ripple throughout the region, not just Oregon and Washington and the Northwest, but across the country and across the globe.”
Building Relationships for the Future
One of the most inspiring moments for many of us was when we were welcomed to speak with the Yakama Nation Tribal Council and Yakama Nation General Council. As we thanked the council for their continued and valued partnership, we were again reminded of the relationship. Council member Subsekan shared, “Along the shores [of the Willamette River] and even the springs, we utilized that area for medicinal purposes... and that history is still here in the ground.”
Everywhere we went over those few days, as we shared meals, engaged in powerful conversations, watched the Treaty Day parade, visited the Yakama Nation Museum and Cultural Center, and so much more, we celebrated the work that’s been done, and came away reinvigorated to pass on continued and new relationships as we create a connection between Willamette Falls and the generations to come.
As we look towards the work ahead, we leave you with the words of Yakama Nation Council member, Takala:
“To us, [the Willamette River] is who we are, it’s our identity. . . and with the partnerships that we build, such as with the Trust here, we can do the outreach to let it be known that this is our story, this is who we are, this way of life is, is still going continue.”