Inter-Tribal collaboration is leading the way for an unprecedented public project that will welcome people from near and far to gather together, restore, and protect the natural wonder that is Willamette Falls.

Many Tribal histories and lifeways come together at Willamette Falls and the region to which it is connected. The inherency of Indigenous people to the lands we have long stewarded is protected by cultural connection, reserved Treaty rights, and sacred fishing and gathering at the Falls.

Tribal Leadership Committee

Willamette Falls Trust honors the Tribes’ sovereignty, acknowledges their autonomy as independent nations, and shares decision-making power for better public service and a livable earth. This means including Indigenous voices. The closely held tenet of Inter-Tribal collaboration not only reconnects different Tribal Councils and their leaders, but actively creates a shared future in which Native youth can access traditional lifeways to heal the landscape.

Inter-Tribal leadership is leading a national movement

Willamette Falls Trust is forging a path forward and creating a model for how public spaces not only acknowledge and honor Tribes as stewards of the land for millennia but are led by multiple Tribes and their deep wisdom and perspectives. 

Our structures are grounded in culturally relevant practices. Tribal leadership, staff, and partners build our organizational values through a shared vision for a better future that heals the landscape and its many communities.

The committee is an inclusive Inter-Tribal group for delegates from Tribal nations and Indigenous communities to come together and build a collective vision for Native leadership in shaping public projects in the greater Willamette Falls area. 

The committee currently holds representatives from the following nations: The Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. 

Tribal Partner Technical Staff

Board Leadership

In Fall 2019, the Trust formally requested Tribal representation to be appointed to the Willamette Falls Trust Board of Directors to guide the organization and support our philanthropic and programming visions. Our goal was to honor and elevate the Tribal nations that have stewarded this land since time immemorial. As of December 2020, we expanded our board with representatives of five Tribes. 

Currently our Tribal Leadership is composed of representatives from Yakama Nation, Siletz Indians, Umatilla and Warm Springs, with seats held for other nations with an interest at Willamette Falls, including a seat held for the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and the Nez Perce Tribes.

2021 Board Retreat | Hosted by The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation

2022 Board Retreat | Hosted by The Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians

2023 Board Retreat | Hosted by The Confederated Bands and Tribes of Yakama Nation

 Indigenous Community Engagement 

While the work and governance to reclaim the Falls is being informed by Indigenous leadership at every critical moment in this public project, holistic Indigenous community engagement is another important part of ensuring its design and programming serve community needs and priorities.