This land will always be home to the Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla people. The land is used by and shared with relatives and neighbors such as the Palouse, Wanapum, Yakama, Wishxam, Wyam, Tenino and Nez Perce.
In 1805 and 1806, Lewis and Clark were the first non-Indians to travel through this area. Then, there were no state boundaries. Natural landforms and rivers and trails designated tribal areas.
We spoke our languages, lived by our laws, had our own forms of governance and lived with the land.
The mountains allowed our people to gather many types of roots and berries and to hunt deer, elk and antelope.
The rivers provided an abundance of fish.
Thousands of people lived along the rivers near well-known fishing, spawning and trading sites.
This land offered much and tribes traveled from afar to trade with our people along the Columbia River for dried foods such as fish, meat, roots and berries. This land will always be home to us.
Today, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation exercise our sovereignty, preserve our cultural lifeways and provide for the well being of our people.
We acknowledge the wisdom of our elders and spiritual leaders and honor a sacred covenant by preserving and protecting the species and habitat that have sustained us for millennia.
Our Homeland Heritage Corridor highlights cultural and recreational opportunities in northeastern Oregon and southeastern Washington.
Explore, enjoy and please respect our ancestors and all future generations. Walk softly and leave all things undisturbed.
This project has been funded with assistance from the Oregon Heritage Commission - Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, the Oregon Historic Trails Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation, USDA Forest Service, US Army Corps of Engineers and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation
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