America built its first "concentration camp school," or Indian boarding school, on the Yakama reservation in 1860.
Now, the state of #Washington has appointed five #Indigenous leaders to a Truth and Reconciliation Tribal Advisory Committee, which will investigate the state’s history of Native boarding schools.
Unexpectedly stumbled on this giant troll sculpture while birdwatching in West Seattle! I knew there were new troll sculptures around; didn’t know I’d be seeing one today. 😄
In the 1960s and '70s, cops were brutalizing #Indigenous people in the #PNW ...for fishing.
But fishing is a treaty-protected right. People stood up for it. Elders call this era the Fish Wars.
In 1974 the issue went to the Supreme Court. After 3 years of discovery and pretrial, Judge George Boldt heard the case and ruled that the state of #Washington must respect the Indigenous right to fish.
The Boldt decision changed the landscape. It turns 50 next month.
9 Times the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Miscalculated Badly at the Expense of #Taxpayers, #Wildlife
The agency has a history of diving into big #construction projects that exceed projected costs, fall short on projected benefits and, in some cases, create new problems that #engineers hadn’t bargained for.
On Thursday, the Biden administration announced its support for preparing to breach the four Lower Snake River Dams.
The Nez Perce Tribe, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs, and Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, have been fighting for years to bring the dams down to restore #salmon runs.
Actually breaching the dams will require an act of Congress.
Ever wonder why when you were a kid in Oregon, you learned about the Iroquois and Cherokee tribes of the Eastern USA but nothing about local Native Americans? Why you learned about the pioneers crossing the plains on the Oregon Trail, but nothing about what they did once they arrived?
...Or maybe you didn't even notice how much was left out until this very moment, reading my words?
Here is the missing piece.
"Tribal Histories of the Willamette Valley" by David G. Lewis.
Fair warning, this book made me so upset that I cried. Not at the author, he's done an excellent job. At the astonishing cruelty, violence, and dishonesty shown to native people by (many) white settlers. At how little they asked for, and still didn't get. At how little is left of the ecosystems that sustained people and wildlife and were carefully maintained by native people. At how much astonishing wealth has accrued to those who stole from natives, even to the modern day.
Land acknowledgement statements are not enough! If you are a white person in Oregon, you need to read this.
The area around Silver Star Mountain is incredible. I needed this trip so badly, both physically and mentally. I slept at the trailhead and got up bright and early to check out the Chinook Trail. I only learned about this trail a couple days ago. Apparently an effort to build a loop trail around Vancouver, WA and Portland, OR.
It’s larch season in the mountains of Washington State. These conifers have needles that turn yellow and fall off in autumn. Makes for some unreal landscapes.
A solar developer sent a state lands archaeologist a string of urgent text messages, which we obtained through a public records request, insisting that she keep her findings private and not share them with tribes.
But when his texts reached the state lands archaeologist, she was already at Badger Mountain --- showing her findings to a tribal representative.
After he helped create the state’s voting maps, a #redistricting commissioner quietly worked with national #GOP figures to bring a lawsuit against his own work.
Unexpectedly ran into another one of Thomas Dambo’s giant troll sculptures while out walking in a park. This time on Vashon Island. I knew they were around - it’s pretty amazing to just walk along and suddenly there it is. This one has a crown of birdhouses.
The first photo is the view from near my camp on Cloudy Pass. Today has been incredible but tough. Hiked 20 miles with 6400’ elevation gain. This is not like the PCT, it’s rough trails that go straight up for hours. But i’m so happy, I wanted an epic long weekend and Glacier Peak Wilderness is providing that in spades so far.
I've told the story of how I got into #EmergencyPrep... Local govt held a community meeting about preparing for a 9.0+ #subduction zone #earthquake hitting the #PNW. Power co, water co, etc all gave useful advice.
Oregon’s #Drug Decriminalization Aimed to Make #Cops a Gateway to Rehab, Not Jail. State Leaders Failed to Make It Work.
Just over three years since #Oregon voters passed Ballot Measure 110, elected officials want to repeal key elements, blaming the law for open drug use and soaring overdoses.
But it’s their own hands-off approach that isn’t working, advocates say.