Four years before Oregon became a state, the Tribes of Middle Oregon and the United States government signed the Treaty of 1855.

The treaty ceded 10 million acres of land to the United States. At the same time, it established the Warm Springs Indian Reservation and acknowledged the tribes as sovereign entities.

It reserved the tribes’ right to maintain the reservation land for traditional uses such as fishing, hunting, root digging, berry harvesting and gathering medicines — rights that have existed since time immemorial.

“It was our leaders’ way of reserving rights that the creator gave to us when he gave us this land in the beginning of time,” Tribal Council representative Wilson Wewa said. “We celebrate that because it has kept our culture, our traditions our life ways alive for the generations of today.”

The treaty’s significance will be celebrated at the 55th annual Pi-Ume-Sha Treaty Days, slated for Thursday through Sunday.

Celebrations include a powwow, rodeo, parade, horse race and vendors with food, arts and crafts.

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‘Our Food, Our Health’

Vanessa Knight-Crane, a traditional food gatherer, emphasized the importance of preserving tribal culture through food.

“Our traditional foods are very important to us, not only the fish and the deer meat and the lamprey and the elk, it’s also roots and berries,” she said. “Our sovereignty, in regards to that, is very important because we need to be able to still practice that tradition, that part of our culture so that it is not lost.”

The tribes weren’t as heavily affected by food shortages during the pandemic because they could rely on traditional food-gathering methods, Crane said.

“We weren’t so dependent on grocery stores or restaurants because we had that ability to go gather our traditional foods as people have done since the beginning,” she said.

Knight-Crane emphasized the importance of passing traditional knowledge to future generations to ensure that they can care for and live off the land.

The annual health fair, which takes place before the festival on Wednesday, recognizes food sovereignty with the theme, “Our Food, Our Health.”

It will be held outside at the Warm Springs Community Center and will offer health screenings, resources and free swag to facilitate learning about local health issues and resources.

Stick game tournaments

Knight-Crane is the organizer of the stick game tournament at the festival.

Stick game was employed by tribes in the Pacific Northwest, California, Utah, South Dakota, Alberta and Saskatchewan. In modern times, players bet money on the winner, but when it was first introduced, players would bet on physical items.

There will be an open game on Friday and a modern stick game tournament held Friday. A traditional stick game involving the gambling of physical items will take place on Sunday to honor the game’s history.

Stick game was used as a method for tribes to meet and connect long before the Treaty of 1855 was established, Knight-Crane said, adding she hosts the games to sustain that part of the tribes’ history.

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Protecting tribal traditions

Knight-Crane credits the preservation of cultural practices to the placement of the reservation away from major cities with non-Indian populations.

“Our culture here is really strong,” she said. “I think the youth have a greater chance of carrying on our cultures (and) traditions than perhaps one that is closer to the city.”

Events and activities at Pi-Ume-Sha Treaty Days are open to the public and occur on the Pi-Ume-Sha ground behind the Warm Springs Community Center.

What: Pi-Ume-Sha Treaty Days 2024

When: Thursday-Sunday

Where: Warm Springs Community Center, 2200 Hollywood Blvd., Warm Springs

Cost: Free

Contact: warmsprings-nsn.gov