May 1st was exciting!!!

We celebrated the Opening Ceremony of the Chehalem Cultural Center 2015 Focus Culture in downtown Newberg. The focus culture this year is The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, which is near and dear to my heart because The Renaissance Man is a tribal member.

The ceremony started with a drum song given by tribal members and was followed with a welcome speech given by Rob Dailey, the Director of the Chehalem Cultural Center. It’s so neat that the Chehalem Cultural Center decided to reach out to The Tribe and feature them as a focus culture. The story of the Willamette Valley and Newberg is also a story about tribal members. Bob Andrews, The Mayor of Newberg, was also part of the ceremony and he gifted The Tribe a “Key to The City.” The Renaissance Man then gave a short speech about the importance of this collaboration and the healing it helps to facilitate within the community.

The turnout to the event was fantastic! It was was estimated that about 150-200 visitors attended, and the exhibit space within the Cultural Center is stunning.

I didn’t end up taking as many pictures as I wanted to (forgive me)…sometimes I get talking and forget to photograph!? Below are carved models of of traditional canoes used by native peoples of the Willamette Valley to travel along the rivers.

Beautiful beads. Contemporary beaded necklaces were also gifted to Rob Dailey and Mayor Andrews as part of the Opening Ceremony.

The exhibit space will feature two different displays over the course of this summer. The first display shown below gives a history of The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde from time immemorial to present day showcasing indigenous arts, heritage, and traditions. I also learned that over a thousand 3rd and 4th graders will go through the exhibit space in the next month as part of their exposure to native cultures. Pretty cool!

The second exhibit which will open July 14th will feature artwork made by tribal artisans. I’m super excited about the artwork exhibit, and expect to see contemporary baskets like the ones below made by current tribal members along with beading and traditional carvings.

My parents even got in on the fun and joined us at the Opening Ceremony! I encourage everyone to take time to swing by the Cultural Center and learn more about The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde. Be sure to checkout the list of upcoming events…it’s going to be an exciting summer!

hyiú máhsie (hy-iú máh-sie) many thanks!