Yesteryears -- July 15, 2017

2012 – The Portland City Council voted unanimously to formalize coordination and consultation with Tribal governments and recognize Tribal sovereignty. Then-Tribal Council Chairwoman Cheryle A. Kennedy testified in support of the resolution at Portland City Hall.

2007 – Tribal Council member Wink Soderberg participated in a ribbon cutting at the opening of a new pedestrian footbridge in Tualatin. The bridge was named after Grand Ronde Chief Ki-a-Kuts, who was known for bringing people and communities together. Soderberg was the featured speaker at the event.

2002 – Native fishermen along the Columbia River were allowed to sell their summer Chinook catch to the public for the first time in 37 years. The fishermen used gill nets to catch the fish while working off platforms near the Bridge of the Gods.

1997 – Tribal member Angela Fasana earned her juris doctor degree from Lewis & Clark Northwestern School of Law. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Portland State University and graduated from Willamina High School in 1990.

1992 – Tribal higher education graduates were celebrated, including Kelly Nelson, who graduated from California State University-Sacramento; June Olson and Paul Cooney, who graduated from the University of Oregon; Heather Davidson, who graduated from Chemeketa Community College; and Terry Boerckel, who graduated from Western Business College.

Yesteryears is a look back at Tribal history in five-year increments through the pages of Smoke Signals.