State Rep. Annessa Hartman (D-Gladstone), second from right, takes a group photo with, from left, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation Board of Trustees Vice Chair Aaron Ashley and BOT Members At Large Lisa Ganuelas and Corinne Sams on Nov. 28 at the Tamastslikt Cultural Institute. CTUIR | Contributed Photo

CTUIR welcomes Rep. Hartman to Nixyáawii Governance Center

MISSION, Ore. – Leaders of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) recently welcomed State Rep. Annessa Hartman to the Nixyáawii Governance Center for a tour of the tribal facilities. Hartman, a freshman lawmaker who represents District 40, is a member of the Six Nations of Iroquois (Cayuga Nation) and the third Indigenous person elected to the Oregon…

President Joe Biden speaks before signing an executive order at the White House Tribal Nations Summit at the Department of the Interior, Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023, in Washington. EVAN VUCCI | ASSOCIATED PRESS

At tribal summit, Biden says he’s working to ‘heal the wrongs of the past’ and ‘move forward’

By COLLEEN LONG, SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN and HALLIE GOLDEN, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden told Native American nations gathered for a summit Wednesday that his administration was working to heal the wrongs of the past as he signed an executive order that seeks to make it easier for Indigenous peoples to access federal funding, and have greater…

The Haudenosaunee Nationals walk on to the field before a match against England at the World Lacrosse Championships on June 23, 2023, at Torrero Stadium in San Diego, Calif. ALAN NAKKASH | NPR

President Joe Biden and the White House support Indigenous lacrosse team for the 2028 Olympics

By EDDIE PELLS, AP National Writer President Joe Biden is pushing to allow the Indigenous nation that invented lacrosse to play under its own flag when the sport returns to the Olympics in 2028. Biden’s position, being announced Wednesday at the White House Tribal Nations Summit, is a request for the International Olympic Committee to allow the Haudenosaunee Nationals to…

Cherokee Nation family and friends of the late Chief Wilma Mankiller gathered at the tribe’s complex Dec. 5 to celebrate release of the Wilma Mankiller Barbie as part of the brand’s Inspiring Women series. CHEROKEE NATION | COURTESY

Barbie doll honoring Cherokee Nation leader is met with mixed emotions

By SEAN MURPHY, Associated Press OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – An iconic chief of the Cherokee Nation, Wilma Mankiller, inspired countless Native American children as a powerful but humble leader who expanded early education and rural healthcare. Her reach is now broadening with a quintessential American honor: a Barbie doll in the late Mankiller’s likeness as part of toymaker Mattel’s “Inspiring…

BLM hiring summer student interns

PORTLAND — Are you a student looking to kickstart a career in civil service? Are you looking for a fun, fulfilling way to spend your summer? During the next couple of weeks, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is hiring at least 100 paid student interns across the country, including the Pacific Northwest. Job applications will be open on USAjobs.gov from December 8 through…

Denise Wickert and children with fiancé Julian “J.D.” Gone III

Parent pushback leads to day care rate hike pause

By CHRIS AADLAND, Reporter MISSION, Ore. – A now-paused drastic increase in the cost to parents who send children to the tribally owned day care gave some families relief last month while putting pressure on tribal leaders as they ponder potential long-term solutions to meet a need for more child care options.In late August, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla…

Thank You

On November 25, 2023, my father Tithcowax (David Wolf Sr.), younger sister, Hiyuum latakalapat (Ashleigh Wolf) and I returned names from our family’s history to this homeland. It was a big holiday shopping weekend, so a big thank you to the people who chose to be a part of our family’s naming ceremony. I’ll start with a special thanks to…

Part of the Mission Market’s fueling pumps will be temporarily inaccessible beginning Monday, Dec. 5 because of workers installing solar panels.

Part of Mission Market’s Fuel Pumps to Temporarily Close Dec. 5

MISSION, Ore. – Part of the Mission Market’s fueling pumps will be temporarily inaccessible beginning Monday, Dec. 5 because of workers installing solar panels. Patrick Mills, Climate Coordination analyst with the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR), said a solar photovoltaic array is scheduled for installation atop the market’s fueling canopy.  During the installation, the north row of fueling…

Chief Judge William Johnson administers the oath of office to the newly elected officials Wednesday morning, Nov. 29, in the rotunda of the Nixyaawii Governance Center. LISA SNELL| CUJ PHOTO

Newly elected officials sworn in

By CHRIS AADLAND Reporter MISSION, Ore. – Recently elected tribal leaders officially began their terms Wednesday morning after a standing-room only swearing in ceremony at the Nixyaawii Governance Center. Six freshly elected citizens of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation joined six re-elected members on the Board of Trustees, the tribal governing body that sets policy and priorities,…