We still live largely in the place the Creator gave us. While the Umatilla Indian Reservation is only a part of a much larger land use base, it is very precious to us. The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) was created during a very difficult, protracted treaty negotiation by ancestors who knew that we could only continue our way of life in perpetuity if we had a place set aside for that express purpose. The thinking of the treaty commissioners who represented the United States was typical for that era. They assumed that Indian people would survive only by becoming like white people, and they expected reservations to serve as a transitional location toward that end. Instead, this area of land called the Umatilla Indian Reservation has become the stronghold for our Tribal culture and our Tribal resurgence.
Hundreds of generations of ancestors have known the homeland intimately from living on it for thousands of years. Every creek, spring, pond, swale, saddle, box canyon, draw, and peak witnessed our people's long history here, and our people knew all the features of this land. Our children also must know the land if they are going to take care of it when they inherit this responsibility. We hope that others might appreciate what our people have known for so very long—that our relationship with our land is tantamount to our core cultural identity.

Address
46411 Timíne Way, Pendleton, OR 97801

Discover More

Official Website
Tamástslikt Cultural Institute
Confederated Tribes of Umatilla Journal​