After a short fifty-minute bus ride through spectacular farm country we arrived on the Rez. Off the main highway and down a winding road we found ourselves at the front door of a building with exquisite architectural design that seemed to melt into the rolling hills of the Umatilla Reservation. The Walla Walla, the Cayuse and the Umatilla people have all agreed to share the 500,000 acres that make up this small section of the Plateau tribal region of the west. This diverse group of people share a common belief as quoted by an elder in the exhibit area:
"An Indian tribe is like a great family, every member connected with another; and as all the members of a family feel a mutual interest, it is so with all the members of any one tribe." Henry Perkins - 1840
Once we had received an introduction to the Cultural Center we were divided into two groups and began a guided walk through the many displays and dioramas. Malissa approached one of our groups and led us into a room filled with the history of a people who have lived where the Blue mountains meet the Columbia River Plateau for thousands of years. Malissa explained not only aspects of the displays but also went into great detail about her own regalia. It was a great honor to be accompanied by a well-spoken Umatilla lady in a ribbon dress and river otter braid ties as she shared the story of this interpretive center. The only Indian-owned cultural center on the Oregon Trail!
