Redmond, ORAug 2nd - 6th: The Deschutes County Fair and Rodeo will be held at the Deschutes county fair Expo center! Get ready for five days of fun, great food, great vendors and entertainment. Outstanding concerts, an amazing variety of food, vendors with unique merchandise, great entertainment! For more information please visit: Deschutes County Fair
Hermiston, ORAugust 9th - 12th: The Umatilla County fair will be hosted at 1705 E Airport Rd in Hermiston, OR. Entertainment is a big part of the fair with live entertainment on the main stage each evening, and numerous local acts and talent throughout the grounds during the day. The fair also features a carnival, livestock barns, parade, open class exhibits. 4-H & FFA, commercial exhibits and lots of great food concessions. for more information please visit: Umatilla County Fair
Medford, ORAugust 16th - 20th: The Oregon Wine Experience® is a week-long event featuring the full breadth and depth Oregon wines, amazing culinary creations, & one-of-a-kind experiences. In addition to the Wine Competition, the festival features numerous wine sensory classes for all levels of wine aficionados, as well as special wine dinners. The festival culminates in the Grand Tasting, which provides attendees the opportunity to sample all of the award winning wines and enjoy fabulous food and music as well, all in a beautiful historic setting in Jacksonville, Oregon. For more information please visit: The Oregon Wine Experience
Albany, ORAugust 25th - 27th: The Northwest Art & Air Festival will be held at the Timber Linn Park in Albany. Whether you're on the ground or in the air, this unique award winning three day event offers fun activities for the whole family. Activities include balloon launches, Night Glow Laser Show, Kids Art Village, car show, food, live entertainment. For more information please visit: The NW Art and Air Festival
Salem, ORAugust 25 - September 4th: The Oregon State Fair Started in the late nineteenth century, the State Fair has become an Oregon family tradition. Families come from all over the state to take in great shows, rides, culinary delights, and animal and agricultural exhibits. Fair attendees will be able to see over 26,000 exhibits in livestock, home arts and hobbies, show horses, fine art, photography, professional wine, homebrew beer, small animals, including poultry, rabbits, doves, pigeons and guinea pigs, plus 4-H and FFA animals and events. For more information please visit: The Oregon State Fair
Coos Bay, ORAugust 26th - 27th: The Blackberry Arts Festival where Thousands of people fill the downtown area to seek out all things blackberry. From jams and jellies to baked goods, candy and wine, it's all about the blackberry. The festival is a host to many artisans with their handmade arts and goods. For more information please visit: The Blackberry Arts Festival
25th Anniversary Community Celebration at the Tamastslikt Cultural Institute
The Tamastslikt Cultural Institute in Pendleton, OR is hosting their 25th Annual Community Celebration starting at 10am on Saturday August, 5th. This event has FREE admission all day!
Order of Events:
10am Pup parade: Enter your beloved canines in the Regalia/ Traditional, Superheroes, or Humorous categories and win fantastic prizes.
10am Coyote Theater Reopens: Duffel and Tote Sale! Get your Chief Joseph Rosewood Duffel and/or Totle with Commemorative luggage tag for only $49, regularly $99! Available all month long!
11am Howling contest: All youth 10 years old & under are invited to give us their best howls and win lots of fun prizes. Free T-shirts for all participants!
12pm Free Hot Dogs & Pepsi Beverages: Hosted by Wildhorse Resort & Casino
1pm- 3pm T-Shirts for Turning 25: If you are also celebrating 25 years in 2023, come get your FREE commemorative 1998 T-shirt. You must present valid ID showing your birth date and participate in the photo shoot!
2pm Hand Drum contest for Cash and acclaim: Cash prize for 1st ($500) 2nd ($350) 3rd ($150)! We will be recording entries for our anniversary CD, immortalizing your performance!
Join Eugene Every first Saturday of the Month (August 6th) for the Native American arts and Craft Market starting from 10am- 4pm. This event is located at the Farmers market pavilion, 8th and Oak , Eugene, OR. for any questions please contact the vendor at (458) 205-9022 or email at eugenenaacm@gmail.com
Camp Confluence 2023
Over two weeks, we welcomed more than 40 campers to Camp Confluence! Camp Confluence is a free day camp that features a series of regional outdoor field trips with opportunities to learn from Indigenous Educators. Thanks to Washington’s No Child Left Inside program for our funding—every camper could attend for free! Here is a look into some of what we did during Camp Confluence: - We had an opening/blessing with Tribal Leaders from the Cowlitz Indian Tribe, the Chinook Nation, and the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde. - We connected throughout the week with the Portland All Nations Canoe Family and learned about canoes, cedar, pounding and splitting cedar and we learned cedar weaving, then tule mat making with Elder Elaine St. Martin (Tuscarora Nation), and Stephanie Ironheart (Cheyanne). - Shoshone-Bannock/Nez Perce Native Educator Ed Edmo shared stories. - Cowlitz Native Educator Emma Johnson shared about Mt. St Helens and plant relatives and we leaned to weave cattail headband and bracelets. For more information and photos please visit: Camp Confluence 2023
A new Exhibit explores Indigiqueer history in the Pacific Northewest
The new exhibit at Chachalu Museum and Cultural Center in Grand Ronde has an unusual beginning for its curatorial statement: “We wanted to start with the line ‘We are not historians’,” said co-curator Anthony Hudson. “This is history that is accessible by anyone, you just have to know where to look.” Hudson and Felix Furby, curated ‘My Father’s Father’s Sister: Our Ancestor Shimkhin’ which explores the life of Shimkhin, a 19th-century Two-Spirit Atfalati Kalapuya healer. Born in 1821, Shimkhin lived through a time of enormous change for Indigenous people. The Indian Appropriations Act of 1851 started the forced relocation of tribal communities from their ancestral homelands onto reservations. By 1957, more than 30 tribal bands from western Oregon, northern California, and southwest Washington were forced onto land near the Oregon coast, creating what’s now known as The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde.
If you are interested in reading more please visit : Anthony & Felix
August Pow Wow's
August 11-12, 2023
Jackson Family Memorial 2023 Men’s Fast and Fancy Competition – Honoring David Jackson Jr. (Ponca Pup) & Wa-Chesga Jackson. Hosted at Siletz Pow Wow
At Siletz Powwow on August 11th & 12th our family will be having a Men’s Fancy Dance Competition and give away in honor of my dad David Jackson and brother Chesga Mfkn Jackson There will be two songs Friday evening and two songs Saturday evening followed by the give away and announcing of our fancy dance champions. We appreciate all of the prays and love we have gotten during our time grieving and can’t wait to see all of the dancers this summer.
Annual Nesika Illahee Pow Wow
The Annual Nesika Illahee Pow-Wow takes place August 11-13, 2023 All are welcome to attend our pow-wow at the Pauline Ricks Memorial Pow-Wow Grounds on Government Hill in Siletz, Oregon
Schedule of Events: Thursday, August 10 – Royalty Pageant: 6 PM
Friday, August 11 – Memorial/Giveaways: Noon – 5 PM; Presentation of Crowns: 6 PM; Grand Entry: 7 PM
Saturday, August 12 – Parade: 10 AM (Points Awarded for Participation); Grand Entry: 1 PM & 7 PM
Sunday, August 13 – Grand Entry: 12 PM (Salmon Dinner to Follow)
All Dancers & Drummers Welcome! Drummers- please bring your own chairs. Vendor registration is required. Camping Fee $25; $5 pet fee/ per pet (camping area). Campgrounds open Thursday at 8 AM.
Join Klamath County for the Klamath Restoration Celebration on August 25th - 27th! For more information: Restoration Celebration
June Symposiums, Conferences, Summits, Tradeshows & Conventions
Educator Workshop: Indigenous books & Resources for K-8 Students
August 3rd Zoom & August 8th in Person Gresham, OR
Are you in need of resources to help you teach Tribal History/Shared History? In this workshop, Multnomah County Library Indigenous Program Specialist Ekatrina Sotomayor and her School Corps colleagues will share reliable resources and books that highlight the voices of Native and Indigenous people both past and present. You will leave this workshop with valuable resources for your classroom and a certificate of attendance that you can use towards professional development hours. To Register for the August 3rd session at 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm Please use this link: AUGUST 3rd Workshop To register for the August 8th workshop from from 2:30 - 4:00 please visit: AUGUST 8th Workshop
Learning with Innovative Technology (LIT)
August 10th Virtual
This FREE conference is designed for educators of all types, including K-12 teachers, higher-education faculty and students, technologists, librarians, and anyone else interested in the use of technologies in education. The conference is packed with presentations from other educators, like you, who have something to share in the field. You'll walk away from this conference with new and fresh ideas to bring back to your school and classroom. CTLE credit will be awarded to those interested. For more information please visit: LIT 2023
2023 Grand Ronde Education Summit
August 25th, 2023
The Grand Ronde Education Summit provides educators the opportunity to hear directly from Tribal members, Tribal employees, and Grand Ronde allies on topics relating to Grand Ronde history and culture, natural resources, culturally responsive teaching practices, CTGR curriculum, and so much more! Join us for a day of trainings and conversations around indigenous learning and teaching. This is a FREE professional development training open to all educators. Educators will earn PDU credits, as well as resources and materials to take home and use in your classrooms right away. For more information please visit: 2023 Grand Ronde Education Summit
OUT OF STATE Conferences
PULiiMA - Indigenous Language and Technology Conference
August 21st - 25th Darwin, Australia
PULiiMA Indigenous Language and Technology Conference is a biennial event aimed at bringing people together from all over Australia and internationally to explore pioneering project ideas and exciting products and equipment that can be used in community based Indigenous languages projects. The conference allows people to network with an inspirational group of people who all share a common ambition of conserving and celebrating the languages of your country. From previous events, 96% of delegates rated the PULiiMA Conference as a MUST ATTEND for Indigenous people involved in the reclamation, maintenance, revitalization and conservation of all languages! For more information please visit: PULiiMA 2023
Pathways Indigenous Arts Festival
August 18th- 20th New Mexico
The Future Is Indigenous: Opening Our Doors to 350 + Artists Again During 2023 Indian Market “We are excited about the festival because it’s an all inclusive event that’s planned by Indigenous people, run by Indigenous people, for Indigenous people,” said Karl Duncan, Executive Director of the Poeh Cultural Center. “We’re committed to providing new opportunities for Indigenous creative entrepreneurs as they envision and advance an Indigenous future.” For more information please visit: New Mexico Art Festival
Exciting News from the EAC!
The Educator Advancement Council (EAC) is anticipating approximately $3.5 million dollars to support the launch of the Tribal Nations Grow Your Own (GYO) Partnerships. These grants will be made available to the Nine Federally Recognized Tribes of Oregon through a non-competitive grant process. The purpose of this grant is to address the needs of the local community’s educational workforce, promote interest and access to the Prek-12 teaching profession, support novice educators and address historical and institutional structures that contribute to the low recruitment and high attrition rates of American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) educators.
30 Master's Scholarships & Resources for Native American and Alaskan Native Students
Only 17% of Native American and Alaskan students enroll in college after high school, and less than 5% of indigenous adults earn master’s degrees. In fact, Native American and Alaskan students are the most underrepresented group in postsecondary and graduate education often simply because they lack the necessary academic and financial resources. This guide details 30 scholarships specifically for Native American and Alaskan graduate students along with resources focused on academic and career success. It also gives tips for standing out on your scholarship application. Keep reading to learn about the many resources available to you as a Native American or Alaskan hoping to earn a master’s degree. Follow the link to visit: 30 Graduate Scholarships you can apply for now!
FREE Tuition for All Native Americans
Tohono O'odham Community College will continue to offer free tuition to all Native Americans. We will also continue to cover the cost of books and Fees for all of their students, which includes non-Native and non-enrolled Native American Students. If you are interested in taking classes this 2023 Summer Session, you still have time to apply for admissions and register for classes. Visit www.tocc.edu to get started! Have questions? Contact the Admissions Office at (520) 479- 2305 or admissions@tocc.edu.
Home Flight Scholars Program at U of O
The U of O program supports long-term success of Native American students residing in Oregon. The Home Flight Scholars program is available immediately to current enrolled eligible undergraduate students and includes financial aid and address retention, graduation and professional development of students. Through a combination of federal, state and institutional grants, the Home Flight Scholars Program will cover full tuition and fee costs, create a new academic advisor position, enhance mentorship opportunities and develop a culture-rich program for new students to help them launch successful academic careers. For more information about this program please visit: UO Home Flight Scholars Program
WRAP Updates: Expanding Access to Arts Education
The Well-Rounded Access Program (WRAP) at the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) is excited to announce new resources and programs!
The Arts Access Toolkit is a digital collection, highlighting both agency developed and external resources to assist schools and districts in offering and sustaining high quality, standards-aligned arts programs.
Tribes and indigenous educators are working together with the WRAP team to ensure that American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) students are represented in the content that they engage with in all subjects in school, including the arts, in alignment with the AI/AN Student Success Plan. The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation recently began their project to design K-12, tribal specific native arts lessons, and there is more exciting work to come!
Arts for Learning Northwest has been selected to design an Arts, Care & Connection program with WRAP funds - offering free K-5 arts integration lessons and professional learning for teachers, creating high quality social emotional learning opportunities for students through the arts during the school day. This work is done in partnership with ODE’s Care and Connection campaign and will integrate ODE’s Transformative SEL Framework and Standards.
ODE’s Arts Education website is a great place to stay connected with these projects and learn about future resources.
Jump Start Kindergarten Program
We are excited to announce the release of the Jump Start Kindergarten Toolkit! The toolkit provides resources for planning and implementing high-quality summer kindergarten transition programs, such as suggestions for collaborating with local early learning partners, family engagement and classroom curriculum examples, and ready-to-print flyers, banners and yard signs promoting early registration to kindergarten. For more information, visit: ODE Jump Start Kindergarten Program
More Families will Qualify for Help Paying for Child Care on July 1st
On July 1, the new Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC) is expanding eligibility for affordable child care through the Employment Related Day Care (ERDC) program. Families will now be able to receive cash assistance from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and get help paying for child care from ERDC at the same time.
Starting July 1, there will also be fewer reasons for child care assistance to end within 12 months. Cases will no longer close if a family cannot find a provider within three months. ERDC benefits will continue if a caretaker loses their job or stops attending school.
Learn more about these changes through the flyers below, available in 5 languages:
Thank you for your attendance at ODE’s listening session on how to improve the ODE Complaints and Appeals Process to make it more user-friendly for our Native students, families, and the various partners and individuals who serve them! One piece of feedback from participants in the meetings was to make the information on “when” and “how” to file an official complaint with ODE very clear in our newsletter. We hope the information below helps empower your voice!
When to file a complaint with ODE –
If you have formerly filed a complaint with your school district involving any of the matters below:
Division 22 - Division 22 standards are educational standards that either the Oregon legislature or the State Board of Education has determined are necessary. They are codified in Oregon Administrative Rules Chapter 581, Division 22.
Discrimination - Discrimination occurs when a person is treated differently, whether intentionally or unintentionally, on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, marital status, age, or disability
Restraint and Seclusion - Restraint occurs when a person restricts a student’s movement by holding the student or applying physical pressure upon the student. Seclusion occurs when a student is involuntarily confined in a room without access to staff and is prevented from leaving the room.
Retaliation - Retaliation occurs when a person makes a decision that adversely affects a student because the student reported evidence that the student believed to be a violation of law.
Religious Entanglement - Under Oregon law, a public school may not financially support or be actively involved with religious activity.
and you feel the matter has not been addressed or resolved, you can file a complaint via a quick electronic form with ODE.
If you submitted a complaint informally, either verbally (spoke to school official, etc) or in writing (letter, email, etc), NOT following your district’s formal complaint process, then the district:
Must let you know about how to formally file your complaint. You must then file a formal complaint following this information being shared with you by the district.
If, upon sharing your complaint informally, either verbally or in writing, and the district did not tell you about their formal complaint process AND has not acted on your complaint, you may file a complaint with ODE and they will determine next steps with you.
Join the Veterans Coffee Club every third Thursday at 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. for a casual cup o' joe and camaraderie to share your military memories in a safe place. Jokes, Photos, and artifacts are always welcome. You'll find support and friends at the B-17 alliance Veterans coffee club. The Club is open to all veterans and those who wish to honor our veterans. All ages are welcome. For more information please visit: B-17 Alliance
Tribal History/Shared History
THSH is excited to share the we are in the process of translating all THSH lessons and supporting materials to Spanish! We are currently undergoing the process to translate all materials to Spanish then we will put all Translated Spanish materials through a pilot program before releasing to the public. This is a work in progress and will continue to update as we make further headway! The Tribal Curriculum page is undergoing the process of uploading Tribal Curriculum from the 9 Confederated Tribes of Oregon. We recently have uploaded curriculum from The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde with lessons and materials for grades K-12. Go check it out!
Want to know more?
Check out our Tribal History / Shared history Webpage to visit a variety of lesson plans for all ages, along with presentations, activities, and professional development trainings.
If you're looking for a rewarding career that positively affects the lives of children, you're in the right place! The Oregon Department of Education is the primary agency charged with overseeing K-12 public education in the state of Oregon.
Employment with Oregon state government represents more than just a job. A career in public service is an opportunity to serve fellow citizens across our beautiful state. Professions in state government help to support strong communities, healthy kids, education, economic vitality and a sustainable future.
Indigenous Events of Portland, OR give updated events and activities that are happening in Portland through June 2023.
Native American Travel lets you explore and learn about Tribes across America. Plan your next trip with suggested destination sites, planned itineraries, travel tips, and experiences.
Visit the Native American Connections website to stay updated with the North Bend Community resources, available scholarships, community craft culture activities, TAPP, Tribal history/ Shared history and a variety of local services.
Native American Culture: Celebrate Indigenous Oregon by visiting their website that was created to explore Native American culture around the state of Oregon. This site has trip ideas, historical content for all nine federally recognized Oregon Tribes, cultural activities, and updated Oregon Tribal news. To check out more about this site please visit, Travel Oregon Native American Culture.
Do you have events or highlights in your community that you would like showcased in upcoming newsletters? If so, please send submissions to Raina Reece at Raina.Reece@ode.oregon.gov
Contact the Office of Indian Education
Please feel free to e-mail our staff members with any questions or comments you may have
