Posted
On Tuesday, November 1, the Board of County Commissioners proclaimed November 2022 as Native American Heritage Month in Washington County.
The proclamation acknowledges that the area currently known as Washington County, Oregon rests on land that was first inhabited by the Atfalati Kalapuyans, also called the Tualatin people, who flourished here for thousands of years, prior to the arrival of White settlers in the 1830s.
It affirms the endurance of the Atfalati people as members of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon and the Board’s desire to repair the trauma of past oppression and broken trust by lifting up Indigenous cultures and voices and striving together to build a future of shared hope and promise for all.
The proclamation was read aloud in the Board meeting by County staffer and tribal citizen of the Cherokee Nation, Megan McKibben and Clean Water Services employee Tammie Wilson, who is a descendant of Alaska Native Sugpiaq and Athabaskan peoples.
- Watch a video of the Board presentation
- LEARN more about the Atfalati Kalapuyan people by visiting the Five Oaks Museum virtual exhibition entitled This IS Kalapuyan Land