Tribal History Demonstration Wows ICWA Crowd

The Cow Creek Umpqua Education and Cultural Resources teams received a standing ovation at last month’s Indian Child Welfare Act Conference for an interactive presentation on Tribal history.

Using blankets, abalone shells, rabbit furs, pictures of the seven families and many more props, the Cow Creek Umpqua team led 400 participants through an emotional storytelling of the Tribe from pre-contact times to modern-day.

Participants first started by each holding a single prop that is culturally significant, and then they were asked to stand in large groups on blankets spread out across the floor. Over the next hour, participants experienced true historical events such as epidemics, trading, and forced assimilation, as the blankets that represent the Cow Creek Umpqua ancestral homelands got smaller and smaller.

At the end of the demonstration, only seven participants remained, each holding a framed photo of a Cow Creek Umpqua ancestor, one from each of the seven families. Staff then gifted each person with beaded necklace made by Cow Creek Umpqua youth.

The ICWA conference hosted many other emotional speeches from Tribal leaders, and included a performance by well-known Crow fancy dancer and rapper Christian Parrish Takes the Gun, also known as Supaman. He and DJ Element performed at the ICWA Culture Night to an enthusiastic crowd of Tribal families.

Cow Creek Umpqua Social Services Director Michele Moore and additional Social Services staff spent nearly a year organizing the event. Some of the conference learning sessions included Native youth homelessness, emergency removals and child custody proceedings, and mitigating safety and risk with families  experiencing substance abuse.