New Celilo Village Bittersweet For Many Tribal Members

CELILO  GENERAL NEWS 

By Pete Springer

Celilo Village, OR  May 27, 2008 9:01 a.m.

The first of fifteen new homes was dedicated in Celilo  Village Friday.  As Pete Springer reports, no one is complaining about the new houses -- but many are worried about how the new development will affect life in Celilo Village.

For thousands of years, Celilo Falls was a sacred fishing spot for Northwest Indians.

When The Dalles Dam flooded the falls 50 years ago, many tribal members were moved to Celilo Village.

Over time, many of the homes there became rundown.

Last year, the Corps of Engineers demolished those homes and began building new ones.

The development includes paved roads, crosswalks, and sidewalks—all for a community of about fifty people.

Lucy Begay-Stewart lives in Celilo Village.  She says she hopes residents won’t be expected to change the way they live.

Lucy Begay-Stewart: “You know we’ve always had our own little gardens we’ve grown and we have our own little sheds we’ve built, you know.  We have drying sheds, we have sweat lodges and those are things that they’re trying to tell us we cannot have, you know.”

Other Celilo Village residents say they’re happy for the new houses, but still saddened by the loss of Celilo Falls.

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© 2008 OPB