Melanie Henshaw

Exploring Two-Spirit, queer Indigenous legacies through art

When looking at your own history, who looks back? It could be someone just like you. A new exhibit at the Chachalu Cultural Museum in Grand Ronde called “My Father’s Father’s Sister” explores that question for Two-Spirit and queer Indigenous, or Indigiqueer, people. Co-curated by Anthony Hudson and Felix Furby, the newly-opened exhibit focuses on […]

Federal audit finds financial issues at Chemawa Indian School

Chemawa Indian School, Oregon’s only off-reservation boarding school, mismanaged hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal and donated funds, a federal audit released July 17 found. The Office of the Inspector General of the Department of the Interior conducted the report after Oregon’s Democratic Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley requested an audit in 2021 […]

Twin US House and Senate bills aim to address hunting, fishing rights for two Oregon tribes

The ability to gather food, medicines and natural resources from the land is critical to the vitality of Indigenous cultures. Two Native nations in Oregon lack those rights: The Confederated Tribe of Siletz Indians and the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde. Twin bills proposed by Oregon lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. […]

Tribal nations, Native students and community groups held celebrations across Oregon and Turtle Island to celebrate Indigenous People’s Day on Oct. 9. First officially recognized by the state of Oregon in 2021, the day serves as a celebration of centuries of resilience, resistance and cultural preservation. Portland State University College campuses across Oregon played host […]

A new statewide report shows homelessness continues to rise across Oregon, disproportionately affecting communities of color and rural communities and leaving 22,000 children in Oregon without a place to call home. The 2023 Oregon Statewide Homelessness Estimates is released by the Portland State University's Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative (HRAC). It aggregates and expands on annual […]

A new statewide report shows homelessness continues to rise across Oregon, disproportionately affecting communities of color and rural communities and leaving 22,000 children in Oregon without a place to call home. The 2023 Oregon Statewide Homelessness Estimates is released by the Portland State University's Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative (HRAC). It aggregates and expands on annual […]

New report expands on county homelessness data

Served up smoked, fried or dried, Columbia River smelt is an important traditional food for many Indigenous peoples in the Northwest. Columbia River smelt, otherwise known as eulachon, are the first fish in the basin after winter, heralding spring's return and spring salmon's imminent arrival. The eulachon holds cultural and ecological significance in the region. […]