August 15, 2024 4:00 p.m.
Timber harvested from the lands of the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians will now be enjoyed by millions of travelers that pass through the newly remodeled Portland International Airport.
A Tribal release said Cow Creek Umpqua timber was used to build large-scale decorative lattice walls, ceilings for retail spaces, and to line the inside of TSA privacy screening booths. The entire remodel, including the one-of-a kind roof, incorporates locally sourced and sustainability managed timber.
Tribal Chairman Carla Keene said, “It’s a great honor for the Cow Creek Umpqua Tribe and our Tribal people to make their contribution directly from our ancestral homelands”. Keene said, “Natural resources, like our timber, are our most precious cultural resources. This is an achievement we will be able to show our children and grandchildren for generations”.
The Cow Creek Tribe is one of four Northwest Tribes that supplied timber for the project, including Yakima Nation, the Skokomish Indian Tribe and the Coquille Indian Tribe.
Tribal Government Chief Executive Officer Michael Rondeau said, “Seeing so much Indigenous recognition incorporated into this space is incredibly moving”. Rondeau said, “When you walk in, it feels local and it feels cultural. The designers took a lot of care and respect to honor Oregon and Washington’s first people”.
The commitment to sustainability by the Port of Portland and ZGF Architects made the project happen, but for the Cow Creek Tribe it was a spark that transformed their future and launched their partnership with the makers.
In 2018, Congress restored to the Tribe 17,000 acres of ancestral homelands. Just over a year later the Milepost 97 wildfire near Canyonville destroyed 3,000 acres of those Tribal lands. The release said the Tribe chose to clean up the land, harvesting the burned timber. Some of it was processed into lumber for the PDX remodel, and some was turned into wood chips for playgrounds or landscaping projects.
Tribal leadership now hopes that travelers to PDX will understand why Cow Creek Umpqua culture starts and ends with their forest and ancestral lands.
Tribal Government Chief Operations Officer Alicia McAuley said, “For Indigenous people, Oregon’s Tribes and Tribal sovereignty, it is significant and inspiring to be a part of this reimagined airport. Our ancestors would be so proud to know that we are sharing our culture and our forests beyond the next seven generations with everyone who passes through the airport”.
The Tribe was invited to celebrate the grand opening of the PDX remodel last Monday, commemorating the thousands of local workers, tradespeople, artists, retailers, foresters and Pacific Northwest Tribes who made the project happen.