NPSO 2022 Annual Meeting

May 20 - 22     Spirit Mountain Lodge, Grand Ronde, Oregon

Field Trips

Friday May 20, 2022    1 - 4 p.m.                    Field Trip # 5

Difficulty:     Easy - Indoor walking with no seating

Elevation:     None

Trip Description:     After a massive forest fire burned through the Grand Ronde Valley in 1856, the Yamhill Kalapuya people called this place Chachalu, which translates to "place of the burnt timbers." Located on tribal lands, the Chachalu Museum and Cultural Center tells the story of the more than 27 Tribes and Bands of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community and honors the Elders who kept Tribal traditions and dreams alive during Termination. It is a center where the Tribe's restoration is celebrated and culture is being revitalized.

The cultural education program is one way that Chachalu rethinks its role as a museum - it is less a monument to history and more of a learning lab. The 4,000-square-foot gallery space features a wall-length picture of the Willamette Valley inundated with water from the Missoula floods that carved out the Columbia River Gorge. Other exhibits discuss the Tribe's traditional foods, housing, rural lifeways, history, and relationship with Willamette Falls. Classrooms are used for hands-on learning experiences and offices for tribal staff. It also houses one of the largest basket collections in the Pacific Northwest.

This trip is a guided tour of the Chachalu Museum and Cultural Center, including native plants and foods, and native lifestyles.

This Saturday, the museum will host our basket-making workshop. The museum is normally open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.

Meeting Place and Time:     Trip # 5 leaves at 1 p.m. from Spirit Mountain Lodge entrance. Plan to arrive 30 minutes before departure time to meet your group and arrange carpools.

Driving Miles and Time from Spirit Mountain Lodge:     1.25 miles, 5 minutes on paved roads

Driving Directions:     Trip leader will provide detailed driving instructions.

Leader:       Rachelle Kellogg

Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde

Plant Lists and Other Information:     Clink on the links below for more information about this trip.

Museum's basket exhibit detail

Basket room in the museum