Center for Tribal Nations to Transform Portland Waterfront

Article by Nika Bartoo-Smith at Underscore + ICT on June 19, 2024.

With its newly selected, Indigenous-led architectural team, the Center for Tribal Nations will create a hub for the urban Native community and reclaim space along the Willamette River.

Imagine a future in which first foods and medicines line the shores of the Willamette River in the OMSI district, Indigenous stories and design on full display, as flags from hundreds of Native nations fly proud.

This is the vision for the Center for Tribal Nations (CTN) — a hub of commerce and trade for the urban Indigenous community and Native nations across the Pacific Northwest.

“Ultimately, you have to have at your core this deep sense of understanding of protection and advancement of tribal sovereignty – I think that has to be at the forefront when you’re dealing with tribes,” said James Alan Parker, citizen of the Chippewa Cree Tribal Nation and executive director of the Northwest Native Chamber, which is helping to lead the project. “I think we also have to have a deep understanding and a grounding in the place that we’re at.”

Click here to read the full article by Nika Bartoo-Smith at Underscore + ICT.

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