Here is the latest update on the progress toward the Many Nations Longhouse:

June 4, 2002

We would like to share with you the progress the University of Oregon has made with the support and retention of Native American students and to share with you the successes of our UO Native American Initiative. Initiated by former UO president Myles Brand and further refined and developed by current president Dave Frohnmayer, the initiative has resulted in:

· Expanded course offerings with a focus on Native American peoples and increased support programs for our students.

· A full-time coordinator position for Native American enrollment services. · A "residency by aboriginal right" program that offers in-state tuition to all members of the tribes and bands that have a historic relationship to the land that became Oregon.

· The new graduate Center for Indigenous Cultural Survival.

· The launch of the Northwest Indigenous Language Institute, through the UO linguistics department in partnership with Northwest tribes.

· The Southwest Oregon Research Project: UO anthropology department researchers and the Coquille have retrieved historical documents relevant to Northwest tribes, then potlatched to gift these documents to the tribes.

· The Many Nations Longhouse design and architectural drawings. We are proud of these achievements, and we would like to offer you the opportunity to become involved with them.

We particularly need your support in the completion of the Many Nations Longhouse. As you may know, our longhouse has been in continuous use since the 1960s. Time and the elements are taking a toll, and it is now time to respectfully retire the building. We will be working with tribal elders, Native religious leaders, Native students and faculty to plan the transition The University of Oregon, in partnership with the nine federally recognized tribes of Oregon and with Native and indigenous peoples worldwide, have almost completed the project's $1.2 million fund raising goal. However, we still need to raise $125,000 to match a challenge grant from the Spirit Mountain Community Fund of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde.

With the advice and help of Oregon Tribal Elders, there will begin a respectful retirement of the old Longhouse during the Fall of 2002. ceremony will take place within the year.

The Campus Longhouse User Committee, a subcommittee of the President’s Advisory Council meets regularly in open meetings.  This group consists of representatives from on campus Native Groups, and representatives from the President Native Advisory Board. 

The Center for Indigenous Cultural Survival will be posting monthly progress reports on the Many Nations Longhouse  Please help to disseminate this information to all corners of our diverse Native community.  It is our goal to keep people informed and maintain the positive momentum of this process.

The Center for Indigenous Cultural Survival is sponsoring a series of Native dialogues for the Native Community.  Contact the Center for Indigenous Cultural Survival (541) 346-1363 or cics@darkwing.uoregon.edu for more information.