PAUL ANDERSON
INSIDE A CEREMONIAL
LONGHOUSE IN NORTHERN
OREGON LAST SEPTEMBER,
the sun’s rays spilling between the high-peaked beams,
Davis Yellowash Washines was seated in full ceremonial
dress — yellow headband, red sash, beaded shoes. A
rawhide drum rested in his hand, and to his left sat four
teenage boys, each with his own drum and mallet. One
wore a black Chevrolet T-shirt. They thumped their
instruments and called out native songs as an organized
smattering of young children bounced rhythmically
counter-clockwise around the dirt floor. Two dozen fellow
members of the tribal community, seated in folded metal
chairs, looked on. ¶ “This longhouse is used for lots of
occasions,” Washines said between songs. “But this one
is significant.” ¶ This ceremony aimed to ward off coal.
Members of
the Lummi
Nation
bask in the
natural light
of the Celilo
longhouse
before the
ceremony.