Clackamas Community College (CCC) will host its fifth annual Indigenous Peoples Day celebration Saturday, Oct. 10, at the Niemeyer Center on its Oregon City campus. The free event features local Indigenous artisans, music, food and community advocate presentations from noon to 4 p.m.

The celebration is at 19600 Molalla Ave. Parking is free.

Visitors can browse work from Indigenous artisans and vendors, hear music performances and attend presentations from community advocates, according to the college's announcement. The event also offers resources for connecting with Indigenous communities across the region.

Casey Layton, CCC's chief culture and impact officer, said the event goes beyond a history lesson. "For five years, I have watched and participated alongside community members generously sharing their knowledge, culture and experiences in ways that deepen understanding and connection," Layton said in the announcement.

Sponsors include the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, the CCC Foundation, Clackamas County, Wenaha Group and Respond to Racism. The tribe's presence in Oregon City has grown in recent months. In May, Grand Ronde leaders broke ground on tumwata village, a mixed-use development on the 23-acre former Blue Heron Paper Company mill site at Willamette Falls.

The name tumwata village honors the Clowewalla band of Tumwaters, who, along with the Clackamas Chinooks, were forcibly relocated from the Willamette Falls area to the Grand Ronde Reservation in 1855.

"This place is a sacred place," Grand Ronde Tribal Council Chairwoman Cheryle Kennedy said at the May 28 groundbreaking, as reported by OregonLive. "Not only because it's Native American land, but I believe that it was a gift for all those who can hear the falls speak to them …"

Closer to home on the arts front, a sculpture called "Headman" by Grand Ronde member Bobby Mercier was installed at Riverside Park in Clackamas in August, honoring Indigenous leaders and the cultural history of the Clackamas River.

CCC's Cougar Leadership, Education and Advocacy for Progress (LEAP) Office organizes the celebration. Attendees with accommodation questions can contact the office at [email protected] or 503-594-3008. Free tickets are available through Eventbrite.

Upcoming community events:

  • Saturday, Oct. 3 — Lake Oswego Wine Walk, downtown Lake Oswego
  • Thursday, Oct. 8 — Free financial aid workshop, CCC Oregon City campus
  • Saturday, Oct. 10 — Indigenous Peoples Day celebration, noon–4 p.m., Niemeyer Center, 19600 Molalla Ave., Oregon City