APRIL 2026
VOLUME 34 | ISSUE 4 The monthly newspaper of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation Pendleton, Oregon
CUJ
CONFEDERATED UMATILLA JOURNAL
cuj.ctuir.org
A ceremonial blanket is draped over the shoulders of Fred L. Mitchell by Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation Board of Trustees (BOT) Member Toby Patrick, left, and BOT Treasurer Raymond Huesties, right, on March 31 after Michell signed over his collection of Columbia River Plateau tribal artwork and artifacts to the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and Tamástslikt. (Yasser Marte/The CUJ)
History comes home Fred L. Mitchell transfers collection of Columbia River Plateau tribal artifacts to CTUIR, Tamástslikt BEAU GLYNN The CUJ
MISSION — In a landmark acquisition, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) secured thousands of historical artifacts, marking a significant moment in preserving the Columbia River Plateau culture. Collector Fred L. Mitchell, 91, signed the formal agreement March 31 at a public ceremony at the Nixyàawii Governance Center, transferring the entire collection, known as the Fred L. Mitchell & Family Collection, to the CTUIR and Tamástslikt. The collection will be preserved and displayed at Tamástslikt as artifacts representing the Columbia River Plateau. The Fred L. Mitchell & Family Collection includes hundreds of beaded bags and pouches, cradleboards, dresses, vests, gauntlets, horse-trappings, cornhusk bags and huckleberry baskets. It also features more than 1,250 photographs from
See COLLECTION, Page A3
Three mannequins dressed in full regalia stand among hundreds of Columbia River Plateau tribal artworks and artifacts on Feb. 28, 2025, at the home of Fred L. Mitchell in Walla Walla, Washington. (Lee Gavin / The CUJ)
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