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Warm Springs Country - A New OREGON STORY

Posted Wed June 01, 2005

Promotional Contact:

Carol Howard

503-977-7751

The latest in Oregon Public Broadcasting's (OPB) award-winning OREGON STORY series presents an informal, sometimes lighthearted, look at everyday life on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation. "Most people don’t know much about us," says Louie Pitt, Jr., director of Government Affairs for the tribe. But the fact that Indians are still here is really the big message. Hey, we’re still here!" Tune in to the stations of OPB TV on Monday June 13 at 9pm (and Sunday, June 19 at 1pm) for "Warm Springs Country" and find out about this sovereign nation located in the middle of the state.

Geographically, the 650,000-acre Warm Springs Indian Reservation is a prominent part of north-central Oregon. Every year, hundreds of thousands of Oregonians drive through it. Many golf, gamble and relax at the tribe’s Kahneeta resort. But few non-tribal Oregonians have much contact with -- or knowledge about -- the 3,500 folks that make up the Warm Springs community.

"Warm Springs Country" presents a free-form "introduction" to the people and the lifestyle of Warm Springs. This engaging documentary offers a refreshingly different look at Native American life. What emerges is a rich and colorful profile of the eclectic mix of Indian people of this community.

Scenes include:

• A golf foursome of tribal VIP’s, displaying powerful drives, impressive chip shots and a taste for wild celery
• A wild horse racer with a milk crate full of championship buckles and a corral of mustang/quarterhorse crossbreeds
• A spectacle of drumming, dancing and costumes at an intertribal powwow
• A day with the crew of KWSO-FM, a radio station quite unlike any other in the state
• A visit to Head Start class where small children learn an ancient, and perhaps disappearing, language
• A drive-by, behind-the-scenes tour of Warm Springs
• And basketball, basketball, basketball … with young kids, powerhouse high-school girls and even a trip to Blazer game

THE OREGON STORY series explores Oregon’s ever-changing social, cultural and economic relationships with the land. Each story is supplemented by an online site that provides additional facts, educational tools and a starting point for further discovery. Visit opb.org/programs/oregonstory/ for more information.

Funding for THE OREGON STORY is provided through the Education Program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture/Rural Development.

Oregon Public Broadcasting is a statewide network of community-supported learning resources, including OPB Television, an affiliate of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), and OPB Radio, presenting local news coverage and the programs of National Public Radio (NPR), Public Radio International (PRI) and American Public Media (APM). The OPB Web site is opb.org.

Last Modified Tue July 25 2006 16:24PM

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