Washington County proclaims November 2025 Native American and Alaska Native Heritage Month

The Washington County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously on Oct. 28 to proclaim November 2025 as Native American and Alaska Native Heritage Month.

Aika Falstrom of the Office of Access and Opportunity introduced the item and said that "native is native and indigenous history is American history," urging the county to use cultural‑heritage observances to strengthen relationships with tribal and indigenous communities. Tricia McCauley of the county’s Health and Human Services department read a proclamation that acknowledged local historical facts recorded in the text: the Palati Kalapuya (also referenced as the Tualatin people) as original inhabitants of the county; the Willamette Valley Treaty and subsequent removals to the Grand Ronde Indian Reservation; the existence of early off‑reservation boarding schools (Forest Grove then Salem) that separated children from families; the 1954 congressional termination of the Grand Ronde community and the tribe’s later federal recognition and reestablishment under Public Law 98‑165.

The proclamation text noted generational trauma resulting from forced removals, boarding schools and termination, and it thanked local partners (including Clean Water Services and other county planning committee members) for work supporting education and celebration of indigenous cultures. Commissioners voted to adopt the proclamation unanimously, joined staff and community members for a photograph, and discussed next steps for outreach and memorialization.

What happened next: the board asked staff and partners to participate in outreach and memorial events; the proclamation will be part of county observances for November 2025.