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The Tamástslikt Cultural Institute is a museum and research institute located on the Umatilla Indian Reservation near Pendleton in eastern Oregon. It is the only Native American museum along the Oregon Trail. The institute is dedicated to the culture of the Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla tribes of Native Americans. The main permanent exhibition of the museum provides a history of the culture of three tribes, and of the reservation itself. The museum also has a second hall for temporary exhibitions of specific types of Native American art, craftwork, history, and folklore related to the tribes. ==History== The widely celebrated Oregon Trail sesquicentennial in 1993〔Phinney, Wil. “Celebration of Oregon Trail begins: Thousands of tourists will visit Oregon.” ''East Oregonian'', March 20, 1993.〕 served as a platform for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation to present their vision for the future, and convey their interpretation of the past. The original proposal for the Tamástslikt Cultural Institute site detailed a $13 million Oregon Trail interpretive center that would “tell the story of the Oregon Trail from a Native American perspective,”〔Phinney, Wil. “Lobbying effort slated for Oregon Trail center funds.” ''East Oregonian'', February 05, 1993.〕 and be an economic and cultural stimulus. The Tribes anticipated the interpretive center to increase local investments and create “more than 800 full-time jobs.”〔Phinney, Wil. “Tribes make their point: Well-publicized blockade conducted to protest lack of funding for center.” ''East Oregonian'', August 12, 1993.〕 The initial funding strategy included federal funds, local fund raising, grants, video poker profits, and “the commitment of timber from the U.S. Forest Service,” in constructing the interpretive center.〔 After three years of lobbying, the Confederated Tribes were denied federal funding on the basis that the Interior Department’s budget did not "include any money for Indian interpretive centers.”〔Phinney, Wil. “Legislature provides lottery funds for Pendleton interpretive center.” ''East Oregonian'', August 6, 1993.〕 Shortly after the decision, the Oregon Legislature allocated a minimum of “$666,000 in lottery funds”〔 to the construction of the Oregon Trail Interpretive center. The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation presented a living history exhibit during the summer of 1993 at Fallen Field, in order to share Native American history and culture that predated the Oregon Trail.〔Phinney, Wil. “Oregon Trail exhibit earning rave reviews: Pendleton site offers unique look at history.” ''East Oregonian'', June 26, 1993.〕 On August 12, 1993, “the Oregon Trail Sesquicentennial Wagon Train was stopped by Indians on horseback at the east boundary of the Umatilla Indian Reservation,”〔 in order to draw attention to the lack of federal funding for the Tribes’ Oregon Trail interpretive center. Antone Minthorn, the chairman of the General Council for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, spoke to those on the Wagon Train and the gathered crowd. In his speech, he noted that the Tribes “raised more than $4 million – more than the three companion trail projects in Baker City, The Dalles and Oregon City combined,”〔 all of which received federal funding. Minthorn’s speech focused on the importance of the proposed interpretive center to the Tribes and surrounding area: Our vision was to create an interpretive center, telling the Tribes’ story to visitors from all over the world. This vision calls for not only exhibits, but also for an on-going center of learning and research for Indians and non-Indians for all time . . . It is difficult to overstate the importance of this project to both the Tribe and this region as a whole. The Umatilla Tribes currently are attempting to deal with an unemployment rate of 28 per cent, and an average annual income of $8,000.〔Minthorn, Antone. “Tribes’ Dreams will stay alive.” ''East Oregonian'', August 12, 1993.〕 Minthorn’s symbolic protest called for “nation-wide support” in presenting “a different perspective of Manifest Destiny.”〔 In December 1993, the plans for the circular interpretive center were unveiled. Created by exhibit designer Jean Jacques Andre, the permanent exhibit planned to “focus on the Tribes before the white man’s arrival, the current reservation and the tribe’s vision for the future,”〔Phinney, Wil. “Theme for tribal center unveiled: Focus won’t be exclusively on history.” ''East Oregonian'', December 20, 1993.〕 and include a section on the Oregon Trail “and its impacts on the tribal way of life.”〔 The original funding strategy evolved to include private funding, and the Tribes used illustrated plans for the interpretive center to increase support.〔“Fund-raising effort for center turning to private sources.” ''East Oregonian'', December 20, 1993.〕 In May 1994, Representative Bob Smith endorsed the interpretive center, and testified before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior “in support of a $2 million request for the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center on the Umatilla Indian Reservation.”〔“Smith endorses Tribes’ center.” ''East Oregonian'', May 17, 1994.〕 Community support efforts continued, and on September 14, 1994, the ''East Oregonian'' printed a full page description of the Tamustalik Cultural Institute, which included sketches and contribution information.〔“Tamustalik Cultural Institute.” ''East Oregonian'', September 14, 1994.〕 The same month, a “$6.5 million loan guarantee by the Bureau of Indian Affairs” provided the financial backing the Tribes needed to move forward on construction.〔Sandberg, Jill. “Interpretive center loan guaranteed.” ''East Oregonian'', September 07, 1994.〕 On June 9, 1995, a ground-breaking ceremony was held for the Tamustalik Cultural Institute, which was attended by over 300 people. As reported by the ''Confederated Umatilla Journal'', the ceremony “was performed by Tribal elders and students from the Tribes’ Head Start Preschool Program. Special drums were made for the boys, who were led in a song by Jay Minthorn. The girls broke ground with miniature root diggers, made especially for the occasion.”〔“Ground-breaking Kicks Off Institute Construction.” ''Confederated Umatilla Journal'' 3:6 (June 22, 1995).〕 The building site was later prepared by the Oregon National Guard.〔 Roberta Conner was announced as the first director of Tamástslikt Cultural Institute in February of 1998, and oversaw the final preparations of the institute.〔“Conner new director of cultural institute.” ''Confederated Umatilla Journal'' 6:2 (February 19, 1998).〕 After ten years of planning, a “special opening ceremony was held July 24 for the tribal community, which then had a week to explore its new facility before the doors opened to the public July 31.”〔“Tamástslikt Cultural Institute opens after a decade of planning and building.” ''Confederated Umatilla Journal'' 6:8 (August 20, 1998).〕 Within the first three weeks of opening, approximately 4,000 people visited the Tamástslikt Cultural Institute.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Tamástslikt Cultural Institute」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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