As an organization of health professionals and public health advocates, we have an ethical commitment to “do no harm.” From that lens and as guests living on these lands and waters, Oregon PSR acknowledges the original stewards and protectors of what we now refer to as the Pacific Northwest. For thousands of years, the Indigenous people of this area, including but not limited to the Multnomah, Wasco (Wass-coh), Cowlitz (Cow-litz), Kathlamet (Kath-la-mit), Clackamas, Bands of Chinook (Cha-nook), Tualatin (Too-ah-la-tin), Kalapuya (Kal-a-poo-yah), and Molalla (Mow-la-la), lived in right relationship with the land, air, and water. Through millennia they accumulated knowledge and established lifeways that sustained the people, plants, and animals and did not contribute to the current environmental crises that we now face.
Today, Oregon is home to nine federally recognized Tribes, as well as many Indigenous communities and Tribes that are not federally recognized. Portland is home to an impressive urban Indigenous community representing more than 380 Tribes. We recognize and respect these Indigenous communities. We honor and acknowledge the resilience of this land and of the people and cultures whose stewardship predates colonization. As an organization and as individuals, we strive to learn from and support Indigenous communities in their efforts to protect the health of our planet. We recognize the myriad ways that colonization has been harmful to indigenous people and harmful to the land and acknowledge the need for reparations and healing.
*This is a living document that Oregon PSR staff, Board, and members will continue to develop and personalize over the coming years.