Yakama Nation & Archaeology Southwest Honoring and Protecting Tribal Cultural Heritage
In November 2025, Columbia Riverkeeper facilitated This Land Is Native Land, a powerful conversation about protecting and honoring Tribal cultural heritage across the Columbia Plateau. The webinar featured leaders from the Yakama Nation, Archaeology Southwest, and the Yakama Nation Ichishkíin Sɨ́nwit Language Program who shared insights on cultural resource protection, environmental restoration, and the enduring responsibilities of Tribal stewardship.
Speakers included:
- Shannon Cowell (Collaboration Director & Preservation Archaeologist, Archaeology Southwest)
- Keegan Livermore (Strategic Planning Manager, Yakama Nation Language Program),
- Trina Sherwood (Traditional Cultural Specialist, Yakama Nation Environmental Restoration Waste Management Program)
- Samantha Redheart (STEM Coordinator, Yakama Nation Environmental Restoration Waste Management Program)
- Anastasia Walhovd (Preservation Archaeologist, Archaeology Southwest),
- Lorelei Kruger (Yakama Nation Artist and Contributing artist of the Save Indigenous History activity book)
Together, they explored the deep cultural significance of sites across the Columbia River Basin—places that hold generations of knowledge, tradition, ceremony, and identity—and the urgent work needed to protect these sites from contamination, looting, and ongoing threats of development.
Watch the full webinar recording:
Visit SaveHistory.org to download a free copy of Save Indigenous History – Yakama Nation Collaboration, a children’s activity book developed in partnership with the Yakama Nation that highlights Indigenous stories, artwork, and teachings.
Take Action
Protecting cultural heritage requires public pressure and community involvement. Here’s how you can continue supporting this work:
• Read the latest Hanford Summer 2025 Update to learn how cleanup decisions impact cultural sites and Tribal sovereignty:
https://www.columbiariverkeeper.org/2025/hanford-summer-update/
• Sign our latest petitions calling on federal agencies to protect sacred places, strengthen cleanup commitments, and honor Tribal treaty rights.
Columbia Riverkeeper extends deep gratitude to all the presenters, partners, and community members who continue to advocate for Indigenous cultural heritage throughout the Columbia River Basin.
