[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 96 (Thursday, June 24, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1204-E1205]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       IN HONOR OF THE LATE WASCO TRIBAL CHIEF NELSON WALLULATUM

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. GREG WALDEN

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 24, 2010

  Mr. WALDEN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the great Oregon 
tribal leader, Chief Nelson Wallulatum of the Wasco Tribe, who passed 
away on Sunday, June 13, 2010. He was laid to rest in a traditional 
Wasco ceremony at 4:30 a.m. on Tuesday, June 15, before the Sun rose 
that day. He had led his people, and served on the Tribal Council of 
the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon, for 
more than 50 years. Chief Wallulatum was 84 years old.
  Nelson Wallulatum became chief of the Wasco Tribe in 1959. 
Historically, the Wascos are a tribe of the Columbia River, 
particularly in the Gorge area, and in modern times they are one of the 
three tribes of the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation 
of Oregon. Pursuant to the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs 
constitution, as chief of one of the three tribes, in 1959 he also 
became a lifetime tribal council member of the Confederated Tribes of 
Warm Springs, a duty he fulfilled with enthusiasm, dignity and 
intelligence.
  As the Wasco chief and a tribal council member, he was steadily and 
deeply involved in the governance of the Confederated Tribes of Warm 
Springs during a period of great history and change in Indian affairs. 
He was an unparalleled expert in the Warm Springs constitution and the 
1855 Tribes of Middle Oregon Treaty with the United States, and fought 
to preserve and strengthen the sovereign authority of the Warm Springs 
Tribes across a time that moved from federal policies of Indian 
termination to today's well-established self-determination and tribal-
federal mutual government-to-government relations. As you might 
imagine, Chief Wallulatum's leadership tasks brought him on many 
occasions to Washington, DC, to address both the administration and the 
Congress on the issues of his people and all Indian people. Over the 
many years, he was well known and respected by members of Oregon's 
congressional delegation, as well as by congressional leaders in 
national Indian issues and policy, before whom he often testified.

[[Page E1205]]

  Chief Wallulatum was instrumental in the return of 60,000 acres to 
the Warm Springs Reservation, securing and developing treaty-protected 
fishing access sites along the Columbia River to replace those 
inundated by hydroelectric reservoirs, and the settlement and 
safeguarding of the Confederated Warm Springs Tribes' water rights.
  In addition to being a guiding hand in the governance of the 
Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, as chief of the Wasco Tribe, 
Nelson Wallulatum was a principal keeper of the history, culture and 
traditions of the Wasco people. His authority in these matters was 
sought by Congress, and was recognized by tribes and their 
organizations, at whose gatherings he frequently conducted prayers and 
blessings.
  Finally, it must be noted that, throughout conducting the affairs of 
his nation and his people, Chief Wallulatum did so with good humor, 
wisdom, and kindness. He was a gentleman of strength and dignity, and a 
historic leader for the Wasco people and the Confederated Tribes of 
Warm Springs. He will be missed.
  Madam Speaker, I want to thank you and our colleagues for joining me 
in tribute to Chief Wallulatum.

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