Kat Brigham

A Conversation with Kat Brigham – Board Chair of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation in Conversation with Sense of Place Host, Sarah Fox

Mt. Adams Institute presents a special Sense of Place event with Kat Brigham. Kat Brigham is Board Chair of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and was recently appointed by the Department of Interior to its first-ever Tribal Advisory Council. In a special Sense of Place event, host Sarah Fox will sit down for a conversation with Kat to talk history, politics, fishing, family, and the Pacific Northwest.

The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) is made up of three tribes: the Umatilla, Cayuse, and Walla Walla Tribes. It covers 172,000 acres, including significant portions of the Umatilla River watershed. The confederation of tribes was united under a constitution and by-laws adopted in 1949; it includes more than 3,100 members. Nearly half of the tribal members live on the CTUIR, along with approximately 300 Indians of other tribes, and 1,500 non-Indians. Today, the economy of the CTUIR consists of agriculture, livestock, timber, recreation, hunting, fishing, commercial development, and the Wildhorse Resort & Casino – which includes the Tamastslikt Cultural Institute. The CTUIR is also owner of Cayuse Technologies, which opened in 2006 and is located on the Reservation.
Kat Brigham is the Chair of the Board of Trustees (BOT) for the CTUIR. This is her second consecutive term serving as Chair. Kat has worked within the CTUIR’s Cultural Resource Protection Program, Yellowhawk Tribal Health Center, and is a former consultant to the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC).

Kat has provided testimony for state and federal hearings to advocate for natural resources and treaty rights on behalf of tribal nations within the Pacific Northwest and she continues ongoing work to support the restoration of salmon to the Umatilla River and its tributaries. Kat has been recognized for her work by: CRITFC, the Oregon League of Women Voters, Pacific Salmon Commission, and the CTUIR, among many. Kat’s appointments outside of the CTUIR include: the Accord Negotiation Team, Columbia Basin Collaboration, Columbia Development Authority, Oregon Willamette Falls Locks Commission, Oregon Commission on Indian Service, Oregon Gaming Working Group, Salmon Principles Working Group, Tribal Negotiating Team, UPRR Agreement, and most recently, by the Department of Interior Secretary, Deb Haaland, to their first-ever Tribal Advisory Committee where Kat will serve as the tribal representative of the Northwest.

This event will be offered in-person at the Columbia Center for the Arts in Hood River, Oregon and will include a Q&A session moderated by Sense of Place host/curator, Sarah Fox. A livestream option is available for those unable to attend in person.

Event Details: Sense of Place lecture series
When – Wednesday, March 8, 2023.
NEW* Lobby doors open 6:00pm, ticketholders must check in before 6:45 to ensure seating, presentation begins 7pm.

Where – Columbia Center for the Arts, 215 Cascade Avenue Hood River, OR 97031.
Cost – $10 tickets, available at https://sense-of-place-13.eventbrite.com/
For more information on the Sense of Place lectures or its livestream, please go to www.mtadamsinstitute.org/senseofplace