Celilo Village Leadership Academy

The Celilo Falls area is the longest standing, continually inhabited community in North America. Artifacts have been found that indicate Tribes from as far away as Alaska, The Great Plains, and Southwestern United States traded there. It is clear that Celilo Falls has been a significant cultural trading center for Native American people for centuries.

In 2009, RDI partnered with the residents of The Celilo Village to write a Rural Business Opportunity Grant (RBOG) through the United States Department of Agriculture. The grant was awarded to RDI in September of 2009 and work in the community began in October of 2009 to begin the creation of The Celilo Village Native American Youth Leadership Academy. 

The design of the academy and the curriculum to be taught to the youth of the community is based on the river culture of the area. The relevance of regional cultures and traditions upon which the curriculum will be based is seen by many residents as another means through which their rich traditions can be handed down to their youth through input from family members, Tribal leaders and Elders of the community and surrounding area.

The leadership academy is an effort on the part of The Celilo Village residents to set appropriate standards of education for their children. The inclusion of traditional activities such as singing, regalia and drum making, and their relationship to leadership is something that local schools do not include in the math and social science curriculum currently taught to Native youth. The RBOG partnership is allowing the community the opportunity to redress a critical aspect of education for their youth.

The partnership between The Celilo Village and RDI is a direct result of the deep respect that the organization holds for Native communities. The model used by RDI for interaction with Native peoples is based on the understanding that Native communities are the experts on, and arbiters of, their communities’ existence. Rural Development Initiatives is there to support them in their efforts toward surfacing relevant leadership interactions that will lead to increased economic development that is “Indian centered” and culturally appropriate for the area.

For more information regarding the Celilo Village Leadership Academy, contact Az Carmen at RDI: azcarmen@rdiinc.org.