A generation after it was decommissioned, tribal members are still working to clean up the Hanford nuclear site, one of the most contaminated spots in the US and home to the Yakama Nation reservation, in Washington State. The Hanford nuclear site is visible from the Columbia river and is more than 500 sq miles large, ringed by rocky mountains. The decommissioned nuclear production site is considered one of the most contaminated places in North America. Ancestral tribal burial sites sit side by side with signs reading “warning hazardous area” and towering nuclear reactors, some of which date back to the second world war. In the decades since, the Yakama Nation has been one of four local Indigenous communities dedicated to the cleanup of this historic landscape. For the Yakama Nation, this has meant tireless environmental and cultural oversight, advocacy and outreach with the hope that one day the site will be restored to its natural state, opening the doors to a long-awaited, unencumbered homecoming.
The Annual Cheyenne River Labor Day Weekend Celebration is just one week away…This years theme “Remembering our past to strengthen our future” kicks off Thursday evening at the rodeo grounds with The Romey Gunville Saddle Bronc Chute at 6:30 PM and rodeos to follow all through the weekend …Pow wow Grand entry begins Friday at 7 PM with Standing Horse as the Host Drum. Dancers can look forward to cash prizes in every category, There is a 20 thousand dollar drum split for the weekend, 44 thousand dollar prizes in singing categories and On Monday, festivities begin early at 10 AM with the Main Street Parade with many prize categories. You can see the full Fair poster on the KIPI webpage.
