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Director of the Indigenous Leadership Program
An aerial view of Coos bay. Photo credit: Alex Derr
Deepen your understanding of the challenges faced by the Confederated Tribes of Coos Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians in the process of fighting against the proposed Jordan Cove Liquefied Natural Gas.
Thursday, March 16, 2023
Despite attempts to minimize the voices of those indigenous to Coos Bay, the hanis and miluk people continue to assert their ongoing rights and ancestral connection to Coos Bay. For nearly 20 years, the Jordan Cove Energy Project, a proposed natural gas liquefaction and export facility and fracked gas pipeline that would have traversed 230 miles across Oregon, threatened their identity and strained resources.
The Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians (CTCLUSI) fought the project after an extensive assessment of impacts to their environmental and cultural resources in the area. In this briefing, we will explore the struggles and successes of the Tribe to assert their right to participate in the review process and hold federal, state, and local permitting agencies accountable for impacts to Indigenous spaces within the Coos’ ancestral homelands.
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We know a lot. Our practices might not be science-based in the western science way of thinking of it, but it is science-based in an observation and stewardship practice over thousands of years that did yield abundance in our area. We did that. So when people came here and saw how wonderful things were, and what abundance we had here, we created that. I think it’s important to remember that expertise and to use it and [acknowledge] the Tribes.
— Margaret Corvi
Watch a recording of Before Jordan Cove, q’alya, kuunatich, kukwis shichdii me held on Thursday, March 16. Download the transcript here.
report
In honor of our speakers, we encourage you to support the following organizations.
Patricia “Patty” Whereat-Phillips
(miluk coos)
Patty Whereat-Phillips is a storyteller, linguist, knowledge holder, and citizen of the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw. As a miluk coos person, she holds a deep connection to Coos Bay. Her father, Don Whereat, was a culture and history expert as well as an important person who played a significant role in the restoration of the Tribe’s federal recognition after Termination.
Margaret Corvi
(hanis coos)
Based in Florence and Corvallis, Oregon, Margaret Corvi is a consultant working to support and advocate for tribal rights, improved consultation, and protection of lifeways. She was the Director of Natural Resources and Culture at CTCLUSI from 2014-2019 and led with her staff the review of the Jordan Cove LNG.
Courtney Krossman
(miluk coos)
Ms. Krossman is the current CTCLUSI Tribal Historic Preservation Officer, responsible for enforcing tribal and federal preservation laws, preserving traditional cultural areas, providing cultural education, and asserting tribal sovereignty. She has worked for more than seven years to protect the Tribe’s cultural resources and promote traditional practices.
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