“kál’a wéetespeme wées, kex koníx ‘íin páyna: I belong to the land, from which I came” – Nez Perce Place Names
A special lecture with Harry H. Slickpoo Jr., Collections Specialist at the Nez Perce Tribe’s hitéemenwees Research Library and Nez Perce Language Teacher at Lewiston High School.
Event Schedule
6:15 pm | Planetarium Doors Open
6:30 pm | Nez Perce Place Names Lecture & Q&A session with Harry Slickpoo Jr.
7:30 pm | Heads and Hearts: Seeing the Landscape through Nez Perce Eyes Exhibit Opens
8:30 pm | Heads and Hearts: Seeing the Landscape through Nez Perce Eyes Exhibit Closes
TICKETS:
Pay what you can; tickets for this event will be a sliding scale of $0-$15. Tickets include access to the lecture and the Heads and Hearts: Seeing the Landscape through Nez Perce Eyes Exhibit.
About the Lecture
The Nez Perce people have always been connected to this place we call home, here in the Pacific Northwest. Our traditional homelands have been described as being situated between the Bitterroot Mountains on the east, and the Blue Mountains of Oregon on the west. The land use by Nez Perce Tribe, at what we call today our usual and accustomed areas, is well beyond the 13.5 million acres we call home in Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. Historic land use ranged from the Pacific coast, to parts of northern California, and onto the Great Plains beyond what is known today as Yellowstone National Park.
This presentation will explore the names of these places and provide a unique Nez Perce perspective to how we are connected to these places that now carry names of colonization, discovery, and conflict on the land. Specific areas will be discussed including the Southern Nez Perce Trail—today known as the Magruder Corridor—and the Northern Nez Perce Trail—today known as the Lolo Motorway, and the Nez Perce National Historic Trail of 1877.
Harry H. Slickpoo Jr.
Harry H. Slickpoo Jr. is an enrolled member of the Nez Perce Tribe, graduating from Kamiah High School in 2002. From 2010-2012 Harry attended Northwest Indian College at the Nez Perce Campus, Kamiah DLC. Also in 2010 Harry began to work at the Nez Perce Language Program in Lapwai, Idaho as a Nez Perce Language Intern during the summer months. Between 2012 and 2017 harry would next become employed by the Nez Perce Language Program as a Nez Perce Language Technician. In 2019 Harry began working for Northwest Indian College at the Nez Perce Language Instructor for the Nez Perce Site Campus. In 2020 Harry began working as a cultural consultant and tour guide for Nez Perce Tourism. In 2023 Harry began working as the Collections Specialist for the Nez Perce Tribe hitéemenwees Research Library at Lapwai, where he is currently employed. Also in 2023-2024 Harry began working as the Nez Perce Language Teacher for Lewiston High School at Lewiston, Idaho, where he also continues to work in educating young people about Nez Perce history, culture, and language. In 2023 Harry became a qualified Nez Perce Language Teacher, being recognized with full support of the Nez Perce Circle of Elders and the Nez Perce Tribal Executive Committee. Finally, in 2024 Harry became a Certified Idaho Educator where he works to preserve, share, and promote Nez Perce lifeways here in Nez Perce homelands.
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions? Email event@omsi.edu
Ticketing questions call 503-797-4000 x0
Yes, the Empirical Cafe will be open with prepackaged salads, sandwiches and movie snacks. The bar will be open to guests that are 21+. No outside food or drink is allowed.
Please note: food and drink is not allowed inside the Planetarium.
Click here for OMSI’s overall accessibility information. The Kendall Planetarium has many amenities available, including:
Wheelchair accessible entrance
Nearby ADA accessible restrooms
Please check in with an OMSI staff member for assistance in accessing these amenities.
OMSI is located at 1945 SE Water Ave Portland, OR 97214. Visitors can pay for parking through the Parking Kitty app or at the parking kiosks in the North and South parking lots.
OMSI parking costs $5 (+ fees) for 2 hours or $8 (+ fees) for all day parking. Guests arriving at 5pm or later can expect to pay a flat fee of $2 (+ fees) for the evening.