Ghosts of Celilo Debuts

Ten years in the making, The Ghosts of Celilo will appear in Portland’s Newmark Theatre Sept. 27 thru Oct. 14th. Artists Repertory Theatre will present this compelling historical musical with six members of the Trail Band as the "orchestra". Marv Ross wrote it with Thomas Morning Owl, Arlie Neskahi, and Chenoa Egawa—three Native American singer/writers, with help from Tom Hampson from ONABEN. They interviewed many people on the river (native and non-native) about their memories of Celilo Falls; one goal was to mix traditional musical theatre genres with NW Native American music.

Marv writes: “About our third year and seventh plot into this project, we interview the late Nathan Jim from the Warm Springs people. He told us about being kidnapped at Celilo Falls by a fishtruck driver when he was a boy and ending up at an Indian boarding school. At the school, his "Indian-ness" was taken away from him and he became very homesick, but was required by law to attend this government-run missionary school. His dream was to escape the school and get back to Celilo to catch fish. His story became the essential seed of our plot. The other thing we heard from some native people on the river is the belief that spirits live under the water where Celilo Falls once roared. So, our story begins in the present at the bottom of the Columbia River where 4 ghosts (two native/ two whites) have been stuck on the last rotting remnants of old fishing platforms buried by the slackwater of the dam 50 years ago. They have lost their memories and blame each other for being stuck there. Then, something from the railroad bridge (still above Celilo Lake) is thrown down to them and this object (an old child's toy whistle) triggers their memories. They each reveal a shameful secret and as they tell it, their memories "come to life" and they become actors in their own memories. When the four stories are told it becomes evident that they all were responsible in some way for two boys being kidnapped at Celilo and taken to the boarding school.”

Celilo Falls played an important part in the Lewis & Clark story, and chapter members have followed the progress of this musical work as it has developed. Many will recognize Chenoa Egawa as the young actress who created the title role of Sacagawea in the Oregon Children’s Theatre musical in 2003, for which Marv Ross wrote the music.

See the Ghosts of Celilo and ART websites for more information:
http://www.ghostsofcelilo.com/index.html
http://www.artistsrep.org

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November 5, 2002
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (201 words)
Contact: Jay Rasmussen (503) 640-9493

Clark's Mountain to honor famed explorer

The Oregon Chapter of the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation announced today the successful completion of their quest to honor explorer William Clark by having the peak of Tillamook Head named as "Clark's Mountain." Chapter secretary Glen Kirkpatrick received a letter confirming the official acceptance of this proposal from Mr. Roger L. Payne, Executive Secretary of the U.S. Board of Geographic Names.

The peak of Tillamook Head rises over 1250 feet above sea level and is a very prominent geographic feature of the northern Oregon Coast. William Clark described Tillamook Head on November 18, 1805 as he and Meriwether Lewis looked south across the mouth of the Columbia River from Cape Disappointment. On January 10, 1806 shortly after Clark's return from a trip over the mountain in search of a beached whale, Captain Lewis took the liberty of naming the mountain after his esteemed colleague as "Clark's Mountain and Point of View."

The Oregon Chapter is a non-profit group that works to advance public awareness of the historic, social and cultural significance of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. It is one of 38 chapters of the national Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation, Inc.

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