‘Without water, we have nothing’: Native, Indigenous communities return to North Portland for water ceremony
By Austin De Dios
The Oregonian
September 10, 2023
When former chairman of the Portland chapter of the American Indian Movement Art McConville died in February 2022, it was unclear who would carry on the tradition he started at Cathedral Park. For a moment, it felt like the blessing of the Willamette’s water may have died with him.
But one of his final requests was to pass along the responsibility to his niece, Farrell Lucei-Bryant. On Saturday, Lucei-Bryant, a member of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, brought blessings and prayers back to the Willamette’s shores for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic.