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Articles written by Arnie Marchand


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  • Inviting you to Tonasket for program

    Arnie Marchand and Louie Wilson|May 17, 2023

    You are invited to attend the re-naming ceremony May 27th, at 1 p.m. in the Tonasket Legacy Park. Highway #20 in Okanogan County will become the “Vietnam War Veterans Memorial Highway.” The ceremony will have the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation Honor Guard presenting the colors, the Tribal Singers “The Citizens,” singing the honor song. Louie Wilson will be the master of ceremonies and will introduce the dignitaries in attendance. We have heard from our 4th District Congressman, Dan Newhouse, and our 7th District state represe...

  • Dedicate highway to Vietnam veterans

    Arnie Marchand|May 11, 2022

    I wrote a request for everyone to write a letter of support for dedicating Highway 20 to the Vietnam Veterans. I thought it was a great idea and I accepted the role as chair from Hodges Post #84, in Oroville. I thought the response would be immediate and overwhelming due to those families in the three-plus counties of this state would have had family members that need to be recognized for their dedication to duty during that war. I hope I am not wrong, I need the letters. So, would you take time write me a short letter of support? I am requesti...

  • Looking for support to honor veterans

    Arnie Marchand|Mar 30, 2022

    The American Legion Hodges Post 84, Oroville Washington, is requesting that the State Department of Transportation honor the Veterans of the Vietnam War by dedicating State Route 20, from the Idaho border to the Skagit County line in Western Washington. Hodges Post 84 hopes to recognize the sacrifices made by Vietnam Veterans to the State of Washington and to the United States of America with this dedication. I will be asking our State representatives in Olympia and from Washington DC to help support this effort. I will be asking all of the...

  • Tribal council must have no discussions on removing Enloe Dam

    Arnie Marchand|Jun 30, 2021

    This is an “Open Letter to the Tribal Council.” I have to address it to them and to you because you members are the ones that will ultimately pay for this if it ever comes to pass. It has to do with the removal of Enloe Dam and what you should know about it. Ladies and Gentlemen of the Tribal Council, please accept this letter as a “last ditch effort” to persuade you to have no further discussions regarding Enloe Dam. I have sent each of you my video explaining our position exactly as it was stated those many years ago. Now, it seems like the ...

  • 4th of July Canoe Border Crossing is coming

    Arnie Marchand|May 26, 2021

    This year will be the 20th Anniversary of the First Nations People crossing the border on Osoyoos Lake, paddling cottonwood dugout canoes from Osoyoos to Oroville. The crossing is to let all our People and the local communities to know and remind them that the border between the two countries has never and will never separate our People. The ceremony is held sacred in our hearts. Many Bands and Tribes are joining the Okanogan People helping us celebrate unity of the People of the First Nations. Herman and Joanne Edward are the ones that have...

  • Four-day work week is madness

    Arnie Marchand|Oct 2, 2019

    They have done it again! The Colville Business Council, in their infinite wisdom, have once again tried to help by passing resolution # 2019-569 and disrupting the lives of the employees. The four-day work week and ten-hour day has been tried once last century and again in 2009. They failed. There is a reason they failed. Because of the undue hardship on employees. TERO should have been the first to speak out against it, but their silence is deafening. They are supposed to protect the employees against unethical and unlawful acts by employers....

  • Open Letter to the Tribal Council

    Arnie Marchand|Aug 9, 2017

    I am an Okanogan Indian and a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. I am so disappointed in your name choice; I must re-remind you of your history and that we are not 12 tribes; we are but 10 bands of one tribe. The name change you have suggested sounds like you are glorifying the Grand Coulee Dam, not the falls that no longer exist, nor the river that is no more. Why would you think that we the Syilx People would consider that to be just or respectful? It is the fact that we are a Salmon People and not “Big Water” peo...

  • Requests for the new Colville Business Council

    Arnie Marchand|Jul 19, 2017

    I have written you, the Colville Business Council, through this approach to let everyone know what I am saying to you. Now that we have a new Business Council seated, I respectfully ask that each of you take these three things into consideration, now. First, to change our name to reflect our history. We are bands of Indians that spoke one language, N Syilxn, not three languages. We are Salmon People. We are not a scattered group of hunter gatherers. We are a strong and vibrant People that other Tribes feared. Let the name reflect us, the sqilx-...

  • What to do after you're elected to tribal council

    Arnie Marchand|Mar 29, 2017

    This is a letter to all those vying for a position on the Tribal Council. You should do three things after becoming an elected representative. First: Change the name of the reservation. REASON: Time has long since passed that we continue to call ourselves colvile Indians and understand that there never were any colvile Indians. That we must either change to our language name “Syilx People” or our dominant tribe “Okanogan” (no matter how you spell it)! Second: Change the length of service for councilpersons to four years. All you do now is find...

  • The meaning of “Okanogan”

    Arnie Marchand|Jan 23, 2013

    I have been asked to give a definition of the word Okanogan, and decided to let everyone know because it is a word you hear every day and have never understood. Though there is no real consensus as to the definition of the word Okanogan there is a definite way to explain the word to you. The people who speak Nsylixcn (Okanogan) lived from Wenatchee to Vernon, from Revelstoke to the Kettle River and from the Cascade Mountains to the Kettle Falls. This is Indian Country to me, and a couple of ways to define “Okanagan.” The Okanagan People hav...

  • Did you know?

    Arnie Marchand|Oct 3, 2012

    … that the the ambassador to Libya, Mr. Chris Stevens, was an enrolled tribal member of the Chinook Indian Tribe. Chairman Ray Gardner said, “To all of the Chinook Members and all the friends of the Chinook Nation I am hopeful that you will include the family of Chris Stevens, the former Ambassador to Libya, that lost his life while working towards lasting peace to the region, in your prayers.” … that the FBI was looking for my brother, Verdan L. Marchand, and found him in Seattle? They needed to know how to “spell” his name! They are going t...