Category: News and Notices

Annual summit provides opportunities to discuss solutions to critical issues facing Oregonians in rural communities
 

Salem, OR — Oct. 7-8, Governor Tina Kotek and First Lady Aimee Kotek Wilson attended the 2025 Tribal-State Government-to-Government Summit, co-hosted by the Coquille Indian Tribe at the Ko-Kwel Casino Resort in Coos Bay.

“This week, the nine sovereign Tribal nations of Oregon and state agency leaders came together to demonstrate that meaningful government-to-government relations require honest dialogue, mutual respect, and concrete action,” Governor Kotek said. “While others are busy building walls, we gathered to build bridges and grow our relationships.”

The annual summit brings together the Governor, Tribal government and senior staff from the nine federally recognized sovereign Tribes in Oregon, and Oregon state officials to address critical shared issues through government-to-government communication, coordination, collaboration, and consultation. The summit represents Oregon’s ongoing commitment to recognizing that Tribal governments represent the oldest sovereigns in Oregon by thousands of years. Ongoing relationships with the Tribes bring invaluable expertise, knowledge, and resources to address shared challenges and promote prosperity for all Oregonians.

“It was an honor to host Governor Kotek, Oregon’s nine federally recognized Tribal leaders and state agency directors here at our Ko-Kwel Casino Resort – Coos Bay. It was an incredible opportunity to bring attention to the needs of our Tribes, the communities we live in, and our entire state,” said Coquille Indian Tribe Chairman Brenda Meade.

“Through this Summit, we hope to have found new ways to strengthen our government-to-government relations while creating new opportunities for some much-needed fine-tuning in our communication and partnerships. And we were happy that, while there were serious topics to be tackled, in our Potlatch tradition we celebrated together, enjoying the beauty of our Coquille homelands.”

The summit featured keynote addresses from Coquille Indian Tribe Chairman Meade and Governor Kotek, bill signing ceremonies for tribal-related legislation, and a historic Sovereign Leaders’ Assembly where each Tribal Head of Government presented priorities directly to the Governor as equal partners.

Programming included cultural demonstrations at the Coquille Community Plank House, an inter-tribal celebration with traditional games and music, and an innovative neuroscience-informed workshop on strengthening government relationships. Pre-summit and post-summit cluster meetings addressed health and human services, economic development, natural and cultural resources, and public safety priorities, ensuring sustained collaboration between the federally recognized sovereign Tribal nations of Oregon and the State of Oregon.

For photos from the annual Summit, click here.

For a streaming of the Summit, click here.

Note to Editors: ​Oregon has been a national leader in tribal-state relations for nearly five decades. In 1975, the State of Oregon recognized the need for permanent dialogue with tribal governments and created the Legislative Commission on Indian Services (LCIS), an advisory body of 13 tribal leaders and legislators that serves as an ongoing forum for tribal-state issues.
 
Building on this foundation and Executive Order 96-30, Oregon became the first state in the nation to pass comprehensive tribal-state government-to-government relations law in 2001 with SB 770 (codified as ORS 182.162-.168). This groundbreaking legislation emphasizes the critical importance of establishing and maintaining ongoing communication between state agencies and Oregon’s nine federally recognized sovereign tribal nations to inform decision-makers and provide opportunities for collaboration on shared interests.
 
About the Coquille Indian Tribe: The Coquille Indian Tribe flourished in Oregon’s southwestern corner for thousands of years, cherishing the bountiful forests, rivers and beaches of a homeland encompassing over one million acres. In 1954, Congress declared the Coquille Tribe “terminated.” 35 years later the Tribe was formally restored to federal recognition in 1989. Today the Tribe numbers more than 1,200 members and it has regained more than 10,000 acres of ancestral homeland, proudly managing the bulk of it as sustainable forest. The Tribe provides education assistance, health care, elder services and (where needed) housing assistance to its people, while contributing substantially to the surrounding community’s economy. Its various enterprises employ approximately 1000 people, and its community fund is the region’s leading local source of charitable grants. For more about the Coquille Indian Tribe, visit coquilletribe.org.

###

The Ko-Kwel Wellness Center in Eugene was recently featured in a series called “Queries and Quotes,” on the Eugene Chamber of Commerce website. 

Rooted in a legacy of service and tribal sovereignty, Ko-Kwel Wellness Center (part of the Coquille Indian Tribe) brings a culturally grounded, whole-person approach to health care in Eugene. From primary care to Oregon’s first tribally operated opioid treatment program, they’re building a healthier, more connected community, one partnership at a time. CEO Caryn Mickelson responded to the Chamber.

Open For Business Eugene – August, 2025