Four Siletz students with Chickasaw students during the Chickasaw Nation Cultural Exchange trip March 15-19 to Siletz, Oregon.

Eight Chickasaw high school seniors recently shared culture, history and experiences with students from Northwestern tribes.

The tribal Division of Education conducted the first Chickasaw Nation cultural exchange trip for the students March 15-19. The Chickasaw group traveled to Siletz, Oregon and embarked on an educational adventure with the citizens of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz.

“This was our first trip,” Division of Education administrator Lisa John said. “It was a great learning experience and the students developed public speaking and research skills. They also benefited by learning about other tribes first-hand, while also learning more about the Chickasaw Nation.”

The students presented information on a variety of Chickasaw topics to 40 Siletz students. Each Chickasaw student studied information about the Chickasaw Nation and prepared a presentation on Chickasaw culture and history. Topics included Chickasaw homelands, modern-day government, foods, language and song and dance. In return, students of the Siletz tribes conducted presentations about their culture and tribe as well.

“The students worked very hard to ensure all of their infor-mation was accurate and that they were prepared to spend two days full of culturally-enriched activities with the Siletz tribes,” said Chenae Lippard, cultural exchange trip coordinator.

Along with conducting presentations, the Chickasaw students also shadowed Siletz students during a typical day at school and attended a traditional salmon feed.

“I enjoyed the trip to Oregon,” said Byng High School senior Daniel Walker. “We got to see many new things, as well as learn about the culture of the Siletz tribe.”

The Siletz tribes contacted the Chickasaw Nation several months ago and proposed a cultural exchange trip through a Chickasaw citizen working with the Siletz tribes.

Chickasaw students completed an application process to participate in the project. The committee selected eight students based on cultural knowledge and completed applications.

Students who participated in the cultural exchange trip were Tia Wines, Calera; Robby Boston, Ada; Uriah Looney, Kayla Smith and Maria Barrett, of Sulphur; and Denicko Greenhoward, Courtney Parchcorn and Daniel Walker, of Byng.

Chickasaw Nation chaperones included LaDonna Brown, of the tribal Multimedia department; Chenae Lippard of Education administration; and Johnson-O’Malley coordinator John Impson, of Vanoss Schools.

The Confederated Tribes of Siletz is a federally-recognized confederation of 27 bands whose homelands area stretched from northern California to southern Washington. The Siletz occupy and manage a 3,666-acre reservation in Lincoln County, Oregon. The Siletz tribes provide many services including housing, education, youth and health care.

To learn more about the Siletz tribes visit http://www.ctsi.nsn.us/ . For more information about the Chickasaw Nation Division of Education, call (580) 436-0877 or visit www.chickasaweducationservices.com.