Wenix Red Elk (Pendleton) is a weaver who grew up in the Umatilla Reservation. She is very knowledgeable about First Foods, the relationship between each of the foods and the tribe, and the tribe’s current efforts to restore habitats.
Bio
Wenix Red Elk is an enrolled member of the Umatilla (Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation) and grew up at CTUIR. Her traditional knowledge came from her grandmother, who took her to the longhouse for religious ceremonies. Her father hunted, and her mother was always involved with natural herbs. When she was 17, Red Elk began to learn traditional herb ways from her aunts. She also learned from other elders at CTUIR. Red Elk has also been deeply involved with cultural arts. At 14, she started beading and started weaving when she was 20. She weaves tule mats, twisted mats, bags, and cornhusk bags, and she’s taught over 1,000 weavers to make them as well. She learned to make sally bags from roots, how to make dogbane rope, and how to use berries and other plants in a natural dying process. Red Elk started working at the Living Cultural Center at the time of the Oregon Trail Centennial. Her current job involves outreach for the CTUIR Department of Natural Resources; she educates the public about salmon habitat restoration, water resources, fisheries, and hunting. Red Elk is very knowledgeable about First Foods and the CTUIR’s habitat restoration efforts.
