PENDLETON — The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation have played an integral role in the Pendleton Round-Up’s 110-year history, but tribal leaders aren’t ready to commit to a 2020 rodeo, should there be one during the COVID-19 pandemic.

On June 12, Walla Walla Chief Don Sampson emailed Round-Up President Randy Bracher criticizing Round-Up and Happy Canyon for failing to keep him in the loop on the Round-Up’s plans.

In a Monday, June 15, interview, Sampson, a former Board of Trustees chairman and executive director for the CTUIR, said he wasn’t apprised of the Round-Up’s process until a Happy Canyon board member reached out to him on June 11 to ask him to read from a prepared statement at an upcoming event announcing the Round-Up’s plans.

He added that he and Bracher spoke on Monday and Bracher apologized for not updating Sampson sooner. But Sampson’s concerns go beyond “a lack of respectful consultation,” with the chief wanting to see a plan outlining the Round-Up’s health precautions before the tribes make their consideration.

While Sampson said the Round-Up wanted him to participate in a June 16 event announcing the Round-Up plans, Round-Up and Happy Canyon General Manager Erika Patton said the groups weren’t going public with a decision yet.

“We are still looking at several scenarios of having our event or a version of our event that will benefit our community while keeping everybody safe,” she wrote in a text message. “We continue to have discussions with the county and state officials on options for proceeding. No decisions have been finalized.”

Patton declined to comment on Sampson’s email and follow-up comments and Bracher did not immediately return a call requesting comment.

Whether it’s in the Indian Village north of the Round-Up Arena, the Junior Indian Beauty Pageant or the Westward Ho! Parade, the CTUIR and American Indians have a visible role in and around the rodeo.

Beyond providing security and health services to the Indian Village area, Chuck Sams, the commander for the CTUIR COVID-19 Incident Command Team, said tribal government doesn’t usually play an active role in planning the tribes’ participation in Round-Up.

But Sams said he’s been in contact with several Round-Up representatives, including Bracher, who have solicited his input. At this point, Sams said it would be difficult to recommend tribal participation while the pandemic is still highly active within the region.

Sams said the Board of Trustees, the elected body responsible for governing tribal affairs, drafted a letter to Bracher and Happy Canyon President Tanner Hawkins on June 15 to request a meeting between the tribal government and the nonprofit boards.

Sampson said tribal members would be “bummed” if they couldn’t attend Round-Up this year, but he said he and the other chiefs of the tribes are not only responsible for the CTUIR, but also the family and friends that visit from across the Northwest.

“It’s like one big family reunion,” he said.

But in order to prevent COVID-19 from spreading to the reservation, Sampson said the tribes have already made sacrifices, like putting First Foods feasts and other tribal traditions on hold.

While the Round-Up works with the state and county on a potentially modified rodeo that would comply with Gov. Kate Brown’s stay-home orders, Sampson said he would like to see the plan before proceeding. Once a plan is released, Sampson said it would be a “community decision” between the chiefs, the Board of Trustees and the rest of tribal membership on what to do next.

While Sampson accepted Bracher’s apology, he said part of the lack of communication is a structural problem.

While the city of Pendleton and the Pendleton Chamber of Commerce hold ex-officio seats on the Round-Up Board of Directors, the tribes do not. And although Rob Burnside, a CTUIR member and the Umatilla Tribal Fire Department chief, serves as programs and ushers director, Sampson pointed out that an American Indian doesn’t hold the Indians director position.

While the Round-Up hasn’t made a decision yet, other rodeos are starting to pull the plug.

Both the Walla Walla County Fair and Frontier Days and Chief Joseph Days canceled last week. Chief Joseph Days was set to take place in late July while Frontier Days was scheduled for early September, a couple weeks ahead of Round-Up.