WALLA WALLLA — Kwalk ineet, or “long tent” in English, is a traditional structure used by people in this area dating back thousands of years, Don Sampson, chief of the Waluulapam, said. But this week, students at Whitman College and members of the public can get an up-close look at one.

A kwalk ineet has been constructed at Ankeny Field on the Whitman campus and will remain there for the rest of the week. The display is the result of a partnership between the college and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation.

Whitman alum Roger Amerman, who also is a member of the Choctaw Nation, helped bring the tribes and college together.

A kwalk ineet is not seen off a reservation very often, let alone at a college campus. In fact, organizers are saying this is the first time such a structure has been built at a college or university.

Sampson said he hopes the experience is educational and helps students at Whitman learn more about the land on which they attend school.

History of the kwalk ineet

The long tent is a structure used by Plateau Native American tribes. While they are made from canvas today, historically they were made from tule — or bullrush — mats.

Sampson said the kwalk ineet is a very important part of the native people’s history in this region.

“This is the lodge where families gathered and lived for many years,” he said.

Such structures have had many uses throughout history. Larger tents, such as the one at Whitman, provided a place to gather.

“It’s a place where families live, where teachings are conducted, where the lifestyle of the people occurred,” he said. “These larger ones were also used for ceremonial gatherings. When there were feasts, when there were namings, when there were memorial services or funerals. These were all conducted inside of these.”

Long tents were of great importance during food gathering, Sampson said.

“As the people would travel by horse or foot, they would come to the places they had camped many times before. They would build a frame from tepee poles and would cover it with tule mats,” he said. “They were temporary structures that would be used for the season around a food to be gathered.”

While they are not often used for permanent living structures today, Sampson said, their use for ceremonial gatherings remain.

They also have an educational use, showing what life was like for people here many generations ago.

Whitman’s Long Tent project

The project at Whitman College began Monday, April 18, with an opening ceremony.

Sampson, Amerman and leaders of nearby tribes took part.

Several hundred people — mostly college students, but some community members as well — attended to check out the kwalk ineet and listen to speeches.

Sampson told the U-B before the event that he hoped attendees would get a better sense of the history of the land and the Waluulapam people, which greatly predates U.S. history in the area.

“The Walla Walla Valley was our homeland long before any non-natives came here,” Sampson said. “That was our homeland, and it still is today … I always hear people say, ‘Oh, I’m a fifth-generation farmer.’ I say, ‘Well, you know, I’ve been here for about 10,000 generations. So the place where you live is the place that is my home.’”

Still, he said the ceremony April 18 would not be about scolding people and would instead be about reconciliation and unity.

This held true.

“I think it’s important to acknowledge our people who came from this land here for thousands and thousands of generations,” he told the crowd at the ceremony. “But today, we share this land with each one of you … Today, we can rejoice as one people. We are all one family, together. It doesn’t matter what color your skin is.”

That’s not to say he ignored negative aspects of history. In fact, he connected it to current events.

“I was watching TV about people in Ukraine being invaded,” he said. “And I got to thinking, ‘You know, it wasn’t that long ago that our people saw that same thing happen to them. It was a difficult time for us, but we are still here today. You can see us.’”

Other speakers at the opening ceremony included Amerman, other native leaders and representatives from Whitman College.

“As I stand before the long tent today, I am filled with a sense of wonder and thankfulness,” outgoing Whitman President Kathy Murray said. “Increasing our campus’s connection to the Walla Walla Valley’s past present and future has been a real priority for me.”

Sampson told the U-B he thinks an ongoing relationship between the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and the college can be a good thing, both for the college and for the tribes.

“None of our kids can afford to go to school there, and now they may offer scholarships,” Sampson said. “That’s a gesture of reconciliation, and we are grateful for that.”

Whitman spokesperson Gillian Frew confirmed to the U-B that the college is working with CTUIR on scholarships for students from local tribes.

Through the rest of the week, educational events that are open to the public will be held on the Whitman College campus.

Speakers will talk on several topics relating to the local land and its native people.

More details can be found at bit.ly/longtentwhitman.

The events all lead up to a closing ceremony Sunday, April 24. Details of the closing ceremony have not yet been announced.