Oregon Travels by George Kahumoku, Jr.

Oregon Travels

by George Kahumoku Jr while traveling from Bend to Eugene with Sonny Lim, Jeff Peterson, and Nancy Kahumoku

Memories come to me at Sahalie Falls,

our connection to Mother Earth (Papa) and Sky (Wakea)

Recalling Dennis Kamakahi’s voice, chant,

and song about our ancestors in Kalama OR

as I stand before the thundering Sahalie Falls

Creation of Heaven & Sky formed by

lava, water, ice, and snow

Flows through Koosah and Sahalie From the High Cascades,

land of the lost languages and tribes of the

Chinnok, Nootka, and Onomonopia

The spirits of the wind move the in trees

The sound of the water is deafening

We feel The chill in the shade

See the rainbow and promise of better days to come in the mist

We are aware of the cold slippery Ice beneath our feet

The feel the Warmth of the sun

Hear the Thunder of the drums

Hear the Thunder of the sky

Hear the Thunder of the falls

Dennis Kamakahi’s voice and spirit continues to live and is remembered at Sahalie