The Stronghold Helps Native People, Inside and Outside Prison, Connect with their Culture

“In the old times we believed everything we needed to live was provided for us by our Creator in this rich land east of the Cascades. We still believe this.” - The Klamath Tribes, “Our History”

The Klamath Tribes have lived in what is now known as Oregon for thousands of years. In 1864, after decades of encroachment and hostilities by white settlers, the Klamath, Modoc and Yahooskin Paiute Tribes signed a treaty ceding more than 23 million acres of land and guaranteeing safe gathering, hunting and fishing on a reservation in southern Oregon in perpetuity.

In 1954, the United States Congress terminated the Klamath Tribes’ federal recognition.

As a result, the Klamath Tribes have faced poverty with little to no economic opportunity, classism and racism, food deserts, houselessness, trauma and mental illness, limited or no access to healthcare, lack of access to transportation, loss of identity as a tribe, loss of culture, language and ceremonies, and more. 

The Klamath Tribes regained their federal recognition in 1986, and since then they have achieved a lot, but there are still many harms that haven’t been addressed. For example, Klamath tribal members are the most over-represented Native American group in the prison system.

That’s where Justice Reinvestment Equity Program grantee The Stronghold comes in. Located in Chiloquin and led by members enrolled in and/or descended from a federally recognized tribe, The Stronghold provides culturally relevant and responsive peer services for individuals residing within Klamath County. The majority of the staff and board offer their shared lived experiences of growing up and experiencing termination of the Klamath Tribes federal recognition as a tribe and/or the harmful effects termination has had on generations following. Events and services include distributing food, Wellbriety events and talking circles. The Stronghold works both inside and outside prisons.

What is Wellbriety?

Hello. My name is Nathaniel, and I am a member of Wellbriety. Wellbriety is a Native-based recovery program. It is all inclusive to everyone represented in the Medicine Wheel: Red, Yellow, Black, and White. You are a member when you say you are. Wellbriety covers all substances and alcohol, as well as a men’s and women’s workbook to provide an opportunity to work on our inner selves to find peace and healing from within. Many Native people in recovery come from reservations or tight Native family units. This can make it hard to relate or connect in the rooms of AA, until we learn to look for similarities instead of differences. There are many paths to the Red Road, or to recovery. Wellbriety adds singing, cultural healing, and many things that are sacred, like the hoop of 100 eagle feathers and an altar in the center of the circle for sage, medicines, water, plant life, and any other instruments.

Cultural identity can be lost when people are incarcerated. Clients who have received access to services through The Stronghold appreciate the opportunity to work with individuals who share similar identities and understand the unique barriers they face. 

With their funds from JREP, The Stronghold will hire two full-time staff to provide reach-ins—entering the prisons and connecting to those incarcerated, providing access to first foods and other programming. These two staff members will also coordinate with Red Lodge Transition Services, another JREP grantee, and will also coordinate and connect with spiritual advisors and/or chaplains at prisons across the state to help those incarcerated receive adequate access to cultural activities, medicines and Indigenous-identifying peers. 

The Stronghold aims to establish and/or maintain connection while the person is incarcerated so that following release they are already connected with a peer support specialist. This peer support specialist offers their shared lived experiences and resources with the goal of reducing recidivism by establishing a sense of connection to like individuals and culture. Some of the services The Stronghold provides include transitional housing, food boxes, a clothing closet, harm reduction, employment/education opportunities, support/cultural groups, crafts, ceremonies and/or activities tailed to the individual

Many JREP grantees, including The Stronghold, also receive capacity-building support. The Stronghold is a newer 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that has been building and developing for the past four years. They are looking forward to the networking opportunities—connecting with service providers across the state to the benefit of those they serve. 

We look forward to seeing how The Stronghold’s work develops over the next two years!

The Justice Reinvestment Equity Program (JREP) supports culturally specific organizations and culturally responsive services in communities most harmed and least helped by Oregon’s criminal legal system. JREP seeks to elevate organizations that have been overlooked by traditional funding streams with the goals of reducing incarceration and racial disparities in the criminal legal system, promoting healing and advancing community safety in Oregon. Learn more about JREP.