Cultural Appropriation and the Commodification of Heritage: The Nimiipuu Legacy in Joseph, Oregon

This paper explores the cultural appropriation and commodification of Nimiipuu heritage in Joseph, Oregon, by examining the history of the annual Chief Joseph Days (CJD) festival held by the residents of Wallowa Valley every year since 1946. While CJD purports to celebrate the legacy of both the Nimiipuu in Wallowa Valley and the traditional American West, instead it perpetuates a simplified and exploitive narrative that benefits the white residents of Wallowa Valley. Through historical analysis, this paper traces the dramatic erasure and forced removal of the Nimiipuu from their ancestral lands within Wallowa Valley in 1877, followed by their subsequent representation in local tourism and entertainment by white settlers starting as early as 1880. CJD, much like 19th-century Wild West shows, commercializes Indigenous culture while marginalizing authentic Nimiipuu voices in our present day. Analyzing primary sources such as newspapers, letters, and speeches, as well as literature on postcolonialism and American Indian history, this paper argues how CJD continues to reinforce outdated stereotypes and white-centric narratives, which requires reevaluation of Indigenous representation in public celebrations as of 2025.