Tribe cancels Tomanowos delegation visit

By Danielle Harrison

Smoke Signals editor

The Grand Ronde Tribe has cancelled the yearly delegation visit to the American Museum of Natural History in New York City to see the meteorite Tomanowos, due to growing concerns about security in the wake of the U.S. bombing of nuclear sites in Iran Saturday, June 21, which has also resulted in increased security in New York and at airports across the country. 

The Tribe informed the Grand Ronde delegation via email Sunday, June 22. A majority of the participants were scheduled to fly out from Portland to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport Wednesday, June 25.

The Tribal member interns and chaperones who were already in New York City planned to come home Sunday, June 22.

“The annual delegation to Tomanowos is something that we look forward to as a Tribe every year,” Tribal Communications Director Sara Thompson said. “Unfortunately, with the increased security risks that have developed because of the situation in Iran, increases in security around New York, as well as the history of New York being targeted, we have made the difficult decision to cancel this year’s trip. We will continue to hold Tomanowos in our hearts until we return.”

This year will mark the fourth time an in-person visit has been cancelled since 2000, when the Grand Ronde Tribe first began the annual visit for a private ceremony with the meteorite. Visits were suspended in 2020, 2021 and 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 1999, the Grand Ronde Tribe submitted a claim to the museum seeking return of Tomanowos under the provisions of the 1990 Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. The museum countersued and eventually the two parties reached an agreement that Tomanowos would remain in New York City provided that Tribal members had annual access for religious ceremonies and the museum sponsored an internship program for Tribal youth to spend two to three weeks working at the museum every summer.

The Tribe plans to return to the museum in 2026 and take the Elders who were selected to go this year.