The Wanapum, (which means The River People), have occupied
this area for thousands of years. In the 1950’s,
Public Utility District No. 2 of Grant County (Grant
PUD) negotiated for the construction of two dams within
the traditional and ancestral lands of the Wanapum.
The Wanapum and Grant PUD communicated in an atmosphere
of mutual respect and a positive relationship was established
and has endured. The Wanapum/Grant PUD Cultural Resources
Department is one result of this relationship between
the Wanapum and the Grant PUD. The Cultural Resources
Department is largely staffed by descendants of the
Wanapum who lived on the land before the arrival of
people from elsewhere. The Cultural Resources Department
preserves and protects the heritage of the Wanapum and
assists Grant PUD in complying with cultural resources
requirements.
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