"About a dozen members of the Warm Springs tribe visited the campus of Oregon State University Monday.

The tribal leaders traveled over the mountains in order to reinforce the long ties between their government and the college.

The connection runs surprisingly deep – in fact, in the special collections library, Warm Springs tribal member Ron Suppah looked up at an archival photo and gazed into of familiar set of eyes.

It was a picture of him as a young boy.

And as he looked wistfully at the photo, a librarian made him an offer.

Ron Suppah: “Do you want a copy of this picture? Yes, I do.”

Pictures weren’t the only things being exchanged here.

Ron Suppah is now the chairman of the tribe, and in front of an audience, he handed the school a treaty blanket.

At times, it felt like a formal treaty ceremony.

Ron Suppah: "I have two treaties to honor and respect. The first treaty is with our creator. The second one is the written one we have with the federal government.""

Get the Story:
Warm Springs Tribe Remembers OSU Help In Early Years (Oregon Public Broadcasting 4/7)