'Scht Wiwnu Park

Introducing 'Scht Wiwnu Park Portland Parks & Recreation announces that the bureau's volunteer naming committee has chosen ‘Scht Wiwnu (pronounced Ish-chit Way-el-noo ) as the new name for the Southwest Portland park formerly known as Custer Park / A Park.

Listen to the pronunciation by playing the video below. The park's new name means "path of the huckleberry" and comes from the Ichishkin Sńwit language.

‘Scht Wiwnu Park includes a PP&R nature patch that contains a path planted with native huckleberries, an important First Food (traditional food) for local tribes.

At times, that advocacy was met with resistance, even moments of tension, yet the commitment to change remained rooted in care for the land and for future generations," said Amanda Squiemphen-Yazzie, a naming committee member who is Wasco, Yakima, Navajo and a Citizen of Warm Springs Nation.

She added, "The journey from protest to celebration in this same place speaks to resilience.

" Special thanks to Dallas Winishut and other Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs language teachers and elders for their partnership and consultation about the park's name, spelling, pronunciation, and meaning.

Ichishkin Sńwit is one of three languages spoken and taught by the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs; the other two languages are Kiksht Awawat (Wasco) and Numu (Paiute).

"Using our language to name this park is really something special," said Dallas Winishut, Ichishkin Sńwit language teacher with the Confederated Tribes of Warm

Ichishkin Sńwit is spoken by Native American tribes from the Columbia River area, including the Nez Perce, Umatilla, Warm Springs, and Yakama tribes.

This park was originally known as Custer Park. In December 2020, it was given the temporary name "A Park" by retired Portland Commissioner Amanda Fritz. As commissioner-in-charge of PP&R, she directed the bureau to engage in a community-supported renaming process to determine an appropriate permanent name. In early 2022, PP&R directed staff to conduct a joint renaming process for A Park and Wilson Outdoor Pool. In spring 2022, 12 community members who represented diverse lived experiences, identities, and expertise began serving on a committee to review community submissions and recommend new names for both "A Park" and Wilson Outdoor Pool. The committee recommended the name Ida B. Wells Outdoor Pool to replace Wilson in November 2022. In 2023, the naming committee determined the new park name should honor local tribes and Indigenous communities. They selected a short list of names and directed PP&R to conduct further engagement with local Native community members to determine the finalist. To provide an authentic effort to rename the park, PP&R contracted with Serina Fast Horse of Kimimela Consulting, an outreach consultant who is Lakota and Blackfeet and a lifelong member of the urban Indigenous community of Portland, to lead the outreach process in 2024. From that process, the name 'Schit Wiwnu was recommended as the permanent name for the park.