Welcome to Ontario Oregon!

African Village
Of the many thousands of pioneers who traveled along the famous Oregon Trail in the 1830's and 1840's, perhaps no one person stands out more as an intrepid adventurer and outstanding contributor to the movement westward across the United States than Moses "Black" Harris, a trail guide of African descent.  In the early days, the Oregon Trail ran some 2000 miles along rivers and natural landmarks from Independence, Missouri to Oregon City, Oregon.  Even over the years as the well-worn paths of the Trail became easier to follow, there was still the need for guides, as it was only too easy to get lost along the pathways through the wilderness.  The wagon trail guides also knew where to find wild foods and water and often could converse with Native Americans.

Basque Village
A wave of Basque immigration to the western United States began with the discovery of gold in California in the middle of the nineteenth century.  The traditional Basque custom of primogeniture, which allows only one sibling to inherit the family farmstead, maintained agricultural units intact, but left many individuals with the challenge of finding new ways to make a living.  The attraction of California gold was irresistible for many young Basques.  Once they arrived, however, they were often disappointed with what they found.  Although few had experience with sheep in their native land, and sheep raising is radically different in the American west, these men found there was a demand for labor in the sheep industry.  Slowly these sheep outfits mad their way north into Nevada, and from there into Eastern Oregon and Western Idaho in the 1890's.  Chain immigration was most common among Basques in which an immigrant found employment here for relatives and friends from his home area in the Basque Country.  It is because of this chain immigration that we find most Basque from this area are of Bizkaian ancestry.

German Village
The Germanic peoples who came to Idaho were from Holland, Prussia, various states of southern and western Germany, diverse sections of the Austrian Empire, Switzerland, and the Volga and Black Sea areas of Russia where Germans had moved generations earlier yet retained their identity.  There are problems in categorizing these peoples because "Germans", of whom 5,221 were listed in 1910 census, might have been listed separately in the census under Russians, Prussians, Austrians, or Dutch (often confused with Deutsch, which is the German word for "German").  Many of them fled their homeland to avoid lifetime military conscription.

Hawaiian Village
Hula has been part of Hawaiian culture since ancient times.  It contains the history and traditions, and the spirit and strength of its people through the generations. It was used for religious rituals and ceremonies; however, this changed over time and eventually the hula became a dance that is used strictly for entertainment.
There are two types of hula, the kahiko and the auana.  The kahiko is the ancient form of hula.  It is traditional and ritualistic in which chanting is used to tell the story.  Whereas, the auana form of hula uses the body movement and hand motion to tell the story.  While hula has been around for thousands of years, it almost disappeared in the 1800's when the missionaries arrived in Hawaii.  King Kalakaua, the last reigning king did not want the traditional dance of the islands to disappear simply because the missionaries did not understand what the hula was all about.  He developed is own group of hula dancers and encouraged them to learn the hula.  Fortunately, the hula did not disappear and remains a very important dance of the islands.

Japanese Village
The Japanese Village has been a part of America's Global Village since the start in 1999.  We are honored to share our Japanese culture with the Treasure Valley who so graciously helped to give the Japanese a start in the community.  There were a few Japanese residing in the area before World War II.  The big attraction to the Treasure Valley came around May 1942 about the time when the Japanese Americans came from Washington to California were sent to detention camps.  The Treasure Valley farmers, who lost most of their workers to the war, issued and appeal for farm laborers to come to the area.  Japanese Americans in the detention camps were given the opportunity to come to the Ontario area and work on farms.  After the war, many Japanese Americans settled in the Treasure Valley where they felt accepted and started building a niche in the community.

Mexican Village
As with other cultures who found their way to the Treasure Valley, the Mexicans have made their home here.  The Mexicans began to move this far north working primarily with the cattle in the late 1800's.  The familiar western cowboy term "buckaroo" actually came from the Mexican word "vaquero".  While only one or two families would stay all year round, the great majority would migrate for seasonal work.  About twenty years ago, there was a great migration of people who came to work on the local farms and decided to stay.  Together with a few belongings, the Mexicans brought to the Treasure Valley their food, culture, traditions, and beliefs.  Unlike many other cultures in the area, the Mexican community has had to hold on to their roots to survive.
Their traditional folkloric dances are representative of the different areas in Mexico can be enjoyed in every public celebration.

Native American Village
Red River Powwow Association is a nonprofit organization that received its 501c3 status in the spring of 2004.  There are no paid employees and the organization is fully comprised of volunteers, drummers, dancers and singers.  Red River's mission is to insure that the unique cultures and uncommon heritage of our indigenous tribes is passed on to future generations through education and involvement of the children and the public.
Red River Powwow Association volunteers have been invited to be guest lecturers and presenters at schools, libraries, universities and events.  Wherever they go, they continue to demonstrate the drum, flute, songs and dances in public venues, while sharing their individual cultural perspectives and traditional life ways with their audience.

Pioneer Village
Pioneer Village is one of the original villages that was part of the America's Global Village cultural celebration.  The village has always highlighted the pioneer heritage of the Four Rivers area.  As the other villages celebrate the cultures of unique areas or countries, Pioneer Village celebrates the spirit of those who came west.  For the tenth year, Tyner Historical Enterprises will be presenting Pioneer Village.  The Tyner's are life long residents of Malheur County, raised on the Oregon Trail and weaned on stories of Pioneers and Indians.  "When we took over the village we decided to expand the scope of it," says Michael Tyner, the group's historian.  "We wanted to touch on everything from the fur traders and trappers all the way through the homesteaders period of the 1920's and 1930's.

Scottish Village
The Scots influence in America and the Treasure Valley is felt far beyond their numbers and from very beginning of European exploration.  Their adventurous spirit, work ethic and intellect of the Scottish Enlightenment left an imprint that influenced the very foundation and fabric of the United States of America.  Our education, economics, and Constitution come from the Scots model.  Names like Andrew Carnagie, John Paul Jones and Davidson of Harley-Davidson are all Scots.
The first settlers in early 1600's in New England and Virginia included Scots; however, the first large influx came as the result of the civil war in Britain between the Crown and Oliver Cromwell.  Many Scots sided with the Crown.  Cromwellian forces won.  Many Scots were exiled directly to America in 1650, with the most coming to Boston, Virginia and the Carolinas.