Agnes Baker Pilgrim

Pilgrim was born on September 11, 1924[http://www.agnesbakerpilgrim.org/NewsDetails.asp?NewsID=39 Agnes Baker Pilgrim] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090406124809/http://www.agnesbakerpilgrim.org/NewsDetails.asp?NewsID=39 |date=April 6, 2009 }} having been delivered by Elizabeth Juliana Tole Harney, Pilgrim's grandmother who was a midwife.Baker-Pilgrim A. Biography Her family was poor during the Depression and survived with no electricity.Native Village Publications

Grandma Aggie, as she was affectionately known, had a rich and varied working life ranging from working for the Indian Health Service as a physician's assistant, an alcohol and drug counselor, a scrub nurse, a logger, a singer, a bouncer, a barber in a jail and a stock car racing driver.{{cite AV media |date=22 July 2009 |title=Grandma Aggie - Conversations from Penn State |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8XNvHRDu8E |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211215/d8XNvHRDu8E |archive-date=2021-12-15 |url-status=live|access-date=17 July 2020 |publisher=WPSU |ref=Penn State}}{{cbignore}}

Married three times, Pilgrim had three daughters and three sons. Pilgrim also had twenty grandchildren, thirty-one great-grandchildren and a great-great-grandchild.Schaefer (2006) p.18

In 1982 Pilgrim was seriously ill with cancer. Pilgrim claimed that she asked the Creator to let her live as she had many friends and family who relied on her, and that, she had a lot left to do in the world. Ever since that time she had a transformation and gravitated to a very spiritual type of life – even though Pilgrim admitted to have initially being reluctant to travel her spiritual path as she doubted her worthiness for this task.Schaefer (2006) p.17

Agnes Baker Pilgrim spoke of her life, her calling and her philosophy in an oral history collected on January 23, 2018, on the banks of the Rogue River in Grants Pass, Oregon as part of the Stories of Southern Oregon project at Southern Oregon University.

A ceremony to welcome, bless, and thank the returning salmon each year was held by the Takelma tribe, as well as many other Indian tribes in the northwest United States and Canada, . However, for 140 years, due to the loss of traditional ways, the ceremony was not performed publicly by the Takelma tribe. To revive the ceremony, Pilgrim and her late husband Grant Pilgrim (Yurok tribe), visited with area tribes that continued to perform this ceremony. Following numerous visits to ceremonial and spiritual gatherings of northwest tribes, the Pilgrims brought back their version of the ceremony to Southern Oregon.Baker-Pilgrim, A, Salmon Ceremony '94–'06{{cite journal|last=Holden|first=Madronna|title=Re-storying the World: Reviving the Language of Life|journal=Australian Humanities Review|date=November 2009|issue=47|doi=10.22459/AHR.47.2009.12|url=http://www.australianhumanitiesreview.org/archive/Issue-November-2009/holden.html|access-date=June 11, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121124173730/http://www.australianhumanitiesreview.org/archive/Issue-November-2009/holden.html|archive-date=November 24, 2012|url-status=dead|doi-access=free}} Due to Pilgrim's contribution in returning the Salmon Ceremony to Jackson County, she is known to some locals as the 'Keeper of the Sacred Salmon Ceremony'.Doty, T, Ceremonies

A great deal of interest has since been shown by the National Geographic magazine and the World Wildlife Fund and Martha Stewart due to the unprecedented increase in salmon seen in the river since the ceremony has been performed.Supriano, S, (6 April 2009){{citation needed|date=June 2013}}

The ceremony is annually held on the bank of the Applegate River in Southwest Oregon

While studying psychology and Native American studies at Southern Oregon University at the age of 50, Pilgrim co-founded the Konanway Nika Tillicum (All My Relations) Native American Summer Youth Academy. She was the Elder-Woman-in-Residence for the academy.{{Cite web

|title=President's Page

|publisher=Southern Oregon University

|accessdate=June 17, 2013

|url=http://www.sou.edu/president/newsroom/enews-I-5.html

|url-status=dead

|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130109023035/http://www.sou.edu/president/newsroom/enews-I-5.html

|archivedate=January 9, 2013

}}

{{Main|International Council of 13 Grandmothers}}

In 2004, Pilgrim was approached by The Center for Sacred Studies to serve on the International Council of 13 Indigenous Grandmothers. Pilgrim was the oldest of the Grandmothers and was elected as the council's Chairpersonchairman.Schaefer (2006) p.19

The council has been active in protecting indigenous rights and medicines, promoting ancient wisdom.

Pilgrim considered the International Council of 13 Grandmothers not to have come together by accident, coming at the eleventh hour to be "a voice for the voiceless."Harcourt-Smith

In 2008, she traveled with the group on "a trip to Rome to try to get Pope Benedict XVI to rescind historical papal bulls, which played a role in the genocidal onslaught of indigenous people worldwide," according to Indian Country Today Media Network.{{Cite news

| last = Cappricioso

| first = Rob

| title = Chief grandma tells it how it is

| work = Indian Country Today Media Network

| accessdate = June 16, 2013

| date = August 23, 2008

| url = http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/ictarchives/2008/08/23/chief-grandma-tells-it-how-it-is-2-79614

}}

Pilgrim's likeness is featured in the bronze statue, We Are Here, in downtown Ashland, Oregon. Pilgrim attended the dedication ceremony on May 24, 2013.{{cite news|last=Valencia|first=Mandy|title='We Are Here'|url=https://ashlandtidings.com/archive/-we-are-here--04-27-2018-073359899|accessdate=June 11, 2013|newspaper=Ashland Daily Tidings|date=May 24, 2013|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200718003500/https://ashlandtidings.com/archive/-we-are-here--04-27-2018-073359899|archivedate=18 July 2020|url-status=live}}

{{Reflist|2}}

• [http://www.agnesbakerpilgrim.org/Page.asp?PID=97 Agnes Baker-Pilgrim] (Official Website), Biography.
• Doty, T, [http://www.dotycoyote.com/culture/index.html Culture].
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20100126181715/http://www.grandmotherscouncil.com/about.html#agnes Grandmothers' Council website about the Grandmothers]
• Harcourt-Smith, J, [https://web.archive.org/web/20100227200904/http://www.futureprimitive.org/13grandmothers.html Future Primitive on the international council of thirteen indigenous grandmothers]
• McCowan, K, Canku Ota (Many Paths), {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20110615044143/http://www.turtletrack.org/Issues04/Co07032004/CO_07032004_SalmonCeremony.htm Tribal Elder Keeps Salmon Ceremony Going Strong]}}.
• {{usurped|[https://web.archive.org/web/20100309113058/http://www.nativevillage.org/INTERNATIONAL%20COUNCIL%20OF%2013%20INDIGENOUS%20GR/Each%20GR%20Home%20Page/Agnes%20Baker-Pilgrim/Agnes%20Baker-Pilgrim%20Homepage.htm Native Village Publications, Grandmother Agnes Baker-Pilgrim]}}
• {{Cite episode

|publisher=Wisconsin Public Radio

|credits=Jean Feraca (Director)

|title=Wisdom of Indigenous Grandmothers: Guests, Agnes Baker Pilgrim, Jyoti Prevatt, Carol Schaefer

|series=Here On Earth: Radio Without Borders

|date=January 22, 2008

|url=http://www.wpr.org/hereonearth/archive_080122k.cfm

|url-status=dead

|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130131075127/http://www.wpr.org/hereonearth/archive_080122k.cfm

|archivedate=January 31, 2013

}}

• {{cite book|last=Schaefer|first=Carol|title=Grandmothers counsel the world : women elders offer their vision for our planet|year=2006|publisher=Trumpeter/Shambhala Publications|location=Boston|isbn=9781590302934}}
• [http://www.suesupriano.com/audio/AgnesBakerPilgrim.mp3 Sue Supriano Steppin’ Out of Babylon]. (2009-04-06) Interview with Agnes Baker Pilgrim - Chairperson of the International Council of 13 Indigenous Grandmothers and the oldest living member of the Takelma Siletz nation of Southern Oregon

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20100317050952/http://www.agnesbakerpilgrim.org/ Agnes' Official website]
• [http://www.grandmotherscouncil.com/ International Council of 13 of Indigenous Grandmothers Official Website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100724013337/http://www.grandmotherscouncil.com/ |date=July 24, 2010 }}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20110719071448/http://conversations.psu.edu/episodes/grandma_aggie "Grandma Aggie" interviewed on Conversations from Penn State]
• [http://www.forthenext7generations.com/ Official website for documentary] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191008022508/http://www.forthenext7generations.com/ |date=October 8, 2019 }}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20100226152225/http://www.sou.edu/natam/konaway.shtml Konanway Nika Tillicum (All My Relations) Youth Academy]
• [http://vimeo.com/6538094 For The Next Seven Generations Film Trailer]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20190528025245/http://www.sacredstudies.org/ The Center for Sacred Studies]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20100203160038/http://www.turtleislandstorytellers.net/tis_oregon/transcript_a_pilgrim.htm Turtle Island Storyteller, Grandmother Agnes talks about water]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20091221001556/http://conversations.psu.edu/episodes/grandma_aggie Conversations from Penn State – Interview with Grandmother Agnes]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20090809110936/http://www.shambhala.com/html/catalog/items/isbn/978-1-59030-293-4.cfm?selectedText=EXCERPT_CHAPTER Statement of the International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20100227200904/http://www.futureprimitive.org/13grandmothers.html Future Primitive interview with Agnes]
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ED27XcP9_rY Agnes Baker Pilgrim, Grandma Aggie. Stories of Southern Oregon [videotaped oral history], January 23, 2018]
• {{cite news |last1=Ayers |first1=Jane |title='Grandma Aggie' leaves a lasting impact |url=https://mailtribune.com/news/top-stories/grandma-aggie-leaves-a-lasting-impact |accessdate=18 July 2020 |work=Mail Tribune |date=3 Dec 2019}}
• {{cite news |title=Agnes Pilgrim, indigenous-rights advocate and oldest member of Oregon's Takelma tribe, dies at 95 |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/2019/11/agnes-pilgrim-indigenous-rights-advocate-and-oldest-member-of-oregons-takelma-tribe-dies-at-95.html |accessdate=18 July 2020 |work=The Oregonian |date=28 Nov 2019}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pilgrim, Agnes Baker}}

Category:1924 births

Category:2019 deaths

Category:20th-century Native American leaders

Category:21st-century Native American people

Category:Activists from Oregon

Category:American women environmentalists

Category:Women Native American leaders

Category:Indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest

Category:People from Grants Pass, Oregon

Category:Religious figures of the indigenous peoples of North America

Category:Southern Oregon University alumni

Category:American sustainability advocates

Category:Takelma people

Category:20th-century Native American women

Category:21st-century Native American women