Arnie Marchand

Born in the country of his ancestors, Arnie Marchand tells stories about the area from Wenatchee, WA to Vernon, B.C. His father was born in Vernon and his mother in Penticton and his relatives live in every town of this region. From a young age he remembers the stories of his people being told by his mother. Marchand worked in the orchards as a young person as the opportunities for employment for Indians was limited. In 1964 he began a military stint which included the Far East.. Returning to...See more

Born in the country of his ancestors, Arnie Marchand tells stories about the area from Wenatchee, WA to Vernon, B.C. His father was born in Vernon and his mother in Penticton and his relatives live in every town of this region. From a young age he remembers the stories of his people being told by his mother. Marchand worked in the orchards as a young person as the opportunities for employment for Indians was limited. In 1964 he began a military stint which included the Far East.. Returning to the valley he worked in construction before working in civil rights with the National Forest Service. It wasn't long before Marchand was approached by a member of the Colville Confederated Tribes who said, "I have heard about your work in civil rights with the National Forest Service and would like you to come and help the tribes with Indian rights, employment, that kind of thing. I can promise you that you could get fired anytime from the day I hire you, to the day you leave, that you'll probably get no vacation pay, no raise in pay and probably no future because we're just starting out." He was elected to chair the National Tribal employment Rights board organization in the early 1980's. Despite the odds Marchand worked with the Colville Confederated Tribes from 1977 to 2005. Marchand currently serves on EDD, Economic Alliance Board, is President of VIA 97 International Alliance, is a member of Wenatchee Valley College Omak Foundation Board, a member of the Colville Confederated Tribes and serves as the cultural and networking coordinator for the Okanogan Borderlands Historical Society. He also has served on the board of the Oroville Chamber of Commerce, and the local American Legion Post. See less