Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Siletz news / (Siletz, OR) 199?-current | View Entire Issue (July 1, 2015)
Chemeketa hosts Spring Gathering By Emily Hoard, Staff Writer, Yamhill Valley News Register.com; originally posted June 2, 2015 Performers from the Grand Ronde and Siletz tribes sang and danced in tra- ditional regalia, to the rhythm of Native American drummers, in a Thursday celebration at Chemeketa Community College’s Yamhill Valley Campus. The occasion was the third annual Native American Spring Gathering, meant to honor Native American heritage and encourage cross-cultural learning and dialogue. Keely Baca, anthropology instructor and Yamhill Tribal Club adviser, said the goal is to educate students and members of the larger community about the indig- enous people of their area. She said it also provides an opportunity to celebrate local tribes and simply have some fun. Kassie Rosenbalm, a first-year stu- dent, said she enjoyed the event and plans to attend next year. “Experiencing another culture is an amazing idea and will benefit people later in life, no matter what career they go into,” she said. After a lunch of fry bread tacos, with a mixed berry dessert, about 140 attendees gathered in the front courtyard to watch the Grand Ronde Canoe Family singers and Siletz Feather Dancers. The leader of the Siletz Feather Danc- ers played the drum and sang in the Siletz Dee-ni language, while young performers waved feathers and danced. He said the songs and dances were intended to thank the Creator. The Grand Ronde Canoe Family sing- ers danced and sang in their language, Chinuk-wawa. Their leader explained the significance of each song and invited the audience to join in the last dance, in which performers imitated the movements of a Great Blue Heron getting stuck in mud and wiggling free. The free event included two vendor booths featuring native artisan crafts, including dream catchers, beaded rattles and jewelry. Terry Filer of Passion Vine on Third Street demonstrated how to make medicine bags at her booth. Activities for children included face painting, Play-Doh sculpting and the fash- ioning of friendship bracelets. Attendees also had the opportunity to learn the jargon of the Grand Ronde tribe on an iPad app. Ryan West, associate dean at Cheme- keta’s local campus, said he appreciated the performers for sharing their history and culture with students. “Native students in college are really underrepresented, so, of course, their viewpoints don’t get shared very often,” West said. “Events like this allow stu- dents, who would otherwise not really be exposed to any sort of Native tradition, have that opportunity.” Courtesy photo by Marcus Larson/News-Register The Siletz Feather Dancers perform during a celebration Thursday at Chemeketa Community College’s Yamhill Valley Campus. The Grand Ronde Canoe Family singers also danced and sang during the event. The third annual Native American Spring Gathering is to honor Native American heritage and to encourage cross- cultural learning and interaction. Lea Griess, an academic adviser and retention specialist, said the spring gather- ings have all had a Native American focus so far, but she would like to have other cultures represented as well. “I think a lot of our students haven’t had the chance to explore different cul- tures, or how other cultures experience living in such a predominately white space,” Griess said. “That’s my goal as an educator, to try to get more of these events on campus or in the area so our students and community members can have access and opportunities to learn more about different cultures. I think that’s really important.” The event was sponsored by the Yam- hill County Cultural Coalition, Yamhill Tribal Club, Oregon Cultural Trust and Oregon Community Foundation, in col- laboration with the college. For more information about the Siletz Tribal language program, please visit siletzlanguage.org. July 2015 • SiletzNews • 5
