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JUNE 1988
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THE CONFEDERATED TRIBES OF THE
GRAND RONDE COMMUNITY OF OREGON
Chairman's Report
RESERVATION BILL GETS
BY INTERIOR COMMITTEE
On May 11, 1988, the House Committee on Interior and
Insular Affairs approved H.R. 4143, a bill sponsored by
Congressman AuCoin, to create a 9,811 acre reservation
for the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde.
The reservation bill received no opposition from
committee members and was carried in the Interior
Committee by Rep. Peter Defazio, D-OR. Congress
man AuCoin is now working with the Speaker of the
House, to determine a date for the final vote on the
floor of the full House.
Once the bill clears the House, it will be referred to the
Senate side, where we anticipate the bill to move swiftly.
After the bill clears the House and Senate, it will be
referred to the U.S. President for his signature. If the
bill is not signed within ten days, the bill will automati
cally become law.
I wish to remind you, there are some individuals who are
still trying to generate opposition to the reservation
within the local area. Therefore, I cannot stress enough,
the importance of writing letters of support to Rep. Les
AuCoin and Senator Hatfield. Lets all pull together to
see this history making legislation through.
Write to:
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Paul Whitehead, currently teaching traditional dance classes in Grand Ronde, dances to the beat of the Four Directions
Drum, from Salem, at the pow wow held for Oregon American Indian Week.
TERMINATION RESOLUTION REPEALED BY CONGRESS
1st District Rep. Les AuCoin
2519 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
U.S. Senator Mark O. Hatfield
322 Hart Senate Bldg.
Washington, D.C. 20510
ELEVEN NOMINATED FOR
TRIBAL COUNCIL SEATS
Eleven persons were nominated for the three open
Tribal Council seats.
Those nominated include: John Allen, Frank Harrison,
Merle Holmes, Marvin Kimsey, Gene LaBonte, Ed
Larsen, Merle Leno, Tom Leno, Ray McKnight, Darrel
Mercier, and Riley Porter.
Currently, the seats are held by Merle Leno, Gene
LaBonte and Ray McKight.
Elections are scheduled for September. Absentee
ballots, candidate photographs written candidate profiles
and other voting information will be included in the July
issue of Smoke Signals.
Senator Daniel K. Inouye, Chairman of the Select
Committee on Indian Affairs, has announced an action
by the United States Senate and the U.S. House of Rep
resentatives that has been awaited by Indian tribal gov
ernments and individuals for over thirty years -- the
repeal of House Concurrent Resolution 108. The
resolution led to the government policy of terminating
federal recognition of certain Indian tribes.
The repeal language is part of H.R. 5, the major
education reauthorization bill which was passed in final
form by the House on April 19 and the Senate on April
20.
Noting that termination policy has now been fully
discredited, the Chairman said that "the Indian nations
of the United States can rest easier with the knowledge
that termination is no longer even a possible threat.
Termination was a doomed policy from its inception
primarily because it was both morally and legally
indefensible."
House Concurrent Resolution 108 was approved by the
83rd Congress on June 9, 1953, and set forth a Congres
sional policy of termination of the federal-tribal relation
ship with all tribes in certain names states and with
named tribes in other states.
Subsequent to the resolution, certain tribes were in fact
terminated. Although the policy of termination has
Continued on Page 2
Confederated Tribes of the
Grand Ronde Community of Oregon
Post Office Box 38
Grand Ronde, Oregon 97347
NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION
US. POSTAGE PAID
PERMIT 2
GRAND RONDE, OREGON
ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED
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