Smoke Signals January 31, 1995 Page 2
Tribal Life
New employees have experience,
education, and ideas to offer
Natural Resources hires wildlife biologist
Eric Anderson, 26, a graduate of
Washington's Evergreen State Col
lege, has begun work as a fish and
wildlife biologist for the Natural
Resources Division.
Anderson was formerly employed
by the Washington Department of
Fish and Wildlife. He was work
ing out of the Vancouver office.
Cliff Adams, the Natural Re
sources Division's manager, said
that Anderson was hired because
fish, wildlife and environmental
programs are being expanded.
"One of the first things Eric will
be working on is the forest man
agement plan that is required by the
Bureau of Indian Affairs," Adams
said. "The environmental assess
ment part of the plan is very im-
Legal department keeps
Jeta Combs has been working for
the Tribe for several months as the
legal assistant to the tribal attor
neys. Born in Alaska, Jeta grew up in
Ashland, and attended Southern
Oregon State College. She cur
rently has two more terms at Port
land Community College before
she earns her paralegal certificate.
Her job duties include drafting
resolutions, research, keeping ordi
nance books, and responding to
permit applications.
She says she likes working with
people and helping them find an
swers to legal concerns.
"I like the aspects of law that in
volves helping people," she said.
"Of course, I can't act as an attor
ney, but I can point them in the right
Family Action worker
Sheila Elliott is the IntakeRefer
ral Specialist at the Tribal Family
Action Program.
She graduated from Chemeketa
Community College three years
ago, and now attends George Fox
College and will graduate this sum
mer with a degree in Human Re
source Management.
Sheila lives in Sheridan, and says
she has wanted to work for the
Tribe for a long time. "I love the
people 1 work with," she said.
Her job is to assess new clients'
needs, determine what department
they need to be referred to, and
handle immediate living emergen-'
cies such as evictions and power
shut-offs.
7W
Eric Anderson
portant. We will have to address
more conservation and environ
mental issues in the future."
Anderson holds a bachelor of sci
ence degree in environmental sci
ence. new assistant busy
Jeta Combs
direction."
Jeta became involved in law be
cause she wanted to be aware of her
rights as a citizen, and feels it is one
of the most important assets a per
son can have. She worked in Sa
lem and Eugene before she was
hired by the Tribe.
has multi job duties
Sheila Elliott
"I am probably the first or sec
ond person a new client will come
in contact with," she said. "We try
to appoint a case worker to each
client." Sheila also worked on the
successful "Tree of Giving" this
year.
.
v,
' I,
" 1 '1
Native American busineses
assisted through SBA grant
The Small Business Administra
tion recently announced a $945,000
grant to ONABEN (Oregon Native
American Business and Entrepre
neurial Network) for expanded
business development services to
all nine federally recognized Or
egon tribes, enabling ONABEN to
support up to six Native American
entrepreneurial centers on reserva
tion sites. These centers will pro
vide business training and indi
vidual counseling to tribal mem
bers. The funding will span a
three-year period, and expands ser
vices that ONABEN has success
fully provided since 1992.
"ONABEN has proven to be an
II
1 WNmm,.- ..
I fL llHi11 JgUTtg;.
'v, I . ---.
SBA officials present ONABEN with a check. From left to right: Gretchen Sorenson, Regional
Administrator; Don Matsuda, Assistant District Director; John Gilman, District Director; Mitch
Conley, ONABEN board member and Small Business Division Manager for Grand Ronde;
Patrick Borunda, ONABEN Executive Director; Gordon Thompson, ONABEN board mem
ber representing the Klamath Tribe.
Grand Ronde teacher seeks help from
By Donna Hallock, Grand Ronde Grade School
For those of you who are won
dering about the permission slips
sent home with your children for
participation in a research project,
I would like to take this opportu
nity to further explain my inten
sions. I am a kindergartenfirst grade
teacher at Grand Ronde Elemen
tary, and I am doing a thesis for my
Master's degree in multicultural
education. The title of my thesis
is: "Cultural Identity in Relation
ship to Self Concept Among Na
tive American Students in the
Willamina School District". This
effective business development
force among the Native American
community in Oregon," said John
L. Gilman, District Director of the
Portland SBA office. "They have
been responsible for developing
entrepreneurship in communities
. that have been under-served by
prior private and public business
development efforts."
ONABEN formed as a nonprofit
organization in 1991. In 1992, with
initial funding received from four
member tribes and $262,000 in
grants from the SBA, ONABEN
began providing business services
to clients, utilizing a successful
training and counseling program
'M I
. ""P'HUM., N,., .
J L
research will be carried out through
voluntary cooperation and permis
sion of the school administration,
Tribal Council, guardians, and stu
dents of the Willamina.School Dis
trict. A sense of cultural identity plays
a strong role in the level of our self
concept. All students possess a
culture that plays a large part in
how they view the world and how
they operate in a school setting.
One issue that has been related to
poor school achievement is that of
low self concept and negative feel
ing of cultural identity. We must
If
r
used by the Oregon Small Business
Development Center Network.
This program combines extensive
and long-term training with indi
vidual counseling and start-up
monitoring.
The new grant will permit the hir
ing of full-time counselors on-site
at up to six reservations, under
terms to be negotiated with indi
vidual tribes. The grant further pro
vides the foundation for building
future micro-lending and market
ing network activities. ONABEN's
goal is to help start 145 new Indian
owned businesses in the next three
years.
parents, students
make sure that our children are
proud of who they are and have the
confidence to do well in school.
Through the process of assessing
students' self-concept, cultural
awareness and parent surveys, I
hope to provide the school and
Tribe statistical information that
will help us best meet the needs of
our children.
New parental permission slips
will soon be mailed to the families
who have not yet responded. They
can be sent to your child's school.
Your help is appreciated. I can be
reached at 879-52 1 0, or 375-7744.