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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (April 1, 1996)
SMOKE SIGNALS - April 1,1996 Page 5 Mountain bikers needed for Spirit Mountain race Currently some mountain bike enthusi asts in Grand Ronde are trying to organize a race during pow-wow weekend. If you would like to volunteer or participate in this type of event, please contact Jeff Nepstad at 879-2377 or Frank Hostler at 879-5608. The following counties have been declared major disaster areas and you may be eligible for relief funds from the Federal Government for your home or small business: If you have flood damage: Call your insurance agent first to find out if you are covered and to file the ap propriate claims. Call 1-800-462-9029, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to find out if you are eligible for disaster relief. Those eligible include renters and homeowners whose residences were de stroyed or made uninhabitable by flood ing. There are no income requirements. Any callers to FEMA must be able to spend 10 to 20 minutes answering ques tions about themselves and the property. When applicants reply, FEMA will want to know if the property involved is owned or rented as their primary residence, social security numbers of all working household members, where the family is staying or can be reached at by phone, additional in formation on any home insurance, flood insurance, or no insurance at all. Also, FEMA is interested in future po tential problems that might occur in pos sible future flood events. This process is called "Hazard Mitigation," which is a preventative maintenance measure that they will apply to all qualified applicants' properties. (Correct a problem now or pay big bucks later!) A special thanks to FEMA Salem Di saster Field Office, in assisting the tribal community. SBA offering relief grants and loans Additional relief funds are available during disaster events through the Small Busi ness Administration (SBA). This program is available to both individuals and busi nesses. SBA grants are available generally to those individuals or families who are of the very low income levels and have fallen through the cracks of the FEMA process. Grant amount can be as high as $12,900, and are applied to the family's needs. SBA loans are available to families who show the ability to repay on a low interest rate of 4-5. Loan amounts can be as high as $200,000. Remember to keep all receipts in the event you are audited. When calling about the FEMA program, make mention that you are also interested in the Small Business Administration relief program. Letters from LINFIELD COLLEGE Office of International Programs Last month some foreign ex change students attending Linfield College visited the Tribe and were given a tour of the facilities and a history of our Grand Ronde people. The students were from France and Japan. Here are their letters of appreciation. French Group Dear Editor, First of all, we would like to thank you for receiving all the Linfield students and for giving us your time. That was a great experience, we all re ally appreciated these discussions. It was very educational because we have never had the occasion to learn about Na tive Americans. We, now, understand more about your culture and your problems. We understand from your point of view and share your ideas about fighting each day to keep your own identity and spirit. You can be proud of who you are. Sincerely, The French Community Vincent Cartier, Clementine Fischer, Audrey Hamel, Terence Nairn, and Antoine Prechet Japanese Group Dear Editor, Thanks for all your kindness in sharing and your time with us during our visit with the Tribal Council. It was a great experi ence to hear the truth of what you have been through. One of the most important things we learned was that you have such a strong will to have been able to overcome the ex tremely difficult times brought on by the "newcomers." For example, the chairman told us that your tribe was forced to evacu ate because of white people's exploitation; in fact, you all were forced to survive where ever you all settled. Second, as white people spread across the U.S., they destroyed the natural surround ings in which you all have lived together for many years. Now, the white people seem so concerned about the environment yet, the white people are the ones who started to destroy mother nature. We felt a great deal of contradiction over this issue. You may be interested to know that Ja pan had a similar problem. In the northern part of Japan (Hokkaido) there are tribes called "Ainu." These Ainu tribes are con sidered as outcasts in Japan. The Japanese occupied the Ainu's land exactly the same way as the whites did to the Indians. The Japanese deceived the Ainu, and took all their lands. Today, they live in an isolated place these people have no equality, no chance to get jobs. From our visit, we learned many truths which we had not seen on T.V., or in the media. Thank you all again for providing us with a better understanding about Indians. Sincerely, Ko Kagawa, Yuko Osawa, Yuko Suzuki, and Eri Takahashi Easter Egg Hunt Saturday, April 6 at 10 a.m. It will start on time so don't be late Pow-wow grounds (weather permitting) Registration at the covered area of tribal community center. Open to all community children ages 0 to 10. Have any questions, call Bonnie at 879-2016, Jill at 879-2018, or Tammy at 879-2017.
