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News and Opinion
Smoke Signals
Warm Springs spiritual leader passes away
(AP) Pierson Mitchell, a Warm Springs spiri
tual leader and tribal administrator who helped
preserve his tribe's language and tradition, has died
following complications from surgery. He was 65.
Mitchell, a widely respected religious and cul
tural leader, was well-known throughout the North
west for his compassion, knowledge, and humor.
He served as the spiritual leader of the Simnasho
Longhouse on the Warm Springs Indian Reserva
tion and played an essential role in maintaining the
songs, ceremonies, and traditions of the traditional
Wah-shut religion.
CORVALLIS When you plant your vegetable
garden this spring, the Oregon Master Gardeners
would like you to plant an extra row of peas, car
rots, or tomatoes for Oregon's hungry. Fresh pro
duce is one of the most-needed and hardest-to-pro-vide
items for the one in eight Oregonians who last
year needed emergency food through the Oregon
Food Bank.
This year, the Master Gardener Association,
whose members volunteer their expertise through
the Oregon State University Extension Service, has
teamed with the Oregon Food Bank to launch the
first statewide "Grow an Extra Row" program.
It works like this: Home gardeners will plant a
little extra fresh produce in their gardens this year.
At harvest time, they will contact their local county
extension agent for the name of the nearest emer
gency food distributor, food kitchen or other out
let for feeding the hungry.
"We'll serve as an information point, directing
people where to take their produce," said Ann
Marie VanDerZanden, the OSU leader for the
Master Gardener Program.
Started by garden writers and suggested in Or
ganic Garden magazine, the idea of solving hun
ger at the garden-roots level has sprouted nation
ally as the "Plant a Row" program.
In Oregon, Jackson and Josephine counties have
had a similar program for a number of years, with
great success. Now organizers would like to trans
plant that success to other areas of Oregon.
"That help is invaluable to making the program
work," said Amy Stork, the spokeswomen for the
Oregon Food Bank in Portland.
The Food Bank is the hub of a network of agen
cies in Oregon that distribute the food to those who
need it. Last year the non-profit, community-based
"He was willing to share and teach it," said Rudy
Clements, a Warm Springs spokesman who wor
ships at the Simnasho Longhouse.
Clements said Mitchell was frequently asked to
conduct services in peoples' homes, to hold cer
emonies for tribal functions and explain Warm
Springs culture and heritage to the general public
as well as to American Indians.
Pierson Mitchell was born March 2, 1933 on the
Warm Springs reservation. He was a former Tribal
Council member. He served in the U.S. Army and
married his wife, Rose, on January 16, 1976.
organization collected and distributed emergency
foodstuff to 385,000 Oregonians and served 2.7
million meals.
Although the Food Bank can accept large dona
tions and truckloads of surplus produce from gro
cery outlets, it has neither the staff nor the distri
bution system to collect and distribute fresh pro
duce from thousands of backyard gardens.
So the challenge was connecting gardeners with
their local emergency food outlets. This is where
the Oregon Master Gardeners Association entered
the picture. Its members are trained in the fine
points of gardening by OSU's Extension Service
county offices. Home gardeners should contact
one of the 21 local Master Gardener chapters
throughout Oregon.
This year, the OSU Extension offices will help
Master Gardeners who would like to provide pro
duce for food boxes and soup kitchens with the
number and location of the nearest emergency food
outlet or soup kitchen. Donations will be much
appreciated. Fresh produce is a rarity in the emer
gency food system.
Ideally, gardeners should know where they will
be taking their produce before they begin their
harvest, so they can take it directly from the gar
den to the food distribution center with as little lag
time as possible.
And don't worry if you have too many zucchinis
or tomatoes and figure the agency will be inun
dated with such items. Even too much zucchini is
a treat, Stork said. "Fresh is always better than
canned."
For more information please contact your local
Oregon Master Gardeners Association or the Or
egon Food Bank at 1-800-777-7427 or (503) 282-0555.
Letters
To the Editor,
Special thanks to the Confederated Tribes of
Grand Ronde and the Medical Clinic. Two months
ago, without warning, my vision became blurred.
I was unable to focus and unable to recognize
people. Other symptoms included halos around
lights and no distinction of things within shadow
or darkness. Thanks to the optometrist from Che
mawa I got a blood test to check my blood sugar.
Dr. Molloy from the Medical Clinic diagnosed me
with adult-onset-diabetes. There were no symp
toms other than the blurred vision, which was not
painful but certainly annoying.
I have since been able to monitor my diet, lower
the blood sugar to normal, and I now have new
prescription glasses so I can see the world and
people once again. I appreciate our Medical Clinic
staff; the optometrist, who is at the Clinic each
Tuesday; the Pharmacy for their quick response
to my medical emergency; and to Bonnie Tom for
the emergency transport to the ophthalmologist in
McMinnville on March 26.
Yes, I am fortunate to live in Grand Ronde, within
the Contract Health Service area. I am delighted
to work in Forestry for the Tribe. Thanks to the
Creator for blessings and my ancestors that I am a
member of the Confederated Tribes of Grand
Ronde. Thank you, everyone, for your kindness.
Sincerely,
Claudette Parazoo
Grand Ronde Tillicum Elder 2923
Dear tribal members:
I was one of the first tribal members to purchase
a manufactured home in the Grand Meadows Park.
Everyone at the Housing Authority worked very
diligently at helping me through the process. Bryan
Langley went far above his job description to get
everything done. This was my first time buying a
home, so at times I did not understand the proce
dures. Linda Layden was very caring and seemed
to have answers to all my questions. Terri Easttorp
takes pride in her job and was very helpful as well.
At times, Lonnie Leno would help me with my con
cerns. I am grateful to everyone at the Housing
Authority. They are an excellent team!
Jan Michael Reibach
Roll 3227
SMOKE SIGNALS
9615 Grand Ronde Road
Grand Ronde, Or 97347
Internet e-mail addresses:
tracynewsmacnet.com
kimnewsmacnet.com
Editor: TRACY DUGAN (503) 879-2254
Graphics: KIM MUELLER (503) 879-2264
1 -800-422-0232 FAX: (503) 879-2263
SMOKE SIGNALS, a publication of the Confederated
Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon, is
publised twice a month. We have established an Edito
rial Policy to encourage input from readers about stories
printed in SMOKE SIGNALS, as well as other tribal is
sues. However, all letters must be received at the news
paper office with author's signature, address, and phone
number in order to be considered for publication.
SMOKE SIGNALS reserves the right to edit any letter
for clarity and length, and to refuse publication of any
letter or any part of a letter that may contain libelous
statements or personal attacks. Not ail letters are guar
anteed publication upon submission. Published letters do
not necessarily reflect the opinions of SMOKE SIGNALS,
tribal employees, or Tribal Council.
Enterprise "Savages" decide to keep nickname
(AP) Savages will still run the halls at Enter
prise High School in Enterprise, Oregon, but the
smiling Indian will have to go.
Students voted last month to keep their nickname,
despite the school board's objection to the way it
depicts Native Americans. Students will have an
other election to determine whether the Indian logo
will be changed to a fiery muscular man or an axe
wielding monster.
Savages won 75 percent of the vote, beating out
26 nickname entries that included the Silverback,
the Savage Bighorn, Savage Storm, and the Wol
verines. When the new logo is chosen, the school
will replace the tomahawks in the center court of
their gym. Uniforms will be changed as they wear
out.
"We just don't have the money to get rid of ev
erything at once," said principal Ron Brown.
The Enterprise School Board voted last year to
change the nickname after Nez Perce tribal repre
sentatives said that a cartoonish depiction of a grin
ning Indian is offensive.
Oregon Gardeners: Plant a row for the hungry