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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (July 15, 1998)
2 News Smoke Signals Grave Protection bill fuels debate over non-Indian claims on Native remains By Oscar Johnson A bill introduced into Congress last fall which could undermine aborigi nal rights in Indian Country is com ing to a head in the wake of a two year debate between scientists and tribes over 9,200-year-old skeletal remains. The Congressional House Resource Committee recently heard testimony on an amendment to the Native American Graves Protection and Re patriation Act (NAGPRA) which would restrict tribal rights to Indian artifacts unearthed on federal lands. "This bill has nothing to do with respecting our culture, our ancestors, our history," Armand Minthorne of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation told the committee.' "Instead, it has every thing to do with giving the scientific community all it wants and continu ing the unnecessary desecration of our ancestors." But it is not just Umatilla ancestors that would be effected by the H.R. 2893 bill, according to Cultural Spe cialist for the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, June Olson. "The passage of H.R. 2893 would be disastrous to the repatriation and cultural protection efforts here at Grand Ronde," insists Olson who says the Tribe is currently waiting for several museums and federal agen cies to return Native remains and cul tural items. The controversial bill comes on the heels of the discovery of the Ancient One, more commonly known as Kennewick Man, in Colum bia Park during the summer of 1996. Widely believed by scientist to date back nearly 10,000 years, the almost complete, well preserved skeleton is a-one-of-a-kind wonder to scientists who are eager to study it. To many Indians such as the Confederated Tribes of Umatilla, he is yet another Elder unearthed and desecrated by would-be explorers. Presently, the Ancient One remains locked away in a vault at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Washington pending the outcome of a law-suit filed by eight scientists against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers who planned to turn over the remains to the Umatilla as stipulated by NAGPRA. But as the anthropologists and ar cheologists make their case in Port land's U.S. District Court, more sci entists along with republican legisla tors in Washington, D.C. have mounted an attack on NAGPRA itself. "Many sacred sites and ancestral remains are disturbed on a regular basis and under NAGPRA the Cul tural Resource Protection Program has the ability to protect and prevent these sites from disturbance," Olson explained. "If this bill passes it means that the hundreds of items associated with the many tribes and bands that make up the Confederated Tribes Grand Ronde will remain in museums all over the country rather than come home to their people where they belong," she said. But legislators in favor of the bill, such as the author of the pro posed amendment, Rep. Doc Hastings (R-WA) along with Native sovereignty antagonist, Sen. Slade Gorton (R-WA), say NAGPRA was not made to deal with discoveries as old as the Ancient One. Hastings told the Committee at the June 10 hearing, "If we can't accu rately determine exact locations and clear borders for Indian People 200 years ago, how can we have any con fidence about these borders nearly 10,000 years ago?" But NAGRPRA advocates say the law has been largely successful and the proposed amendments would give scientists so much power that it would render the 1990 law ineffective. Minthorne argued before the House Comminee that the bill would strip tribes oif their rights to items found on federal land they once occupied; allow federal agencies to hold uniden tified cultural items indefinitely; and could require items already returned to tribes to be recalled on demand for scientific study. "This testing conflicts with funda mental tenets of human dignity, of the culture of my tribe and the intent of Congress as expressed in NAGPRA," Minthorne said. In addition to the ongoing debate between proponents of cultural dig nity and scientific study, there ap pears to be another more ominous issue lurking in the shadows. Some scientists argue that the ancient re mains found near Kennewick, Wash ington are likely those of a 45-year-old male of European descent. In his opening statement to the con gressional committee, Hastings laid the foundation for his bill by outlin ing territorial and racial claims on remains he said were "dubbed 'Kenn ewick Man' in honor of the city in which it was discovered," and whose "skull exhibits a number of charac teristics which are categorized as Caucasoid." But many, such as National Con gress of American Indians (NCAI) and Pyramid Lake Tribal Council member, Maurice Eben, say not only is the theory contrary to historical and scientific evidence, it has no place in the NAGPRA debate. "The American Anthropological Association has clearly stated that race can not be determined scientifi cally," says Eben. Community Fund continues to help local agencies West valley receives over $50,000 in funding The Grand Ronde Tribe and Spirit Mountain Casino recently announced four Community Fund grants to West Valley recipients: Willamina School District; Sheridan School District; Willamina School District SMILE Program; and the Willamina Fire District. The Willamina and Sheridan School District's grants will go toward further development and update of the technology programs currently in place. Each district has been given a $15,000 grant to pursue these goals. The SMILE Program (Science and Math Investigative Learning Experiences) received a $7,500 grant, to be administered by Oregon State University in sup port of elementary, middle school, and high school SMILE clubs in Willamina and Grand Ronde during the next school year. These SMILE clubs promote science and math to minority and low-income students in rural Oregon. A $15,000 grant was awarded to the Willamina Fire District for EMT train ing of about 30 volunteer fire-fighters in the Grand Ronde, Sheridan, and Willamina areas. The training will qualify participants as basic level Emer gency Medical Technicians. These new grants follow several others that the Community Fund has made for the benefit of West Valley communities. Many of these supported local education including contributions to Faulconer Elementary School and Grand Ronde Elementary School. Other West Valley recipients have included Henderson House, the Grand Ronde Library, Life Flight emergency medical service, and Health Dynamics Hospice in McMinnville. Established by the Tribe last year, the Community Fund makes grants to non-profit organizations in an 11-county area. So far, over $1.8 million in grants has been approved. Recent Tribal Council actions MAY 27, 1998 Tribal Government, Management, and Budget Sub-committee: 1. ' Enrollment The Sub-committee recommended Council approve the new members, 4177-4347. Ed Pearsall moved, Ed Larsen seconded a motion to adopt Resolution 044 98, approving new members as re quested. The motion carried by a vote of 8 in favor, 0 opposed, and 0 ab stentions. 2. Supplemental Budget Adoption The Sub-committee recommended the Council adopt a resolution ap proving the Supplemental Budget as previously presented to both the Tribal Council and the general mem bership. The 1998 Member Benefit will be increased to $2,000 per eli gible member. Val Grout moved, Ed Larsen seconded a motion to adopt Resolution 045-98 approving the Supplemental Budget. The motion carried by a vote of 7 in favor, 1 op posed, and 0 abstentions. Mark Mer cier voted in opposition. 3. Member Benefit Distribution Chip Tom moved, Bob Mercier sec onded a motion to make $1,000 of the Member Benefit available effec tive July 15, 1998, by adopting Reso lution 046-98. The motion carried by a vote of 8-0-0. 4. Culture and Heritage Board mem bers the Sub-committee recom mended the re-appointment of two Board members. Council consensus was to reappoint Claudette Parazoo and Shawn Hostler to the Culture and Heritage Board. JUNE 10, 1998 Tribal Government, Management, and Budget Sub-Committee: 1. Ed Pearsall moved, Chip Tom sec onded a motion to adopt Resolution 050-98 designating Kathryn Harri son as the Tribe's delegate for the Na tional Congress of American Indians, replacing Chip Tom as delegate for this mid-year meeting only. The motion carried by a vote of 7-0-0. 2. Val Grout moved, Bob Mercier seconded a motion to adopt Resolu tion 051-98 appointing Theresa Haller to the Election Board for a two year term, and temporarily appoint ing Charlene Hoover until the 1998 continued on page 5
