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