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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 1998)
i The Grand Ronde Review 4 News and Opinion THE GRAND RONDE REVIEW 9615 Grand Ronde Road Grand Ronde, Or 97347 EDITOR: TRACY DUGAN 879-2254 REPORTER: OSCAR JOHNSON 879-2321 GRAPHICS & COORDINATOR: ; KIM MUELLER 879-2264 1-800-422-0232 , . NEWS FAX: (503) 879-2263 E-MAIL ADDRESSES: tracynewsmacnet.com . kimnewsmacnet.com oscarJohnsonjournalist.com UPCOMING DEADLINE: Monday, Oct. 5, 1998 Dear Editor, I am a Grand Ronde tribal member doing 10 years in a Federal Peniten tiary in Atlanta, Georgia. I appreci ate and even look forward to receiv ' ing the newspaper from home. I just read the first of the five part series (Molalla) that the paper is do ing on each of the Grand Ronde Tribes. This was an excellent article and I feel our paper needs more of this kind of journalism. I just wanted to express my opin ion. Thank you for your time." Respectfully, M. Herrin Roll 2439 P.S. The new name is kind of stuffy. Would rather have had a native name, but then "what's in a name?" Dear fellow tribal members: It is my opinion, shared by many with whom I have voiced my con cern, that Tribal Council should ex plore the feasibility of providing health care coverage for non-tribal spouses of our tribes members. One must consider this to be a vital part of the health care security desired by the majority of the membership dur- ing the recent community meetings. Due to the success of the various busi ness ventures developed by the Tribe, it appears that there, are funds avail ' able for such a program. Many of the members', spouses are employed in positions where health care insurance is not available or oth erwise cannot afford the escalating cost of health care. It is very distress ing to have to watch a loved one do without needed health care in such a situation. What's more, one must consider the financial implications a medical emergency can place on a family. In many cases it may jeopar dize a family's ability to maintain their residence. This is a worrisome bur den that no tribal member should have to bear when there are funds avail able to address this problem. I am very grateful for all the pro grams available to our members, but this shortfall should be addressed as '-' soon as possible. 'I urge all members who support such a program to com municate their support to Tribal Council. Thank you very much, Marlena Lancour Roll 733 Editor, I'm writing in response to a letter in the Sept. 1, 1998 Smoke Signals. The money tribal Elders receive each month and the investment money re ceived by each tribal member is a real blessing and proof of our Tribal Council's money management skills. Sure, it would be nice to be able to have an allotment to go to all tribal members. We need to be thankful that our tribe has not "blown" all the tribal money we have made, like so many other tribes have done. We should be thankful for the money in vested in education. This will make more of our people independent and self-sufficient without having to de pend on Tribal support. Caring for our members with drug and alcohol problems and getting them clean, is a money saver in the longrun. This keeps our kids and adults out of pris ons and homes where we have to sup port them with higher state and fed eral taxes. Before restoration, many of the Elders of our Tribe didn't have the opportunity to even be tribal mem bers much less the financial support we get now. Medical, dental, and burial benefits are privileges that many other tribes don't enjoy. We should be thankful for what we have and count our blessings. If all the tribal members stand together, the benefits can only grow. Barbara Pichette Cantwell Roll 632 Jimmie Pichette Roll 636 Fun for Ms aft "FamiDy Night Oioft" ' f-.rrizei ' t f-r '"hi ' Jl i ) tr - fc- J u "r"s (A lr- )!4 c 7 W r- ) "Family Night Out" was a great success this year. Over 100 people came to the Community Center on Septem ber 121 for dinner and an evening of activities. That was quite an improvement from last year, when only about fifteen folks came. Activities for students included drumming and dancing, a penny toss, coloring contest, board games, and a dance. Special thanks to program staff for facilitating these events, and to Jeff Nercier and Travis Stewart for being the DJs at the dance. PHOTO: Kids loved the "Penny Toss" where they had a chance to toss coins in a cup to win prizes. Marion Mercier, Education staff, handed out the prizes which consisted of a variety of school supplies. Dear tribal members, I am enormously grateful and hon ored by everyone who supported me in the last election. Your faith and confidence in me is greatly appreci ated and I'll continue to trust in God for His guidance. To my family love and hugs for' always standing by me. To all who voted you've done yourself proud by making this the largest turnout ever for an election to date. Kathryn Harrison To the general membership, I would like to take this opportu nity to thank all of you who supported me in this last election, and those of you who did not as well, as it is ev ery bit as important that you vote, as it is whom you vote for. Your direc tion forges our leadership and allows those leaders to take us forward into the next three years, with the renewed hopes of a stronger tribe, not only financially, but spiritually. And those of you who did not take the opportu nity to vote for one reason or another please remember without your vote the direction of your tribe is admin istered by only a select few. So please register and vote. As per my cam paign promises, I only hope that each 'and every One of my " fellow candi dates that did not get elected take this next year to work with the Tribe, the committees, and Council to resolve the issues they campaigned so strongly for, as I plan to do. And not just return next year for nomination and complain about unresolved is sues. Thanks again for your support. J. Ken Gregg, Roll 208 Dear Editor, A long overdue thank you for send ing me the paper each month. I re ally appreciate it. I am glad that the Tribe is so suc cessful in all its endeavors. John would have been pleased, I am sorry that he passed away before all this happened. I visited the Spirit Mountain Casino the end of July, and although I wasn't successful, I had a good time trying. Thanks again and you can be very proud of what you have accom plished. Sincerely, Jayne Pichette Dear Editor, I've always been an advocate of progress but when I saw the latest edition of the newsletter, progress got a thumbs down. Smoke Signals was an eye-catching title depicting a Na tive American form of communica tion for eons. Now we are just another newslet ter. I feel as if I've lost an old friend! Arlene Beck, Roll 179
