October IS, 1998 Editorial 5
Members invited to vote on paper's name change
By Tracy Dugan, Editor
In the letters and phone calls I re
ceived about the paper's name
change, I have found a pattern de
veloping about why some people are
upset. It seems to fall into two gen
eral categories:
1. The name Grand Ronde Review
sounds too non-Indian or main
stream. It doesn't identify to others
who we are.
2. The membership should have
been .consulted before a decision of
this nature was made.
The idea to change the name of
Smoke Signals wasn't arbitrary or
unilateral. Yes, it was my idea. But
I took it to Tribal Council, talked with
them about it, and we all decided to
give it a try. It didn't occurr to me to
ask for a vote from the membership
because the membership elects Tribal
Council to make decisions on their
behalf.
I am no stranger to criticism. The
newspaper is published two times per
month, and rarely does a week go by
when at least one person doesn't call
me to make a suggestion or let me
know that such and such a story
should be written on such and such a
topic. This paper is mailed to almost
every tribal household. It's impos
sible to please every single reader.
But what tribal members have always
told me over and over is this: The
paper is too much of a newsletter. It
doesn 't have any real information. It
only tells one side of the story. We
want a newspaper. Four years ago,
many members were incensed that
Smoke Signals didn't have a Letters
To The Editor page like most other
tribal papers do. Many members
asked for this in the Smoke Signals.
I thought it was a great idea, and I
went to Tribal Council and asked to
try it out. Now, four years later, it's
the most popular page in the paper.
I was responding to what I thought
the members wanted. What I kept
hearing time and again was that the
membership wanted a real newspaper.
But here's the thing: Smoke Sig
nals is the name of a newsletter. It
was a great and wonderful name
when the Tribe was small and only a
few people outside of the general
membership ever saw it or cared to
read it. But things have changed now.
The fact is, everyone wants to know
who we are and what we are all about.
In the six years I have been here,
the circulation of the paper has qua
drupled. It is circulated all over the
state of Oregon. It is mailed to every
state in the Union and Canada.
It is the first thing people see or read
about the Grand Ronde Tribe. Other
than the Casino and its advertising,
the paper is the first impression
people get about us. What kind of an
impression do we want to make? I
have posed this question to many
members who have called me, angry
about the name change. They reply,
"Who cares what others think? It
only matters what tribal members
think."
It matters.
The term "Smoke Signals" conjures
up stereotypical images of who In
dian people are. I am old enough to
remember how they got started in my
own mind. Cartoons and old west
erns that depicted a Native person sit
ting on a hill, waving a blanket over
a burning fire, and he didn't even
know how to talk. He only grunted.
Yes, Indian people years and years
ago did use smoke signals to com
municate with each other. But that
wasn't our only method of expres
sion. That fact has been distorted by
non-Indian society to create a gross
caricature of who Indian people are.
It perpetuates a myth, a false image
of our culture. That myth is this: In
dians don't know how to communi
cate. They have no language of their
own. They walk around making
grunting noises like "ugh, ugh."
They are savages.
We all know the truth. We are a
very sophisticated people with our
own language, our own culture, and
our own way of life.
Don't we have an obligation to help
eradicate these myths among non-Indian
populations?
There is still a lot of ignorance in
society about Indian people. When
the newspaper is the very first thing
others see about us, I want us to be
taken seriously. I want someone to
pick up the paper and say "Now here
is a tribe that is serious about who they
are. Serious about their culture. They
are working for the future, providing
opportunities for their members."
"Smoke Signals" brings on such
stereotypical images, it's hard for oth
ers to respect us in that way when it's
the first thing they see.
We can say to ourselves, "That's
their ignorance. That's their racism."
I would rather do what I can to edu
cate people.
It is a difficult thing to fathom, con
sidering how we are supposed to be
living in a progressive age and all.
But believe it or not, there are still
people in this country who operate
under the stereotypes that I men
tioned. People who would rather not
have anything to do with Indians.
Who would rather not have Indian
people as patrons in their establish
ments. And, there are people in gov
ernment who want to take away ev
erything we have. My point is this:
Non-Indian perception of who we are
matters. When people have an accu
rate understanding of Native Ameri
can culture and tradition, they will
have a new vision of tribes, and that
cartoonish image of Indians as sav
ages will no longer exist in their
minds. We will have the respect that
we deserve and the respect that we
have earned. When we have respect,
we have power. And when we have
power, we can make sure that what
happened to the Tribe in the past never
happens again.
The other point I want to make is
that in a very short time, the Tribe
has become so successful, that every
one is watching us. Not only in the
Northwest, but all over the country.
People want to know the secret of our
success and how we operate. We are
a tribe, it's true. But we are also an
organization. I sat in a General Coun
cil meeting one Sunday afternoon
more than four years ago, where
Chairman Mark Mercier posed the
question to the people, "Would you
be in favor of the Tribe building a
casino on tribal land?" Every hand
in the room shot up.
I sat in the General meeting only
one month ago and listened to Bob
Watson tell us that the Tribal Hous
ing Authority was going to take part
in a pilot housing project that would
be used as a model for other tribes to
follow. We are an organization. We
are leaders in Indian Country, help
ing pave the way for future growth
and success. That's what we all
wanted. And every organization in
mainstream society will tell you that
what others think of you, that very
first impression... it matters. I know
that many members have a sentimen
tal attachment to the name "Smoke
Signals." I can understand that and
appreciate it. The name has been
around for a long time. I would ask
that all members who dislike the new
name of the tribal newspaper think
about what is best for the Tribe as a
whole, rather than focusing on how
it makes you feel personally.
"Smoke Signals" fosters a false ste
reotype that we as Indian people have
a responsibility not to promote.
It matters. Changing the name of
the newspaper may be a small step in
changing how we are perceived, but
it matters.
Some members have said to me
that although they don't mind the idea
of changing the name of the paper,
they don't particularly care for the
name Grand Ronde Review. I am
suggesting that interested members
complete the form below and mail it
back. We will seriously consider the
tribal membership input on this mat
ter. I think this is fair, and it really
gives the members a voice in the de
cision. Simply choose one of the names
listed, or write in your own newspa
per name. All I ask is that you think
about the points I have raised in this
article before making your decision.
This coupon will run for the next
month, so everyone who wants to
vote will have the chance.
One vote per tribal member over 18 years of age.
Grand Ronde Review
Grand Ronde Tribal Review
Grand Ronde Native Review
Five Feathers News
Grand Ronde Tribal News
Smoke Signals
I have no preference
Other
Please include your Roll Number:
PLEASE RETURN TO:
Newspaper Office
9615 Grand Ronde Road
Grand Ronde, OR 97347