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Smoke Signals
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By Oscar Johnson
A regional 300 member-group coa
lition including the city of Eugene,
Washington State University and
several business, labor and human
rights organizations hopes to garner
support in Indian Country against
minority discrimination.
The Northwest Coalition Against
Malicious Harassment made a plea
at a February 8 Affiliated Tribes of
Northwest Indians (ATNI) confer
ence in Portland for more tribes to
come on board.
ATNI has been a founding mem
ber of the Coalition since it began in
1987 to counter the growth of white
supremacists-campaigns in the
Northwest. But recently appointed
ATNI Representative to the Coali
tion, Leah Slaney, said ATNI officials
see a need to be more involved with
the Coalition to address a subtler yet
more pervasive anti-Indian senti
ment in the, Northwest.
"I think it began in 1994 with the
republican revolution," she said.
Slaney cited examples ranging
from lobbyists' attacks on tribal
rights to control fee lands and giv
ing priority to their own members
when hiring, to Congressional bills
proposing to abolish federally recog
nized tribal status altogether.
Despite this onslaught, she said
that of all the Northwestern states,
including, Oregon, Washington,
Idaho arid Montana, only one tribe
has become a Coalition member.
Coalition Associate Director, Eric
Ward, said the group's major areas
of concern in Indian Country are bias
crimes against Native Americans.
According to a February issued
Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) re
port, each year 124 out of every
1,000 Indians are likely to suffer a
violent crime nearly double the
national rate. In stark contrast to
the other four racial groups sur
veyed, more than 70 percent of as
saults against Indians were report
edly committed by non-Indians (60
percent by whites).
He also expressed concern about
white supremacy groups looking to
take advantage of Native sover
eignty by taking up residence on or
near remote tribal lands.
The Seattle-based coalition direc
tor told the ATNI General Assembly
that the Coalition was eager to
strengthen ties with tribes and learn
more about tribal sovereignty issues.
Echoing the concerns of Coalition
for Human Dignity Research Direc
tor, Robert Crawford, Ward stressed
that a broad coalition of threatened
minority groups is needed to stem the
growing tide of mainstream bigotry.
He said Sen. Slade Gorton's
I I i I : .: ; f
From left: NW Coalition against Malicious Harassment (NWC) Associ
ate Director, Eric Ward, Coalition for Human Dignity Research Direc
tor, Robert Crawford, and ATNI Representative to NWC, Leah Slaney,
urge tribal leaders to join a diverse coalition against growing main
stream anti-minority sentiments.
(R-WA) crusade against Native sov
ereignty and a rise in, state-based
'land owner rights" groups residing
on or near reservations are signs of
a Apolitical shift."
"Bigotry has left the dinner table
to run for office and is becoming
more mainstream," he warned.
Ernie Enscar, ATNI 1st Vice Presi:
dent and previous founding board
member of the Coalition, punctuated
the presentation by urging tribal rep
resentatives to become active mem
bers of the organization.
Ceinraefasirv: Kespecfi ffoir past
Continued from front page
priate behavior continues.
Leno isn't the only one who feels
strongly about respecting the cem
etery and tribal members who have
been laid to rest there.
Val Grout, who serves on Tribal
Council and lives in Grand Mead
ows, said that she is upset about cars
driving through the cemetery.
"I grew up in Grand Ronde. My
parents taught me that the cem
etery is not a play place. ! We weren't
allowed to yell or be loud. I know
there aren't a lot of places in Grand
Ronde where kids can go to have fun
with their friends. But the cemetery
isn't the place."
For tribal members like Leno and
Grout, their personal feelings about '
the cemetery are evident. But they
say all tribal members have a stake
in preserving the quality of the cem
etery because of its historical signifi
cance. - ;f; -;
"Some markers at the cemetery
were placed for the Tribe's people
more than 100 years ago," said June ,
Olson, of the Cultural Resource Pro
tection program. "Those are just the .
6
I know there aren't
a lot of places in
Grand Ronde where
kids can go to have
fun with their friends.
But the cemetery isn't
the place.
99
Val Grout
Tribal Council member
markers. Our people were there long
before families started marking their 1
Olson also said that veterans from
many wars and battles are buried
there, including the famous Indian
Cayuse War, World War I, World
War II, and Korea.
"Disrespecting any cemetery is
wrong," said Olson. "But at Grand
Ronde, our cemetery holds many
tribal people who were not only re
vered and respected, but in many
- cases helped hold together the fabric
of our tribe during times in history
when our tribe is being torn apart."
Olson said the oldest known -marker,
which reads "Magdeline
Menard 1879-1883" is located near
Menard's grave. She was the baby,
daughter of Pierre Menard and
i Elizabeth ShanarettatMenard.
Other ancestors at the Cemetery in
clude: Chief Solomon Riggs, Chief
Peter Sulkey, Chief Sam of Rogue
River, Martha J. Sands, Mary Nor
west, and Winchester Joe.
Val Grout believes teaching chil
dren tribal history and honoring
those who have passed away is an
important step in keeping the cem
etery a place where everyone can
visit to pay their respects, -
"I can remember as a girl seeing
wild strawberries grow on the
grasses around the cemetery
grounds," she said. "And my par
ents told us kids we were not to pick
those strawberries. We were to leave
things as we found them, Now, look
ing back, it seems like kind of a spe
cial thing; that wild strawberries
. grew at the cemetery",
Leno i says the reason why he
knows the cemetery so well is be
cause of the walks he takes around
the grounds. '
"Sometimes when I pass by the
grave of an old friend or family mem
ber, T like to" reminisce with them
about the old days," he said, "I re
" member some of their stories."-, i -r: