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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 15, 2000)
OR. COLL. E 78 .06 CHASTA UMPQUA MOLALLA KALAPUYA ROGUE RIVER February I I 15, 000 V A Publication of the Grand Ronde Tribe February 15, 2000 Tribe signs MOU with Willamette National Forest By Tracy Dugan mi .... . .f y : ,-" -, ",. -- w ' ' s- ' Tribal Chair Kathryn Harrison and Forest Supervisor Darrel Kenops sign the MOU at the Governance Center. Photo by Lindy Troian ribal leaders and employees of the Willamette National Forest signed a Memorandum of Under standing (MOU) on January 27. The MOU solidifies a long-time re lationship between the Tribe and the Forest Service, and is a written agreement that the state will seek the Tribe's input and consultation on forest management practices. The Tribal Council, Cultural Resource Protection staff, and perhaps Elders may be asked to provide recommen dations regarding culturally signifi cant sites, public usage, and the nam ing of certain areas. Tribal leaders have been invited to two different forest excursions, where rangers and other Forest Ser vice workers conducted tours of dif ferent areas that they had improved and preserved. Last summer, participants from the Tribe looked at Camas Prairie, where the Forest Service had planted camas seeds and bulbs for cultural and tribal use. Other vis ited areas included Bruno Meadows and the Yukwah campground in the Sweet Home and Detroit ranger dis tricts. The signing ceremony, held at the Governance Center, began with the posting of the flags by Marce Norwest, Gene LaBonte, and Dale Langley of the Grand Ronde Color Guard while All Nations Singers drummed and sang "Soldier Boy." Ila Dowd gave the invocation in Chi nook jargon. June Olson, head of the Cultural Resource Protection program, opened the ceremony and introduced guests and Tribal Council, who were all present. continued on page 5 Yesterday & Today: The long, rich history of Chemawa Indian School By Brent Merrill Success comes in many packages. Chemawa Indian Boarding School in Keizer, Oregon is a place rich in history it's also a place with its own share of success stories. Chemawa Indian High School is a place where the past blends with the present. It's a place where young people dream about the future. The school was founded in 1880 in Forest Grove and celebrates its 120th anniversary this month. Chemawa is the oldest off-reservation Indian boarding school in the country. The U.S. Army and influ ential members of the Congrega tional Church played a major role in the school's beginnings. Originally, the school was known as the Indian Industrial Training and Normal . School. Pacific University provided the school's first administration. The first students came from the Puyallup Reservation in Washing ton. The children literally built their own school and living quarters af ter they arrived. Just over 300 stu dents attended the school in the five years it was located in Forest Grove. The U.S. Government moved the school to its present location in Keizer in the spring of 1885. Again, the children built their own school build ings and dormitories at the new Che mawa location. The children also worked in the nearby hop fields to earn enough money to buy the acre age for the school grounds. The original intent of the school was to make Indian children more accustomed to the ways of the domi nant culture. Male children had their hair cropped and hand-made clothes were replaced with new pants and shirts with collars. Na tive languages were forbidden and memories of home were discouraged. According to Rick Read of the Or egon Historical Society, most admin istrators thought they were doing what was best for the children. "Most of the people associated with the school thought they were doing the right thing," said Read. "It was this whole idea of assimilation. The whole goal was to assimilate people into the dominant culture. No doubt about it. They wouldn't allow people to speak their language that was the goal. It is important to note that attitudes were much different in the late 1800s. It was part of a national trend." Today, Chemawa is a much dif- Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon 9615 Grand Ronde Road Grand Ronde, Oregon 97347 Address Service Requested PRESORTED FIRST-CLASS MAIL U.S. POSTAGE PAID SALEM, OR PERMIT NO. 178 Samials: Pan-1 . - KniSht Library 1299 UHlUERSXTY OF OREGON EUGENE OR 97403-1205 - -v Mr." C,4 ( it , hi'.' II r " ". nf nrenon Library Received on Smoke signals I VI Native Pride is prominent at Chemawa Indian School. Students partici pate in a variety of activities. Here, students Mike Dunn (left), Matt Whiteplume and Lionel Bell in the school's weight room. ferent place. And although not all students are successful, many are, Today, Chemawa is a fully accred ited four-year high school that is overseen by the Chemawa Indian School Board of Directors. Chemawa's athletic teams compete in the Tri-River Conference in base ball, softball, girl's volleyball, foot ball, cross-country, track and field, basketball and wrestling. The school has a gymnasium, weight room and wrestling room, baseball diamonds, a track and a football stadium. The school also has an indoor swimming pool, recreation area and farming facility. Current students maintain tradi tions of the past by interacting with the local community, electing stu dent leaders and excelling in art and language instruction. "We are trying to redesign the cur riculum to meet the students that we have," said Vice Principal Ted Mack. "Some of them are real successful and others aren't. We're trying to give them a chance to be successful. "We're trying to get back to basic reading skills, basic math skills, and social skills," said Mack. "That's one of the areas that a lot of our kids are lacking. We are trying to con centrate on that. It is real hard to develop a curriculum that meets everybody's needs. We're trying to balance it out so as not to lose kids at either end of the spectrum. For example, in the English department we have 16 different sections. We are trying to keep student's interest up. The computer lab program has worked real well this year. We're trying to move forward." Mack said many students need continued on pages 6-7
