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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 15, 2000)
Smoke Signals Yesterday & The long, rich Continued from front page basic skills and parameters. "Basically, we're trying to put some structure in their lives," said Mack. "A lot of these kids haven't had struc ture or have rebelled against struc ture all their lives and haven't been successful. "We have a lot of students that are talented in arts and crafts. Some in English and science," said Mack. "I think art is one of the strengths in our curriculum." Art Teacher Don Bailey agrees with Mack that art is a strength of many students. Bailey said this aca demic year has been very positive at Chemawa. "The students here are visual learn ers," said Bailey. "They sometimes have trouble with the idea of abstract art, but there is so much talent here that it keeps me from going to a pub lic school to teach. The last two years, I've had a great crop of kids." Bailey, who also oversees the school's gifted and talented art stu dents, said the students take to the art classes right away. He said stu dents are learning and growing. "This has been the most positive year we have had here in a long time," said Bailey. Student Body President Clarissa Antonio likes school and takes pride in her role as a student leader. An tonio, from Pueblo Acoma, also misses her traditional activities at home in New Mexico. She said it took a while to get used to her new surroundings. "I've been here three years and this is my senior year," said Antonio. "I had to get used to it here and being away from home. The first year I got homesick. I had my cousins here to help me through that. It was a learning experience. I don't like be ing away from my traditional dances and activities missing out on all that. Most of our traditional activi ties take place during the school year. I look forward to going back to that after I graduate from here." Antonio said she will return home to her tribe after graduation from Chemawa. She would like to enroll at the University of New Mexico. Antonio said the friendships she has made mean a great deal to her. "One of the things that usually brings the students back to Chemawa is the people they meet and coming back here they know they can be re united with the people they met over the years," said Antonio. "It is inter esting getting to know the different people and the tribes they come from." Febraary 19, 2000 3700 Chemawa Rd Salem, Oregon Grand Entry 1:00 & 7:00 Dinner will be served in Crampton Hall from 4:30-6 p.m. for $3.50 Host Drum: Johonaaii, Chet Clark Graduate of 1957 Color Guard: Northwest Veteran's Administration Concession, Frybread, Arts & Crafts, 5050 Raffles Vendor Info: Chrystal Boyd at (503) 399 Today: history of Chemawa After attending public school prior to coming to Chemawa, Antonio is in a unique position to compare. "The difference between public school and here is the culture is more recognized here," explained Antonio. "At public schools everybody has cliques and everybody sticks to those cliques. Native Americans aren't rec ognized as much in the public school that I went to. Here it's all Native Americans and everybody talks to ev erybody. Here the culture is a lot richer with the pow-wows and the pow-wow club. There is more cul tural contact than there would be at a public school. You grow close with the people here." Senior Ceylon Grey Mountain, from Fort Duchesne's Uintah and Ouray Ute Reservation in Northeastern Utah, said he also has adapted to life at Chemawa. "Last year it was totally different. It was more like a family. This year, everyone has kind of drifted apart and gone into their own groups." said Grey Mountain, who is in his second year at Chemawa. Grey Mountain said he wants to go to college and wishes he had an opportunity to take college prep courses not offered at Chemawa. Grey Mountain wants to study law and English. He said he will go to night school in the summer and go to a junior college if he has to. He said the difference between public school and Chemawa is obvi ous. "Here you know everybody," said Grey Mountain. "In a public school you hardly know anybody. Here it is easier to stay focused, but the cur riculum could be a lot more challeng ing than it is." Although Antonio and Grey Moun tain are aware of the past and the changes the school has gone through, they, like most young people regard less of culture or geography, are fo cused on their own lives and how to get through school and begin prepar ing for life after high school. "I think part of the problem here is that some students are afraid to speak up and let their voice be heard," said Antonio. "They are wor ried about what their peers are go ing to think and I don't think they should let that get in the way of let ting their voice be heard." Grey Mountain agrees with Anto nio that students have an opportu nity to be heard. He said whether or not students take advantage of that - 5721, ext. 261 or Karen at ext. 225. Indian School fUlw k h " x -v.: f - C ' -.. Mm " j T ...v V ' f - 8 Yp: ' J h s;.J-f;. ' 7:r- Ceylon Grey Mountain (left) and Student Body President Clarissa Anto- j? J b. f T? nio are part of a new spirit at Chemawa Indian School. If - f I opportunity is up to them. Tor some people, their friends are everything to them and for others it doesn't matter it's just another joke," said Grey Mountain. "I don't think they should depend on what their friends think of what they do or whom they talk to. Because it is your life and you have the right to live your life the way you want to." Antonio said the recent improve ment of the school's athletic teams has carried over to the student body. She said students are excited about going to games and spend their own time attending games to support the teams. "Athletics are a big deal here," said Antonio. "The students do support the team. We have a pep rally to show our support and recognize our athletic people." Mack said the emotional carry over from athletic success has changed the way some students approach daily life at the school. "I think a lot of kids have realized they can win, and even if they don't win the game they are winning by playing and doing their best," said Mack. "The boy's team (basketball) has won more games this year than in the last four or five years combined. . Kids are attending the games on their own time. In the past when study hour was over, the kids would just go wander around. Now, they get a pass and go back to the game and support the team. I think it transfers over into the classroom as well. They see that they can be successful." Grey Mountain said people at the school are proud of the athlete's suc cess, but he said the majority of stu dents are not athletes and they (non athletes) need a means of attaining recognition as well. "Last year we had performing arts and they went all over," he said. "This year, it's not even started." He said individual success depends on the kind of person each student is. "If you want to be involved and you want to be successful the opportunity is here for you," added Antonio. School Superintendent Louis King said Chemawa is on the right track with academics and they are mak ing improvements all the time in the U VI ri .rl 1 kf l tv ; 7) 'v! fttl r Rfx rv . Oi - .W i "Sir ; i" r if overall scheme of the school. King said although the school constantly works to overcome funding issues, much has changed. "I'm pleased with where we are going," said King. "For the last five years, we have been involved in the BIA's (Bureau of Indian Affairs) school improvement efforts, which is part of the Improving America's Schools Act. We've developed a mis sion statement for our school. "Funding is an issue," said King. "When you look at the funding an Indian boarding school receives com pared to a public school; there is a disparity. We are working hard at working within the limitations that we have to bring about the best pro gram for students. We are making forward progress in trying to bring about school reform, school improve ments and to raise expectations for students." According to King, 46 different tribal affiliations are currently rep resented at Chemawa. "We have 16 states this year that are sending students to school," said King. "They are a very diverse group of folks, but they all share their cul iift to fci-OV t tures. There are some commonalties, but there are also some distinctions among that broad range of folks. Native Pride is a common theme that prevails here at our school year round. It (Native Pride) really is a year round focus for us here at the school. "We're working very hard to im prove our curriculum," said King. "We are trying to hone in on what our students needs are. We take kids that have really run out of opportu nities back home. Boarding schools today represent an alternative to years ago when there were not a lot of options or public schools near res- ervations. That has really changed. There are more schools, and tribes have established their own schools. We provide safety, adequate housing and food and those are the basics be fore someone can go on and think about something like education. A lot of these students weren't getting that at home on their reservations." King said attitudes about youth alcohol and drug abuse is also changing at Chemawa. King said the issue is a challenge. He said the school now embraces the problem Above: 1916 girls basketball team. Left: 1919 football team. and tries to create alternatives for each student. "Alcohol and drug abuse and other social ills are rampant in Indian Country and we see a lot of those kids coming here to us who are products of that," said King. "For a number of years in the past, we were really in denial over that, but in the last few years we have really come out of that and now we are saying come on lets get to work. We have a lot of work to do. So, we deal with a lot of the social problems kids have as well as educational issues, but we are just funded to be a school." King envisions a future Chemawa that will go a step further and pro vide mental health counseling and recreational therapy that currently they aren't ready for. "We're optimistic that we will be able to do some of the things that our students are saying, through their crying out, that they need," said King. "Chemawa is trying to open up its doors and be more accessible to the community. For so many years, Chemawa has been viewed as a little island out here in North Sa lem. We are really looking at the whole student, rather just bringing students here and giving them a tra ditional education; we are looking at ways to improve them academically, socially and spiritually. "We're really hoping that much like your tribal chairman (Grand Ronde Tribal Chairman Kathryn Harrison), our students go on and become tribal chairman back in their communities," said King. "When I look at pictures of the famous chiefs of the past, I see the same faces in our kids here to day. It's amazing how you can see that connection. We want these stu dents to be lifelong learners, not just stop with high school. This is really just a beginning." By Brent Merrill Grand Ronde Tribal Chair Kathryn Harrison wants people to know that there are many success stories at Che mawa Indian School. Harrison attended Chemawa from 1939 to 1942. Harrison said much of her life was shaped while attending Chemawa. She said she learned life skills that she still uses everyday. "I would like people to know there are positive things that come out of there and a lot of successful people have come out of there," said Harrison. "Most things you hear and see (in the media) are negatives. There were good athletes, seamstresses, and carpen ters. I went to school with people like Henry Sijohn, who was an amazing singer. Lefty Wilder was another stu dent at the time (Wilder gained fame in the 1930's for being a four sport star at Chemawa while having just one arm). Jazz musician Spade Coolie went to Chemawa as well as Frank Backbone (record setting athlete), Stanley Will iams (a carpenter), Robair Thomas (a printing instructor) and Robert Mitchum (famous actor). They had what we called the Rhythm Chiefs (musicians). There were a lot of talented people out there. In my time, the school was self sufficient. We had orchards, vegetable gardens and fruit trees and we picked and canned the fruit and vegetables. So, when winter came, the school had its own Supply of food. There were cows - the boys learned how to farm." Harrison said half her day was spent in class and the other half was spent learning a vocation. "The difference (between the school back then and now) was we went to school half-a-day and then we went to vocational training the other half-a-day," said Harrison. "We learned to crochet, knit and darn socks. We learned just basic life skills that you could use. We sang and performed at school func tions." A typical day for Harrison started when the bell rang first thing in the morning. "The bell rang and woke you and you got right up and went down with your towel and soap," remembered Harri son. "You got $30 a month in script. With that you had to buy your tooth paste, soap, and wax to wax your floors. And, you always had to save your money for nickel hops (dances) and you had to pay to go to a show in the auditorium." Harrison said students lined up ac cording to classes when ever attend ing a school event. Everyone had to be on time. "Every class put on a dance and a play. We always had a Sadie Hawkins dance when the girls asked the boys and paid their way. I bet they don't even know what one is today. We held a pageant at the end of the school year. That really gave you pride," she said. Harrison said she remembers every one had a job to do. Students were assigned to the bakery or the laundry or the kitchen. Students cleaned the dining room and cleared the dishes and reset the table. She said some students worked for the teachers or administrators after school and on weekends. She worked for the superintendent doing laundry, cleaning and making the beds. She re members taking table scraps to the superintendent's dog. "It was helpful. We felt privileged," said Harrison. "Every other weekend we girls could go to town. But, you had to have enough girls signed up to go and they had to have saved some money too. We went shopping or to the movie. They (school staffers) pro tected us even though we didn't like it. -if i y i ! ... i ' Kathryn Harrison (left), Marie Mount LaRoque and June Simmons Austin at their graduation from Chemawa in 1942. We learned how to budget and cook meals. It was fun. You could go over to the orchard and fill your suitcase with apples or prunes and if anybody had money we would go down to the store and buy a box of Ritz crackers. There was a lot of sharing. At that age you're always hungry. If you had a friend who worked in the kitchen you could have them make you a sandwich of peanut butter and honey. They would sneak it out to you." She remembers people getting cre ative with their hunger. "We had what was known as a soup sandwich," said Harrison with a smile. "A soup sandwich is three dry slices of bread one dipped in the soup and placed in between the others for a sandwich. Anything tasted good." Harrison remembers the athletic teams of her day were always success ful. She said people didn't want to play Chemawa because they knew they were going to get beaten. "We had great teams and we won a lot," said Harrison. "There was a lot of pride then. It was great." Harrison said her best memory of Chemawa came when she arrived. "For me, coming from a foster home, my best memory was knowing that is where I was going to go," said Harri son. "They (her foster parents) never told me where I was going. When we pulled up to that driveway leading to Winona Hall I knew I was going to be among my own people and things would be okay." Harrison's worst memories of Che mawa were the good-byes at the end of each school year. "We would sing 'God Be With You Till We Meet Again,'" said Harrison, obvi ously saddened by the memory. "We held hands. We knew it was going to be hard, but it was our tradition. We never got through it. It was always too hard. Then school ended. Some of the students were leaving on the bus that brought them. You always knew when to be ready. They would post it Flathead bus is leaving on such and such a day. Some would go by train. The rest were left behind, and there were quite a few. The train whistle became the loneliest sound of all when you knew they were taking your friends away. "I remember standing at the window many times listening to that (whistle) and crying," said Harrison. Despite the sadness of certain memories, Harrison said many good things happened to her at Chemawa. "Chemawa is were I gained my self esteem," said Harrison. "I had none when I got there." Harrison remembers making her own dress for graduation and the pride she felt at its completion. "One of my best memories is of graduation. We made our own long dresses," said Harrison. The dress had ribbons that we made ourselves. It was nice to walk down there and have your name called. I didn't have anyone there from my family, but I felt part of it all."
