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White ak Tree blessed - iirSilverfcon
MAY 15, 2000
This signature White Oak Tree at the Oregon Gardens in Silverton is being
preserved and maintained through a grant from the Grand Ronde Tribe's
Spirit Mountain Community Fund. As part of the Tribe's negotiations with
the State of Oregon during the set-up process of the casino, the Tribe agreed
to distribute six percent of gaming profits to charitable and deserving orga
nizations. Among the organizations to receive funding in 1999, was the
Oregon Gardens. Photo by Tracy Dugan
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By Brent Merrill
A 450 year-old White Oak Tree at
the Oregon Garden in Silverton, be
lieved to be one of the oldest oak trees
in Oregon, was recently blessed at a
traditional ceremony and a new tree
was planted nearby. Students from
Heritage School in Salem partici
pated in the blessing ceremony on
Friday, April 28.
The blessing ceremony was timed
to coincide with National Arbor Day
and aimed at honoring our forgot
ten brothers the trees.
Arbor Day celebrations were de
veloped to encourage tree planting,
care and maintenance.
Students planted a George Wash
ington Tulip Poplar near the large
oak tree after reading some of their
poetry.
Travis Benoist, a member of the
Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe from
Eagle Butte, South Dakota, who
works for the Grand Ronde Tribe as
a resource specialist and general as
sistance counselor, conducted the
ceremony.
"The cycle of life revolves around
the tree," said Benoist. The tree gives
us oxygen, provides us with homes
and provides homes for all things that
the creator has created that are liv
ing. In our way, we recognize them
(trees) as the standing peoples.
"A long, long time ago, the old ones
had a special spirituality connection
with the trees and communicated
with the trees," said Benoist. "The
trees would let them know when a
storm was coming and let them know
when weather changes where com
ing. In a way the trees still do that
anyway without openly speaking to
individuals. The trees do have a way
of communicating with human be
ings and let them know how it is sur
viving and what it needs to have to
survive. Trees are alive and some
times they get sick and they need
care. They need somebody to watch
over them."
Benoist said he likes the idea of
children being included in as many
traditional activities as possible.
"As I looked upon these kids at the
Oregon Gardens, their little eyes were
just wide and sparkling," said
Benoist. "That really made me feel
good in my heart to see the curiosity
that they have."
Benoist lit a braid of sweetgrass
under the largest White Oak Tree
(known as the Signature Tree) in the
Garden. Benoist explained to the stu
dents that burning sweetgrass
brought good spirits to the ceremony.
"The sweetgrass is grown in
marshy lands," said Benoist. "The
sweetgrass I get is from Canada. The
people I get it from pray over it and
ask permission to harvest. They
make an offering back like water
to keep the sweetgrass growing.
When it is prayed over like that I
know it is good and that it brings
good spirits."
Trees at the Oregon Garden are
being preserved through a grant
from the Tribe's Spirit Mountain
Community Fund.
"Oregon White Oak trees were im
portant to the Native peoples of
Western Oregon," said Fund spokes
person Lora Cuykendall in a press
release. "It is likely that ancestor's
of today's Tribal members encamped
under the signature oak and in the
surrounding oak grove. The (signa
ture) oak tree is next to a natural
camas swale, which is currently in
blossom. Camas is a perennial herb
that grows up to two feet tall and has
vibrant blue blossoms in the spring.
Camas was an important staple food
for many Native peoples."
Benoist said the tradition of bless
ing ceremonies is something to hold
on to.
"The reason for the blessing is
people take things for granted," ex
plained Benoist. "They take the air
for granted. They take the water for
granted. They take all living things
for granted the winged ones, the
four-legged ones, and the little
standing peoples that we get our
medicines from. People take a lot of
these things for granted. And, so the
blessing is to have the creator un
derstand that we bless these things
and appreciate these things whole
heartedly. We pray over these things
so that they are blessed and so that
they continue to grow and survive."
SMART Read program
Continued from front page
Mountain Pick of the Game."
During televised Blazer games, the
Blazers came up with specific goals
they would have to reach as a team.
For example, if the team scored more
points or had more assists than the
other team in the first half, then a
particular school would get $2,500
towards their SMART Read program
from the Community Fund. Several
elementary schools benefited during
the season from the "Spirit Mountain
Pick of the Game."
During the Blazers last home game
of the season against the Denver Nug
gets, the team awarded the most spir
ited fans in the audience by picking
them out, showing them on the
arena's big screen, giving them $200
and then donating $2,000 in the fan's
name to the SMART Read program.
"One of the reason's the Community
Fund Board and the Grand Ronde
Tribal Council was excited about this
grant is that there have been some
outside studies that found the SMART
The program started in
1992 with eight schools.
It is now in 169 schools
in Oregon and reaches
8,500 kids."
Lora Cuykendall
program is very successful at helping
to build new leaders," said Cuyken
dall. "And, that education is such a
key in turning things around for
people. Reading is the first step and
it fits in beautifully with the values
of the Tribal Council and the Tribal
members in general."
The SMART Read program is being
featured in new television ads that the
Community Fund is doing now.
"The television spots are intended
to help people realize that the Com
munity Fund exists," said Cuyken
dall. Along with the television ads,
there will be a billboard campaign
and a mailer that feature the same
look as the television spots.
Emergency Assistance Notice
Tribal members needing emergency assistance during the month of June will
need to utilize their Tribal Member Benefit money first. The Social Services
Department will freeze funds from their Emergency Assistance program, the
Benevolence Fund and the General Assistance program from June 11-July 11.
The Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon is now
accepting applications for the third Mark O. Hatfield Congressional Fellowship.
Each year, a Hatfield Fellow is selected from Native American applicants to serve
as an intern for a member of Oregon's Congressional delegation.
The Fellowship honors Mark Hatfield for his accomplishments as a U.S. Sena
tor and Governor of Oregon and for his mentorship of many members of his
staff who became leaders in their own communities. The Fellowship also hon
ors the memory of former Hatfield aide Susan Long.
"I was honored to host the second Hatfield Fellow in my Washington, D.C.
office. The Mark Hatfield Congressional Fellowship provides young people of
Pacific Northwest American Indian Tribes the opportunity to help make a dif
ference in their personal lives as well as contribute to the quality of life within
their communities," commented Senator Gordon Smith.
"The Hatfield Fellowship will seed Indian Country with capable, motivated
individuals who know their way around Washington, D.C. and produce long
term benefits for all the Tribes and the Pacific Northwest," said Len Bergstein, a
member of the Spirit Mountain Community Fund Board of Trustees which
oversees the internship.
Applicants must be enrolled adult members of federally recognized Tribes in
Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Washington, with preference given to the nine
federally recognized Oregon Tribes.
Highlights of the Fellowship include:
The Hatfield Fellow will be rotated every year among the House and
Senate members of the Oregon delegation.
Each Hatfield Fellow will serve for ten months and will receive a stipend,
moving and travel expenses, and participation in a special American Politi
cal Science Association Orientation.