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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 15, 2000)
7 DECEMBER 15, 2000 the San Diego Spearchuckers. No one would accept that, but yet it is okay... But the problem is that the Indian population is too small to have any real social or cultural power. Plus, a small percentage of Indians are actually offended by it. Once again it goes back to conservative politics. The thing is hundreds of schools have changed. And more and more will do it until those that refuse to are just going to look like complete idiots. If Amity doesn't change in the next five to ten years they are going to look like idiots. The student body is usually the ones who get it first and they educate the adults. Oh yeah. It is always the kids. The Orego nian doesn't print mascot names or logos and that is going to continue to happen. One of the things that isn't progressive in my mind is you know the Makahs are out whaling the way I look at it is that I can see both sides of the story. One is I like the idea that Tribes are trying to re gain traditions, but it would be different if they didn't have that cannon out on the front of their boat. Just because something is traditional doesn't mean it is not bar baric. So, I struggle with that issue. What do you think? Do you think they ought to be out there whaling or do you think the time is gone for that kind of thing? In this world, as nations, you are either pro whaling or anti-whaling. You are either with Japan and Sweden and Norway who would and did hunt the whales nearly into extinction and would do it again in a heartbeat. I give the Makah the sovereign respect of being called a nation and as a nation you decide am I anti whaling or am I pro-whaling. Do I align myself with Japan which they have or do I align myself with the non-whaling countries. And that is the decision you make. That is what it comes down to, are you pro-whaling or anti-whaling? So it doesn't have anything to do with tra ditions or anything like that? Japan has the same traditions as well and they have been hunting whales continuously a lot longer than the Makahs have. They never stopped. So that is the issue for me.. We know far too much about whales now. I'm not against animal testing. I'm not against the use of ani mals in various ways, but the point is that you do it with respect and you do it with a very con crete purpose. And there are animals that sim ply should be held sacred. They are very close to us. Primates, dolphins, whales. They are higher mammals we shouldn't be doing that. I know I really struggle with that one. If I still worked at the fish commission I would be in a position of having to promote whal ing... Oh, I get lots of grief. And, once again, I think it is conservatism 'give me my gun and let me shoot it.' I was having a conversation with some friends of mine about this subject. By and large the people I was talking to were mostly liberal Indians and non-Indians. I asked them after the incident where the woman was hit by the Coast Guard boat while protesting the Makah's right to hunt whale, which of those three groups are you most likely to have at your house for dinner the group of Indians whaling, the Coast Guard guys or that Birkenstock-wearing woman on the jet-ski. Of course the answer is the Birkenstock-wearing woman on the jet-ski. So, don't you think that says something about what your position in this thing ought to be? And, didn't the Makahs find it ironic that the U.S. Military was protecting them? Are you no ticing the irony here? Have you exploded from the irony yet? I mean it is the 21st century. I'm a lot more interested in how we can use our tra ditional values and our beliefs and our ceremo nies and use them to survive in a 21st century world and whale hunting isn't part of that. Let's make a ceremony on how to go into college. Tribe's Legal Department Adds New Attorney to the Family By Justin Phillips New Staff Attorney Lisa Estensen brings more knowledge, power and education to the Tribe's Legal department. Estensen is experienced in Indian Country law and is sure to bring enthusiasm and energy to the Legal department. Estensen started her college journey at the Uni versity of Minnesota; also during that time she did an exchange program at Oregon State University in Corvallis. She finished her last two years of undergraduate study at the University of Georgia. She then attended and graduated from Lewis & Clark College in Portland and got her Jurist Doc tor (JD) degree in law with an emphasis in Envi ronmental Law. While she was attending Lewis & Clark College she began an interest in Indian law. Estensen worked with the Umatilla Tribe in Pendleton as an intern through Lewis and Clark College. She also worked as an intern with the Colum bia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission based out of Portland. She did research and writing on en dangered species including salmon. After graduating in 1997, she moved to Arizona and worked for the Hopi Tribe as an attorney. According to Estensen, she will be working pri marily with the gaming commission and housing authority. r li Lisa Estensen "I like it here, it's very organized and the people here are great," says Estensen. "The area here is so beautiful." Estensen went to school at Lewis & Clark Col lege with Angie Fasana, Tribal Court's Adminis trator, but did not know her well and it didn't even cross her mind that one day she would be work ing with her. She also has traveled to Europe for six weeks through an International Law program. "I like to work in Indian county," says Estensen. "I cannot see myself working anywhere else." Tribal Court Shows Off New Courtroom Seal New logo created by former gang members. By Justin Phillips "1 hurried into the courtroom a little late, this time if was for a dif ferent reason. There was food, deco ration, Tribal Council members and everyone was smiling and talk ing. For the first time, a judge thanked me for coming to court." J.P. The day was long awaited by the Tribal Court. A new court seal is now showcased in the Tribal court room and the pieces were put to gether in an interesting way. A stroke of fate brought Department of Correc tions Education Director Bill Roach and Grand Ronde Tribal Court Judge Katherine English to gether. And as a direct result of their chance meet ing, art was created out of chaos. Roach works with incarcerated gang members and channels their energy into art. When Roach and English put their heads together they turned street gang warfare into something extremely beautiful unity. English and her staff proudly showed off what is their new Tribal Court Seal. The new seal hangs directly behind the judge's bench. It all started about two years ago when Judge English stopped by Roach's booth at the Oregon State Fair. Roach and his work-based educa tion program, which is part of the Department of Corrections Education program, design and build artwork. The court seal is made up of wood that is pieced together. It consists of circles of wood that are fit together to make the Tribe's logo. A gold ring is canary wood. All black rings are ebonized walnut and a red ring is a wood called padauk. A blue ring is alder and dye stained. The green is poplar that is naturally dark, but also was dyed. All the white wood is aspen. The feathers are oak, with aspen down the middle. Each feather is signed by the artist. Roach and five members of his crew worked on the project for about two weeks. Roach's members were five different associated gang member leaders. "These guys worked really well together," Roach said. "They are some of the best artists we have on the work force." Once outlaws, together the member's of Roach's program have created unity by working together as one. nmf s- ,1 if ui .. U i tail & ww m i" ...a r: ... ' Y . ' '-'.'.V - '?' : i .; sets; -nffrr lT"""rl .. JmK Mum New Entrance at Clinic Construction of a new covered walkway into the Tribe's Health and Wellness Center is complete and has been reopened to the public. The new design features the family memory bricks on the entrance posts and along the walkway. Photo by Justin Phillips
