2 MARCH 15, 2001
Smoke Signals
Thank You
I just wanted to say thank you to
my family and friends that made my
birthday so special. Thank you to
my family that gave me a surprise
birthday dinner. What a beautiful
dinner setting on the table when I
came home from shopping. Thanks
go out to Vickie, Rick, Deana, Iola,
Rodney, Carol, Danny, Cindy and
family and of course Jim.
My niece Iola gave me a night at
the Spirit Mountain Lodge and I had
my other nieces with me Iva
Truller, Darlene Reeves (from
Roseburg), Judy Nelson (from John
Day) and Violet Zimbrick. I would
like to thank the staff at the lodge for
the sign they made me and for all of
them signing it. Also, thanks to some
one very special to me (Brent) for the
bouquet of flowers from his family.
I also want to thank everyone who
came by the room to wish me a happy
birthday including my niece Iola's
bosses Mark and Sharon who were
very nice people. The lodge is lucky to
have them. Also thanks to Joann,
Hazel and Robert for the great service
he gave us whenever we needed him.
Thank you,
Wilmadene TufT Butler
Roll 704
More on WRI
Recently Smoke Signals ran an ar
ticle about the Willamette Restoration
Initiative (WRI). The article shared
some information about a current op
portunity we residents of the Wil
lamette basin have to commit to res
toration of the Willamette River.
Chair Kathryn Harrison sits on the
WRI Board because of the Tribe's com
mitment to healthy rivers.
One of the strengths of the WRI
strategy is its emphasis on providing
incentives to residents, landowners
and business to make it easier to imple
ment watershed restoration actions.
The cost of implementing some
stream enhancements can be expen
sive. One of the tasks of the WRI
and others who want to restore
streams is finding new and better
ways to accomplish this. The WRI
strategy proposes actions such as in
creasing support to the Conservation
Reserve Enhancement Program, ini
tiating an effluent trading pilot
project and providing economic in
centives to decrease water pollution.
Part of the article included refer
ence to river polluters paying for res
toration. Water pollution law is com
plex and there are many forms of
pollution. Water pollution can in
clude actions as extreme as illegally
dumping toxic substances or as com
mon as over fertilizing a field or gar
den causing excess nutrients to drain
into streams.
The WRI emphasizes that all resi
dents of the basin can make a differ
ence in the future of the Willamette.
The article also mentioned culvert
replacement and enforcement. There
is no legal requirement for landown
ers to replace culverts causing fish pas
sage problems. The Tribe and many
others are implementing stream en
hancements like culvert replacement
to enhance aquatic habitats, regard
less of regulatory requirements.
Anyone interested in the WRI
strategy, call the Oregon Watershed
Information Line at 1-888-854-8377
or go to www.oregonwri.org.
Thank you,
Kathleen Feehan Roll 2093
SMOKE SIGNALS, a publication of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon, is published
twice a month. No portion of this publication may be reprinted without permission,
n,.- :fr,-,i ic infcnHoH t-n onronranp innut from Tribal members and readers about stories printed in the Tribal
newspaper. However, all letters received must be signed by the author, an address must be given and a phone number or email
address must be included for verification purposes. Full addresses and phone numbers will not be published unless requested.
SMOKE SIGNALS reserves the right to edit letters and to refuse letters that are determined to contain libelous statements or
personal attacks on individuals, staff, Tribal administration or Tribal Council. Not all letters are guaranteed publication upon submis
sion. Letters to the editor are the opinions and views of the writer. Published letters do not necessarily reflect the opinions of
SMOKE SIGNALS,' Tribal staff, Tribal administration or Tribal Council.
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Editor's note: It should be clear that letters to the editor from Tribal members are encouraged. Letters from non
Tribal members, staff and interested parties are also encouraged, but must be written in a positive tone. No personal
attacks against individuals, staff members, Tribal administration andor Tribal Council will be accepted. In the last
few weeks, four letters to the editor were received regarding Tribal enrollment. Two of these letters were from
enrolled Tribal members and two were from families seeking Tribal enrollment and having other members of their
family already on the rolls. Their letters appear in this edition. Also in this edition is an update on recent opinions
handed down by the Tribal Judge regarding the issue of Tribal enrollment check it out on page 4. Tribal members
should view the Smoke Signals as a source of information and a place to express their opinions, but not a tool for
airing personal grievances.
Letters to the Editor Regarding Enrollment
Dear Editor,
Concerning the amendment to the
enrollment ordinance how can this
amendment be good for our Tribe
when we will just phase out, getting
smaller and smaller over the years?
How can it be good for a Tribe when
it creates a 2001 version of the trail
of tears to the family being told you
are a member but your brother is not
or you are a member but your cousin
is not? No generation has the right
to lay burdens on their own children
and grandchildren. When future
generations look back on us, will it
be with disgust at our exclusiveness,
our 'just us' attitude and our short
sightedness? In my opinion, the amendment to
the enrollment ordinance was a huge
mistake, because all had not come to
the table of our Tribe yet for various
reasons lack of knowledge, di
vorce, alcoholism and brokeness in
the family. We need to propose a new
enrollment amendment that would
meet the needs of all the Tribal
people who are eligible by blood
quantum and lineage.
Rosemary Jameson
Roll 883
Dear Editor,
Concerning the enrollment pro
posal: in the past, we provided sup
port, were more caring and were con
cerned for families. Now, Grand
Ronde excludes some of their very
own people.
Not all of us are born with equal
opportunities, but over a period of
time, regardless of our parentage,
place of birth, the day comes when
we all have to make a choice to let
our past teach us commitment, re
sponsibility and respect for others.
May I humbly suggest that all re
cent amendments in the enrollment
ordinance be reconsidered?
Thank you,
Edward L. Allen
Roll 2422
Tribal member Chris Mercier, who has been
freelancing as a writer for Smoke Signals for
the last few months,
Is off to see the world
again. Chris traveled
to New York on his
way to Germany and
then... who knows.
Be safe Chris and re
turn to us paste haste.
To the Editor,
I was wondering if there are any
others out there who like myself are
seeking enrollment but are finding
it hard going?
I have a brother and sister enrolled
but I have been denied the same right
and I can't tell you how discrimina
tory it feels. It seems very odd to me
that I need to go through such great
lengths to prove I'm who I say I am
because after all my name has been
included on both my brothers and sis
ters information when they enrolled.
I like to think of it as being semi
enrolled as they already have my
name on enrollment papers even
if they are not mine. s-
I know all about the amendment,
but I have to say that I am surprised
that a clause had not been included
for siblings of already enrolled mem
bers stating that should said sibling
or siblings seek enrollment they
should be included as they are as
close in blood as you can get. We are
not aunts, uncles or cousins, but
brother and sisters!
So, I would like to find out if there
are more like myself out there and to
see if they would be willing to ex
change information about what they
have done and what they are will
ing to do to gain enrollment. How
far have tiey gotten and how much
further do they have to go?
After all, there is strength in num
bers and maybe just maybe we to
gether can turn things around to
where we will finally be included with
the rest of our (family) siblings.
All in all, it has been a long haul,
but I'm gaining in patience and it
has, if nothing else so far, been a
learning experience of how hard it is
even in this day and age to commu
nicate over distance! (Also) of how
hard it is to get someone, anyone to
stand up and take notice of me or
anyone else like me. I can only hope
I may find friends of a feather along
my way.
Thank you for your time and I hope
it helps you understand how passion
ate I am in finding other's like my
self who through exchanging infor
mation may help bond lasting friend
ships and enrollment at the end of
our journey.
Thanks again for your time,
Marleen Quesnel
British Columbia
Dear Tribal members and families,
This letter is for all Tribal members
and their families who are affected by
the recent enrollment amendment.
I am hoping to reach out to others
who find themselves in the same situ
ation we do.
Since the change in enrollment
policy, families such as ours are find
ing themselves split. It is a strange
feeling, something that I don't think
many people have felt before, at least
not in this way. In our particular
situation siblings with the same
parents, same blood quantum and
same Tribal ties may not be accepted
as Tribal members because of the
date on which they commenced their
paperwork.
It can have many ramifications for
those on both sides (enrolled or not
enrolled).
Feelings of disappointment, rejec
tion and guilt can surface for all in
volved. For those going through the appeal
process, many questions arise. Ac
tual questions about the court sys
tem as it relates to enrollment ap
peals may well be answered by the
court staff... However, individual
help on how best to prepare for the
case on one's own may not be so easy
to get. I am assuming very few of
those involved will have legal coun
sel to aid them. I understand the
process may take up to one year, per
haps more in certain cases. Most of
us have had very little court experi
ence and will find this a huge chal
lenge, added to this is the geographi
cal distance between many of us re
siding outside the state or even the
country.
Support for each other at this time
could be very beneficial hearing
how others are dealing with the court
process, and helping each other
through it. Sharing ideas and just
plain talking about the emotional side
of things.
If you find yourself wanting to talk
to someone who understands how
you feel and what you are going
through please e-mail, or phone.
Sincerely,
E. and L. Blight
Phone: 250-897-1633
E-mail: hugaloggerhotmail.com
Box 473
Sooke B.C. Canada VOS-INO