10 JUNE 15, 2001
Smoke Signals
I!
Prostate Cancer Discussion
Wednesday, June 20 4 to 6 p.m.
Grand Ronde Health & Wellness Center
Guest Speaker is Ruth Jensen. Please come
and join us for a barbecue and discussion on
men's wellness. If you have any questions
please contact Robert Schmid at 503-879-2104
or Vernon Kennedy at 503-879-2027.
-SALEM
June 18: 4 pm to 7:30 pm
June 19: 9 am to 7:30 pm
June 20: 9 am to 5 pm
Please call for other appointments:
Siletz: 1-800-922-1399
Salem: 1-503-391-5760
The Tribe's Cultural and Fish and Wildlife departments are teaming together to
hold a traditional foods festival. Everyone is invited to come sample a number of
traditional foods prepared in traditional and modern ways. If you have informa
tion or recipes for traditional foods please contact Culture at 503-879-2249 or
Fish and Wildlife at 503-879-2382.
River Remembrances
Editor's Note: The publication Open Spaces, Views from the Northwest
(Vol. 3, issue 4, 2001) recently published the article entitled "Living with our
Rivers, part 1." The following is an excerpt, published in part with permis
sion. Copies of the entire article are available at www.open-spaces.com and
at Northwest bookstores.
Spring Chinook and
steelhead are now
listed as endangered
species. From days
when spring Chinook
numbered in the hun
dreds of thousands,
today a scant few
thousand make their
way upriver. Leon
Tom, a member of the
Confederated Tribes
of Grand Ronde, hopes
that one-day these fish can recover.
He can remember as a boy the
prominent role of the salmon in his
family's life. "I know it's going to cost
money," he says, reflecting on the
endangered species listings for spring
Chinook and steelhead. "We are
never going to get back to where it
was, but we can maybe get it back to
90 percent of what it was."
Tom is a Tribal Elder, and has
fished and enjoyed the Willamette
River and it's tributaries. "I think it
is a mess. Agriculture, logging, and
other industries have made the prob
lem. You can't place the blame on
just one. Everyone has contributed
to the problem. In order to heal
Mother Earth, everyone is going to
have to come together. We all have
to take care of the water and the air.
We have to find ways to leave it for
future generations.
"When I was a kid, you could catch
all of the fish you wanted in the riv
ers, but now that's not always the
case." Tom speaks rhythmically, his
voice sometimes faint then rising.
"You know, every one of these
streams is devastated. I caught a
native trout five years ago, and it
come up the stream and looked like
a snake. A big old head, skinny body,
-Hi ,
Leon"Chip"Tom
an ugly thing," he
says with a chuckle.
"Any one of these
streams you'd be
lucky to catch a na
tive. "As a young boy we
used to go to Wil
lamette Falls, with
folks from Grand
Ronde and Warm
Springs. That was
when I was seven or
eight years old, but that has
changed." He sits quietly, recalling
his family's tradition. "In those days,
I think the 1930s, we went there, and
walked onto the falls from the west
side. There were a lot of eels, and
we took them and ate them. My fam
ily prepared them, knew how to clean
and cook them. There was a bit of a
trick to it, and they cut them up and
baked them. They are awful rich in
oil, but in the end they got the oil
out. They were good."
Asked how we can best bring the
Willamette River back to life, Tom
pauses and sighs. "Sometimes we do
need laws to protect the land, volun
tary doesn't always work. We need
also to get our kids to understand the
need to protect the river, that is es
sential. Just as we need to give back
to our community, we need to give
back to the river."
Outside the forecast is gloomy, with
another front moving into the valley
in the next few hours. "We've been
talking about restoration for decades.
Now we need to act," says Tom. "Ev
erybody has to get into it. Our agen
cies state and federal our coun
ties, everyone around the same table.
It's going to take a real effort by
everybody." O
Clark Honored with Achievement Award
Congratulations to Tribal Member Walter Clark, 14, who has been re
ceiving numerous awards. His awards included; Multicultural Achieve
ment Award from Western Washington Univer
sity and Skagit Valley College; "How I am Pro
tected by our United States Constitution" essay
contest for eight graders; First Place in North
west Indian Housing Association 2000 Regional
Poster contest; and a Diploma of Rights, in which
by his act of commitment to helping others and
successfully completing all required coursework
and declared skilled and committed to prevent
ing drug experimentation and use.
He is also a member of the La Conner Middle
School Football team.
Clark's very proud grandparents are Charles
and Edythe Clark. Keep up the good work Walter!
Tribal member Walter Clark is shown here accept
ing a Multicultural Achievement Award for his su
perior contributions to Multiculturalism. The
award came from and was presented at Western
Washington University and Skagit Valley College.
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Vmppy 22nd birthday5
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love mom, two stars, JJ
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HAPPY lOTH BIRTHDAY
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FROM MOM, DAD, KRYSTAL,
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WE LOVE YOU
B All Grand Ronde Tribal Elders and their spouses must return the registration form
(at right)to participate.
Donations of giveaway items for door prizes and bingo gifts are needed. Please
turn in items you would like to donate to the Wellness department at the Clinic. No
donations of clothes, please. For inquiries, call Egypt at 503-879-2078.
mm
Name
Date of Birth
Tribe
Phone .
Roll
I will have: . LUNCH DINNER BREAKFAST ,'
Any special needs? FOOD: yes no HANDICAP ACCESS: yes no
Explain: ' " ' ;
Mail this registration form to:
Elder Honor Day co Sharon Hanson
3455 Bell Rd., NE Salem, OR 97302