Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current, June 15, 2001, Page 4, Image 4

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Caretaker Tribal Elder Russ Leno cruises the Tribal cemetery in
his handy lawnmower. Leno, who has been the cemetery's caretaker
for many years, is being assisted by Tribal member Gene LaBonte to
work on identifying lost gravesites and deteriorating headstones. The
Tribe's Cultural Resources staff is assisting in the mapping of the cem
etery and planning the future burial sites.
Tribal member Gene LaBonte begins important identification work with caretaker and Tribal Elder Russ Leno.
By Justin Phillips
In our cemetery, you can hear the
rain hitting the headstones, grass and
roadway.
You can smell and almost taste the
damp, cold air.
Quietness settles around you, you
hear nothing.
You stand there alone.
This is how some of our people who have no for
mal identification must feel that are buried in the
Tribal cemetery. Alone. Few people, if any, know
they are there.
This is hopefully all about to change.
Tribal member Gene LaBonte has recently joined
forces with Tribal Elder Russ Leno at the Tribal
cemetery as his assistant.
LaBonte will be doing basic cemetery mainte
nance and helping out with funerals. Maybe more
importantly, LaBonte will be working on mapping
and marking of what might be gravesites with Tribal
member June Olson, Cultural Resources Manager.
"We have found three new possible gravesites in
the last few days," said LaBonte.
Cemetery staff and volunteers made themselves
available during the month of May to document
stories remembered about friends and relatives
buried in the cemetery.
"I'm hoping this will work," said Leno.
According to Olson, the mapping work was
brought about by a local disaster a far-reaching
disaster felt by the whole Tribe.
Tribal member Gene LaBonte has recently joined 'forces with
Tribal Elder Russ Leno at the Tribal cemetery as his assistant
LaBonte will be doing basic cemetery maintenance and helping
out with funerals. Maybe more importantly, LaBonte will be
working on mapping and marking of what might be gravesites.
"What happened is we had a fire in Harold and
Velma Mercier's house," said Olson. That is where
the old cemetery record book was. There was no
body else that had a complete record set."
Olson said she is taking what record information
they have gathered and is reconstructing it and
updating the record book to include the more re
cent burials.
"We are also trying to grid out the new part of
the cemetery so that it's like a regular cemetery,"
said Olson. "It's so we know how many people can
be buried there."
Tribal members will be able to reserve a spot in
the cemetery for themselves or their loved ones.
"It's so we know how full the cemetery will be
and when we need to find another place," said
Olson. "We are considering not doing a lot of buri
als in the old historic part anymore."
Olson said she hopes to restore some of the stones
in the cemetery.
"Some of the headstones are in really bad shape,"
said Olson.
They hope to contract a company that specializes
in restoration work. Olson said they
first have to contact the families and
make sure the work is okay with them.
"It's a long, long process and basically
geared at making sure we have space
in our cemetery and an organized
record book for our new burials and our
new section. And at the same time, we
are preserving the historic section," said Olson.
"We want Tribal members to contact us in regard
to knowing of family members buried in the old
section that don't have a headstone."
The staff wants to start marking those areas and
making sure they have some sort of identification,
even if it is just a cross.
"This is basically a preservation, restoration
project," said Olson.
She wants LaBonte to learn all he can from Leno.
"Russ is our greatest resource," said Olson. "He's
worked down there for so many years and has so
much knowledge."
"I couldn't say how many years I've worked down
here," said Leno. "A lot. Doing different jobs down
here through the years."
The goal for this whole project is to have every
thing on record so they have it for future genera
tions. For those of you with any information that
may be of help, you are urged to call Russ Leno or
Gene LaBonte at 503-879-5525 or to stop by the
cemetery. Please help us find and identify our an
cestors. Our people need recognition. D
Native American Day at Willamina Middle School
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Willamina Middle School by drumming and speaking to youth.
Pictured here are members of the Eagle Beak drum group (left) and Tony Johnson
(right) of the Tribe's Cultural Resources staff. Tribal member Angela Fasana also spoke to
the group of young people. Photos by Peta Tinda
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