3
Committee Feature
Veterans9 Memorial Ad Hoe Committee
BACKGROUND: If there were ever a defi
nition of a "roughly formed" committee, this is
it. A spin-off of the original Veteran's Commit
tee, the Ad Hoc group was founded nearly ten
years ago.
PEOPLE INVOLVED: The committee has
seven (7) members, though being informal the
number of people involved tends to fluctuate.
Marce Norwest also chairs this group. Other
members include: Russ Leno, Steve Bobb, Gene
LaBonte, Betty Lambert, Arlene Beck, Kathy
DeWitt and Brent Merrill (Vice Chair).
FUNCTION: No committee has a more clear
purpose. Theirs' is simply to build the Grand
Ronde Veterans' Memorial, which when finished
will provide a stunning example of craftsman
ship and a poignant reminder of our indebted
ness to Veterans, all for everyone to see in front
of the Tribal Governance Center.
Fundraisers for the memorial have been oc-
sm
curring for years now, each and every day
one step closer to their goal of $300,000.
Ik J
Extraordinary Artist Tribal member and Marine
Veteran Steve Bobb designed the Veterans' Memorial. Bobb
designed the memorial to be a man and a woman dressed
in traditional regalia and reaching towards the sky. The
memorial will honor Tribal members and members of the
communities of Grand Ronde, Willamina and Sheridan. The
committee hopes to complete the project in 2003.
Royalty Committee
BACKGROUND: Technically, this commit
tee doesn't exist. Yet. But it was created in
1992, tacked on as a sub-committee of the Pow
wow Committee. 2002 should see its official cre
ation at some point.
L5E1- - til
SHOE
PEOPLE INVOLVED: Only four (4) people
staff this particular body, all of them volunteer
ing their time. Tribal Elder Margaret Provost is
the Chair. Tribal member Julie Little, who in
terviewed for this story, serves as Secretary and
Treasurer.
KIM2ERS: Claudia Leno, Julie Little Sec
retary & Treasurer), Deitrich Peters, and Mar
garet Provost (Chair).
FUNCTION: Every year at the pow-wow,
there are the Royalty contests
Miss Grand Ronde, Junior
Grand Ronde, etc. Anything
dealing with royalty effec
tively falls under the duty of
the Royalty Committee. That
and they recruit young women
interested in being represen
tatives of the Tribe through
Royalty, which according to
Little encompasses a whole lot
more than fancy regalia.
"This really serves as a con
fidence builder," said Little.
"It gets them used to speaking
in public and teaches them to
be active in the community."
In other words, it's a stepping stone for young
ladies who one day see themselves playing
prominent roles in the future of the Tribe. But
doing so is never easy. Though council gives
them a budget, the group committee and roy
alty are charged still with procuring their own
funds, especially for the big projects. One in the
works is sending four young girls to represent
Grand Ronde at the Gathering of Nations Na
tional Pow-wow in the fall, in New Mexico.
Fund-raisers are fairly generic bake sales, can
drives and fry bread socials. But they are also
efficient. Last year's efforts raked in $5,000.
Members are presently trying to develop a
boys' version of royalty, which would basically
be everything the girls do. They are also en-
5 -
A
i
Ali Holsclaw (L), Grand Ronde Veteran's Sr.
Queen, and Halona Butler, Grand Ronde Veter
ans Jr. Queen, and princess Hope Lafferty.
gaged in one prestigious project for which coun
cil has already allocated extra funding. In May,
the Royalty Committee will help host 40 young
girls from the Czech Republic in what could be
called an exchange of cultures. The Czech en
tourage is traveling the country with an inter
est in .Native American ways, sharing their own
culture and colorfulness along the way. Little
said the Czechs would perform traditional
Slovakian-style dancing and music for Grand
Ronde. It should be memorable. B
Culture Committee
fflffli I o tgj
i.y jfc-s-MBSasaam " .
BACKGROUND: Years ago, a prototype of
the Culture Committee existed, but disbanded
for reasons unknown. In October of last year,
Tribal Council called into being the present day
Culture Committee, which exists unofficially
through the General Committee Ordinance, and
for all purposes is a work in progress.
PEOPLE INVOLVED: Though they had nine
members originally, two have since then dropped
out, leaving the total number at seven, fitting
perfectly into the allocated budget. Members
are paid an hourly wage. Tribal member Pat
Allen Suppah sits as Chair. They meet the 2nd
Tuesday of every month.
MENDERS: Jessica Brann Secretary), Joe
Brisbois, Don Day (Vice Chair), Peachie Hamm,
Marilee Norwest Davis, Janet Phillips, Leon
"Chips" Tom, and Pat Allen Suppah (Chair).
FUNCTION: Because culture has long played
such a key role in the Tribe, a Culture Commit
tee was really an eventuality, especially since
the Cultural Resources Department itself bears
a pretty heavy workload.
"When Cultural Resources has an issue," said
Tribal member Jessie Brann, Secretary of the
committee. "They come to us. And we advise
them and council on how to handle it. That's
our purpose."
Issues have a wide range, too. Securing Tribal
artifacts and relics, dealing with sacred sites, and
working with many different agencies, Federal
government, other Tribes all those comprise
the duty of the Culture Committee. The Tribe
felt so strongly about all this that they mandated
I . .
I ' vs.
I V
I HTr'1?tiTiV -isi
committee members take a 40-hour archaeology
course taught through the Umatilla Tribe. Mem
bers should at the very least know some funda
mentals of anthropology and archaeology.
"I believe that the Culture Committee is very
important to the Tribe in that we have so much
culturally significant stuff out there," added
Brann. "We need to preserve those. Every time
we lose an Elder we lose history.
"We need some sort of body out there docu
menting this stuff," she said. "People won't for
get. It's hard to have a future without parts of
your past. The past guides us to the future."
Though still evolving, expect to hear more
from the Culture Committee. B