2 SEPTEMBER 1, 2002
Smoke Signals
Dear Smoke Signals,
Even forest fires can't stop a pow-wow.
In July, as I have for the past 18 years, I headed south to South Umpqua
Falls. As I pulled out of my driveway, all I could think of was the beauti
ful campground, the sound of the water as it cascaded over the falls and
the sound of the wind in the trees.
The "Falls" is a very old meeting place for the Tribal people from that
area. Many ceremonies have been held here; from healing circles to wed
dings. Every person I have ever talked to that has been there says the
same thing; "this place is powerful and special," and it is.
This is where I go to renew my strength, find myself again and stay in
touch with those things the Creator has given us to take care of. I have
seen a pair of eagles fly low, close to the meadow where we dance; I have
seen deer walking through the camps without fear; a hawk has landed
less than 5 feet away and just sat there watching me. It's sometimes hard
to explain, but this is the kind of place it is and you just don't find these
types of places very often anymore.
When we reached the campground, the talk was, of course, about the
fires. At that point no one felt we would be in any danger. The next few
mornings, it was smokey, but the breeze blew the smoke away by early
afternoon. Some of the Elders knew the area well and went up to the
lookout to see where the fires were and kept us informed. We also were
kept informed by the forest service personnel and county police.
Just as in years past, starting Friday morning folks rolled in steadily
and by mid-day on Saturday there must have been at least 500 people
camped. Saturday evening, after grand entry, it was announced that the
fire across the river, had been contained and that we were in no danger
from the other 2 fires behind and below us. A loud cheer went up; we all
knew we were okay and could relax and really enjoy ourselves. To say
the least, it was a wonderful place to be.
We woke Sunday morning to more smoke than before, but thought it
would probably clear up; but it got worse. This time, the rangers had bad
news. The fire across the river had "blown up" and they were watching it
closely. About 9:30 a.m. we were told we had to leave by noon. The
evacuation was very orderly; we all had time to say farewell to friends
and family and everyone was cooperative. No one was left to fend for
themselves and everyone worked together to help those who weren't able
to do it alone. Everyone left safely.
The next day we learned the fire across the river had "jumped" to the
campround side and we still don't know if the campground is safe; but we
are praying that it is.
When the fires are out and people are allowed to back up there, some
folks are going up to see if the campground is safe. I hope so, because I
can hardly wait to go back to South Umpqua Falls!
Dakota Whitecloud
Roll 1587
Dear Smoke Signals,
We would like to send our thanks and appreciation to the Confederated
Tribes of Grand Ronde for the opportunity to have new vinyl windows
installed in our home and have our cedar shake roof repaired and treated.
We could not have had this work done without the help of the Tribe and
for that we are extremely grateful.
We were so lucky to have Don Coon of the Home Repair Program over
see this project. He was so experienced, knowledgeable and personable
that we had complete confidence in him. We also would like to send our
thanks to Eugene Labunsky of West Coast Construction, Inc. and to his
employees, Ivan & Cody. Their craftsmanship was impeccable and they
provided very superior quality in all of the improvements they made to
our home. We highly recommend West Coast Construction to other Tribal
members that may benefit from the Home Repair Program.
Thank you, again, for this benefit. We are greatly enjoying the beauty
of the improvements to our home and look forward to much lowered utility
costs in the future.
Sincerely,
Michael Mercier
Roll 553, Tammy, Kelsey and Jordan
Congratulations Smoke Signals staff on taking awards at the Native
American Journalists Association (NAJA) conference. Your honors are
well deserved. Thank you for sharing this wonderful publication with
my family. We look forward to each edition.
Yetiva Allen
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