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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (March 15, 2003)
MARCH 15, 2003 MA li n. KE (is "1, 1 1 A Publication of the Grand Ronde Tribe www.grandronde.org (mm aamosm Cult ure ssue: U , fir: .,,, f 1' I ill r V1 i: 1 3" f I . j , .-w, ...... . "V, 1 r I History Baskets from the Grand Ronde collection are currently on display at the Mission Mill Museum in Salem until April 17. The baskets showcase the skill and artistry of Willamette Valley Natives. Tribal Elders Kathryn Harrison (left) and Merle Holmes (right) attended the display's opening. This issue of Smoke Signals is dedicated to our Tribe's Cultural program with several stories inside that relate to cultural issues. Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow Tribe's Cultural Program works on a wide variety of projects. Stories and Photos by Ron Karten With a staff of nine, the Cultural Resources Department manages the cultural collection, protects impor tant cultural sites and teaches Chinukwawa. "We're working together to iden tify, preserve and restore the Tribe's cultural resources and to revitalize common practices that are still of interest to the Tribe," said Tribal member June Olson, Manager of the Cultural Resources Depart ment. History, however, "is equally im portant and may be larger than tra ditional practices," said Olson. Ques tions like, who the Tribes were and what life was like for them before Restoration and back through his tory are not taught in school and it falls to the Cultural Resources De partment to fill that teaching role. The Cultural Collections team June Olson manages the physical record of the Tribes. This includes the clothes and tools, the shelters and weap ons made by and used by the Tribes; photographs and drawings, documents and books relating to Tribal history and culture, as well Cultural Department continued on page 7 ifli Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon 9615 Grand Ronde Road Grand Ronde, Oregon 97347 Address Service Requested Serials Dept. - KniSht Library 1259 UNIUERSITV G? G&FG0N EUGENE OR 974Q3-12Q5 " PRESORTED FIRST-CLASS MAIL U.S. POSTAGE PAID SALEM, OR PERMIT NO. 178 Trke)s flasket )isplatj rings jistory Jo Lire Cultural Department staff members play a key role. By Peta Tinda The Western Oregon basketry display at the Mission Mill Museum in Salem presents the form, func tion and beauty of traditional Na tive baskets and leaves the viewer with a better understanding of the people that made them. The baskets of the display are all the work of Willamette Valley Na- Baskets continued on page 5 Bringing The Summers Collection Home Hundreds of items have been in storage in Lon don for 100 years; only three have been displayed. By Ron Karten In December, a Tribal delegation from Grand Ronde traveled to Lon don for a viewing of the 125-year-old Summers collection. This was the latest step in a 15-year effort to repatriate the single most important collection of Grand Ronde Indian artifacts. At 300 pieces, the collection will be a sizeable addition to the 1,100 piece collection the Tribe now has, but its full value goes beyond the individual pieces. "What makes this one so special," said Lindy Trolan, Cultural Collec tions Specialist for the Cultural Resources Department of the Con federated Tribes of Grand Ronde, "is the variety and that all can be traced back to one particular place here. You know, in many cases, we know what household (the ob jects) came from, who was the maker and where they came from... To have the wealth of in formation (that accompanies) the Summers collection is unheard of." Collection continued on page 8
