Smoke Signals 13
Natives Combine Spirituality With Traditional, Cultural Beliefs
First Nations Gatherings held in West Salem at the Life Church.
MARCH 15, 2003
By Peta Tinda
"Acts 2:42... and they continued
steadfastly in the apostles doctrine,
and fellowship, and in breaking of
bread, and in prayers."
"That's what Indians like to do,"
said Karvk Tribal Elder Hugh
Grant, reciting his favorite passage
from the Bible. "We come together,
we like to visit, we like to eat, and
we like to pray. That about covers
what Native people did."
Grant was one of about 50 to 100
Natives and friends who meet once
a month to eat, socialize, sing and
pray to the Creator in a good way.
"We don't allow no preaching,"
said Grant, who drove down from
Portland with his wife, Mary. "It's
more about acceptance. There's no
pressure."
The Salem First Nations Gather
ing, as it's called, is held in the Life
Church in West Salem. The people
began to show up at six. They
gather and sit down to a potluck
dinner. They sat and ate and
laughed and visited. Many bought
kids or grandkids. Several famil
iar faces from Grand Ronde were
there.
Tribal Elders and Veterans
were there, too. People got
up and talked. No one
rushed. Then they all filed
into the pews and said a
prayer. Some people on the
stage began to drum, filling
the church with the sound.
Grand Ronde Tribal mem
ber and Color Guard Veteran
Bob Webb was there. When
asked why he came, he
pointed at the drum and said
- "What other church are you
going to hear a drum? You
can feel your heart beat with
it. When you're with your
people you can relax and let
if flow," said Webb.
Dale Wheeler, of Camas,
Washington, said he comes for the
feeling of acceptance that he only
gets with other Natives.
"It's a nice chance to meet. Yes,
most of us are Christian and Na
tive, but why can't we be Christian
and Native? We're all different
Tribes, coming together. That's
.-. I if I
M if. CJM
L JL3 O v taUw Jjiot wrf "it.
One Heart, One People Dale Wheeler, a Native from Camas, Washington,
speaks at the Salem First nations Gathering, a monthly meeting of Natives from around
Oregon and Washington whom come together to sing, drum and worship.
o "
Drum A prayer
and a Purple Heart
decorate the drum
of Marshall TallEagle,
a Native Veteran
who goes to the
gatherings regularly.
what's important," said Wheeler.
"We're here to honor Jesus Christ
as the Creator intended us to do,"
he said. "The Creator made us so
we can sing and drum and dance,
so why shouldn't we do those
things? Many are scattered and
this brings us together."
One of the main functions of the
gathering is to bring together Na
tives, many of who have been raised
in different denominations, and
put aside their differences and wor
ship together.
"There's more freedom of wor
ship," said Burns Piaute Tribal
member Vernon Kennedy. "We all
pray to one God, one Creator."
Kennedy said that he comes to
the gathering in part because the
drum reminds him of home.
"It inspires me," he said. "It lifts
my spirit up, hearing the drum and
being around the drum and being
with Native people and culture. I
feel like I'm at home with Native
people."
Kennedy said that many Natives
are afraid of churches because of
what happened in the past, but said
that this was less like a church and
more like a community gathering.
He encourages others to come and
participate in the gathering.
"We welcome anyone to come and
take part and listen and learn. We
want to see more Natives come and
be apart of this," said Kennedy. "It
gives us hope and strength."
For more information call Arlene
Harloufat (503) 370-7156.
Inter-Tribal Fish Commission Fighting BPA Salmon Decisions
2001 electricity scams cut fish and wildlife funds.
By Ron Karten
The Bonneville Power Administra
tion (BPA) is inefficient and unreliable,
an agency that is in "arrant violation
of its treaty trust responsibilities," ac
cording to Donald Sampson, Executive
Director of the Columbia River Inter
Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC),
and at the same time, it is "the
salmon's only hope." The quotes come
from a draft CRITFC op-ed piece he
brought with him to the Affiliated
Tribes of Northwest Indians (ATNI)
Winter conference in Portland on Feb
ruary 11, and the sentiment was the
heart of his presentation.
The 2001 Enron energy scams com
bined with California's stillborn at
tempt to deregulate the electricity
market, resulted in BPA purchasing
way too much of way too expensive elec-
BQuneviUe
I'owtT Administration
tricity. That led to this year's proposed
budget cutbacks, which could mean a
$139 million cap on fish and wildlife
power from California. It under-spent
$227 million of $252 million in fish and
wildlife money that it acquired from
3j
spending for 2003. Compare that with
$242 million that Northwest Indian
Tribes are proposing and $186 million
the agency originally intended to spend.
". . .The federal wholesale electricity
marketer oversubscribed the 29-dam
Columbia River Power System by more
than 3,000 megawatts in 2001 to alle
viate a baseless "energy crisis," lead
ing to a $1.2 billion budget
shortfall this year and a pos
sible 25 percent cut in fish
and wildlife funding," ac
cording to the op-ed draft.
"It used fish recovery
funds to pay for high cost
ratepayers. It breached fish and wild
life contracts with Columbia Basin
Tribes and routinely reneged on other
funding agreements."
At the same time, the feds have
thrown out their annual proposal to
privatize BPA, and limit the agency
to for-profit kinds of expenditures,
which would undoubtedly rule out any
funding at all for fish and wildlife.
While Northwest legislators fight off
the privateers, fish and wildlife are left
holding the bag.
"Like it or not," according to
Sampson's op-ed piece, "Bonneville,
with its meager support for fish and
V.
i
I Iri I;
wildlife programs, is the salmon's only
hope."
At the same time, ATNI represen
tatives unanimously passed a resolu
tion in support of "a complete finan
cial and management audit of BPA's
implementation of the Fish and Wild
life Program..."!