Smoke Signals 3
MAY 15, 2003
Tribal Community Meetings Visit Tualatin, Eugene and Grand Ronde
Tribal members have a lot to say on issues as varied as health care, benevolence and enrollment.
Kim Rogers
By Ron Karten
This year's
Tribal member
Community Meet
ings enjoyed twice
the turnout in the
Portland and Eu
gene areas as last
year but rare sun
shine on the day of
the Grand Ronde
meeting cut into
this year's num
bers slightly, ac
cording to Kim Rogers, Policy and Plan
ning Division Manager, and organizer
of the event.
Each session included short presen
tations describing the past year's
changes and achievements. Tribal En
gineer Eric Scott and Housing Depart
ment Executive Assistant Terri White
also presented information on future
goals.
Then, each meeting broke into small
groups. Participants within each made
suggestions to improve different pro
gram areas within the Tribe.
Regarding health services, the wide
ranging list included stability of provid
ers and services. A number of sugges
tions focused on reducing turnover in
personnel at the Health and Wellness
Center. One suggestion sought "one
leader in charge, not three" and to
"downsize the clinic" while increasing
professional staff. Others proposed more
"traditional healing," coverage for orth
odontics and "improved billing services."
Others wanted to expand transportation
services, whether for Elders or for Tribal
members out of town.
Regarding that broad area of services
called Benevolence, Tribal members
sought a firewood program and a spe
cial circumstance assistance fund (re
cently instituted by Tribal Council).
On the other hand, another Tribal
member proposed that before making
Tribal Benevolence available, a "genu-
"written transcripts of Tribal Council
meetings," less economic development
and more programs for youth, an "edi
torial section" in Smoke Signals, jobs
training for unskilled Tribal members,
after care for Tribal members complet
ing drug and alcohol rehabilitation, a
drug and alcohol hotline, an arts and
cultural center for Tribal members,
I
r-r ; I
a
n
. A
Shared Information Annually, the Tribal Council reaches out to the
membership in a series of community meetings. The meetings are designed to
gather input from the Tribal membership and give members face-to-face time
with their elected officials and Tribal administrators. Meetings were held in Tualatin
on Thursday, April 17, Eugene on Tuesday, April 22 and in Grand Ronde on
Thursday May 1. At the Tualatin meeting, Tribal member and Risk Manager
Debby Larsen listened to input from members with concerns about health care.
ine need" ought to be ensured.
There was a suggestion that those
living in Elder Housing should not be
required to pay utilities.
Various Tribal members sought
and "a bigger buffet" there is cur
rently too long a wait.
In addition, Tribal members had a
number of recommendations regard
ing Tribal Council. One proposed that
Tribal Council pay increases be ap
proved by a vote of the general mem
bership. Another suggested the Tribal
Council members take Chinuk lan
guage classes. And a third proposed
ethics and professionalism classes for
Tribal Council and Tribal managers.
"I think it was a very good thing that
went on here tonight," said Tribal
member Harriet Peters.
However, Tribal member Shawn
Hostler was not so enthused with the
proceedings. "I don't feel that my in
put is heard or acted upon." She added
that the vital (Tribal Council) discus
sions are held during the day when the
rest of the membership is not part of it.
She conceded that the Community
meeting effort could be a valuable part
of the solution, but insisted, "it is only
one tool." She also complimented the
new Council Forum (now Council
News) publication put out by the Pub
lic Information office, calling it, "a little
more program-oriented."
"We need better reports in the Gen
eral Council meetings. We need posted
agendas in advance and especially (be
fore meetings) Wednesday nights.
And finally, she suggested that
Smoke Signals institute "a true edito
rial page, not one run through Legal."
"I like the face-to-face interaction,"
said a Tribal member who has since
been nominated as a candidate for
Tribal Council and in accordance with
Smoke Signals policy, will not be
named for the duration of the political
campaign. "I think we need more stuff
like this."
Piestewa Death Again Raises Indian Name Issue
Piestewa continued from front
as hero was an effort by Arizona
Governor Janet Napolitano to
have two controversial place
names Squaw Peak and Squaw
Peak Freeway renamed to
Piestewa Peak and Piestewa Peak
Freeway.
"It's too bad anytime somebody
has to die to get something accom
plished," said Tribal Vice Chair
Reyn Leno. "They won't be able
to see it."
And it's not a done deal yet.
"I know the situation in Arizona
was more complicated," said
Champ Vaughan, Vice President
of the Oregon Geographic Names
Board and co-chair of The Squaw
Names Subcommittee. "Renam
ing the feature for a military per
son, it cannot be renamed until
five years after a person is dead."
Arizona State Senator Jack
Jackson and his son, State Rep
resentative Jack Jackson Jr., both
members of the Navajo Nation
from Window Rock, have tried
unsuccessfully since the 1980s to
get those names changed through
the state legislature. Senator
Jackson was ecstatic with the
Governor's effort.
"If it wasn't for her, it never
would have happened," said Jack
son. "People here are so insensi
tive to needs of Native people of
the state."
When it comes to changing In-
page
dian terms long used for public or
geographic places, for athletic
teams and mascots, for cars and
trucks and RVs across the country,
sr- . n ;
f PO "
Yet To Be Changed - This creek, just a
short drive from Grand Ronde, has yet to be tar
geted by folks who would like to see all names
deemed derogatory to Native Americans
changed.
terms considered racist and de
meaning by many Native Ameri
cans, the effort can require a
Piestewa-sized sacrifice, as in Ari
zona, while in other places, like
Oregon, a simple educational pro
cess seems to have done the job.
Oregon Senate Joint Memo
rial 3, which sailed through
the Legislature almost with
out opposition in the 2001
Legislature, urged "state and
federal officials to remove the
term squaw from geographic
place names in Oregon."
In fact, however, the first
change came in Harney
County four years before the
Legislature acted. And since
the Memorial, five more name
changes have gone by with
out a hitch or significant ob
jection, according to
Vaughan.
As far back as 1992, The
Oregonian stopped printing
Native American mascot
names in their sports cover
age. If there is a downside to the
Oregon experience, it may be
that acceptance has also en
abled the Tribes to let the is
sue slide. With some 140
"squaw" names still out there,
the six changes to date do not
amount to an overwhelming
Indian mandate against the
names, and no significant
new efforts have been launched, ac
cording to Vaughan.
For Tribal member John
Mercier, the subject has not been
too upsetting. Some of the ob
jections come out as "whining" to
him, where simple education is
what's needed.
But the Cleveland Indians still
use Chief Wahoo as its team mas
cot. The University of Illinois still
uses the Chief Illiniwek mascot.
The Washington Redskins, At
lanta Braves, Chicago
Blackhawks and Kansas City
Chiefs have not changed their
names.
"I'm not saying that anybody
who uses an Indian name is
overtly racist," said Tony
Johnson, Education Coordinator
for the Tribe's Cultural Resources
Department. "But once the
question is raised... My question
is, can you ever put another
minority's name in there (where
an Indian name now is)?"
"Take heart," said Suzan
Shown Harjo, on an ESPN
internet chat session, part of the
Outside the Lines series on Na
tive Americans and sports. Harjo
is President and Executive Di
rector of The Morning Star In
stitute, a national, non-profit
Indian rights organization for
Native Peoples' traditional and
cultural advocacy, arts promotion
and research. "These Native ref
erences in sports are going the
way of the lawn jockeys."