2 OCTOBER 15, 2003
Smoke Signals
Dear Tribal members:
I would like to take this time to thank all of you who voted for me. Although I
was not elected I will not be giving up, I intend to run this next year and hope
fully I can gain people's trust and they will get to know me and my visions and
ideas for the betterment of the Tribe and Tribal members. This year I intend to
spend much of my off work time educating myself on Tribal issues and attend
ing as many meetings as I can. Please feel free to approach me with your needs
and wants or any questions you may have. I would hope that some of you will
invite me to your homes to visit as I would like very much to get reacquainted
with many of you I haven't spent time with in a lot of years.
Again, thank you for your support and you can call me at home 503-879-1117.
Respectfully,
Joyce Bean Kirk
Roll 16
Dear Smoke Signals,
I would like to thank all the Tribal members who participated in voting this
year. We need more members to register and take part in our elections.
I would like to invite any and all Tribal members or their family members
who can't come to the monthly General Council meetings to send me their email
address. You see, I take notes at each meeting and then send my notes out to all
of those who are on my list, so far I have almost 100 people on my list. I believe
in open and honest communication and that the membership deserves to get
more information from these meetings then what is currently being provided. If
you want to be added to my email list, send me an email requesting to be added
to my list at dcl05msn.com.
Thank you once again for your participation in our election process.
Fred McGee
Roll 1172
To the Editor,
The Family of Tom Jones wishes to thank all who helped us in Tom's final
journey. A special thank you to Cheryle Kennedy, Gene LaBonte and Butch
LaBonte. We don't know what we would have done without your dedication. We
thank Tribal Council for helping us with expenses we did not know we had, for
Tom's burial. We wish to thank Tom's girls at Social Services when he was
director, for your thoughtful words and great memories. He indeed, is a hard
act to follow. We thank the Veterans of Grand Ronde and of NIVA for giving
Tom such an honorable service. Thank you Vernon Kennedy for the Drum, and
Jan Michael for lending his voice and flute.
We wish to tell the Grand Ronde membership of the Nisqually People, with
whom Tom was working when he left, of the great honor and respect they showed "
to our family, in Tom's name. Of their sorrow at his passing, of the generous
gifts of flowers, food, money to help us on our journey home. We were honored to
have brought Tom to them so they could say good bye. The Nisqually thanked
you, Grand Ronde, for having shared Tom with them.
We thank the Nee Me Poo, The Shoalwater Bay Tribe, Lummi. and Western
Shoshone, for attending Tom's service and sharing what he did to help you. We
thank NICWA and IHS. We thank Tom Ball, Alex Stone and Ed Edmo for being
with Tom at the end, as you were all together in the beginning. It was as it
should be.
Our family here, gives thanks and honor to our family in Grand Ronde. To
Bill Kellogg and his family, his wondrous wife and children for providing us a
place to shower and all the hard work you put in towards making us comfortable
and giving such a fine meal after the service.
We thank the extended family of ours whom we met, some for the first time,
and pray you keep in touch with us. We were so pleased to see you return to
Grand Ronde, to the Tribe, to us. It gives us, the family of Sarah (Sally) Hudson,
great pleasure to see you working and thriving at home, we look forward to more
stories and knowing you will be there when we find our way back.
We wish as Tom's legacy, that when we grow in our financial stability as a
Tribe, that we remember those Tribes still struggling. In our generosity to
many causes, museums, to the arts, that the casino has afforded us the opportu
nity to give, let us please remember the Tribes still unable to gain financial
stability. When given the blessing of being able to donate to help others, let us
remember all of Indian Country.
To all those whom Tom helped along the way, we hear your song, we feel your
prayers. You were never far from Tom's heart. He loved you at his time of
death as he did when he was working in Grand Ronde. Tom always had a plan
to return to Grand Ronde to again be with you. He had work to do before he
could. Tom Jones is now your ancestor, he has not left you, he has simply taken
another place to guide and watch over you.
To the Indian men who are stubborn to Western Medicine, please get check
ups, please take care of yourselves, listen to the women who are not nagging
you, but are loving you strongly. Do not wait too long. We need you.
So many did not have a chance to speak at Tom's service, and were kind
enough to tell us afterward what they wished to say. I ask those who did not
have that chance to speak, to write your stories down and send them to us as
keepsakes. We are sorry we could not hear all the stories, as they have been
such good medicine for us. Each story, each smile, and every tear has honored
and graced us beyond words.
Tom Jones will surely be missed in our daily lives, but his words, his song, his
constant love and unwavering support for Indian People everywhere, lives on in
each one of us.
In All Things Sacred,
Tom's family
o
PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
9615 Grand Ronde Road, Grand Ronde, OR 97347
1-800-422-0232 FAX: 503-879-2173
www.grandronde.org
DEADLINE DATE ISSUE DATE
Mon., Oct. 20 NOV. 1
Mon.,Nov.3 NOV. 15
Mon., Nov. 17 DEC.1
Fri., Dec. 5 DEC. 15
Fri., Dec. 16 JAN. 1,2004
2004 Deadline Schedule
Coming Soon...
PETATINDA
FREELANCE
JOURNALIST
503-879-1416
peta.tindagrandronde.org
a.. ......
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v V
BRENT MERRILL
PUBLIC INFORMATION
COORDINATOREDITOR
503-879-2321
brentmerrillgrandronde.org
JUSTIN PHILLIPS
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
503-879-2190
ustin.phillipsgrandronde.org
RON KARTEN
STAFF WRITER
503-879-4663
ron.kartengrandronde.org
SHELLY KENT
CENTRAL PHONES
503-879-521 1
shelly.kentgrandronde.org
SANDY BOBB
SECRETARY
503-879-1453
sandra.bobbgrandronde.org
SMOKE SIGNALS, a publication of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Commu
nity of Oregon, is published twice a month. No portion of this publication may be reprinted
without permission.
Our editorial policy is intended to encourage input from Tribal members and readers about
stories printed in the Tribal newspaper. However, all letters received must be signed by the
author, an address must be given and a phone number or email address must be included for
verification purposes. Full addresses and phone numbers will not be published unless re
quested. ,
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mined to contain libelous statements or personal attacks on individuals, staff, Tribal administra
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editor are the opinions and views of the writer. Published letters do not necessarily reflect the
opinions of SMOKE SIGNALS, Tribal staff, Tribal administration or Tribal Council.
Members of: Native American Journalists Association
The Associated Press
Additional Information September 15 issue: Tribal Elder Merle Holmes was shown the Huckleberry area by Sweet Home Ranger District Archaeologist Tony Farque and OSU
School of Forestry Staff Archaelogist Anne Rogers. Accompanying Holmes on the first berry pick were Tribal members Candy Robertson, Tribal Council member Ed Larsen and
former Tribal Chairwoman Kathryn Harrison. The elevation of the Cougar Rock area is 3,200-3,500 feet.