Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 2003)
NOVEMBER 1, 2003 Restoration Issue 3 ll Ii3 " lination forever linked Design Harrison the added benefit of opening Indian lands to development by timber and farming interests in the area. Oregon, at the time, was the nation's leading timber producer, and it was no coincidence, accord ing to Furse, that the head of the Department of the Interior at the time was former Oregon governor Douglas McKay. "It was a land grab. It was a timber grab," she said. It also came at a time when liberals "be gan to place less emphasis on redistri bution of wealth and more on eco n o m i c growth," ac cording to In dian Metropolis, written by histo rian James B. LaGrand. In addi tion, LaGrand wrote, liberals supported "a civil rights movement that emphasized individual rights based on equality under the law and retreated from rights based on special group status in the wake of Nazi Germany's use of group status for deadly purposes." The arguments were convincing. Many Indians, back from the war, supported the concept of equal rights, and in addition, were look ing for a way to borrow money for land and home purchases, some thing not possible until very re cently on Reservation land. Ter mination would provide all that, plus a one-time payment for agree ing to sell Reservation lands. Not all Indians were ready to give up their Tribal recognition, how ever, according to Tribal member Brent Merrill, Grand Rondes' Pub lic Information Officer. "A lot of Tribal members hid out rather than vote for Termination," he said. Though the facade of a vote for Termination by 61 Oregon Indian bands was transmitted to Washing ton, "in no case was there a real vote," said Furse. "Someone from the BIA said, Tou might as well get used to it, because it's going to happen anyway,'" ac cording to Kathryn Harrison. Termination was, of course, not all bad for all Indians. Without tra ditional ways or traditional support systems, Tribes languished, but within homes and families, indi- 1i if o 1 ' f ... it " ! v 11 , I L , i' ' ' ' ' -A i y is V ft 1 I it V- i '; , . 7 v Tribal Police Force Settlers feared that when the United States Army ended their occupation of the Grand Ronde Indian Reservatiqrijn 1866 that the Natives would be free to commit crimes against the white man. As part of a negotiated withdrawal of troops in the area, a Tribal Police force and Court System was set up. The men in this picture were the first Tribal Police force circa 1866 (left to right) Foster Wachino, Stephen Foster, Jim Foster, Chief Joseph Shangretta (seated), Isaac Stevens, David Leno and Frank Quenelle. viduals worked hard and families helped each other. Many of the harsh excesses of Indian schools, meant to mainstream Indian youth, were passed, and local Tribal Elders today talk about the benefits of attending the Indian School at Chemawa. President Lyndon Johnson offi cially reversed termination as a fed eral policy in 1968, but it was not until 15 years later that the move ment made its way to Grand Ronde. If some individuals succeeded without federal recognition, the Tribal Council realized, in Furse's words, "It was not about me and you, it's about the Tribe." The work of Restoration had the humblest of beginnings. Tribal Council member Ed Larsen remem- i 4 1 - t " '4. 1 ,1 t - 1 ,, 4 . - - t ' j , ' A i Symbol Of A Different Time The former Fort Yamhill right after being moved to Grand Ronde where it was known simply as the "Blockhouse." While located on the Grand Ronde Reservation, the building was used as a jail. Natives were routinely beaten, hung and shot in the Blockhouse during its use in the area. The Blockhouse was moved to Dayton around the turn of the century where it sits today. Current Tribal Elders say it probably would have been burned had it not been moved in the night. This picture was taken soon after the structure was placed in Grand Ronde (see the new fence and clean ground around the building). The pipe sticking out of the top floor is not a cannon, but a stovepipe. The top floor is offset from the bottom level to allow soldiers to place their rifles through holes in the floor to protect the Fort from attack. o 4- o Q.
