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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 15, 2003)
Smoke Signals Govemmeet-To-Goverameet Su All nine Tribes were represe NOVEMBER 15, 2003 By Ron Karten Tribal leaders from the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde had hoped for a sign from the Governor at the Sixth Annual State Tribal Government-to-Government Summit. Despite the words shared by the Governor in his address, Tribal officials were still left won dering how those words would play out in his actions in the future. At the conference, Governor Ted Kulongoski said about Tribal sovereignty issues, that state law now requires the state to "not just deal - but deal fairly. Deal consistently. And deal respect fully" with the nine federally recognized Tribes in Oregon. "The law will be enforced," he said. "The letter of the law. And the spirit of the law. We're going to talk straight to each other. We are go ing to listen carefully to each other. We are go ing to make decisions together. And then we are going to act on those decisions." "I believe it is critical that those representing state government understand and acknowledge your unique histories, languages and cultures," he said. Grand Ronde Tribal Council Chairwoman Cheryle Kennedy told the gathering, "Together we can accomplish great things. Together we can be respectful of each other. To establish a relationship, we have to keep an open mind." Tribal Council Liaison Charles Haller II won dered if the Governor's use of the word, 'unique,' in relation to Tribal-state relationships foreshad owed different policies for different Tribes, or more specifically, a foundation for allowing a Warm Springs casino in Cascade Locks while disallowing one in Portland for the Grand Ronde Tribe. And by way of comparison, Haller pointed to Kennedy's emphasis on keeping 'an open mind.' "I do believe he has misinformation and per haps has already made commitments he can't undo," said Kennedy after the conference. "Per haps he has his mind made up." On the surface, however, the state and Tribes stalked a lot of common ground. Coos, Lower Umpqua & Siuslaw Tribal Chair Ron Brainard said that his Tribe was "thankful for what we've accomplished and hopeful for the future." Coquille Tribal Chair Ed Metcalf called the session, "a remarkable forum. The rest of the world could learn from our professionalism." Umatilla Tribal Chair Gary Burke named salmon restoration, and economic development as "issues of mutual con cern" and said that "to make life better for the next generation - I beicve that's why we're all here." "Warm Springs Tribal Chair Garland Brunoe said that "in a few short months, we have cemented the sovereign rela tionship of the Tribe with the state." He praised the Governor for signing SB 180, which he said recognizes Tribes as primary providers of Trans portation, ending the "era of begging counties for services." At the same time, he expressed disappointment with the Governor's appointments to the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission. Siletz Vice-Chair Jessie Davis expressed con cern about the time it takes to put land in Trust for Tribes. ' III : 1 m r ri fih : ! , ' j I "''.- ' v ' fA U If" - fi 1' t ft ( . ' 'l ?: it- j Head Of State Governor Ted Kulongoski addressed more than 200 at the Government-To-Government Summit. He pledged to work in a fair, consistent and respectful way with Oregon's nine federally recognized Tribes. Leaders of the nine sovereign nations described successes and challenges ahead in their dealings with the state of Oregon. "The Burns Paiute seemed to be a Tribe in another country," said Burns Paiute Tribal Chair Dean Adams of the Tribal-state relation ship in recent years. "Our people have struggled and struggled. Now, it's time to turn that over." Klamath Tribes Vice-Chair Joe Hobbs noted that "the path of progress is seldom smooth," but asked, "Are we not made better for the ef- ggft mmmp -m mffli gm&R 'mr mvfmtomi m - (II fort and the sacrifice?" Breakout sessions covered broad legal, cultural and economic development issues. "I especially liked the points in legal," said Tribal Council member Jan D. Reibach. "The Department of Justice is looking at us as equal to any other government. That made me feel good, and well we should be." However, Tribal Attorney Rob Greene noted that dealing government-to-government is of ten more of a political question than a legal one. "We still need to educate the state about Tribal law," he said. It became clear during the session that laws addressing Tribal interests are passed without teeth and that state agencies need continued vigilance to maintain the integrity of cultural sites. In that regard, the state Department of Trans portation presented a video describing the im portance of consulting Tribes when dealing with important cultural sites. In the Economic Develop ment session, the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Indians Chief Executive Officer Sue Shaffer described the Tribe's diversified collection of eco nomic development successes. From Umpqua Indian Foods to printing and telecommunica tions projects, from real estate development to the Seven Feathers Casino, the Tribe employees 1,300 pro viding an average wage of $9.79 an hour plus benefits for a $33 million payroll. "Amazing stuff is going on in Indian Coun try," said Brady Scott, Chief Executive Officer for the Coquille Economic Development Corpo ration of the Coquille Indian Tribe, now the sec ond largest employer in Coos County. As with other Tribes, the casino - in this case the Mill Casino - is "the engine that generates development," according to Scott. This Tribe's mix of projects includes an assisted-living, resi dential community specializing in Alzheimers 4
