Smoke Signals 5
DECEMBER 15, 2004
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By Ron Karten
dT y moAe Signals opened
2004 with news that tells
1 us more looking back
fmS now than it did back
then. We published a letter in the
January 1st issue from Tribal El
der Merle Holmes. He praised the
positives in our community, and
thanked various staff members for
their good work. It meant a lot to
Tribal members then, but looking
back, knowing that Merle has since
walked on and that these were
among his last public comments, the
words are more definitive than ever
about what he considered important
in life.
Along with Holmes's passing, the
Tribe this year lost many other El
ders, including Verna Larsen,
Orville Leno and Merle Leno.
In fact, the Tribe spent most of
the year in mourning over the
deaths of many Tribal members and
many non-Tribal members who
were an intregal part of the Grand
Ronde community.
Also this year, Tribal Elder Merle
Holmes held a traditional naming
ceremony for his son, Jim. For many
in the Tribe, this was the first time
they had seen a naming ceremony.
Also in the Letters section in that
first issue, Tribal member Frank H.
Hostler II, wrote to the community
from service in Iraq: "My fellow
members, I ask you if you are proud
i
& i
Rare Occassion Tribal member Jim Holmes, with blankets, gave away the
blankets and much more during the traditional naming ceremony. At far left was
Jim's father, Tribal Elder Merle Holmes, who sponsored the ceremony, and Taaw-lee-winch,
a Wasco Band of Warm Springs Elder, who led the ceremony. Sadly
Holmes, one of the original restorers of the Tribe, passed away earlier this year.
Ronde early this year to balance the
load between the two towns' post
offices.
Western Oregon University held
a pow-wow in January that drew
10 drum groups, 50 dancers and
hundreds of spectators.
Tribal member Erik Estrada, a
Medical Corps Specialist-also re
ported back from Iraq. He was on
hand when the sons of Iraqi dicta
tor Saddam Hussein were killed.
Tribal Elder Kenneth Lafferty
at Spirit Mountain Casino.
The Tribe was awarded a
$500,000 Indian Community Devel
opment Block Grant to help with a
project that will include the widen
ing of Grand Ronde Road.
The Tribal Community Fund that
has distributed more than $25 mil
lion;to community groups since
starting in 1997 received a Regional
Cooperative Project Award from the
Mid-Willamette Valley Council of
Governments.
Tribal member and Executive
Casino Host Tammy Cook got a big
hug from Wayne Newton.
Tribal members Jon George and
Bryan Langley were honored for 12
years of service to the Tribe. Karen
Larsen and Linda Mann were hon
ored for 10 years of service.
Chemawa Indian School in Salem
hosted a pow-wow celebrating 124
years of teaching.
The Tribe turned to a self-funded
health care insurance plan this
year. Administered by United Medi
cal Resources, Inc, the new plan is
expected to save the Tribe more than
$1 million annually, and provide a
new educational service in PRIDE,
(Preventing and Reducing Illness
through Detection and Education),
a free offering providing confiden
tial nurse health education.
The Willamina High School girls'
basketball team reached the play
offs for the first time in the school's
history. Later in the year, the
school's volleyball team, starring
many of the same athletes who
played on the basketball team, took
third at state.
The Spirit Mountain Lodge began
an expansion this year that will
more than double the number of
rooms. The project is nearing
completion now and will open for
business in 2005.
The Tribe removed the casino
complex from the community wa
ter system to be served by a newly
built facility that treats water from
the south fork of the Yamhill River.
The $1.65 million project provides
plenty of water for the lodge expan
sion and the community system
now also has plenty of water for the
foreseeable future.
Tribal member Pattie Tom Martin
received the annual Comerford
Award from DePaul Industries, given
to those making outstanding contri
butions in assisting the disabled.
Oregon Women Veterans, some
300 strong, met in the Tribal gym
nasium for the group's third bien
nial conference.
Nike hosted the first of what may
become a national program of Na
tive fitness training sessions at its
headquarters in Beaverton. The
sports apparel maker also hosted
basketball teams from the nation's
four Indian schools this year, and
also this year, Nike Native Ameri
can Business Manager Sam
McCracken (Red Bottom Clan of
Assinaboine) spoke with students in
the Tribal Education Center.
Tribal members attended a Na-
See REVIEW
on next page
"Welcome" Andre Heinz, the stepson of former presidential candidate John
Kerry, was at the Grand Ronde Pow-wow this year stumping for the Oregon Demo
cratic Party. Here Heinz (left) talks with Tribal Chairwoman Cheryle Kennedy (cen
ter) and Vice Chairman Reyn Leno.
of what, who you are, look into your
children's eyes and tell them you
love them!" Today, those words
mean so much more because Frank
is back home safe, his job done well.
Medicine Winds News named
Tribal Council Chairwoman
Cheryle Kennedy as "Woman of the
Year." In the current issue, we pro
file Nakima Kerchee, Editor and
Publisher of Medicine Winds News.
The Grand Ronde Station and
Convenience Store opened at the
end of 2003 but the news went pub
lic in Smoke Signals in the year's
first issue.
Willamina sent 22 addresses
including the casino's to Grand
retired after four years of patrol
ling Tribal properties as an em
ployee of ProStar Security.
Tribal Elder Don Day graduated
from the University of Oregon us
ing Chinook Wawa credits for his
foreign language requirement.
This was the first time, as far as we
know, that Chinuk Wawa was used
to fulfill a university language re
quirement. Day received a
bachelor's degree in Anthropology.
Tribal Elder Claudette Parazoo
left Tribal employment this year to
live on the Tulalip Reservation
with family.
Elvis, or somebody who looked
and sang just like him, appeared
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Gathering Tribes A delegation of Grand Ronde Tribal members attended a
fund raiser hosted by the Native American Film Institute to raise money for a movie
about the life and times of the legendary Native Actor Will Sampson, who starred in
the 1975 film "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest." Native artist Michael Horse (above)
donated several paintings to the fund, which raised $ 1 3 ,000 for the making of the film.