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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 1, 2005)
Smoke Signals 3 AUGUST 1, 2005 Enrollment Tops The List Of Tribal Member Priorities Unscientific sampling at community meetings nevertheless provides guidance for future council decisions. to By Ron Karten Changes to the Tribe's Enrollment ordinance mostly to make enroll ment easier came out on top of all issues important to Tribal members. Hundreds expressed their prefer ences during four Community Mem bership meetings held throughout the Northwest this year. There was less agreement, how ever, about how to change the or dinance. In Tacoma, 39 suggested making enrollment criteria l16lh Grand Ronde blood only. Thirty one wanted the enrollment to remove the "ancestor on the restoration roll" requirement. Ten more ex pressed the need for a similar change, seeking to remove the "parent on the roll requirement." In Eugene, 23 wanted to change enrollment criteria to "any lineal descendent of an individual on any pre-existing Grand Ronde roll." Twenty two sought to have included among members "any child born to a Grand Ronde Tribal member." Ten more opposed so-called "Tribe shop ping," by which members of other Tribes relinquish that membership to join another, often richer, Tribe. Nine wanted to allow full access to enrollment for blood siblings. In Portland, 34 sought to reverse the 1999 enrollment amendment, and 23 suggested that the Tribe drop the requirement that parents f DC I a',P.: nj rv i . .' '.. Convenience Shown here is the Tribe's Eugene Satellite Office. In past community meetings.Tribal members who live outside the Grand Ronde area have expressed interest in having satellite offices close to where they live. Tribal member Jon Darcy is now in charge of the Eugene Satellite Office. be on the membership roll when their child is born. Each vote does not necessarily represent the view of a different Tribal member because Tribal mem bers "can vote several times for the same item and can participate at all the community meetings if they feel the need to," according to the report on the meetings prepared by Kim Rogers, the Tribe's Planning and Grants Development Manager. "Most significant" about the process for Rogers "was the meeting in Tacoma." It was the first meeting held outside of Oregon and "the turn out was very good," he said. About 80 attended, more than at either the Portland or Eugene meetings. Among all the meetings, a desire to make Grand Ronde and the ca sino "more of a destinationfamily resort," with 40 votes, emerged in second place among members. Twenty suggested youth recreation facilities in Grand Ronde. Nineteen wanted a Tribal museum or cultural center. Eighteen sought an Ethics Committee. Sixteen sought spousal benefits "across the board." About 125 Tribal members, in cluding Tribal Council members and staffers, attend an average General Council meeting held usu ally on the first Sunday of each month, except the summer months when Tribal members are running for council and folks are generally scattered here and there for vaca tions and whatnot. A lot of community input also is gained at each of these meetings. An average of a little more than 70 came to each of the Community Membership meetings held in Eu gene, Portland and Tacoma. A fourth Community Membership meeting was included during the May General Council meeting in Grand Ronde. Attendance at these meetings rep resent only a small percent of the Tribe's nearly 5,000 members, and as such are not thought to be a nec essarily accurate view of Tribal member opinion, but they do offer Tribal members the chance to speak up and be heard on issues impor tant to them, and for Tribal Coun cil to take these views into account. For more details on the report, Tribal members can contact Rogers at 503 879-2250, or through the Tribe's 800 number, 1-800-422-0232 ext. 2250. m r T: m: ! ' ' 1 wir H',1 ' , " "T' J... t 't ' art, mm t I "..'I -Sit.-, .a " ? L S. i.mur-imJt TV Hi ; If tXi. t.afetWl afc (few!. A" liw.' it j'li.fw, W- j Wat .SsHtA--- V. Vi - iJWOii. 'V 1 fey 1 ( i '"V 1 lA k. w,iimnn)iiiiwmwwt i iv u r : 1- " w f, Health Fair Held For Employees V-. "- , ,(j m 1 ild Getting Healthy Scholarship Coordinator and Coastal Band of the Chumash Nation Tribal member Luhui Whitebear shops for items at the Health and Safety Fair put on by Spirit Mountain Casino on Tuesday, June 28. At right, Nick Tungate, Prep Cook for the casino, has his eyes checked by Research Coordinator for Devers Eye Institute Judy Thompson. I 1 rlM i vi ,;;a, -
