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.
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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
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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.
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Health Fair Held For Employees
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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.
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