AUGUST 15, 2005
Smoke Signals 7
Grand Ronde Tribe In Congress
Dr. Joseph Stone testifies about the role that Post-Colonial Stress plays in Indian suicides.
By Spencer Olson,
Smoke Signals Intern
A shift in priorities at the Senate
Committee on Indian Affairs and a
last minute call to Grand Ronde put
Dr. Joseph Stone on the road to
Washington, D.C., and a seat before
this Congressional Committee on
Wednesday, June 15.
The topic of the day was Youth
Suicide Prevention and they
called on Stone because of his pio
neering work linking post-colonial
stress to many difficulties,
including teen suicide, across In
dian Country today (see Smoke
Signals, 31503).
Stone runs the Behavioral Health
Program at the health clinic in
Grand Ronde. He is a psychologist
licensed in Oregon and Washing
ton, and is internationally recog
nized for his work.
Stone's theory of post-colonial
stress as presented to the Congres
sional Committee includes five
stages:
Stage 1: Dispossession and Biologi
cal Warfare (Smallpox),
Stage 2: Indian Wars (Example:
Sand Creek Massacre),
Stage 3: Federal Residential
Schools & Religious Boarding
Schools,
Stage 4: Foreign Wars, Termina
tion & Relocation and
Stage 5: Crystal Methamphet
amine & Gangs
When the Indians were originally
moved from their Native lands and
given blankets riddled with small
pox, said Stone, child rearing took
a back seat to survival. All this
caused such post-traumatic issues
as depression, difficulty parenting,
and chronic stress. As a result, chil
dren failed to learn the basics of
parenting from parents who are
just trying to survive.
Stage 2: The children of Stage
One grew up and faced the Indian
wars. Once again child rearing took
turn learned it from their parents.
The process sets up the children of
one generation to be abusers in
the next generation.
Stage 4: The adults of this gen
eration dealt with all of the stresses
mentioned before, but at this point
alcohol was being used as a coping
v.
" 7. r; .
f J
,1
Dr. Joseph Stone
a back seat to survival causing all
the above stresses and problems.
This caused the children of Stage
Two to repeat the experience of
Stage One.
Stage 3: The age of the federal
and missionary boarding schools,
where harsh disciplinary actions
of physical and sexual abuse were
carried out if an Indian even
spoke in their Native languages.
Once Indians returned to their
families, they used these learned
abuses as disciplinary action for
their spouses and children, who in
mechanism and when pregnant
woman used it to cope, they ended
up exposing the unborn baby to
alcohol, so the next generation
showed increases in neurological
disorders caused by alcohol.
The final stage is present day:
children face the difficulties of be
ing raised in alcoholic families, as
well as having difficulties with
neurological disorders. But now
children are tempted by drug and
gang involvement as a means of
escape. Stone's conclusion is that
something that happened 500
years ago is having unseen effects
on today's youth.
The best way to deal with the situ
ation is to foster positive self-images,
said Stone. The goal, he said, is to
enable Natives to integrate with
other cultures and cultivate a strong
TribalNative identity. Behavioral
treatment, he said, must be suited
to an individual's needs.
Stone has worked at the Tribe as
the Behavioral Health Manager for
five years. Under his leadership,
the department has taken several
large steps towards a more effective
means for suicide prevention, push
ing particularly for increased re
sources and funding.
Before the Congressional Com
mittee, Stone again sought in
creased funding and resources for
behavioral programs. "We can of
fer the full range of services any
where else in the country can
offer," he said. "All of that is ex
pensive and time consuming. You
can't have quality health care and
fast, easy access" without funding
increases, said Stone.
More recently, at the "Weaving
Visions for a Healthy Future" con
ference sponsored by the federal
Indian Health Service on June 28
30 in San Diego, Stone co-presented
his theory with the Indian
Health Service's Director of Behav
ioral Health, Dr. Jon Perez.
To read Stone's full testimony
before Congress go to
www.indianz.com. At the search
bar, type in "Joseph Stone", then
click on "Senate Hearing addresses
native youth suicide." Scroll down
and click on panel II testimony.
HR Jones Property To Go Into Trust
Highway 18 property provides access to existing Tribal lands.
By Ron Karten
It is 24.11 acres of mostly flat
land zoned industrial. Across the
street from the casino's Human
Resources building, the property
fronts on Highway 18 and has ac
cess to the road.
The property also adds to the
Tribe's water rights.
Once the site of a local veneer mill,
the land has been assessed for con
tamination and with some tons of
soil removal due to engine oil con
tamination, AMEC Earth and En
vironmental, Inc., a London-based,
international environmental ser
vices company, has approved the
site as safe according to acceptable
environmental standards.
Ground water also was found to
be safe.
The seller, Corvallis-based States
Industries, Inc., was expected to
have removed the last remaining
pieces of mill equipment by the be
ginning of July.
The Tribe took possession of the
property on March 1, and intends
to put the land into Trust, accord
ing to Realty Specialist and Tribal
member Jan Michael Reibach, who
negotiated the deal over four years.
The Tribe has not yet announced
plans for the property.
4
Casino Company Picnic
u. Mil' li III iH T r . mm t " 'r -r, u - " k I i f , 1
V J y 1 -
Playtime Family members of Spirit Mountain Casino employees
(above) participate in a game of tug-a-war. Jake Bowers (below) age 1 1 ,
from Sheridan rides the Orbaton at the company picnic held at the
Willamina High School on Wednesday, August 3, 2005.