OCTOBER 15, 2005
Smoke Signals 3
Tribal Leaders Take Their Case To Nation's Capital
WASHINGTON, D.C.
continued from front page
wards Indian gaming should be fair
and consistent for all Tribes and that
there should not be a separate policy
for each individual Tribe.
In order to make their point at the
federal and highest state levels, Tribal
officials traveled to Washington D.C.
to bring their message and to deliver
a proposed amendment to the current
Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA)
Section 20 that pertains specifically to
off-reservation casinos.
"We are very hesitant of amending
IGRA, but we recognize the need to ad
dress controversy that has surrounded
the off-reservation debate and threat
ens the delicate balance of the Indian
gaming industry throughout the coun
try," said Grand Ronde Tribal Council
Vice-Chairwoman Angie Blackwell.
The key to the amendment proposed by
Grand Ronde is the idea that Tribes must
concur with each other if a Tribe wants
to encroach on another's traditional ar
eas. Many of the Tribes brought to the
i
i oj H
Department of
Interior Secretary
Gale Norton
Grand Ronde
Reservation in
the 1850s
came from the
Columbia
River area and
specifically the
Cascade Locks
area. Accord
ing to Tribal
historical
documents,
one of the
Tribe's treaty signers was located near
the current Cascade Locks site.
Grand Ronde officials believe that
gaming is only one of the issues at
stake and say that cultural issues like
the dissemination of artifacts and other
culturally significant finds are also of
extreme importance.
Blackwell, Leno and Giffen kept a
whirlwind pace during the three-day
trip to D.C. They met with State Rep
resentatives, Senators and Congres
sional delegates and their staff in
crowded offices and historic hallways be
tween official business like voting on Hur-
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Number 707 The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde offered to build a
baseball stadium in 2004 in hopes to lure the then-Montreal Expos to Portland.
Governor Ted Kulongoski turned down the Tribe's proposal to bring Major League
Baseball to Oregon and the team instead went to Washington D.C. and became
the Nationals. This season, the Nationals first in the nation's capitol, brought super
star baseball players like the San Francisco Giant's controversial homerun slugger
Barry Bonds to town on a regular basis and boosted the city's economy. Bonds,
pictured here hitting career homerun number 707, led his team to a 5-1 victory
over the Washington Nationals on Wednesday, September 2 1 .
The Halls of
Congress Tribal
Council members Reyn
Leno (back to camera, left)
and Angie Blackwell,
Tribal Attorney Rob Greene
and Public Affairs consult
ant Justin Martin met in the
hallway of the Nation's
Capitol with Oregon State
Representative Earl Blumenauer (in bow tie) and staff
Danny Ly. Grand Ronde leaders were explaining their
opposition to a casino project in the Columbia River
Gorge to Oregon elected officials. This statue of Chief
Washakie ofWyoming territory was the only visible
tribute to Native Americans at the capitol.
ricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita re
lief for the people of Louisiana and Mis
sissippi. Sometimes the officials made
brief appearances Earl Blumenauer
left a meeting to meet with Grand Ronde
leaders for less than a minute and Sena
tor Ron Wyden stopped his busy sched
ule long enough to say hello while each
of his sentences took him a step closer
to the exit. Some officials, like Congress
woman Darlene I looley, sat down with
our leaders and staff for half an hour or
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more.
Grand Ronde Tribal Council mem
bers made the point that Cascade
Locks is part of the historical and ceded
lands of Grand Ronde specifically the
people of the Kalapuya, the Clackamas
and the Molalla. Grand Ronde officials
believe that they should be consulted
and brought into the planning process
early on if another Tribes wishes to en
croach on the Tribes traditional lands.
Grand Ronde officials said they believe
such an amendment to the current
IGRA language would benefit all Tribes
in Oregon and throughout the country.
Blackwell, Leno and Giffen took
turns filling in officials about the past
and present situations that Grand
Ronde Tribal members face in regards
to culture and economic status. Some
of the differences between the two
Tribes current situations are stark
Warm Springs was never terminated
and has lived on their land from time
immemorial. Grand Ronde Tribes were
terminated in 1954 and relocated
throughout the country by misguided
government policy toward relocation.
Warm Springs' Tribal members live on
750,000 acres of land and enjoy many
economic development opportunities
like wind and hydro power. Grand
Ronde has a 9,811 acre reservation
that consists of timber land.
Warm Springs' officials have tried to
move their casino operations to what
they consider to be the more lucrative Co
lumbia River Gorge since 1998. Warm
Springs' officials initially sought permis
sion to develop the land they own in Hood
River but faced opposition not only from
their own Tribal members but the people
of Hood River as well.
Ties between the two Tribes run
deep. Early efforts by Grand Ronde
people to achieve recognition of their fed
eral status were supported by Warm
Springs' leaders and the current chair
woman of the Grand Ronde Tribe
Cheryle Kennedy lived on the Warm
Springs Reservation as a child. The con
nection of the Tribal people is one of the
main reasons Grand Ronde officials
want Oregon's leaders to understand
their opposition to a Gorge casino. The
opposition is based on the fairness, or
lack of fairness, in the current policy of
Oregon Governor Kulongoski not prob
lems between the Tribes.
Rumor Brings Crowd To Mid-Week Tribal Council Meeting
Unsigned letter warning of per-capita and Elder pension cuts is debunked.
By Ron Karten
A Tribal Council meeting was held
on Wednesday, September 28, at the
Governance Building's Council Cham
bers. The moveable wall at the back
of the chambers was opened and the
crowd of more than 150 spilled out
across the atrium.
Here are the highlights:
Tribal Chairwoman Cheryl Kennedy
called the meeting to order. Tribal
Elder and council mem
ber Wesley "Buddy" West
offered the invocation.
"I want all of our Tribal
members to know that
we're aware that this in
formation was circulated
about the Tribal Council's
intent to reduce the El
ders' Pension Plan and to
reduce per capita; and
when we looked at it, it
was surprising because
the Tribal Council has not
even discussed the 2006
budget," said Kennedy.
Department managers will present
their budgets to Tribal Council begin
ning October 14, said Kennedy. After
that, the Tribal Council will formulate
a budget that will be presented to the
general membership for their com
ment scheduled November 6 at the
General Council meeting. Comments
will be accepted through December 15
when the Tribal Council will vote on
the budget.
"No action has been taken," she said,
"and none has been discussed."
Tribal members described the prob
lems caused by meth addiction in the
community, and potential solutions. At
the time of the meeting, the Tribe was
awaiting word on a nearly $600,000
grant to be split between the two years
of a proposed program for addressing
the meth problem in the community.
That grant has been approved.
Tribal Elder Betty Bly said that if
employees get a cost-of-living raise each
year, then Tribal Elders also ought to
get an annual cost-of-living raise.
Another Tribal member said that
many casino employees do not get an
nual cost-of-living raises, and even af
ter 10 years, they do not get financial
bonuses but only "a piece of paper" say
ing thank you.
There was a complaint about en
tries on a website concerning Tribal
activities; and another about Tribal
Council member Chris Mercier's tape
recording the meeting. A number of
people expressed their disappoint
ment that more Tribal members are
not hired for casino and governance
positions.
Tribal members questioned Commu
nity Fund grants to the Polk County
Sheriffs office when it is not adequately
serving the Tribal community. Tribal
Council member Angie Blackwell said
that the Community Board is planning
to reduce funding for the Polk County
Sheriff in the years ahead while also
forging closer ties with the Yamhill
County Sheriffs office.
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Sign Of The Times After a rumor went around the community about per
capita and Elder pension cuts.Tribal Elder Marcia Bolton displayed this sign in the
front of her house. "They (Tribal Council) don't have a right to touch that money,"
said Bolton. "It belongs to the Tribal membership."