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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (April 15, 2006)
6 APRIL 15, 2006 Smoke Signals Social Eating Tribal Elders Dorothy Greene, left, Kathryn Harrison, center, and Concentration Tribal Elder Dale Langley, at the best part of the crab feed, Norma Lee dig in at the Elders Crab Feed on March 27. when almost all of it is still to eat. Grand Ronde Tribal Elders Honored At Coquille Honor Day Dropping in on a meeting of the Elder's Committee. By Ron Karten With more than 500 Elders from Tribes across the Northwest partici pating in the Coquille's 10lh Annual Honor Day, (which was actually the whole weekend of March 17 and 18), what were the chances that two Grand Ronde Elders sitting at the same table would spend the weekend as King and Queen? Beneficiaries of this quandary, which may never be fully solved, were Tribal Elders Donna Stronach and Monty Parazoo, who took on the giddy mantel of royalty with a great deal of pleasure. "Everything was very well orga nized," said Stronach. Her gifts included a walking stick with tur quoise and gold plate embedded in deer horn, with feathers and beads and buckskin. She also received an overnight stay and meal at the casino in the future, a beautiful piece of lug gage, Rada cutlery, a Block crystal vase, jewelry and a signed Peggy O'Neal (Coquille) poster of a paint ing entitled, Eel Falls, and a Chief Joseph Dancing Shawl made by Pendleton. "I was especially glad to get the Chief Joseph Dancing Shawl be cause he reminded me of my great great grandfather Chief Joseph Shangretta," said Stronach. Shangretta was prominent in his time, and signed the 1855 Treaty on behalf of the Santiam Band of Kalapuya, and represented the Marys River Band after removal to the Grand Ronde Stron ach also won twice at Bingo. "You have to have these days once in 66 years, don't you think," she said. Parazoo received much the same in the way of gitts, in cluding the walking stick, the luggage, the complimentary night and dinner at the Coquille's Mill Casino. He received a poster and a wood carving of a salmon. i lit ' i J -' ' ; ' - s .a ! C5 Tribal Elders Monty Parazoo and Donna Stronach, still basking in the warmth of living as the royals live. They were named king and queen of the Coquille's Elder Honor Day weekend in March. "They had a crown for Donna," said Parazoo. "Mine was a green plastic derby." The Elders had the opportunity to tour the Coquille's new plankhouse and were entertained in person by the Tribe's Head Start class. "And now we have to go back to be ing regular people," said Para zoo. OnMarch 27, the Elders en joyed their annual Crab Feed, though in the inter est of full disclosure, this writer was feted with said crab, and as a result, now carries a bias in favor of Elders everywhere. Tribal members Rich Grout and Tim Haller, Tribal Elder Val Grout's son and son-in-law, caught some 200 pounds worth of crab at Garibaldi for the occasion. Val was along for the day, but the weather was so nasty, she said, she wound up sleeping in the car. Siletz Elder Honor Day was scheduled for April 11. At Warm Springs, the special day is sched uled for May 12. At Upper Skagit in Washington, Elders will be honored on June 14. On May 15, Grand Ronde Elders and their grown daughters will be celebrating Mother's Day. By early April in the Craft House, Elders had already put together beautiful bouquets for the occasion. On June 17, Elders will be celebrat ing Father's Day with a barbeque. Tribal Council member Jack Giffen arranged for 30 tickets to a Portland Trailblazers home game recently. "To me, it was great. It made me feel special," said Elders Committee President Louise Coulson. "A lot of us have never had the opportunity before. (The Trailblazers) lost, but it was still a lot of fun." Such are the current events keep ing Grand Ronde's Elders busy. "What Elders strive for," said Val Grout, "is to stay busy and have fun." B ."it " LJ LL -A ' k ".1 ,1. A V 1 Youth Education and Youth Prevention teamed up to make this year's camp trip a success. About 40 students participated in a three-day camp trip held at Camp Meriwether near Pacific City. The students, which included members of Grand Ronde, Chemawa and Siletz, were all treated to archery practice, storytelling and a leadership workshop titled "Rezology 101" instructed by Motivational Speaker Chance Rush (above). The camp trip was held during spring break from March 28-30. . Photos by Toby McClary 5W "U V 0
