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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 15, 2007)
6 JANUARY 15, 2007 Smoke Signals Grand Ronde Delegation Attends Inaugural Ball By Siobhan Taylor Twenty representatives from The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde attended the Inaugural Hall for Oregon Governor Ted Kulongos ki. The Hall took place Saturday, January 6 in the Oregon Conven tion Center. Members of the Tribal Council who attended the event were Chair man Chris Mercier, Vice Chair An gie HIackwell, and council members Wesley "Huddy" West, Val Sheker, Kathy Tom. They attended with their guests and members of the Tribe's Executive Team. Randy Dugger, General Manager of Spirit Mountain Casino and Lynn Hill man, Kxecutive Gaming Director also attended. "It's important to remember that while we find ourselves at opposite sides of the debate with the gover nor on off-reservation gaming, we do believe it is important to work with him, as a sovereign govern ment to cooperate on what's best for Tribal people. "said Chairman Mercier. "Our Tribe needs to con tinue to build bridges at a commu nity level and at a state level. Our attendance at the event is part of that." Mercier mentioned hunting and fishing rights, alternative fuel, education, healthcare and the envi ronment as areas the Tribe needs to work with the Governor and state officials to address. Legislators, business leaders and Tribal leaders were out in full force. At least 2,000 people packed the ball room. Tribal representatives attended a private reception with r t : Tribal member Leland Butler, Jr. will again have his face on the bill boards. Butler, 12, was recently cho sen to do an anti-drug campaign for the Office of National Drug Control Policy. It is a nationwide campaign designed to promote positive alter natives to American Indian teens. The posters, as seen above, will be distributed throughout Indian f SWiKM 'VIP fib 7 W r At least 2,000 people attended the Inaugural Ball for Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski in Portland. Above, a Grand Ronde delegation poses for a picture. At right Chairman Chris Mercier and guest Sarahjohn. the Governor prior to the sit-down dinner. The event was formal attire and the Grand Ronde delegation didn't disappoint. Some members, Mercier and West, looked dapper in their tuxedos. It was most ap propriate for their "photo op" with the Governor. Country across the United States. "I want to end marijuana usage," said Butler. "I was really excited to do this." Butler's mother, Tribal member and Human Resources Specialist Cindy Watkins, explained that she received an email requesting photos for a Na tive American boy in an age group that matched her son's. (A ; ) " ' e "" I VJVJ; i "We emailed them some photos and they wanted more," said Watkins. "Then we got the call that he had been selected." Watkins and Butler then scheduled a time to do a photo shoot with Michael Jones of Portland. 'It was really hard," said Butler. "They took over 400 photos of me in my regalia. I was getting frustrated because it was iTUKU i7i7ii.frccuibc.com taking so long. But in the end, it was worth it," he said. For Butler, who dances tradi tionally and competes in many sports throughout the year, this was just another walk in the park, or face on a billboard. "If he wants to try something," said Watkins, "he has never been afraid of doing it."
