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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 2007)
4 FEBRUARY 1,2007 Smoke Signals KeUlectlDOinis Odd ToriilbaD Resftoiraftiioin), Pair 4 Note: If you missed Part I & II, see the December 1, 2006 and January 1, 2007 Smoke Signals issues. Talking with many Tribal members about their experiences with termi nation and restoration has been a great learning experience for me. It has given me the opportunity to meet new community members, as well become reacquainted with people I haven 't known since I was a young girl. In talking with some of the people who were involved in the efforts to restore the Grand Ronde Tribe, I have learned that this struggle was greater than most of us, who were not around at that time, could have possibly imagined. These people are responsible for restoring our identities as Native people. They have laid the ground work for all the Tribal leaders who have followed, and paved the way for a life of self-sufficiency for many generations to come. I realize that there were many people involved in the effort of restora tion; in fact, there were just too many to mention them all. I would like to say to everyone who played a role, no matter the size, that your efforts are greatly appreciated and will not be forgotten. Angie Sears By Angie Sears, Tribal Mentee After nearly 20 years of termina tion, a small group of Grand Ronde Tribal members got together and began what would become one of the greatest achievements of the Grand Ronde people. This group began a fight that would become a decade-long strug gle. They fought for recognition. They fought to restore pride, and they fought to restore identity; the identity of their ancestors who once fought a similar fight long, long ago. This group of people took on the United States government in a fight to restore the federal recogni tion of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde. But what started as a small group soon became a community effort, as many Tribal members came together to represent the Grand Ronde people as a whole and fight for what they knew was right. Many Tribal members recalled the events of the fight for restora tion. As they told their stories, they felt that there were three people who deserved special recognition as the people who were instrumen tal in the beginning efforts. Those people are Margaret Provost, Mar vin Kimsey and Merle Holmes. The efforts of those three people were immense. They spent many hours rallying the Grand Ronde people who had been spread out across the country. They wrote letters and talked with representa tives of Congress to let them know that the Grand Ronde people were still among them. They sent the message that they were still Na tive Americans and they deserved to be federally recognized as a Na tive American Tribe. "My cousins Margaret and Mar- vin, predominantly Margaret, had an idea about restoring the Tribe. At the time, the Monominees were seeking restoration. They got theirs in the early 1970's. That got Margaret's interest. ..so she talked with other Tribal leaders and ultimately called a meeting to talk about her thoughts to become a Tribe again," said Cheryle Ken nedy, Rogue River and Umpqua Tribal member. "Margaret Pro vost, Marvin Kimsey, and Merle Holmes were the first people to serve on the elected council." Once the meetings began and the Grand Ronde people learned of the idea to be restored, many people came on-board and joined the efforts. Because many fami lies had moved away to find work phone calls, newsletters, and what ever was needed. Eventually the elected Council formed a non-profit organization that would allow them to apply for more grants. It was this effort that allowed them to make many trips to Washington D.C. to testify before Congress, as well as hire five employees to aid in the efforts, and purchase the Depot building for an office space. Among those hired was Jackie Provost, Rogue River, Umpqua, and Oglala-Sioux Tribal member, who worked as a. secretary and organized the efforts to conduct a census of Tribal members. "We went door-to-door and con ducted a census to learn how many Tribal members we actually had living in the community," said Pro vost. "We set up a trailer to help families register and determine how many people there were." Provost was also responsible for helping to gain the support of other Tribal leaders. "We went to pow-wow's; that's where I learned to dance," said Provost. "Pauline Ricks from Siletz taught me the protocol. But that's how we gained I V uwr- ' 4 ' - . f . - W Tribal Elder Kathryn Harrison was among a group that helped fight for Tribal recognition to restore Grand Ronde's identity and pride. after termination, there were a lot of people who traveled a long distance to attend the meetings and join in the efforts. "I was living in Amity when they started having meetings to get the Tribe restored. My Dad called me ant told me to get out here and start working for my people. That was about 1973," said Jackie Whistler, Rogue River, Umpqua, Kalapuya, Clackamas, and Chasta Tribal member. "So I started coming to the meetings and was elected Secretary of the Tribal Council at one of the meetings, and from that point I was immersed in it. It was just burning inside of me and I had to see it through." The group held fundraisers to help pay for the cost of postage, the support of other Tribes; by traveling to pow-wow's and Native American gatherings." The Grand Ronde people suc ceeded in gaining the support of many federally recognized Tribes, including Warm Springs, Siletz, CoosSiuslawLower Umpqua, and Cow Creek. These Tribes wrote letters of support to Congress; persuaded the Affiliated Tribe of Northwest Indians (ATNI) to allow the Grand Ronde Tribe to join their organization prior to being federally recognized; and provided guidance with the efforts to be restored. "I came to Grand Ronde in 1980 and Margaret had already started the fight for restoration," said Kathryn Harrison, Molalla Tribal member. "The biggest issue we had was money. Every general meeting was a bake sale or a raffle. People were buying things from each other to raise money. The Elders always gave us their full support. I remember Esther LaBonte; she was on social security and every month she gave us $20." So the group continued to grow, and the efforts of the people be came greater. They continued their search for Tribal members, and communicated to the Grand Ronde people through the use of a news letter called "Smoke Signals." The newsletter contained updates of the efforts, announcements for upcom ing meetings, and little heartfelt messages to the community. Members of the group made ap pearances on local television and radio talk shows to tell their story and talk about the existence of the Grand Ronde Tribe. They shared their culture and talked about why restoration was so important for the Grand Ronde people. At this time, there were only a few members who were making trips to Washington, D.C. to meet with Con gress. It was mostly Kimsey, Holmes, and Harrison. The trio didn't have a lot of money to spend on these trips, so they did whatever they could to economize. They booked "red-eye" flights; stayed in a Bed and Break fast, where they made their own beds; and avoided taxi's. Throughout their meetings with Congress, they were given sort of a check list of things they needed to accomplish before getting the Res toration Bill introduced. One of the items on the list was to show support from surrounding communities. The group organized and went into the communities to begin meeting with residents, business people, and community leaders to ask for their support. "It was a lot of lobbying for the State and for the locals," said Jackie Provost. 'There was a lot of worry about what would happen if we were restored as a Tribe. Local peo ple thought we were going to take their land, or that tax rates would go up... People didn't understand the positive impact that restoration could have on the community." In an effort to gain their trust and support, the group spent a lot of time educating the commu nity and letting them know that if restored, the Tribe would never take their lands away. It was a long process, but eventually the community began to see the "big picture" and realized that the res toration of the Tribe could help the whole community economically. Once this fear was lifted, the sur rounding community members began to offer their support to the Grand Ronde people. The group received more than 100 letters of support from community members, business own ers, state and county representatives, and Elders of the Tribe. "The biggest problem was that people didn't know what to say in their letters. So we drafted a form See RESTORATION on page 5
