Smoke Signals 3
JULY 1,2007
Tribal Members Visit New York For Tomanowos Ceremony
TOMANOWOS continued
from front page
Youth Ariel Bailey, Kerrina Grout,
and Jessica Stryker. They spent
four weeks in New York working
for the museum and learning new
cultures. They were chaperoned by
Youth Education Coordinator Molly
Matthews and Tribal member and
Librarian Marion Mercier.
On Monday, June 11, around 5
p.m., the doors of the museum were
closed to the public and the mem
bers of Grand Ronde were the only
to be let in. After brief conversation
with museum executives and a light
snack that included fruit and finger
foods, the ceremony took place.
Bobby Mercier led the ceremony
with prayer, an honor song, and
some words about what the mete
orite means to the Grand Ronde
people. Mercier then asked that
everyone be part of the ceremony by
feeling Tomanowos and speaking
about what the meteorite means to
them individually.
On the morning of Tuesday, June
12, the museum staff invited Grand
Ronde to a breakfast where AMNH
President Ellen Futter welcomed
the group and shared her thoughts
on the significance of the meteorite
to the Tribe. There were also gifts
handed out by both the museum
staff to Grand Ronde members as
well as the other way around.
The group was then taken to the
museum vaults where millions of
artifacts have now found a home.
The tour of the vaults was focused
on Native American artifacts as
well as artifacts of the northwest.
Also included in the day's events
was a brief tour of some of the mu
seum exhibits and a 45-minute film
in the IMAX theatre.
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Tribal member and Language Specialist Bobby Mercier led the ceremony for
this year's annual meteorite blessing.
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Youth Education Coordinator and one of the chaperones for this year's New
York Youth Trip Molly Matthews, (I to r) poses in front of the meteorite with
Tribal Youth Ariel Bailey, Kerrina Grout, and Jessica Stryker. Tribal member
and Librarian Marion Mercier was the second chaperone for the youth's
four week stay in New York City.
Photos by Toby McClary
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Tribal Elder Anna Hannah takes a look at a dinosaur fossil at the American
Museum of Natural History during a guided tour on Tuesday, June 1 2.
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