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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 2007)
Il.l..l...l.l..lll.....ll....ll..l.lll....l.l.l.l.,l.l...lll OR NEWSPAPER PROJ. UO LIBRARY SYSTEM 1299 UNIVERSITY OF OREGON EUGENE OR 97403-1205 PRE PRESORTED FIRST-CLASS MAIL U.S. POSTAGE PAID SALEM. OR PERMIT NO. 178 J v samss A Publication of the Grand Ronde Tribe fm N NOVEMBER 1,2007 www.grandronde.org TJMFQTJA. a MOIiAIiL-A. ca BOGTJB RIVER ca KAIj-APXJYA. ca CHASTA Photo by Ron Karten 7 ' - Z 1 Restarting his LI FE Tribal member Brad Leno looks forward to his release from prison in February as his family continues supporting him at the MacLaren annual pow-wow By Ron Karten Smoke Signals staff writer The scene on the grounds of the MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility on Saturday, Sept. 8, could JL have been any big family picnic. More than 100, maybe 200 with the comings and goings, gathered under a circle of trees pine, birch, maples on a beautiful sunny day. It was the facility's 11th annual pow-wow, and it was not just Tribal member Brad Leno's immediate family that showed up to see him. Everywhere you looked there was somebody else from the Tribe visiting with Brad or another Tribal member living years of their youth behind bars. At the same time, the institution's pow-wow has been the place that many have made a spiritual oasis on their unorthodox journeys into adulthood. "Connecting back to the culture is a healthy thing," said Steve Llanes (ApacheAztec), Native American Ser vice coordinator at MacLaren. "It keeps them out of trouble because (culture's) a way of life. "Things like this (pow-wow) bring life to Senate Bill 770," Llanes added. "Instead of it being just a piece of paper." Oregon Senate Bill 770, passed in 2001, provides for govern ment-to-government relations between the state and the nine federally recognized Tribes of Oregon. Leno landed in the Ma cLaren Youth Correctional Facility in 2001, following a car crash on Fort Hill Road that tore the family car in half and killed his brother's best friend, 18-year-old Matthew See LENO on page 5 Forum crowd discusses Tribal future By Ron Karten Smoke Signals staff writer In searching for important issues that will affect the Tribe's future, an invited crowd of 150 pulled out all the usual suspects: An enrollment policy that in cludes everyone deserving Tribal membership; An emphasis on the needs of youth and Elders; Health care for all; Lifelong education and continued development of all aspects of the Tribe's culture; See FORUM on page 3 Rickard lives life to the fullest By Ron Karten Smoke Signals staff writer Until a stroke last year slowed down Tribal Elder Ruth Rickard, 77, she was having quite a ride. She worked hard, raising four children as a single mother, and played when work was done. On many occasions, family and friends came along for the fun. "She was a party animal," says middle daughter Melia Rickard, who now cares for Ruth at her See RICKARD on page 6 Photo courtesy of the Ruth Rickard family Ruth Rickard
