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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