Smoke Signals 3
DECEMBER 15, 2007
MEETING continued
from front page
Tribe at the time of the applicant's
birth; be born to a parent who, un
less deceased, was a Tribal member
at the time of the application; and
be accepted under the rules of the
Tribal Enrollment Ordinance.
If approved in February, the
proposed three enrollment amend
ments would extend the one-year
waiting period between relinquish
ing membership in another Tribe
and joining the Grand Honde Tribe
to five years, eliminate the require
ment that an applicant have a
parent enrolled in the Tribe at the
time of the applicant's birth to be
eligible for enrollment and discon
nect Grand Ronde blood from the
Restoration Act roll. Grand Ronde
blood instead would be calculated
from the blood degree of a direct
ancestor on the official Tribal mem
bership roll in place when the ap
plicant is accepted as a member.
Since there are three separate
votes, none, all or a combination of
the proposals could pass.
Chris Leno said that of the 665
people denied Tribal membership
since 1999's amendments, 2 49 were
denied because applicants did not
have a parent on the membership roll
at the time of their birth and 49 were
denied because they did not have an
ancestor on the Restoration roll.
Leno also provided estimates on
the decrease in per capita and tim
ber payments each Tribal member
would see if the amendments pass
and Tribal membership increases
by those 298 people.
Greene said that voter regis
tration packets and forms were
scheduled to be sent to adult Tribal
members on Dec. 10 and that Jan.
11 is the deadline for registration
forms to be postmarked or received
by the BIA's Siletz Agency Office.
People who do not register will not
be eligible to vote.
Ballots will be sent on Jan. 22 to
registered voters and Feb. 8 will
be election day ballots must
be received by noon at the Siletz
Agency Office.
After the presentation, Tribal
Council members discussed the
enrollment amendments.
Chris Mercier said he hopes
the three amendments pass be
cause the current enrollment rules
"cause heartbreak and pain to
many Tribal families."
"If they fail, the issue won't go
away," Mercier said.
Wink Soderberg said changing
the rules is up to Tribal members
as they pick and choose from the
three proposed amendments. "We
started as one people," he added.
"I think we have split up the Tribe
by denying enrollment."
Reyn Leno advised Tribal mem
bers to be cautious in their vote.
"It's really up to you, the member
ship," Leno said. "I think we will
still have an issue if it passes or
fails."
Kathleen Tom said she thought
the Tribal Council in 1999 did not
completely grasp the ramifications
of enrollment amendments as far
as splitting up families where one
1
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Photos by Dean Rhodes
child is a Tribal member and a sib
ling is not. "It's an unfair process,"
she said.
Tribal Chairwoman Cheryle
Kennedy added that "without
members, there is no Tribe. If you
be of Grand Ronde blood, you need
to be a member."
After Tribal Council comments,
Tribal members asked questions
and commented on the proposed
enrollment amendments.
Betty Bly asked why the new
Tribal Council acted quickly after
the Sept. 9 council election to alter
the enrollment amendment vote
from two to three questions, forcing
a rescheduling of the enrollment
amendment election.
Tribal Council member June
Sell-Sherer, who was elected in
September, said she thought the
proposed amendments had less
chance of passing as two questions
instead of three.
Steve Bobb Sr., also elected in
early September, said he felt the
proposed changes were easier for
people to understand as three ques
tions instead of two.
Jack Giffen Jr. added that the
new Tribal Council acted quickly
because it thought a fast decision
could keep the enrollment amend
ment election on its time frame.
However, Mercier said he is still
unsure why the new Tribal Council
acted so quickly. "I'm not entirely
sure why it was rushed," he said.
Tribal member Marilyn Port
wood said she thinks the Tribal
Tribal Chairwoman Cheryle
Kennedy presented gifts to Tribal
Elder Nora Kimsey during the
Dec. 2 General Council meeting,
which was held on the same day
as Kimsey's 99th birthday. She is
the Tribe's oldest member. Left,
Kimsey smiled as General Council
attendees sang "Happy Birthday"
to her.
Council added confusion to the
process by separating the propos
als into three questions. She also
said that if the third proposal
not tying Grand Ronde blood to
the Restoration Act roll does not
pass, her granddaughter will not
be admitted into the Tribe.
Deborah Scott said she did not
like the five-year relinquishment
proposal because her children, who
are currently members of another
Tribe and cannot dis
enroll until they are
21, will have to wait
five years before they
can become Grand
Ronde members.
"Why should they be
penalized for being in
another Tribe?" she
asked.
Former Tribal
Council member An
gle Blackwell said the
enrollment issue is not
difficult to understand.
She said the 1983 en
rollment requirements
created a "Restora
tion Class" of members
who are the only ones
who can pass down
their blood; people en
rolled after 198 1 can't.
"We need the amend
ments to pass or we'll
just have 1999 all over
again," she said.
Monty Parazoo
echoed Blackwell's
sentiments, saying it is difficult
for the Tribe to have two classes
of members those who can pass
on their blood and those who can't.
"People not on the Restoration roll
are second-class citizens," he said.
"It's not about the money, but about
doing what is right."
Jackie Many Hides said enroll
ment will always be an issue for
the Grand Ronde Tribe. "Indians
with Indians is good," she added to
a round of applause.
Additional informational meet
ings about the proposed constitu
tional amendments will be held
Jan. 7 in Eugene at the University
of Oregon's Many Nations Long
house and 5:30 p.m. Jan. 10 at Em
bassy Suites Airport Hotel, 7900
N.E. 82nd Ave., Portland.
In addition, Greene and Leno's
presentation has been posted on the
Tribal member side of the Web site
at www.grandronde.org.
In other action:
Other noteworthy items that occurred during the Dec. 2 General
Council meeting included:
Tribal Chairwoman Cheryle Kennedy honored Nora Kimsey on her
99th birthday with presents. Birthday cake and the singing of "Happy
Birthday" honored the Tribe's oldest member.
Spirit Mountain Community Fund Director Shelley Hanson gave a
presentation in which she stressed the growing interest in receiving
grants. In 2007, the Community Fund topped $40 million in grants
since it started 1 0 years ago. In 2006, the fund received 293 requests
and funded 1 89 for a 64 percent approval rate. In 2007, 435 requests
were received an increase of 67 percent and 139 grants were
funded. "The amount of interest is growing exponentially," Hanson
said, citing increased advertising, quarterly outreach events and in
creased community need as reasons. The downside, Hanson said,
is flat funding, so the percentage of grants approved is down to 31
percent. However, since its inception, the Community Fund has ap
proved 56 percent of requests, she added.
Eleven Elders were nominated to four open seats on the Elders'
Committee. Nominees are Beryle Contreras, Linda Branson, Butch
LaBonte, Louise Medeiros, Dakota Whitecloud, Violet Folden, Val
Grout, Gladys Hobbs, Cheri Butler, Diana Norton and Robert Parazoo.
Election will be from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 6, at the
Community Center. Voting is walk-in only.
Tribal offices will close Dec. 24-25 for the Christmas holiday.
Violet Folson, Jolanda Catabay and Betty Reed won the $50 door
prizes while Susie Lash won the $100 prize.
The next General Council meeting will be held 11 a.m. Jan. 6 at the
Tribal Community Center in Grand Ronde.