Smoke Signals 3
JUNE 1,2008
Tribe hosts Rose Court princesses on May 19
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
So many princesses were
at the Tribal Governance
Center on May 19, one
could easily have thought
they were at Disneyland.
Eleven out of 14 prin
cesses of the 2008 Rose
Festival Court visited
Grand Ronde and met
Tribal royalty Little
Miss Grand Ronde Prom
ise Rimer, Junior Miss
Grand Ronde Goldie Ely,
Senior Miss Grand Ronde
Mary Lopez, Junior Vet
erans' Queen Nakoosa
Moreland and Veterans'
Royalty Queen Miranda
Provost.
Rose Festival Court
princesses who attended
included Tonita Cabre
ra, Wilson High School;
Chelsea Deloney, Jeffer
son High; Dulce Saiga
do, Roosevelt High; Vy
Nguyen, Parkrose High;
Marshawna Williams,
Cleveland High; Taylor
Allen, Grant High; Dia
mond Zerework, Franklin
High; Monica Rischiotto,
Central Catholic High; Brenda
Olmos, David Douglas High; Jill
Tremblay, Madison High; and
Molly Ronan, Lincoln High.
Two Rose Festival Court prin
cesses were sick and St. Mary's
Academy representative Taylor
Smith was mourning the May 13
death of her father.
After exiting two buses, Rose
Festival Court princesses mingled
in Tribal Governance Center lobby,
talking with Tribal Elders, Tribal
staff, Tribal royalty and Tribal
Council members Steve Bobb Sr.,
Kathleen Tom, Wink Soderberg
and Valorie Shekcr.
Tribal Public Affairs Director
!vi ;
O 0 " c s ""J
The 2008 Rose Festival Court with Tribal Royalty
Photos by Michelle Alaimo
Siobhan Taylor welcomed the Rose
Festival princesses, pointing out
that since they attend Portland
area high schools that they grew up
in the ceded lands of the Confeder
ated Tribes of Grand Ronde.
Lopez, Rimer and Bly then signed
The Lord's Prayer, sung by Aaron
Neville, and Tribal Elder Kathryn
Harrison gave the invocation, ex
pressing her thanks that in the last
25 years the Grand Ronde Tribe
has gone from not having enough
room for an office to being able to
welcome visitors in a building such
as the Governance Center.
Tribal Council members then
greeted the Rose Festival Court
princesses.
"It's a real honor to have the
Rose Court here," Soderberg said,
mentioning that he was raised in
Lake Oswego.
"It's a great honor and pleasure to
have you here," Tom said, also not
ing that she used to live in the Port
land area and that Rose Festival
was always "the greatest time."
Sheker said it was a privilege to
share the Grand Ronde campus,
Elders and Tribal heritage with
Rose Festival Court members.
"It is also an honor to have a float
in the parade and showcase our
history," Sheker said.
Bobb called the collection of roy-
H I Xa - ill
alty a "good looking group"
and complimented them for
being involved, motivated
and concerned teenagers.
"We are honored to have
you here today," Bobb re
iterated. After a lunch of fruit,
rolled sandwiches and
cookies, the Tribal Ca
noe Family performed two
songs, including an Honor
Song for Tribal employee
and descendant Nick Faas,
who died May 14.
The emotional moment
continued as Tribal Council
members presented Rose
Court Chairwoman Mere
dith Park with a traditional
Pendleton blanket for St.
Mary's Academy's Taylor
Smith, whose father died
unexpectedly in May and
had lost her mother to ovar
ian cancer in 2003.
"Wrap Taylor in our love
and best wishes," Siob
han Taylor added after
a tearful Park received
hugs from Tom, Soderberg,
Sheker and Bobb.
"(Taylor) will feel very
blessed," Park said about
receiving the blanket.
And then the entertainment
began.
Rose Festival Court princesses
performed a dance to K.T. Tun
stall's "Suddenly I See" and Elders
Committee Chairwoman Louise
Medeiros and Harrison presented
gift bags made by Tribal Elder Mar
cella Selwyn to the Rose Festival
Court princesses.
In return, Rose Festival Court
princesses distributed gift bags
to their Tribal counterparts and
Elders.
The event wrapped up with a
Round Dance and Taylor inviting
the Rose Festival Court back to
Grand Ronde in August for the an
nual Competition Powwow.
"This was fabulous," said Dia
mond Zerework, Franklin High's
representative on the Rose Festival
Court. "There was so much hospi
tality, so much love. My father is
a Crce native. They treat you like
you are family.
"Fabulous is the understatement
I can give this experience." B
A Tribal Council member Valorie
Sheker gives Rose Festival Court
Chairwoman Meredith Park a hug
after herself and fellow Tribal
Council members, counterclockwise
from right. Wink Soderberg,
Steve Bobb Sr. and Kathleen Tom
presented her with a traditional
Pendleton blanket for St. Mary's
Academy's Taylor Smith whose
father died unexpectedly In May
and had lost her mother to ovarian
cancer in 2003.