8 JULY 1,2008
Smoke Signals
Tribe has ongoing relationship with myseuni
TOMANOWOS continued
from front page
the ceremony is not available for the
public. But Tribal members and then
family members all said how moved
they were by this year's ceremony
and the importance of reconnecting
with Tomanowos and its cultural and
spiritual tie to people of the Confed
erated Tribes of Grand Ronde. ;
Early the next morning, the
Tribal delegation was hosted at a
breakfast by museum staff. Dur
ing the breakfast, Sheker and Tom
spoke to the ongoing relationship
between the Tribe and the museum
and the opportunities it accords
both sides for cultural and historic
exchanges. Harrison also spoke of
the relationship between the Tribe
and museum staff.
Gifts of traditional parfleche
bags and medicine bags were dis
tributed to museum staff present.
After breakfast, museum staff led
Tribal members and staff on a
behind-the-scenes tour of artifacts
related to the Pacific Northwest.
Tribal members donned gloves and
handled and took photos of rare
Native artifacts.
Museum staff also made a prayer
area available for Tribal members
at the end of the visit.
Tomanowos means "Heavenly
Visitor" and it probably fell from the
sky more than 10,000 years ago. It
was transported to the Willamette
Valley by the Great Mis
soula Flood, depositing
it at a spot near the falls
of the Willamette River
known today as the Or
egon City Falls. The site
became sacred for west
ern Oregon Tribes, who
believe the meteorite was
sent to Earth by the Sky
People.
For generations Native
peoples, including the
Clackamas Chinooks,
in the homelands of the
Grand Ronde visited
Tomanowos in what is
' today West Linn. Na
tives often cleansed in
the water stored in the
meteorite's crevices and
dipped their arrow and
spear tips into the water
for a successful hunt.
But since the early days of Or
egon's history with settlers, the
meteorite's possession has been
in dispute. Ellis Hughes, a part
time miner, laid claim to it 1902
and moved it from land owned by
Oregon Iron and Steel. A lawsuit
ensued and Oregon courts recog
nized the company as the legal
owner in 1905.
But Tomanowos continued to be
viewed as a spiritual artifact by the
Grand Ronde people.
Nonnative Oregonians continued
to tussle over ownership of the mete-
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Photos by Siobhan Taylor
Tribal member and Tribal Cultural Protection Coordinator EirikThorsgard prepares to lead
the sacred ceremony for Tomanowos at the American Museum of Natural History in New
York City on June 9.
orite. In 1906, a wealthy individual,
Mrs. William E. Dodge, purchased
it for $20,600 and donated it to
the American Museum of Natural
History in New York City, which is
where it has been kept ever since.
In 2000, the Grand Ronde Tribe
reached an agreement with the
museum that requires Tomano
wos be respectfully displayed with
information about the Tribe and
its religious importance. It can no
longer be portioned out and sold or
traded by the museum as had hap
pened in the past.
Also, should the museum ever
decide not to display Tomanowos
in the future, the meteorite's own
ership will transfer back to Grand
Ronde. Each year, two to three
Tribal youth travel to the museum
for a special internship experience.
Also, a Tribal delegation travels
annually to the museum to hold a
religious ceremony and meet with
museum officials.
While Tomanowos may still be a
long way from home, it is held close
in the hearts of all who attended
this year's ceremony. B
o S '
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The Grand Ronde Tribal delegation that visited Tomanowos at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City in early June included, from left Tribal
Elder Floriene Hoff, Tribal Elder June Bolden, Tribal Elder Kathryn Harrison, Tribal Elder David Lomboy, Tribal Elder Arlene KauU, Tribal Intern Joseph Ham, Tribal
Elder Dolores Parmenter, Tribal Elder Leroy Good, Tribal member Travis Mercier, Tribal Intem Jacob Tasa, Tribal Elder Joyce Ham, Tribal member and Cultural
Protection Coordinator EirikThorsgard, Tribal Council member Kathleen Tom, Tribal intern James Hallicola and Tribal Council member Valorie Sheker.