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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 2008)
DECEMBER 1,2008 Smoke Signals 7 CELEBRATION continued from page 6 walls outside of the Cedar Plank Buffet, sounded satisfied. "It has been wonderful," said Tribal Elder Charlotte Gray. "I've received a lot of orders. People are nice and friendly." Tribal Council member Wink Soderberg chaired the Vendors Committee. "He has been just won derful," said Tribal Elder Evelyn Seidel. "I know," said a buoyant Soder berg. "It's just a gift I've been fight ing all my life." "This is a big deal," said Ca sino Executive Chef Richard Burr. "We're trying our best to revisit the past, the beginnings, and we're trying to concentrate on the berries with, for example, a wild berry cobbler." Burr's team also designed salads with hazelnuts and dried cran berry. Ceremonial meats the elk and venison and the fish the lamprey and smoked salmon were all made in-house. "We wanted to do buffalo, but none of the locals recall eating any buffalo. It's not an indigenous food for up here," Burr said. "The camas was in such scarce supply that we may only have a jar or two. It just sat there like a display a few years ago. "We're bringing some of the wo ven baskets from the archives in plastic cases. It's just really going to be an awesome event. "The big thing, I think, will be the ceremonial meats outside of the hall. We did lamprey a couple years back and we didn't think people would like it, but it sold out with 90 pounds of the stuff." As the event progressed, Burr said it was the largest group he had ever prepared dinner for. He improvised some on the fry bread. "If we had tried to do it the traditional way," he said, "we would have been swimming in grease." He added a huckleberry butter on the side, among the many offerings. "We met several times with Trib al Council to get the menu down," he said. Rogue Rooms A & B were opened for fun for the 3-12 age group, of fering games, gift bags and chap erones. "I had to come over for this," said Coos, Lower Umpqua, Siuslaw Tribal Council member and long time Chair Ron Brainard, "to help celebrate." Brainard worked with Grand Rondo's Tribal Council for years and has been friends with Tribal members and veterans from Grand Ronde. As an Army veteran, he flew three helicopters that went down in Vietnam. But as a friend, he remembers that all those years ago Kathryn Harrison "talked me into getting on council." The Coos, Lower Umpqua, Siu slaw will celebrate their 25th an niversary of Restoration next year, he said. When the celebration was over, the crowds receded and in the chill air outside, a valet brought up a car with a license plate that answered the big question of the night: What does Restoration mean? Across an evening that told the story, in a 1,000 different ways, of respect sought and respect earned, the license plate was more succinct yet. It read: MR LENO. Then, Tribal Elder and Resto ration Committee member Rus sell Leno, surrounded by family, stepped through the door of the casino's Events Center, and picked up the family car. Photos by Michelle Alaimo Tribal Chairwoman Cheryls A. Kennedy speaks during the celebration. P U o 0 " Tribal member Jan Michael Looking Wolf Reibach performs during the 25th Restoration Celebration. Playing drums Is Joshua Humbly and on bass Is Mark (last name unknown).
