FEBRUARY 15, 2009
Smoke Signals
NOTICE Monthly Tribal Council Wednesday Meetings
DATE TIME
Wednesday, Feb. 25 4 p.m.
Please note that these times and dates are subject to change if needed. Call Dakota
Whitecloud, Tribal Council Relations Coordinator, at 503-879-1309 to confirm.
Dear Smoke Signals:
While taking down last year's Grand Ronde calendar, my eyes fell on
the Grand Ronde Vision Statement:
"The Tribe's vision is to be a Tribal community known as a caring
people, dedicated to the principles of honesty and integrity, building
community, and responsibility and self-sufficiency through personal
empowerment, and responsible stewardship of human and natural re
sources; a community willing to act with courage in preserving Tribal
cultures and tradition for all future generations."
When I think of the division within the Tribe over the subject of enroll-
ment, I think about the words "courage" and "all future generations." I
think we need to change this Mission Statement to reflect reality.
I thought to myself, "Did the entire Tribal Council show courage in
supporting the conclusions of the Ad Hoc Enrollment Committee in pre
serving our Tribe for future generations?" My answer was a resounding
"No."
When I was asked to serve on the Ad Hoc committee, I naively as
sumed that the entire council would support the conclusions of the Ad
Hoc committee, since it was council who appointed our committee and
who paid our wages. If they had supported us, I have no doubt that our
proposal would have passed. What a missed opportunity.
I hope members of council who did not support the Ad Hoc committee's
proposal will not be shocked to learn that many of us who supported
enrollment change look with pain at expenditures authorized by council,
such as the following example: When I read in the Smoke Signals that
the Tribe was planning to spend $500,000 to build a plankhouse. I hope
you understand my reaction.
The council is willing to spend $500,000 on a plankhouse, but two
thirds of council cannot support keeping our Tribe together by back
ing enrollment change? I don't get it. How far would that $500,000 go
toward reuniting our Tribe and benefiting our children who are denied
and disenrolled?
Marilyn Portwood
Roll 2915
Dear Smoke Signals:
I appreciate the recognition and honoring to me at our Restoration
celebration. I thank the Tribal Council and the Tribe for the gifts. I ap
preciate them.
I reflected on the event and want to express my thoughts that surfaced
during an interview I participated in during that time. I was asked, be
cause I was a founder of the Restoration effort, if I envisioned the current
development of the Tribe. I responded that the Restoration work was
to establish a path so our members could be self-sufficient, well able to
provide for themselves, be well-educated and have good health services.
It was to help the downtrodden. In looking back and up to now, I observe
that some members have achieved these mentioned goals while the
downtrodden are still downtrodden. I am concerned about this matter
and wonder what can be done to change this. My hope and dream was
that all members could participate in the advantages the Tribe has to
offer. So work remains to be done.
I am concerned about enrollment requirements. They are crafted to
keep our people out of the Tribe rather than be part of our family. I am
saddened that our Tribe has sunk to this level and has established such
restrictive rules to keep our family members, some who have one-half
Grand Ronde blood, out. This is not right and in our Restoration effort
we never intended this to happen. I believe we must reconsider this
issue.
Margaret Provost
Roll 645
See page 10 for more letters.
Tribal offices will be closed on Monday, Feb. 16, in observance of Presi
dent'sTribal Chiefs Day.
Correction The author of the submitted article "Parenting class
graduates 17" was misidentified in the Feb. 1 Smoke Signals. The
article was written by Kathy Gibbs, director of Polk County Healthy
Start.
General Council meeting
Sunday, March 1 Springfield
Holiday Inn (Chinook Ballroom)
919 Kruse Way
Springfield, Oregon 97477
For information, see page 16.
NOTE START TIME IS 10 A.M.
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ISSUE DATE
Friday, Feb. 20 MARCH 1
Tuesday, March 5 MARCH 15
(33B57
SMOKE SIGNALS, a publication of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Com
munity of Oregon, Is published twice a month. No portion of this publication may be reprinted
without permission.
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