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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (March 15, 2009)
4 MARCH 15, 2009 Smoke Signals West Valley veterans sought Veterans from or currently living in the West Valley area Wil lamina, Sheridan and Grand Ronde are being sought to have their names engraved on the West Valley Veterans' Memorial. Veterans can be either Tribal members or non-Tribal members. Veterans who would like their names etched on the memorial should sub mit a copy of their discharge papers to Val Adamson at 503-843-2525. New names of veterans will be added to the memorial in April. 2004 Tribal member Meghan Zimbrick played in the Willamina Bulldogs' first-ever state playoff game against East Linn Christian High School. The Bulldogs won 45-29. 1999 Representatives from the Grand Ronde Tribe, as well as other federally recognized Oregon Tribes, schooled Oregon senators on the role of Indian gaming in the overall economic development of Indian Country. Tribal Intergovernmental Affairs lobbyist and Tribal member Justin Martin stressed that each Tribe has its unique culture and traditions, but a similar history and experience. 1994 Tribal member Jeremy Haller, son of Janell and Timothy Haller, was selected as one of three Pacific Northwest youths to be a member of Earth Kids, a national youth organization dedicated to im proving the environment and identifying environmental problems. 1989 Willamina High School students and Tribal members Trevor Aaron, Angela Leno, Leanna and Tommy McKnight and Cory Meneley, started fundraising activities to participate in a four-day, three-night trip to Florida to visit the Kennedy Space Center, EPCOT Center and Sea World. They needed $575 each, or $2,875 total, and had raised $1,000 to date. 1984 Tribal member Kathryn Harrison made an oral presen tation concerning the history and restoration of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde to the Daughters of the American Revolution, Chemeketa Chapter, in Salem. Tribal member accepting teddy bear donations Tribal member Veronica Gaston, featured in the Feb. 15 Smoke Signals, said she has been asked since the appearance of that article what kind of teddy bears she rescues and renovates as donations to local ambulance teams, police and firefighters. Gaston said she will accept teddy bears that are about 24 inches tall that can wear baby clothes for 3- to 6-month-old children. Gaston, who lives at Black Bear Lodge, can be reached at 503-879-6515 after 9 a.m. or before 7 p.m. by those wishing to inquire about donating a teddy bear. Transportation to Grand Ronde The Portland Satellite office has a transportation day to Grand Ronde once a month for medical or dental appointments or enrollment cards. A minimum of three people must sign up. Call Lisa at 503-235-4230. We will leave the Portland office at 8 a.m. Please call in advance for the scheduled monthly date. Yesteryears is taken from back issues of Smoke Signals in five-year increments. KennOTiedly updates membenrslhiiip mi B.C. 4rip MEETING continued from front page can work on projects like the Inter pretive Sign Project. Tribal member and Mentorship Workforce Coordinator Denise Har vey said that she has such lists, which have run before in Smoke Signals, and she can provide them again. Following Lewis' presentation, Tribal Chairwoman Cheryle A. Ken nedy thanked all who participated in the Oregon 150 Gathering of First Nations celebration put on by Oregon's five federally recognized western Oregon Tribes on Jan. 31 at the State Fairgrounds. She also talked about the Oregon 150 video produced by the group that told the separate yet intertwined stories of the five western Tribes. The video is being made available to schools and community groups. Kennedy then updated the mem bership on the recent trip five Tribal Council members made to Washington, D.C., to meet with members of the new Obama admin istration and the Oregon congres sional delegation. Kennedy told Tribal members that they had more than 17 meet ings in less than a week. Among accomplishments was a request to newly elected Oregon Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-5th District) to spon sor an amendment to the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area Act that would include the Con federated Tribes of Grand Ronde. Schrader committed to give the request serious consideration and have his staff work on it. Kennedy asked Tribal Attorney Rob Greene to explain a recent Supremo Court decision about the Narragansctt Tribe's efforts to take land into trust. Greene said that the re cent Supreme Court case held that the Secretary of Interior does not have the authority to take land into trust for Tribes that were not under federal jurisdiction in 1934 when Congress passed the In dian Reorganization Act. The Narragansett Tribe of Rhode Island was un der state jurisdiction at that time. The court deci sion could have a signifi cant effect on the efforts of the Cowlitz Tribe to take land into trust in La Center, Wash., just 15 miles north of Portland on which to build a casino. (For more information, see story on Page 1.) Tribal member Delia Sanchez questioned the justification of the Grand Ronde Tribe in opposing off-reservation gaming. Tribal Council member Chris Mercier said that he respected Sanchez's opinion and he likes the Warm Springs people, and that he has had some reservations about how much money the Tribe has spent on fighting off-reservation gaming. However, Mercier said that the issue for him is the way reservation shopping is be ing abused by Tribes across the country, including the Cowlitz and Warm Springs. Mercier said he sees the need to fight that expansion because it has serious consequences for all of Indian Country, not just Grand Ronde. I le explained the purpose of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act . - i ' Photo by Siobhan Taylor Tribal member Arianna Nava-Sanchaz models a Tribal lap blanket her mother, Tribal member Delia Sanchez, won at the Eugene Community Meeting. Her grandmother, Tribal member Perrl McDanlel, it on the right. 4 and underscored the importance of Grand Ronde opposing reservation shopping attempts of the Cowlitz and Warm Springs. "It's not just about economics, it's about keeping the outcome of reservation shopping from setting Tribes back in all the progress they've made," Mercier said. " Vice Chair Reyn Leno presented an update on veterans from information he learned at the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians mooting. Leno said that the Grand Ronde Honor Guard will now focus more on meeting veterans' needs,, like housing and education. He said there are no Native American categories on military registration cards and that Tribes are trying to have ATNI get a real headcount of the number of Native Americans who served in the Armed Forces. Door prize drawing winners were Marta Clifford, Stephanie Boteilho, Jason Darcy, Kia Taylor and Jim . my. Brandon for.Norbest turkey gift certificates and David Lewis, Eli Dickison and Delores Edwards won the $50 door prizes. Immediately following the meet ing, the third Community Meeting regarding the Tribe's draft Strate gic Plan was held. The meeting was organized by Planning & Grants Department Manager Kim Rogers and facilitated by Tribal consultant Vicki Willis. Tribal staff members assisted about 40 Tribal members by writing down their suggestions and com ments about the draft document. Many Tribal members commented publicly that they felt the issue of enrollment needed to be addressed in the draft Strategic Plan, which is being updated for the first time since 1995. Willis emphasized that the pur pose of the five Community Meet ings is to include all Tribal member input like the enrollment issue. Two previous Community Meetings were held in Clackamas and Grand Ronde. Two more will be held April 19 at the Red Lion I lotel Yakima Center in Yakima, Wash., and May 17 at the Riverhouse Hotel in Bend. After that, a draft Strategic Plan will be written with a 60-day com ment period before it is considered for adopted by Tribal Council. D