Smoke Signals 5
JULY 1,2009
Powwow
Tualatin grads share Native ancestry,
if not the same Tribal affiliation
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
Tribal member Jared Ripley re
members when he and Siletz Tribal
member Anthony Cook would pass
each other in the hallways of Tu
alatin High School and compete on
the same football and track teams
together.
They also were both members of
the school's Outdoor Club.
Little did they know that they were
both enrolled members of federally
recognized Tribes in Oregon and,
somewhere back in time, might have
a common relative.
But then the Grand Ronde Tribe's
2007 Competition Powwow oc
curred. Ripley attended and recognized
his classmate, Cook, who attended to
support his cousin, who dances.
"I saw him at the powwow and it
kind of took me off-guard," Cook, 18,
recalls. "I had no idea he was a Tribal
member."
"We just became close friends, and
then through other friends on the
track team, we all just started hang
ing out a lot, and have become closer
friends since then," Ripley says.
"It's pretty funny at first, because
we didn't know each other until foot
ball came around and just ran into
each other at the powwow."
Since their junior year, they've
been fast friends who, despite being
omer
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from different Tribes, have found a
common, sublime bond in their Na
tive ancestry.
"It's actually pretty cool," Cook says
about becoming friends with another
Native American. "I would talk about
powwows and stuff in some of my
classes, and my experiences and
whatnot, and everybody was always
like, 'What's a powwow?' With Jared,
we could actually talk about what
went on at the powwow instead of
just trying to explain what one is."
"In 2008, Jared and Anthony
brought eight Tualatin High seniors
to the powwow and camped out for
three days to teach them about Na
tive culture," says Ripley's mother,
Tribal member and Mentorship &
Workforce Development Coordinator
Denise Harvey.
"None of these students or their
parents had ever been to a powwow
before. All of them really enjoyed the
experience."
Ripley and Cook graduated to
gether from Tualatin High on June
3, participated together in the Grand
Ronde Tribe's Graduation Celebra
tion on June 19 and plan on attend
ing Chemeketa Community College
in Salem together this fall, living
together as roommates.
Ripley says he is seeking to get
into the fire program at Chemeketa
while Cook says he is interested in
law enforcement.
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Ripley, 17, says his
Native ancestry has
sparked interest from
his classmates while
attending Tualatin
High School.
"People think it's
kind of interesting
and ask me questions
about it," Ripley says.
Ripley says that he
and Cook have not let
any issues between
the two Tribes trickle
down to their friend
ship. Actually, the
biggest differences be
tween the two Tribes,
they've found with
their teenage perspec
tives, is in what they
individually receive in
assistance to continue
their education.
"Tribal differences
don't really come be
tween us at all," Ripley says. "We just
compare stuff. We're going to be room
mates next year in college so we talk
about getting financial aid from the
Tribes and how much aid our Tribe
is going to give us."
Who's getting the better deal?
"Moneywise, I think it's me," Rip
ley says. "But Siletz gives him a free
laptop and stuff. But I think as far as
money goes, I get more money."
"We joke about that all the time,"
Cook says. "Both of the Tribes take
care of us pretty well, so it's hard to
complain." 1
Ripley says he has researched his
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Photo by Michelle Alaimo
Tribal member Jared Ripley, left, and Siletz Tribal
member Anthony Cook became friends their
junior year while attending Tualatin High School.
They graduated together from Tualatin High on
June 3 and attended Grand Ronde's Graduation
Celebration on June 1 9.
heritage, participating in sweats and
attending powwows, but hasn't gone as
far back as necessary to determine if he
and Cook are distant cousins.
After Chemeketa, Ripley says he
and Cook also might continue on
their educational journeys together
to Western Oregon University.
Will they be lifelong friends after
their chance meeting at the pow
wow? "Yeah, I think so," Ripley says.
"I'd like to say so," Cook says.
"We're rooming together in college.
After that, I'm sure we're not going
to be too far away."
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