Smoke Signals 3
FEBRUARY 1,2011
By Ron Karten
Smoke Signals itaff writer
The Confederated Tribes of Grand
Ronde has mounted an interpreted
display in the "Hidden Gems" ex
hibit at the Willamette Heritage
Center at The Mill that will display
from Jan. 21 -March 12.
The Willamette Heritage Cen
ter is a unification of the former
Mission Mill Museum and Marion
County Historical Society.
"I knew I wanted it to reflect our
Tribal history and culture," and
"we're very pleased with how it
came out," said Tribal member Julie
Brown, who represented the Tribe as'
curator of the display. She is a tempo
rary administrative assistant for the
Cultural Resources Department.
The Grand Ronde display in
cludes cedar frames, hand hewn
by Cultural Resources staffers and
Tribal members Don Day and Brian
Krehbiel. Some of the cedar is wood
left over from the recently completed
Lane Community College plank
house and donated to the Tribe for
this exhibit, Tribal member and
Cultural Resources Department
Manager David Lewis said.
The frames" hold graphics by
Lewis, a map of the Tribe's ceded
lands by Tribal GIS Coordinator
Volker Mell with help from Tribal
member David Harrelson, site
monitor for the Cultural Resources
Department, and interpretive es
says describing many elements of
the Grand Ronde Tribe's history.
The essays also describe traditional
crafts, such as basket making.
Brown, Lewis and Tribal member
and Cultural Protection Coordina
tor Eirik Thorsgard all had a hand
in writing the essays. Brown and
Tribal member Veronica Montano,
Cultural Resources Department
secretary, installed the exhibit.
"It was a collaborative effort,"
said Brown.
The display also includes a Wasco
burl bowl and stone pestle, dated
pre-1800, making it the oldest
object in the show, according to
Mission Mill Executive Director
Peter Booth.
Also in the Tribal display is a
Kalapuya basket, a purse that "we
think," said Lewis, was made by
Indian Eliza of the Santiam Tribe,
who lived in the Brownsville area
until 1920 but was a member of one
.
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Photos by Michelle Alalmo
Tribal members Julie Brown, right, and Khani Schultz, who are sisters,
look at a case containing a Kalapuya pack basket and a Wasco bowl with a
stone pestle that are part off the "Hidden Gems" exhibit during an opening
reception for the exhibit at the Mission Mill Museum In Salem on Thursday,
Jan. 20. The Tribe's Cultural Resources Department staff worked together
on the exhibit with Brown, a temporary administrative assistant for the
department, acting as the curator of the display. Schultz is the department's
Cultural Collection coordinator.
The cedar frames used in the exhibit
were constructed by Cultural
Resources Department staff
members Tribal Elder Don Day and
Tribal member Brian Krehbiel.
of the Kalapuya Tribes in the area.
She lived into her hundreds, Lewis
said, but nobody really knows how
old she was.
The exhibition, "Hidden Gems,"
includes local, regional and nation-
Native American Veterans
Memorial seeks support
Seminole Tribe of Florida Chairman Mitchell Cypress is seeking
support for the Native American Veterans Memorial Initiative, which
seeks to honor Native Americans who have served in all branches of the
Armed Forces from World War I through the current conflicts in Iran
and Afghanistan.
Cypress, a Vietnam-era U.S. Army veteran, said he would like to see a
fourth soldier, a Native American, added to the three soldier likenesses
that are part of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the National Mall
in Washington, D.C.
"We were there during the conflicts, fighting for our country as Native
Americans," Cypress said. "When we look at the beautiful statue that
depicts true and brave warriors, we wonder why we were not included.
We were there, too."
A Web site thenavmi.com has been established for the initiative
and interested supporters can sign up by submitting their e-mail ad
dresses on the home page.
ally important objects from the
area's past, according to Booth,
and is part of the museum's "new
vision" to help organizations like
the 18 represented in this show "tell
your story."
Participating organizations from
Marion, Polk and Yamhill counties
include Antique Powerland Mu
seum Association, Aurora Colony
Historical Society, Bush House Mu
seum, the Confederated Tribes of
Grand Ronde, Forest History Cen
ter, Frank Lloyd Wright Gordon
House, Historic Deepwood Estate,
Hoover-Minthorn House, Jensen
Arctic Museum, Keizer Heritage
Museum, Linfield Anthropology
Museum, Oregon Northwest Black
Pioneers, Oregon State Hospital
Museum, Settlemier House, Silver
ton Country Historical Museum,
St. Paul Mission Historical Society,
Willamette University Archives
and Yamhill County Historical
Society.
Other featured items include a
medical case from an 1899 gradu
ate of Willamette University from
the Willamette University Archives;
an early fire radio from the Forest
History Center; a jail ball and chain
from the Yamhill County Historical
Society; a pair of child's boots worn
by Herbert Hoover from the Hoover
Minthorn house; a vintage wedding
cake topper from Historic Deepwood
Estate; and Wright's original sketch
of what became the only Frank
Lloyd Wright house in Oregon.
This is the first in what Mis
sion Mill hopes will be an annual
event highlighting different parts
of mid-valley history. Next year is
the 100th anniversary of Oregon
women gaining the right to vote,
said Booth, and the museum is hop
ing to mount an exhibit honoring
mid-valley women.
For more information, contact The
Mill at 503-585-7012 or visit the Web
site at www.missionmill.com. B
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503-879-5211 1-
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