Smoke Signals 5
MAY 15, 2011
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By Ron Karten
Smoke Signals staff writer
In Eugene on Saturday, April 30,
Tribal members Perri McDaniel,
Becky Weston and a group of other
Eugene-area Tribal leaders took
a landmark step in reintroducing
the local office to some 200 Tribal
members and Elders served in the
area.
The Tribal office at 711 Country
Club Road, Suite 1A, was packed
with visitors and guests.
"I've seen it grow," said Tribal
member Dee Edwards, referring to
activity in the Eugene satellite of
fice. She has been taking Lifeways
classes since the office actually re
opened earlier in the month.
The celebration succeeded with
the help of many Tribal members
who are working to put the office
on a friendlier, more useful footing
in the community.
McDaniel is the new coordinator
of the office and Weston is her as
sistant. Lifeways classes have put a con
crete face on the many existing
benefits for Tribal members, includ
ing health care, housing and social
services that don't always result in
face-to-face contact among Tribal
members.
Kevin Simmons, Dan Stroebel,
Andy Jenness, Dell Dickinson,
Marta Clifford, Albert Jeffers and
Edwards, all members of the Tribe,
have been working for months
with McDaniel to resuscitate the
dormant office.
Showing the depth of support in
the Eugene area, McDaniel sent
out a thank you e-mail with the
names of dozens of participants and
volunteers.
The effort also brings a newly
named and conceived office, "Eu
gene Gathering Place," on line,
literally as well as figuratively, for
area Tribal members.
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Photo by Michelle Alaimo
Tribal Chairwoman Cheryl A. Kennedy talks with Congressman Earl Blumenauer after
the ceremony for the opening of the Tribe's Portland office at its new location at 4445 S.W.
Barbur Blvd. on Friday, May 6. To see more photos of the Portland office grand opening,
visit the Tribe's Facebook page.
Courtesy of Weston, the "Eugene
Gathering Place" has a Facebook
page and e-mail address (gatherin
geugeneyahoo.com), and Jenness is
working on a Twitter feed as well.
"It's good to learn the culture,"
said Edwards, "but the socializing
may be even better."
"There is a need down here for
a place to be Indian," said Tribal
Council Secretary Kathleen Tom.
"The biggest thing is building
the sense of community," said Jen
ness. Tom was joined by Tribal Council
Vice Chair Reyn Leno and Tribal
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Photo by Ron Karten
Tribal member and Eugene Office coordinator Perri McDaniel cuts the celebratory cake
during the Eugene satellite office re-opening on Saturday, April 30. Behind her, from left,
are Kathy Soderberg, wife of Tribal Council member Wink Soderberg, Tribal Elder violet
Folden and Tribal Council Secretary Kathleen Tom. To see more photos of the Eugene office
re-opening, visit the Tribe's Facebook page.
Council members Chris Mercier,
Steve Bobb Sr., Jack Giffen Jr. and
Wink Soderberg in attending the
office's re-opening.
"It's great to come down and
see a lot of people down here just
visiting," said Bobb. "It's not like a
council meeting. It's a completely
different atmosphere."
Portland office grand opening
On Friday, May 6, the Tribe cel
ebrated the grand opening of the
Portland office at the new location
at 4445 S.W. Barbur Blvd.
"We want to be a grateful, humble
people," said Tribal
Chairwoman Cheryle
A. Kennedy in her wel
come. She emphasized
the Tribal intent of
honoring partnerships
and welcomed part
ners of all shapes and
sizes in that regard.
"I called our Pub
lic Affairs group and
asked, 'Did you invite
the people from next
door?' " she said.
The Tribe purchased
the new 20,000-square-foot
building in Novem
ber 2009 and Tribal
employees moved in in
February 2010.
From Portland Con
gressman Earl Blu
menauer to the Royal
Rosarians, more than
50 dignitaries were
among almost 200
who attended the fes
tivities to get a first
look at the Tribe's new
offices.
"This is a great vis
ible symbol of the
Tribe's Restoration,"
said Blumenauer. He
said that he is work
ing with a variety of
interests to create a
plan that will clean up
the Willamette River,
among the sacred fish
ing grounds revered by
the Grand Ronde Tribe
and their predecessors
for millennia.
"Our people have
lived and walked this
land for literally thou
sands of years," said
Kennedy. "Today's
roadways are built on
trails that our ances
tors walked."
"I think it's just spec
tacular," said Karen
Quigley, executive di
rector of the Legisla
tive Commission on
Indian Services, "to see
the Grand Ronde Tribe
back home in Portland
and growing, and show
ing a presence that will
benefit the entire Port
land area."
The event featured
Tribal member and
Portland office Voca
tional Rehabilitation
Specialist Jon George as
master of ceremonies.
"We've been waiting a year for
this," he said as the Tribal flag went
up along with the U.S. and Oregon
flags in front of the Tribal offices.
Tribal member Ann Lewis, Com
mercial Real Estate manager with
the Tribal Lands Department who
landed this property that became
the Portland office, called this,
"a huge step forward for us as a
Tribe."
In encouraging this and other
real estate purchases, she said,
"Tribal Council recognizes that we
are a progressive Tribe and that we
are here to stay."
Tribal member Eric Bernando,
who teaches Chinuk Wawa lan
guage classes at the Portland of
fice, called the new office building
the "Portland Embassy," he said,
"because we're a nation."
Joining Kennedy at the event
were Tribal Council Vice Chair
Reyn Leno, Tribal Council Sec
retary Kathleen Tom and Tribal
Council members Wink Soderberg,
Chris Mercier, Jack Giffen Jr. and
Steve Bobb Sr.
Chris Tinney (Lower Eastern
Cherokee), and Tribal members
T.J. Grefsrud and Levi Leibelt
served as Honor Guard for the flag
raising.
Grand Ronde Canoe Family
members Bobby Mercier, Brian
Krehbiel, Greg Leno, Kyle Towner
(Siletz) and Marcus Gibbons sang
the Honor Song.
Grand Ronde Royalty included
Junior Miss Makenzie Aaron,
Little Miss Iyana Holmes, Prin
cesses Madison Aaron and Amelia
Mooney. Amelia's twin sister, Ama
ryssa Mooney, also participated.
They carried the flags for the flag
raising, sang The Lord's Prayer and
passed out gifts.
"I'm a great believer in purpose,"
said Kennedy. "We can choose to
make this a better place."