Smoke Signals 3
JUNE 15,2011
Veterans Powwow sett
The 2011 Marcellus Norwest Memorial Veterans Powwow will be
held Friday through Sunday, July 8-10, at Uyxat Powwow Grounds
off Hebo Road near Fort Yamhill State Park.
Grand entries will be held at 7 p.m. Friday, 1 and 7 p.m. Saturday
and 1 p.m. Sunday. The Marce Norwest Family will hold a giveaway
at 6 p.m. Friday. Gourd dancing is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday
and Sunday.
Master of ceremonies will be Nick Sixkiller and whip man will be
Tony Whitehead. Deitz and Rose Peters will be the head man and
woman.
Veterans, dancers and members of the public are invited to attend.
There will be arts and crafts and food vendors. Free camping and park
ing will be available, but no drugs, alcohol or pets are permitted.
The first 10 drums are guaranteed session pay.
For more information, contact Veterans Committee member Chris
Tinney at 603-883-3610 or chris.tinneygrandronde.org.
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Seeking youth to sell raffle tickets
The annual Contest Powwow Committee is looking for 15 middle school
or high school community youth who would like to sell raffle tickets to
support this year's event.
Youth will sell tickets from June 20 through Aug. 16. The youth who
sells the most tickets will win a 19-inch flat screen TVDVD combo.
Youth will be selected on a first-come, first-served basis to sell tickets.
For more information, contact Social Services Administrative Assistant
Kalene Contreras at 503-879-3095 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. daily. D
Elders' garage sale seeking donations
Tribal Elders are regularly seeking donations of items for their
fundraising garage sales. To donate an item or items, call Tribal Elder
Linda Brandon at 971-267-0918. B
(Farad
ENROLLMENT continued
from front page
org under the Videos tab, involved
a back and forth about whether
it was better to bundle the four
amendments into one proposal or
allow Tribal voters to decide on
each amendment separately.
Mercier said the proposal was a
hodgepodge of suggested amend
ments that he thought Tribal
Council would support more whole
heartedly than it eventually did.
"My goal is to try and get some
thing that we can move forward so
the General Membership can vote,"
Mercier said. "At some point, I
think we owe it to the membership
to give them something they can
vote on."
However, other Tribal Council
members objected to various pro
visions, as well as the bundling
approach.
Leno said he thinks the amend
ments are "doomed for failure"
because they are being "crammed
down the membership's throat."
"I don't think anybody up here
disagrees that something needs to
go out to address some of the enroll
ment issues," Leno said. "I guess
what I would say is the timing on
this, I don't believe, is appropriate"
because of the upcoming Tribal
Council election.
Leno said he would prefer more
time to educate Tribal member
ship about enrollment issues, as
well as receive input from Tribal
members.
Leno also opposed the bundled
approach, preferring to send the
issues out as separate votes.
"I think sending this thing out as
one thing, as opposed to divided up
into four, is almost like disrespect
to the membership," Leno said.
"It's saying, 'I don't believe you
guys can figure out four different
issues, so we'll just bundle it all up
and you can just vote yes or no on
one issue.' "
Bobb said he supports fixing
enrollment problems, but wants to
see it done in a way that stands a
chance of passing. However, he is
opposed to bringing the relinquish
ment issue back up because of the
2008 vote that approved the five
year waiting period.
"We have a lot of issues that need
to be completely ironed out here
before we move forward and now
we're trying to make it happen in
months," Bobb said. "I cannot be on
board with that. ... I want to see it
fixed. I wanted to see the members
who should be a member of this
Tribe be members, but let's do it in
a fashion that stands a chance of
happening."
Giffen said he was against limit
ing the number of people who could
possibly enroll in a year, saying it
is "unethical and immoral." He also
said he was concerned about having
two elections occurring simultane
ously since the enrollment election
might overlap with the upcoming
2011 Tribal Council election.
"You're going to totally confuse
the membership by running two
elections at one time," Giffen said.
McClary said he was opposed
because he would like to see the
proposals voted on separately by
the membership although he sup
ports some of the provisions, such
as eliminating the parent on the
roll requirement.
"This is one of the hardest votes
I've made since I've been here," the
first-term Tribal Council member
said. "I think we can approach this
in a manner that I feel would be
more successful."
Soderberg, however, said he
thought Tribal Council had reached
a consensus in its conference room
discussions only to have members
change their minds.
"I want to get it done," Soderberg
said about continued enrollment dis
cussions. "I want to get it over with.
I want these people to have some
justice out there. I don't want them
to come back and come back."
Sheker said she supports reduc
ing the relinquishment period from
five years to two years.
"As a Terminated-Restored Tribe,
we should have some compassion for
people who can be enrolled Grand
Ronde, but we're asking them to be
a non-Indian without a Tribe and
Reservation for five years," Sheker
said. "I think one year is too little
for the membership, but five years
for an Indian to be without a Tribe
is an awful lot to ask."
Sheker said she fully supports
the election.
"I think people now have com
passion for the people who had to
be disenrolled. I think that really
woke everyone up," she said. "I also
think people might have a little
more compassion on the five-year
relinquishment."
Tribal member Penny DeLoe,
who also is in charge of the Tribal
Member Services Department, said
she would prefer the option of vot
ing on all four amendments instead
of the bundled approach.
'The membership that I've talked
to wants to vote on all four issues,"
DeLoe said.
Tribal Elder and former Tribal
Council member Jan Reibach Sr.
said the parent on the roll issue
is "unfair," but said he thinks the
bundled approach will be "futile."
"When you put them together,
there is going to be a lot of discord
in the Tribe and some of them will
vote no when they agree that the
parent on the roll issue should be
changed," Reibach said.
Tribal Elder Louise Medeiros, a
member of the Tribe's Enrollment
Committee, said the Tribe needs
its members enrolled. She cited a
recent case where an applicant was
denied enrollment because her par
ents were killed in an automobile
accident during the Termination
era and, therefore, she did not have
a parent on a Tribal roll.
She said a recent Enrollment
Committee meeting recommended
denial of nine out of 15 applicants
because of the parent on the roll
rule.
"I want to see fairness," Medeiros
said. "I want to see the people who
belong in the Tribe, who have the
blood and everything, to be in."
Tribal Elder Dakota Whitecloud
said she was concerned that there
is a chance the amendment will fail
because it is bundled.
"Why take the chance of it fail
ing by adding other things to it?"
Whitecloud said about the parent
on the roll issue. "Don't force people
to vote no on an issue because they
disagree with part of what is in this
amendment. I know there are lot
of people who want this parent on
the roll thing to go away as bad as
you do."
Mercier said the parent on the
roll requirement is responsible for
denying more than 300 people ad
mittance into the Tribe while the
current definition of Grand Ronde
blood was responsible for about two
dozen denials.
Mercier said that Tribal Council
enrollment discussions, which have
been occurring since early 2010,
have become redundant and non
productive. 'This discussion is deja
vu all over again, and over again,
and over again," he said.
Tom said Tribal Council discus
sions regarding enrollment have
become repetitive and that she
wanted to proceed with making a
motion.
Tribal Elder Betty Bly said she
thinks the membership "can walk
and chew gum at the same time"
in regards to having two elections
occurring simultaneously.
"I just want the membership to
vote again," Bly said. "It doesn't
matter if it is bundled or not to
me.
In February 2008, Tribal mem
bership voted on three separate
enrollment proposals, but only
OK"d a five-year relinquishment pe
riod by enough votes two-thirds
majority to amend the Tribal
Constitution.
A proposal to remove the parent
on the roll at the time of the appli
cant's birth was supported by 60.9
percent of voters and a change in the
definition of Grand Ronde blood was
backed by 55 percent of voters.
In July 1999, Tribal membership
voted to tighten enrollment criteria
in a bundled package by more than
the two-thirds required.
In breaking the tie vote, Chair
woman Kennedy said that she did
not think the election timing was
an issue. "If you have Grand Ronde
blood, then you need to be enrolled
here," she said. "You need to meet
the criteria of blood quantum re
quired." Kennedy said she "fully supports"
the provisions, which will help all
of the people who have different
problems at different levels.
Tribal Attorney Rob Greene said
the enrollment amendment election
may occur before the Sept. 10 Tribal
Council election, or it could be held
afterward depending on Tribal and
Bureau of Indian Affairs scheduling
and timelines.
To change the Tribal Constitu
tion, at least 30 percent of qualified
voters must cast ballots and the
proposal must be approved by at
least 66.7 percent of those voters.
Tribal Council scheduled an elec
tion planning meeting for Tuesday,
June 7. B