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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (July 1, 2011)
Smoke Signals Wood exhibit aft UO leads tto career-maEring jobs 10 JULY 1,2011 By Ron Karten Smoke Signal itaff writer For the last year, an exhibit at the University of Oregon's Museum of Natural and Cultural History titled "We Are Still Here" has featured Tribal member and recent Cultural Resources Department employee Stephanie Wood. Her piece of the exhibit received the subtitle, "Stephanie Wood on baskets and biography." The exhibit was part of the muse um's Contemporary Native Ameri can series that has featured other Native Americans. The museum is on the university campus near the Many Nations Longhouse. The 5-by-6-by-3-foot exhibit in cluded Wood in interviews, describ ing her activities at the university's Native American Student Union, and also the basket project she did as an undergraduate that was reported in Smoke Signals in June 2008. In the interviews, she also de scribes reasons why she is studying Grand Ronde Tribal culture and traditions, and "why I think it's important." It included photographs of her family and a basket made by her great-great-grandmother, former Tribal Elder Hattie Hudson, and passed down through the family. "My mom loaned it to the mu seum to be on display with my other stuff," Wood said. The display also included photos of Wood working with baskets. Wood's part of the on-going ex hibit went on display in June 2010 and comes down on July 1, 2011. In very concrete ways, the show is leading Wood to the career she has studied for. "From the exhibit," she said, "I've been asked to do some consulting work and the restoration of a cradle ;tti;ir.-" n e SV4 Mm tm0 9m Vkmwvm a New 0t MM MM" r "'i-.- f m l vm few MNr ma m ftmtmmm I I ,. J ;i - Photo courtesy of the University of Oregon Museum of Natural and Cultural History The University of Oregon exhibit "We Are Still Here" featured Tribal member and recent Cultural Resources Department employee Stephanie Wood. Her growing expertise on Pacific Northwest Tribal basket making is helping Wood get jobs while she works on her master's degree at the University of Oregon. board basket." Last February, Oregon State University contracted Wood to do a three-day basket making work shop. In the last month, she did a basket consultation for an Oregon woman whose great-grandfather gave her an 80-year-old basket. "She wanted me to identify it. It's not a Pacific Northwest or Wil lamette Valley coastal basket, but it is beautiful," Wood said. "It's more like southern Oregon or California work." The University of Oregon hired Wood to do a 10-week basket mak ing workshop that just ended. For this project, she will work with Tribal member Shelby Olson Arrested development Photo by Michelle Alalmo Tribal Council member Chris Mercier collects money that fellow Tribal Council member Wink Soderberg donated to his "bail" during the Muscular Dystrophy Association's Lock-Up fundraiser at the Best Little Roadhouse in Salem on Tuesday, June 21 . Participants in the fundraiser agreed to be "arrested and had to raise money, or "bail" to be released. The event raises funds for people with neuromuscular diseases. Tribal Council members Steve Bobb Sr. and Soderberg also participated in the fundraiser and Mercier donated to Soderberg's "bail" in return. Rogers, who runs the Title VII Indian Education program for the Salem-Keizer schools. Wood will lead an all-day program to teach basket making for Native American Title VII students on July 20. Also this summer for four weeks, Wood has been contracted by Or egon State to participate in an archeological dig at Fort Yamhill State Park. Her possibilities have expanded since leaving the Cultural Re sources Department last summer to attend graduate school at the University of Oregon. She is now one year completed and 1.5 years to go for her master's degree. She also was just hired as an archival assistant for the Univer sity of Oregon's Tribal Legacies of Oregon project, running from Sep tember 2011 to June 2012. Funded by the National Park Service, the project will require Wood to work with Tribal colleges and other educational systems on an extensive collection of Pacific Northwest Tribal Archives from university libraries for teaching learning and research related to Native American experiences in the area. "This repository and research center would signal the university's strong commitment to preserving the all-inclusive historical record of the Pacific Northwest and integrat ing it into the curriculum of both K-12 and higher education," accord ing to the university's description of the position. "The team's primary objective would be to collect, curate and improve the visibility and ac cessibility of these rich resources." "Since the exhibit's gone up," Wood said, "I've been real fortu nate to have these job opportuni ties come my way. Not only that, but also the support of the Indian community in Eugene, the support of our Tribe and our Tribal Elders, family and friends. If it wasn't for everyone's support, I wouldn't be here today, getting the master's degree or the job opportunities I have right now." 'This is kind of what I was hoping would happen with her," said Tribal member and Cultural Resources Manager David Lewis. "When she worked here last year, it was obvi ous she wanted to go back into edu cation. She's always talked about wanting to learn how to weave and study baskets and our Native his tory. This is really something she feels drawn to. "This also makes her more valu able to the Tribe," Lewis added, "because later on, and even now, we can draw on her knowledge." D Artwork for sale wanted The University of Oregon Museum of Natural and Cultural History's museum store, Past and Presents, is seeking a limited number of artists interested in selling their original artwork on consignment in the store. Pa cific Northwest Tribal members interested in the opportunity should submit five images of their work for consideration to traceyuoregon.edu. The university's Museum of Natural and Cultural History protects significant collections, enhances knowledge and encourages stewardship of human and natural history through research, preservation and educa tion. Past and Presents offers a comprehensive selection of regional books and gifts that reflect the museum's exhibits, collections and research, as well as the inspiration of the Pacific Northwest landscape. The store features handcrafted goods from local and regional artists, including jewelry, pottery, basketry, woodworking and more. For more information, contact Tracey Bell at 541-346-1574. B
