Smoke signals., March 15, 2012, Page 6, Image 6

6 MARCH 15,2012
Smoke Signals
Saciredl IHIQQp commes to Giraimdl Dtoiradle
Ceremony seeks to help
Native peoples heal
By Ron Karten
Smoke Signals staff writer
Intergenerational tragedy met
the Sacred Hoop at the Tribal gym
in Grand Ronde on Friday, March
9.
Sponsored by the Behavioral
Health and Youth Prevention arms
of the Tribe, the ceremony brought
hope to many in Grand Ronde who
have long fought despair.
The Sacred Hoop, with its eagle
feathers, has "the power to forgive
the unforgiveable," said Marlin Far
ley, a White Bison master trainer
and leader of the ceremony.
The aim of the ceremony, Farley
said, is "to wake up the communi
ties. Our communities have fallen
asleep through alcohol and drugs,
and a failure to communicate with
other people."
"Healing action will start today,"
said Tribal member Jon George,
master of ceremony for the pro
gram. 'Today is that day. In your
healing is something that can heal
somebody else."
Harking back to the foster care
and boarding school experiences
of earlier generations, Farley said
that since those generations many
Native Americans have grown up
without love.
"We knew what harsh punish
ment was. We knew what separa
tion was, but my mother raised her
children afraid
that if she taught
the ceremonies,
(she and her chil
dren) might be
punished."
"How sad for
my children to
be raised without
love," said Trib
al Elder Margo
Ordaz. "I didn't
know how to give
love."
Farley cited a
book, "The Griev
ing Indian: An Ojibwe Elder Shares
His Discovery of Health and Hope,"
that says that 100 percent of clients
with drug and alcohol problems suf
fer from "unresolved grief."
"If you face the grief," he said,
"you can end it. By not facing grief,
it becomes a revolving door."
"It's a way for us to show that
we need to be more humble in
life," said Tribal member Frank
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Quenelle, who attended with his
family. "It's a good thing for us to
be able to reach out to each other.
There's a lot of strength in know
ing who we are and where we come
from. The power of seeing all those
eagle feathers and the strength of
everyone's prayers. It's good heal
ing for our people."
Tribal member Kevin Simmons
focused on the foster care piece of
Natural Resources seeking
10-year plan input
The Tribe's Natural Resources Division is interested in hearing from
the Tribal membership about their thoughts and concerns regarding
Tribal land management. As mentioned in the Feb. 15 Smoke Signals,
the division is embarking on the next 10-year management plan for
the Reservation. If you would like your comments to be incorporated
into this plan, they need to be received by Sunday, April 1.
Comments can be submitted via e-mail to naturalresourceplan
grandronde.org or mailed to the Tribe's Natural Resources Division,
47010 S.W. Hebo Road, Grand Ronde, OR 97347.
For more information, call Senior Administrative Assistant Michele
Volz at 503-879-2424. B
Photos by Ron Karten
Tha Sacred Hoop, with its
eagle feathers, has "the power
to forgie the unforgiveable,"
said Marlin Farley, a White
Bison master trainer.
Tribal Elder Margo
Ordaz talks about her
experiences on the way
to sobriety during the
Sacred Hoop ceremony
held at the Tribal
gymnasium on Friday,
March 9.
the experience.
"The story of foster care played
a huge part in our community," he
said. "It touched me. I just cried
when I heard it."
"I hope the people here will take
something away and interpret it
into their lives," said Tribal mem
ber Leslie Riggs, supervisor of the
Tribe's Employment and Training
and 477Vocational Rehabilitation
programs. "It's a nice awareness
piece, but there are many who may
not think they have a problem."
Tribal member Michele Chreste
nsen told her story that included
abandonment and adoption, addic
tion and sobriety, jail and prison,
family and children, and the impor
tance of staying connected with the
local community.
"I remember feeling like I never fit
in, anywhere," she said. "I remem
ber feeling abandoned and didn't
trust anybody," when at 14, she was
introduced to alcohol and drugs. "I
liked the way I felt accepted in that
circle of people, and the way I didn't
have to feel feelings.
"When I was in prison and I
reached out via the Smoke Signals
paper, Steve and Connie Bobb
began to support me and write to
me; then they began to come to the
meetings in the prison regarding
my release and they said I would
parole to their home, to my family
where I belonged. That in and of
itself meant SO much to me, gave
me a sense of being loved uncondi
tionally. I didn't grow up knowing
them, or even much of them, nor
they I. So that was such a big deal
that they would open their home
to me as I was leaving prison, and
they have been such a huge part
of my success and have done more
than words could even express."
She told the story of addiction and
sobriety, how as a young adult she
connected with her brother, Tribal
member Marty George, and how
the two of them had both achieved
sobriety in 2005, and were working
for the Tribe (Marty in the Smoke
Signals office) before Marty's death
at the hands of police at the end of
October 2005.
Throughout the ceremony, Tribal
members and brothers Brian Kreh
biel and Bobby Mercier kept a fire
going outside, as is traditional for
many Tribal ceremonies.
"Every piece of wood you put on
the fire is a prayer for your commu
nity, your people and yourselves,"
said Krehbiel. "It's the way we take
care of each other."
Tribal Elder and former Culture
Committee Chair Kathleen Provost
and her husband, Don Hendricks,
along with Tribal member and
Food Service coordinator Kristy
DeLoe and her crew prepared the
ceremonial dinner with ceremonial
deer for stew, wild rice, salmon
and potluck side dishes brought
by many.
Tribal Elder and Tribal Council
member Steve Bobb Sr. gave the
invocation. Suffering with a par
ticularly harsh regimen of cancer
therapies at the time, Bobb left the
ceremony soon after it began. '
"Nothing can replace family and
honor," said Quenelle.
"Anyone who seeks healing is
blessed," said Ordaz.
"As healing happens here, we
can hope that the next generation
will no longer need this kind of
ceremony," said Jon George.
"The switch has to go off in
them," said Riggs. "You can't give
it to them."
Graves teaching basket weaving
Tribal Elder Connie Graves teaches a basket weaving class, which
is open to the public, at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Elders' Activity
Center. For more information, contact Tribal Cultural Education
Specialist Brian Krehbiel at 503-879-4639 or brian.krehbielgran
dronde.org. B