8 MARCH 15,2012
Smoke Signals
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DICTIONARY continued
from front page
of Grand Ronde Indians. The new
edition is one-third larger than
the working dictionary previously
created by the Tribe's Cultural Re
sources Department.
"This is a pretty amazing publi
cation for the Tribe," said Tribal
member and Cultural Resources
Department Manager David Lewis.
"It really shows the depth of our
culture and the depth of our in
teractions with other Tribes in the
area."
Lewis thanked the Public Affairs
Department and Tribal Council
for their help and funding, respec
tively. Former Tribal employee Tony
Johnson (Chinook), who worked on
the new dictionary for many years
while he was employed in Grand
Ronde, said it was a "proud day"
for Grand Ronde.
"This dictionary is going to be
awfully important to folks that are
just lay people interested in the
language, linguists studying other
languages and the community, of
course, the children, everybody
coming up," Johnson said.
The new dictionary is dedicated
to Tribal Elder and Chinuk Wawa
teacher Jackie Whisler, who walked
on in December 2007. Members of
her family, including son Mike
Colton, grandchildren Justine,
Nick and Jade Colton and sister
Cheryl Carl, attended and received
a copy of the dictionary.
"It was great," Mike said after
the ceremony. "Anyone who knew
mom knows that she put her heart
and soul into the Tribe without ever
expecting anything in return. (The
dedication) was nice."
During lunchtime activities, a
blessing song in Chinuk Wawa
was sung and drummed by Tribal
members Travis Mercier, Bobby
Mercier, Brian Krehbiel and Gregg
Leno and Johnson with Tribal
youth assisting.
Posters of the book cover, which
was designed by Tribal Graphic
Designer George Valdez, were
given away to those who wanted a
copy, and several Tribal members
purchased the dictionary for $20.
In addition, copies were distrib
uted to Tribal Council members in
attendance.
Tribal youth who are currently
learning Chinuk Wawa in Grand
Ronde Tribal language classes sang
several songs in Chinuk Wawa dur
ing lunch.
'This dictionary is very important
to us," Bobby Mercier said. "Our
kids are speaking the language of
our ancestors. That is a very big
thing and is helping to keep our
language alive."
Tribal member and Cultural Re
sources Program Manager Kathy
Cole honored Johnson and Henry
Zenk, an anthropologist who first
started working with the Grand
Ronde Tribe in 1978, for their work
on the dictionary.
"It grew in stages," Zenk said
about the evolution of the new
dictionary.
Zenk and Johnson signed copies
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in the lobby of the Tribe's Commu
nity Center.
Cole thanked Chinuk Wawa
teachers past and present for their
effort in keeping the language alive.
She mentioned Johnson, Bobby
Mercier, Whisler, Ali Holsclaw,
Crystal Szczepanski, Zack Ed
wards, George Neujahr, Daniel
Haugg, Frank Quenelle, Jeff Merci
er, Esther Stewart, Kim Contreras,
Elaine Lane, Shawn Bobb, Bubba
Sohappy, Shawn Beauchamp,
Halona Butler, Hannah Zimbrick,
Leslie Riggs, Tiffany Greenburg
and herself.
Then Bobby Mercier, the Tribe's
Language and Culture Specialist,
led Tribal members in a couple
games of Chinuk Wawa bingo.
The bingo cards featured eight
colors identified by their Chinuk
Wawa pronunciation around a
blank, white center square, and
the first players to get a blackout
received a prize.
"Liblo," Mercier said while hold
ing up a brown card.
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page to see more phot
"Legley," he said, holding up a
gray card.
"Ti?il," he said, holding up a black
card.
Meanwhile, players, such as
Tribal Elder Linda Brandon, filled
in their bingo cards as the colors
were announced.
Following bingo, a closing song
concluded the celebration.
Also during the General Council
meeting, Lewis said that the Cul
tural Resources Department will
be moving into the former Grand
Ronde Middle School building later
in 2012. The building, purchased by
the Tribe in 2011, will house that
department and a museum.
"It is going to become a cultural
center in many ways for the Tribe,"
Lewis said, adding that the Tribe
Photos by Michelle Alalmo
Izaiah Fisher (Siltez), left, and Tribal
member Kailiyah Krehbiel reach
for a toy at the same time as they
pick a prize for getting bingo in the
Chinuk Wawa bingo game during
the General Council meeting in the
Tribal Community Center on Sunday,
March 4. On the right is Tribal Elder
Cherie Butler, who also got bingo
and looks at the prizes.
Henry Zenk, right, an
anthropologist who first started
working with the Grand Ronde
Tribe in 1978, speaks to the
membership after Tribal member
and Cultural Resources Program
Manager Kathy Cole, middle,
honored him and former Tribal
employee Tony Johnson (Chinook),
left, for their work on the new
Chinuk Wawa dictionary.
has received more than 50 applica
tions to be project architect.
In other action, it was announced
that the April 1 General Council
meeting will be held at the Mon
arch Hotel & Convention Center,
12566 S.E. 93rd Ave., Clackamas,
at 11 a.m.
Tribal Elder Gloria Sundahl gave'
the invocation while Tribal member
Wendell Olson and Tribal Elders
Dorothy Shortt and Marlena Lan
cour won the $50 door prizes and
Tribal Elder Cheryl Carl won the
$100 door prize.
Tribal Chairwoman Cheryle
A. Kennedy also announced that
Tribal members have 45 days to
participate in a Per Capita Distri
bution Survey that is seeking input
on how frequently the Tribal mem
bership wants per capita checks
allocated per year. B