Smoke Signals
Smoke Signals 1 1
JULY 1, 2012
JULY 1,2012
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By Ron Karten
Smoke Signals staff writer
ASHLAND On the Tribe's aide,
the development and installation
of two interpretive signs in North
Mountain Park in Ashland has been
almost three years in coming.
However, for the Ashland Parks
and Recreation Department, it
has been in process for more than
a decade.
It could not have come out bet
ter, though, for project coordinator
Mike Karnosh, the Tribe's Ceded
Lands coordinator.
"They have gone above and be
yond to make sure all our concerns
were addressed," Karnosh said.
'They came up to Grand Ronde to
get a firsthand look at the Tribe and
meet the people. And the finished
product is really, really impressive.
I can't say enough about everybody's
contribution. I'm overwhelmed."
This latest addition to the Tribal
Historic Signs Project was offi
cially unveiled in the park's Na
ture Center on Saturday, June 23,
under tentative skies that held for
four hours for about 50
people who attended to
honor the occasion.
The Nature Center
starts at the north end
of the 40-acre teaching
park located next to
Bear Creek in Ashland.
The park also includes
demonstration gardens,
playing fields and sev
eral acres of wildlife
friendly open space and
trails.
"Ashland Parks does
a lot of public educa
tion and outreach," Kar
nosh said, "including
programs with school
kids. They are really
progressive because they
try to teach everyone
that comes through the park, and
they try to make sure they get ev
erything right. They have reached
out to the Tribe in the past, so we
knew we wanted to work with them
on this signs project."
"Our hope is that people will see
this and want to learn more and
maybe realize that they can be
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Traditional Tribal Homelands Ceded in Treaties
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part of the programs here," said
Kari Gies, Nature Center education
coordinator for Ashland Parks and
Recreation. Also, she said, she looks
for the project to "help us maintain
a dialogue with the Tribe. Resolv
ing the problems of the past is an
ongoing process."
"Our ancestors lived in this land
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Cultural Rasourcss Managar David Lawis, center, and Karin Onkka, graphics
designer for the project, left, listen as Kari Gies, Nature Center education
coordinator for Ashland's Parks and Recreation Department, describes the
process of putting this project together to Tribal and other visitors at North
Mountain Park in Ashland on Saturday, June 23.
for thousands of years," said Tribal
Council Chairwoman Cheryle A.
Kennedy. 'They are happy that we
walk the same ground today . . . that
the circle of life continues."
"I had the privilege to be part of
the signage dedication," said Tribal
Council member June Sherer. 'This
area, Ashland and southern Oregon,
are all part of our ceded lands. It is
where our Trail of Tears began.
"We are thankful to those who
honored us in a heartfelt and hon
est way. It was uplifting to know
that there are nonNatives who
honor us and our ancestors with
their efforts and their dedication
to honoring our history."
Sherer said she was grateful to
the Ashland staff and volunteers
who "spent years clearing the inva
sive plants and restoring the area
to its natural state," and because
"the area was dedicated to our
ancestors."
"I feel that they fully under
stand that this fantastic valley
was sculpted by our ancestors,"
said Tribal Council Secretary Jack
Giffen Jr., "and they're very open
to telling this to the community.
Tribal Council Chairwoman Cheryle A.
Kennedy, center, is flanked by Tribal
Council member June Sherer, far left.
Tribal Council Secretary Jack Giffen,
Jr. and Senior Miss Grand Ronde
Nakoosa Moreland just before the .
unveiling of two interpretive signs in
Ashland on Saturday, June 23. One of
the signs is covered in black.
At left one of the two interpretive signs
telling the story of the Grand Ronde
Tribes' ceded lands now on display at
North Mountain Park in Ashland.
Photos by Ron Karten
They've really got a community
buy-in for the project, and in my
eye, hey, that's the key to success.
Culturally, this is a very important
part of our ceded lands."
"The region is the homelands
of the northern Shasta and the
Takelma," said Tribal Cultural
Resources Department Manager
David Lewis. 'The line between the
two Tribes is not well known and
it is thought that Ashland is the
northern extremity for the Shastas.
They would have camped and lived
at Bear Creek, which goes directly
through the park.
"The Takelma inhabited the
area of Table Rocks, and Bear
Creek enters the Rogue River at
Lower Table Rock, across from the
Tribe's Rogue River Treaty signing
of 1853. The region does not have
a lot of interpretation about the
Tribes that originally inhabited it
nor about the Table Rock Reserva
tion. Many people in the area do
not know the history of the Tribes
and how this area is incredibly
significant to our Tribal history.
The signs project answers part of
this need.
"We've learned a lot more about
the area than we had known," Lewis
added. "Re-familiarizing ourselves
with the land is very important.
When you put something like this
up, (the signs) exist for 10 years or
more, and so it's very important
that we get it right."
He added his voice to the chorus
thanking the Ashland Parks and
Recreation Department for taking
the time to get it right.
Julie Brown, Collections assis
tant in the Cultural Resources
Department, also thanked Ashland
staffers for "truly embracing what
we were feeling in our hearts as
Native Americans."
Illustrator Nancy Wylie called
the project "a learning process. The
work here was in the detail, and the
difficulty was in how to bring all
the information together into one
illustration."
"I've learned so much about Na
tive ways," said graphic designer
Karin Onnka. "Everytime I'm out,
I honor this land as you and your
ancestors do."
Grand Ronde Royalty - Nakoosa
Moreland, Iyana Holmes, Amelia
Mooney, Makenzie Aaron, Amarys
saMooney, Elizabeth Watson-Croy
and Madison Aaron - performed
along with singersdrummers Jus
tin Robinson, Greg Archuleta,
Miguel Adams and Jordan Mer
'cier. Tribal Elders in attendance in
cluded Bernadine Shriver and
Dolores Parmenter. Portland office
Tribal Services Representative Lisa
Archuleta also attended and Tribal
Public Affairs Director Siobhan
Taylor coordinated the event.
The unveiling also included dance
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Karin Onkka unveils one sign as Kari Gies and David Lewis watch on Saturday, June 23, in North Mountain Park in Ashland.
demonstrations and presentations
of traditional Native crafts, includ
ing basket weaving and the process
of turning stones and clays into
paint-type colors.
"We're all about stewardship of
the land," Gies said. 'This project
gives us a look at the wisdom of the
past, and how well the indigenous
people stewarded this land."
The Tribe also has new interpre
tive signs coming out at the Dallas
Arboretum in July and at Salem
Riverfront Park. Still others are in
development. D
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Nakoosa Moreland leads Grand Ronde Tribal Royalty in introducing themselves and describing their regalia to the crowd during the interpretive sign unveiling at
North Mountain Park in Ashland on Saturday, June 23. From right are Moreland, Amelia Mooney, Makenzie Aaron, Amaryssa Mooney, Elizabeth Watson-Croy and
Madison Aaron. Iyana Holmes is mostly hidden behind Moreland although the top of her crown is visible. Behind them are displays of traditional Native crafts.