12
Smoke Signals
JULY 15, 2012
'TlhiDs is tiraDy a pleasiuiD'e to fee heir'
RESOLUTION continued
from front page
Amanda Fritz, who spearheaded
the effort with Portland Mayor
Sam Adams. 'This is a significant
change and establishes structure to
our relationship."
Adams said the city has a "unique
responsibility" to work with Tribal
partners on many issues, including
the health of the Willamette River
and the Portland Harbor cleanup.
"This starts the formal process
of a government-to-government
relationship," Adams said. "At its
core, this resolution means we will
no longer rely on the state or federal
governments for our relationship
with Tribes. They (those relation
ships) will be direct."
City Commissioner Dan Saltzman
called the resolution a "historic mo
ment" that would further "the good
working relationship between the
city and the nine Tribes in Oregon."
The resolution states that Port
land will "implement its programs
and activities within the context
of honoring and respecting Tribal
treaty rights, federal-Tribal trust
responsibilities, traditional Native
religious beliefs and the city will
seek opportunities to partner with
Tribal partners on economic, envi
ronmental and social improvement
initiatives."
The city of Portland sits in the
fi 0 n
M la.
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
Portland Mayor Sam Adams talks with Tribal Chairwoman Charyla
A. Kennedy bafora tha city's council maating at City Hall in Portland
on Wadnasday, July 1 1 . Tha council passad a rasolution to formaliza
consultation with Tribal govarnmants during tha maating.
homelands of the Confederated
Tribes of Grand Ronde, which ceded
the land to the federal government
in the 1855 Willamette Valley
Treaty.
'The city wishes to establish and
maintain a relationship of mutual
respect to achieve positive, mutually
understood and beneficial solutions
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to common situations and ... to build
relationships, promote effective
communication and coordination,
to seek opportunities and prevent
conflict," the resolution states.
Portland elected officials commit
ted in the resolution to develop in
ternal city policies and procedures
that support and affirm its com
mitment to government-to-government
consultations with Tribes and
will enter into intergovernmental
agreements andor memorandums
of understanding "at the request of
its Tribal government partners."
"This is truly a pleasure to be
here," Tribal Chairwoman Cheryle
A. Kennedy said during her testi
mony before the City Council. "I
want to welcome everyone to the
homelands of the Confederated
Tribes of Grand Ronde. I want to
thank you for listening to what has
been said about the importance
and support of this resolution. It
is very moving and meaningful.
There have been times that we
have sometimes felt like we were
on the periphery of what was hap
pening here, but thank you Council
and Mayor for standing by us and
listening to us.
"A few years ago, this was only an
idea that this event would take place.
We are veiy pleased that is has hap
pened here today. It's clear to me that
when we're dealing with honorable
people, as well as being respectful,
things do happen. Hopefully for the
future of all us, Tribal leaders as well
as the great city of Portland, that
we will be able to move forward and
forge many other relationships.
"It seems that the bond that
holds us together is really the earth
on which we walk and that is the
thing that I personally have great
concerns about ... the way that
the earth is being treated. This is
what sustains all of us. Food does
not come from outer space, it comes
from here, the earth that we live on.
If we don't take care of it, there will
be disaster for all us. So by joining
together to look at ways to clean
up our mighty rivers, we're doing
a great thing for the future genera
tions of all of our people.
'This is a great thing being done
here today and the bonds will cer
tainly grow stronger through the
gesture that is being made here
today."
Fritz said that the Portland City
Council will work with each city
bureau about implementing the
resolution and set up meetings with
individual Tribal leaders to discuss
how to move forward.
"I'm hoping this resolution will
make for a much more respectful
relationship and that we will be
required to consult and treat our
Tribal government partners as
partners," Fritz said before the City
Council meeting during a reception
in the City Hall South Atrium.
Both Fritz and Adams said that
establishing a government-to-government
relationship will transcend
who sits in positions of leadership
for both the city and Tribes.
"It formalizes the relationship
that already exists between the
land on which Portland exists and
the historic presence of our Tribal
nations and Tribes that frequented
the confluence of the Willamette
and Columbia," Adams said. "It
further cements our relationships
with the area Tribal sovereign na
tions. ... This continues our efforts
to make Tribal nations full partners
in Portland.
"This makes it government-to-government.
It recognizes that there
will always be turnover in leadership
positions in the city and Tribal gov
ernments. This goes beyond person
and makes it formal between Tribal
nations and city government."
Tribal representatives, including
Kennedy and Tribal Council mem
bers Kathleen Tom, Jack Giffen
Jr. and Chris Mercier, met with
Portland elected officials and staff
on Sept. 23, 2011, to build more
awareness about the Grand Ronde
Tribe and its historical connection
to the Portland area.
Also attending the July 1 1 City
Council meeting were Tribal Attor
ney Rob Greene, Public Affairs Direc
tor Siobhan Taylor and Ceded Lands
Program Manager Mike Karnosh.
"I think the importance of this
resolution is that it memorializes
the government-to-government re
lationship," Karnosh said.
Representatives from the Nez
Perce, Umatilla, Siletz and Warm
Springs Tribes also attended and
testified.
"I think that the City Council's
passage of the resolution reflects
the work Grand Ronde has done to
lay this foundation," Kennedy said
after the vote. "Now we have to do
the work." D
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