Smoke Signals 9
OCTOBER 15,2012
Former Tribal Council
member Andy Jenness
heads effort to build
community in area
By Ron Karten
Smoke Signals staff writer
Named as temporary Eugene area
satellite office coordinator on Sept.
17., former Tribal Council member
Andy Jenness has started the effort
to create community among the
more than 200 area members of the
Grand Ronde Tribe.
Before the year is out, Tribal
Council is likely to wrestle again
with the future of the office. At the
end of June, Tribal Council split 4
4 over how to continue to serve the
Eugene-area membership.
The first choice was to maintain
an office and "refocus" by hiring a
local member of the Tribe to build
community.
"I voted for option A," said Tribal
Council member Steve Bobb Sr.
'That was to me the only way it was
going to get a real shot at working.
We need to watch the budget and
keep good track of who is attend
ing the classes. Even if nonTribal
members are attending classes,
that's fine as long as funding is not
coming out of Tribal funds.
"I have a strong feeling that now,
with Andy Jenness at the watch,
we'll be able to heal some of the bad -feelings
in the Eugene area. For
me, we have to remember at the
end of the day we are talking about
people. My stand will to always do
everything that we can do to keep
the office going."
Bobb was joined by Tribal Coun
cil members Cheryle A. Kennedy,
Kathleen Tom and Chris Mercier
in supporting continued funding
for the office.
'i
Andy Janncss
The sec
ond choice
was to focus
on keep
ing popular
programs in
the area, but
closing the
office.
"My posi
tion," said
Tribal Coun
cil Secretary
Toby McClary, "was to close the
office while still maintaining the
cultural, language and fitness class
contracts. These are programs that
the Eugene Tribal membership has
proven to be important to them. I
felt we could inflate the contracts to
provide for a rental allowance that
would in turn save Tribal dollars
that are being spent on monthly
lease payments. In my opinion
there were not enough Tribal mem
bers utilizing the Eugene area of
fice routinely to justify the dollars
being spent.
"With all of that said, I am happy
to see Tribal member and Eugene
resident Andy Jenness coordinat
ing the day-to-day operations there.
He is well-respected in the area and
I hope he is successful in bringing
the membership together."
McClary was joined by Tribal
Council Chair Reyn Leno, Vice
Chair Jack Giffen Jr. and Tribal
Council member June Sherer in
voting to fund only the programs.
Newly elected Tribal Council
member Jon A. George may cast
the deciding vote when the question
comes up again, but he hasn't yet
indicated how he'll vote.
"We haven't really had a manager
down here since last year at this
time," said Jenness from a small,
temporary office at 221 W. 10th
Ave. in Eugene, at the corner of
10th and Charnelton,
v i . . 1 1. ii It O i
.? (,'lH, I.I . t
People from the Tribe's tempo
rary office pool, including Amber
Castle, have kept the office open
on and off since then. Barbara
Mercier, executive assistant in the
Tribe's Executive Office, has filled
in to keep the satellite office open
for culture, beading and regalia
classes, but, says Jenness, "the of
fice has been in limbo."
Given budget considerations, he
adds, "It is questionable whether
funding for the office will be in next
year's budget."
Still, Jenness is moving forward
with his plans. He found federal
funding to bring Kevin Simmons on
as a Work Experience employee, and
the two of them will continue to look
for funding beyond Tribal coffers to
keep paying staff and find a larger,
more suitable office for Eugene area
members of the Tribe.
"We are trying to build a Tribal
community and gathering place
where Grand Ronde Tribal people
can connect with one another and
access available services," said
Simmons in an e-mail. "Many of
the Grand Ronde families in the
Eugene area have been away from
the Reservation for years. In fact,
many of the families have learned
to survive and succeed without
the many insulating comforts that
Tribal andor Indian life provides
on a daily basis."
"Kevin has done some grant writ
ing," said Jenness. "We're going to
put our heads together to look for
new resources. Hopefully, we'll find
a model that might work from what
other Tribes with satellite offices
have done."
"Eugene is a unique area," Sim
mons added. "There are many
people who are sympathetic to the
life and history of the Grand Ronde
(and American Indian) experience.
Yet, Indian people and families
can feel very isolated many times
because the greater Native commu
nity in Eugene is found in pockets
and decentralized."
On Wednesday, Oct. 3, Jenness
and Simmons held a potluck "to
try to kick things off and let ev
eryone know what our hours will
be." Thirty-one attended, Jenness
reported by e-mail, encouraged by
the number.
At the moment, the office is open
8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily and Jenness
uses flex time to keep the office open
for evening events and classes.
Since reopening the office, Jen
ness said, he's seen a scattering of
Tribal members visiting and look
ing for information about continu
ing events and classes.
"One of my passions," he said, "is
to build a Tribal community. My
goal is to have a Tribal community
and build that community for shar
ing. One of the things that happened
last year, my two oldest daughters
Jessica Wolpe and Kayla Gott
fried made friends with Becky
Weston and some of the other Para
zoos of their age, and they've con
tinued this friendship on a regular
basis. The families get together for
game nights and that never would
have taken place without the Eu
gene office being open. I'd like to see
that continue to happen."
The Tribe has 140 to 150 Tribal
members in Eugene and Springfield
proper, and if you include the out
lying communities, Jenness said,
there are probably close to 200 or
more Tribal members who could
make use of a Eugene office.
A Planning & Grants Department
breakdown of Tribal membership in
Oregon says there are 200 Tribal
members in Lane County, 114 in
Linn County and 18 in Benton
County.
"When you live out away from the
Tribe, you might not know if your
neighbor is a Tribal member or not
unless it comes up in conversation,"
Jenness said.
"I want to create an environment
where people feel like they're part
of something, where they belong
and are part of a Tribal commu
nity." "I want to work with our youth in
the Eugene area," said Simmons.
"It is important for all Grand Ronde
youth, especially those in communi
ties outside Grand Ronde, to know,
understand and feel connected to
our history, culture and language.
"Research in youth development
shows that learning about history,
culture and language helps the youth
understand a better sense of self and
family; and also helps with things
like low self-esteem, substance abuse,
suicide and educational success. But
learning these things also builds our
Grand Ronde Indian community and
government for the future."
Jenness remembers asking Tribal
Elder Margaret Provost what it
means to be Tribal, what culture
is about.
"She said, 'It's not about beads
and moccasins. It's about belonging
to something, about family.' And
it hit me that she was absolutely
so right. Those are the things that
are truly important. Those are the
things we need to be encouraging,
that sense of belonging."
Jenness earned his master's
in Business Administration and
master's degree in journalism with
a focus on public relations from the
University of Oregon in 2011. Sim
mons earned his master's degree in
Special Education, also from the
University of Oregon, in 2012.
Veterans' committee
seeking donations
The Tribe's Veterans' Special Event Board is looking for quality items
for an Fallen Warriors dinner and silent auction to be held 5 p.m. Friday,
Nov. 30, at the Veterans of Foreign Wars hall in Willamina.
Donations can be dropped off at the Elders' Activity Center, specified as
a donation for the Veterans' board or Fallen Warriors dinner.