Smoke Signals 5
JUNE 1,2013
Tribal stiocfleirotts eaim cceditis foir Wawa class
By Ron Karten
Smoke Signals staff writer
Two years after the Grand Ronde
Tribe and Willamina High School
jointly developed a Chinuk Wawa
language class, two Tribal students
have graduated and earned both
high school and college credit for
learning their own language.
With graduation this year, Jade
Colton and Braden Ebensteiner,
both second-year students of the
course, will start college next year
with 24 credits for their efforts.
"I really felt that it was more
than a class," said teacher Kathy
Cole, Tribal Cultural Education
and Outreach Program manager,
for whom this class is only a small
part of her outreach responsibili
ties. "Because we knew each other
so well, we just bonded, and it was
more than taking any old class. It
was like a family atmosphere."
The work that translated into
this academic success for Oregon's
Tribal peoples began more than a
decade ago, said Tribal Education
Manager April Campbell.
Many individuals and Tribes
worked through the Government-to-Government
education cluster
group, the Oregon Department of
Education and the Teachers Stan
dards and Practices Commission to
make this happen.
As a result, Tribes today have the
right and responsibility to certify
teachers of Native languages, and
with teachers prepared, classes
have followed.
"This is instrumental," said
Campbell, "for us to teach our own
language and have our youth carry
that on to their children and their
children's children. That's what it's
all about
"It was a collaborative effort, but
kudos go to Kathy. She deserves the
credit for teaching the classes and
for her passion about the language
being sustained and maintained."
Colton was a natural for the
course. She kind of grew up in
it, she said, with her late grand
mother, Jackie Whisler, teaching
the language for years on the Tribal
campus. Today, her sister, Justine,
takes a similar course at Lane
Community College even while
she is enrolled at the University
of Oregon.
Ebensteiner said that he switched
out of Spanish class because "I
thought I could learn more about
my language and culture" in the
Wawa class. Spanish, he said,
"never really interested me."
I)
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
From left, Zoey Holsclaw, Chyanne Schlappie, Braden Ebensteiner, Kayla
Grijalva and Jade Colton have all completed two years of the Chinuk Wawa
language class at Willamina High School, earning both high school and
college credits for the classes.
Three other Tribal students
sophomores Kayla Grijalva and
Chyanne Schlappie and junior Zoey
Holsclaw also finished their sec
ond year in the Wawa class and will
have the credits available to them
when it is time for college. Kyoni
Mercier, a freshman, is in her first
year of the class.
"The class also helps the Tribe
build a relationship with the
school," said Cole.
Grijalva recalled that her grand
father, Walter Simmons, used
to talk about his grandmother
speaking the language, and how he
always wanted to learn it but never
had the time.
She'll now make use of the lan
guage credits during her college
years. Like many, she intends to
get the basics out of the way at com
munity college and then transfer to
University of Oregon.
Holsclaw is finishing up both
Wawa and her second year of Span
ish this year. "Spanish," she said,
"because I need it to work with
other people, and Wawa because
it's significant to who I am."
Schlappie said that languages
have "always interested me." She
has just completed her second year
of Wawa and her first of Spanish.
"It's kind of difficult with both
classes," she said. "I sometimes mix
them up."
Still, she said she considers learn
ing Wawa "a great opportunity for
me. I always wanted to learn it."
Cole gets high marks for her
teaching style from her students.
"She goes over the work slowly
and until we get it," said Eben
steiner. "Sometimes, we work on
Youth Ed closed for a week
The Youth Education Department will be closed for the first week in
June - June 3-7. This includes all kindergarten through 12th-grade pro
grams. Department staff will use the time to close out the school year and pre
pare for upcoming summer activities.
During this week, there will be a variety of recreational and cultural
activities available to youth within the community.
There will be a Golf Camp held on Monday, June 3, and Friday, June
7. Contact Recreation Coordinator Matt Mosley at 503-879-1369 for more
information.
The Land & Culture Department will host a Bow Camp June 4-6. Con
tact Cultural Education Specialist Brian Krehbiel at 503-879-4639 for
more information.
Contact Youth Education Secretary Tiffany Mercier at 503-879-2101 for
more information. B
one thing for a week until we get
it down."
"I like this class a lot," said Gri
jalva. 'The teacher puts more effort
into helping the class."
All the students previously went
through the Tribe's Wawa immer
sion classes, and many common
words came back, they said, when
they picked up their Wawa educa
tion again in Willamina.
"I remember, like, the com
mon words, and the history," said
Colton, who did her senior project
on the Tribe's Wawa immersion
program.
Students said they felt they had
a pretty good handle on the words
and could often understand the
spoken language.
Grijalva credits her Wawa skills
because now, "at big events, I can
actually understand what Bobby
(Mercier, Cultural Outreach spe
cialist) says!"
Still, many were unsure of them
selves when it came to speaking.
"I think they have it," said Cole
about their abilities to speak.
"They just don't have the confi
dence yet. It's a part of who they
are. They became aware of who
they are and where they came
from. We teach a lot of history and
culture with the language. They're
not only learning their language,
but also about their ancestors and
their past.
"They're more confident about
who they are, and I think it will
help them realize how important
their heritage is, and maybe they'll
come back and work for the Tribe
in some way."
The Tribe also hosts a number
of other Chinuk Wawa language
courses, including immersion class
es for kindergarteners and first
graders. D
DO YOU WANT TO I'JOOU?
I'JOULD YOU LIKE ASSISTANCE?
IinUE YOU RECENTLY QEEI1 HIKED?
THE SOCIAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT HAS TWO
PROGRAMS THAT ASSIST TRIBAL MEMBERS
WHO WANT TO WORK AND LIVE IN THE 6
COUNTY SERVICE AREA
THESE PROGRAMS ARE 477EMPLOYMENT AND
TRAINING AND THE GRAND RONDE TRIBAL
VOCATIONAL
REHABILITATION PROGRAM.
THE VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION PROGRAM
WORKS WITH TRIBAL MEMBERS WITH A
DISABILITY THAT HAS BEEN A BARRIER TO
GAINING OR RETAINING
EMPLOYMENT
THE 477 EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING
PROGRAM SUPPORTS TRIBAL MEMBERS WITH
JOB RELATED SERVICES
477 CAN SERVE GRAND RONDE TRIBAL
MEMBERS WHO LIVE IN MARION,
MULTNOMAH, POLK, TILLAMOOK,
WASHINGTON AND YAMHILL COUNTY.
TRIBAL VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION CAN
SERVE GRAND RONDE TRIBAL MEMBERS WHO
LIVE IN MARION, MULTNOMAH, POLK,
TILLAMOOK, WASHINGTON, YAMHILL AND
CLACKAMAS COUNTY
FOR INFO CONTACT:
THE SOCIAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT AT
503-879-2034 OR 1-800-242-8196
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PROGRAMS AND
TO A DETERMINE WHICH ONE CAN BEST
ASSIST YOU
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