Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 1, 2013)
Smoke Signals 'Fdt me, tft 5s (sgaflDte weirwIhieOmiiinig' 14 AUGUST 1,2013 JOURNEY continued from front page of Indians, sponsored Northwest Shells & Cedar, an educational and community-focused program to highlight Tribal crafts and language programs. Eric Bernando, a Chinuk Wawa language teacher at the Portland satellite office, described the alpha bet to onlookers. "We've been living on the reserva tion for so long," he said, "some of the language is influenced by Elders' conversation melded into the Oregon coast Athabaskan language." Greg Archuleta staffed a booth with necklaces and cedar hats, and his own carving of two sides of a rattle that is yet to be put together. Ceded Lands Program Manager Michael Karnosh had his eye on a particular necklace adorned with a necklace-sized paddle. Connie Graves sat at a cedar weaving booth, where she kept busy answering questions and showing how she weaves cedar, baskets and her current project, 1,000 cedar ros es for the Tribe's 30th anniversary of Restoration set for November. One of the big draws at the booth was some of her tiny creations, baskets about half the size of fin gernail. She made them, she said, because she couldn't bear to waste any of the well-prepared cedar bark traditionally used for baskets. Annette Ingram, Debi Anderson and Veterans Queen Savannah In gram showed bone necklaces. There also was a graduation cap made of cedar bark. Jordan Mercier demonstrated how he makes cedar hats. Tribal members and staff joined a traditional game of shinny. Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Tribal members Doug Barrett and Jesse Beers brought the sticks and toggle, made from tennis balls tied together with a leather strap that are used in the game. Traditionally, said Kar nosh, the balls were made of wood. A group from the Native American Rehabilitation Association made and sold fry bread. With three buckets of dough, the group was prepared to make 300 pieces, said Sande Bea Allman, who has a rich mix of Native American ancestors and is develop ment director for the group. Later in the afternoon, Grand Ronde's two canoes, gtankiya (mean ing coyote), and a new canoe, tilxayu (meaning seal) and on its maiden journey, arrived at a Champoeg dock below the Shells & Cedar event. Joining the Grand Ronde canoes was one that the Coquille Indian Tribe shared with members of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Tribe, who have their first on order from Quinault carver Guy Pullman. A Suquamish Tribe canoe also met in Champoeg and made its way north with the group. In addition, a hand-carved canoe made by Siletz Tribal member Willie Towner made the first leg of the journey. All the canoes fought the wakes from motor boats pulling water ski ers up and down the Willamette Riv er. Towner's canoe took on so much water that it was immediately pulled , tv . c '; I';. Photos by Michelle Alaimo Grand Ronde Canoe Family member Zocy Holsclaw helps her nephew Red Sky Clawson into ulxayu, meaning seal, the Tribe's newest canoe as they prepare to depart on this year's Canoe Journey, Paddle to Quinault 2013, from Rogers Landing in Newberg on Saturday, July 20. The Grand Ronde Canoe Family sings a blessing song at their first stop on this year's Canoe Journey, Paddle to Quinault 201 3, at Champoeg State Heritage Park in St. Paul on Saturday, July 20. to the land of the Grand Ronde Tribes, "to see Tribal people bond ing together and to see Tribal cul ture strong in this country." Most Tribal Council members and many Elders and staff and their families attended. Also, the Aurora Volunteer Fire District pitched in before the day was over with a cook out of hot dogs and hamburgers. On Monday at Willamette Park in John's Landing, Secretary of State Kate Brown joined the journey. She traveled in one of the Grand Ronde canoes down to the south waterfront where she disembarked at the River Place marina. 'The canoe journey was a great op portunity for me to get a sense of the strong commitment to honor Tribal customs," she said. Brown is a board member of Spirit Mountain Com munity Fund. "I also think it's an important reminder to the citizens of Oregon about our state's heritage." Land and Culture, Public Affairs, Social Services Manager David Ful lerton, Youth Prevention Specialist Lisa Leno and many others did the hard work of making this year's event possible. Youth Prevention provided chaperones for youth 14-18. Five Tribal members set out on their first canoe journey this year, including Osprey and True Gib bons, Michaela Gonzales, Goldie Bly and Ferrell DeGarmo. "New beginnings," is how Mar cus Gibbons, father of the Gibbons boys, described their coming ad venture. R from the river when it arrived. "We were bailing from way down the river," said Towner. "We were fighting motor boats," said Brian Krehbiel, Cultural Edu cation specialist for the Tribe, who was skipper of tilxayu. "You have to be perpendicular to the waves or they come over the sides." Bobby Mercier, Cultural Out reach specialist for the Tribe and organizer of the Tribe's canoe jour neys since the first one for the Tribe in 2005, was skipper of gtankiya. Crowds filled the dock as the ca noes arrived about 10 minutes apart. They also filled the steps down to the dock and across the landing at the top of the stairs. Drums and song pulled everyone together as they honored the coming canoes. When all had landed and mount ed the steps to higher ground, Tribal Council member Cheryle A. Kennedy gave the welcome. "Come ashore," she said. "We wel come you. Eat with us. Sing with us. Dance with us." Also honoring members of the journey were State Parks Director Tim Woods and two chaplains from the Aurora Volunteer Fire Depart ment chaplain. Tribal GIS Coordinator Volker Mell created maps of the voyage, including one through which view ers could follow the canoes' progress in real time. Sky Hopinka (Ho Chunk) and Myron Lameman (Cree), operating under the name Meewa Cinema, filmed the day. They were con tracted by the Land and Culture Department to make a film promot ing lifeways activities for the Tribe planned for use during the Tribe's 30th anniversary of Restoration. World War II veteran Harold Ja cobs, part Seneca, of McMinnville, attended with his wife, Louise. He has been involved with Native Americans since 1990, he said. "It's about feeling when I get around Native people," he said. Among guests of the Grand Ronde Canoe Family was Tai Mamaku, 37, a Tribal relative from the Maori people of New Zealand. He teaches Maori history in addition to having extensive canoe experience. He has studied celestial navigation for more than five years, he said. The Maori have been a seafaring people for the last 1,200 years, he added. Two other Maori sailors were expected later in the week. "For me, it is quite overwhelm ing," said Mamaku of his first visit
