8
S moke S ignals
january 15, 2014
Wisdom Project seeks
native youth mentors
Wisdom of the Elders is recruiting between two and four Native
American youth to serve as mentors for The Wisdom Project, a Na-
tive American youth leadership initiative designed to engage Native
youth in environmental and climate studies.
Youth will learn about their local ecosystem, consider higher
education and careers in science, technology, engineering or math,
and serve as peer mentors to middle school youth.
Peer mentors will assist a small team of Native youth during a
one-month Summer Field Science Camp being held in Portland in
July.
Training will be provided on some weekends March through
June.
For an application or to have questions answered, contact Amanda
Kelley Lopez at amanda@wisdomoftheelders.org or call 503-775-
4014. Applications will be accepted through February.
Native high school and community college youth are invited to
apply, including those enrolled in federally recognized Tribes and
those who self-identify as Native American. Youth will receive a
stipend for participating in the spring training sessions and the
summer camp, and will be acknowledged at a community fi lm
screening in September. n
Native American
Enlightenment Association
12th Annual Social Pow wow
Saturday March 8, 2014
Grand Entry 4pm
Women’s Fancy Shawl Contest
Call 503.370.6265 for information
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
Michael Karnosh, Tribal Ceded Lands Program manager, gives the
membership an update on the Ceded Lands Plan during the General Council
meeting held in the Tribal Community Center on sunday, Jan. 5.
Ceded Lands Plan will be
released in three versions
GENERAL COUNCIL
continued from front page
ties and maintain that connection
within our aboriginal homelands
and our ceded lands. It’s part of our
circle of culture.”
In 2007, the Tribe created the
Ceded Lands Program, which in
March 2013 became part of the new
Land and Culture Department. For
almost a year, Ceded Lands Man-
ager Michael Karnosh has been
working with his departmental
colleagues, as well as employees in
other Tribal departments, such as
Legal and Public Affairs, to craft a
Ceded Lands Plan for the Tribe.
At the Jan. 5 General Council
meeting, Karnosh, Reibach and
Tribal Planner Rick George gave
the membership a brief overview
of the plan and sought additional
input from Tribal members.
In 2013, the Tribe re-acquired
two conservation properties worth
almost $4 million in its ceded lands
– Rattlesnake Butte near Junction
City north of Eugene and the Cha-
halpam site on the North Santiam
River southeast of Salem. The Tribe
used Bonneville Power Administra-
tion funds to purchase the proper-
ties. BPA funds also will pay for
the Tribe’s continued conservation
work at the sites.
“The vision of the Ceded Lands
Plan is to build on these successes
and create ways for the Tribe to
protect and recover its ceded lands,”
Reibach said.
The Ceded Lands Plan will be
released in three versions: an execu-
tive summary for the general public,
a consultation document that is still
“public safe” that can be distributed
to other agencies and a full plan
more than 200 pages long that will
contain sensitive cultural informa-
tion that is for internal use only.
Karnosh said staff members are
still seeking input on the Ceded
Lands Plan, which gives people a
basic understanding of what “ceded
lands” are to the Tribe and how
Tribal ancestors were forced off
their lands under duress.
“It goes treaty by treaty,” Kar-
nosh said, with maps detailing
each area.
George said the Ceded Lands
Plan is a direct result of the 2010
Tribal Strategic Plan, which seeks
to “assert Grand Ronde rights in its
ceded lands and educate the public
about these lands.”
By creating the document, George
said, the Tribe can improve its re-
lationships with city, county and
state governments “to build aware-
ness of the treaty Tribe status and
work together.” It also will result
in improved exercise of Tribal sov-
ereignty, he said.
“There’s a huge opportunity to
educate, to articulate the interests
and culture of the Tribe, and to build
partnerships with cities, ranch own-
ers, small town leadership, federal
agencies, the Governor’s Offi ce to
talk about how to bring them into
helping you protect your interests in
the ceded lands,” George said.
Karnosh said Tribal members had
until Jan. 10 to provide input on the
draft by either fi lling out a comment
form at the General Council meet-
ing or sending a comment via e-mail
to CededLandsComments@gran-
dronde.org. Commentators needed
to include their name, roll number
and a way to contact them.
Reibach thanked Tribal Council,
the General Manager’s Offi ce, Land
and Culture employees, the Tribal
Attorney’s Offi ce, George, the Pub-
lic Affairs and Natural Resources
departments, as well as Tribal
members and Elders for their help
in crafting the Ceded Lands Plan.
“Even though it is away from our
local community and reservation,
we’re maintaining our connec-
tion because they are our lands,”
Reibach said.
In other action during the Gener-
al Council meeting, Linda Brandon,
Richard Ray, Louise Coulson and
Leonette Galligher were elected
to four open seats on the Elders
Committee.
Tribal Elders Dorothy Leno and
Linda LaChance and Eric Ber-
nando won the $50 door prizes and
Tonya Gleason-Shepek won the
$100 door prize.
The general membership in at-
tendance also voted overwhelm-
ingly to adopt a fi ve-minute time
limit for speakers at General Coun-
cil meetings.
Tribal Council member Jon A.
George, Bernando and Reibach
provided the cultural drumming
and singing at the start of the
meeting.
The next General Council meet-
ing will be held at 11 a.m. Sunday,
Feb. 2, in the Tribal Community
Center. n