12
S moke S ignals
march 15, 2014
Governor signs new
native mascot bill
Grand ronde Tribal
Housing Authority
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
Opportunity for comment on GrTHA’s 2013
Annual Performance report (APr)
Under the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Deter-
mination Act of 1996 (NAHASDA), the U.S. Department of Housing
and Urban Development (HUD) will provide grants to Indian Tribes/
Indian Housing Authorities for the development and operation of
low-income housing in Indian areas. Grants are made to eligible
recipients under the Indian Housing Block Grant Program.
To be eligible for the grants, respondents must submit an Indian
Housing Plan that meets the minimum requirements of the Act, and
also submit an Annual Performance Report to HUD, and maintain
records for HUD monitoring. The Grand Ronde Tribal Housing Au-
thority (GRTHA) has received multiple grants under this program
that were active during 2013.
Comments on the Annual Performance Report are welcome and
copies of this report can be obtained at the GRTHA offi ce or by call-
ing 503-879-2401 or 1-800-422-0232, ext. 2401. Comments must
be submitted in writing to GRTHA no later than 5 p.m. Tuesday,
March 18, 2014. All comments will be incorporated into the fi nal
report submitted to HUD.
Home repair grants for Tribal homes
The Tribe, through the Grand Ronde Tribal Housing Authority,
offers Home Repair Grants to Tribally owned private homes for
needed repairs, upgrades and maintenance. If you own a home in
Oregon and it needs a little help with things like a worn-out roof
or a tired heating system, get in touch with your Tribal Housing
Authority and see if you and your home qualify. 503-879-2401.
Mending broken Hearts training set
The White Bison Mending Broken Hearts training will return to the
Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde on June 18-20 at the Tribal Educa-
tion Center, 9615 Grand Ronde Road.
The purpose of the training is to offer a culturally based way of heal-
ing from grief, loss and intergenerational trauma, especially for Native
American people in the United States and Canada.
The training is free, but attendees must register to attend. Attendees
are asked for a three-day commitment and be there from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
each day.
To register or for more information, contact Tribal Alcohol and Drug
Counselor Karan Scharf at 503-879-2029.
The training is sponsored by the Tribe’s Behavioral Health Program and
funded through a Meth and Suicide Prevention Initiative grant. n
Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber
signed a new Native American
mascot bill on Thursday, March 6,
that will make the Oregon Board of
Education develop rules that guide
the use of the mascots and involve
the state’s nine federally recognized
Tribes in the process.
The Board of Education passed a
sweeping ban on Native American
mascots in 2012 and the Legis-
lature passed a bill in 2013 that
would have allowed schools to keep
their Native American mascots if
they reached an agreement with a
nearby Tribe.
Kitzhaber vetoed that bill be-
cause he said it created too broad
of an exemption on the ban.
The new bill, SB 1509, sends the
issue back to the Board of Educa-
tion, which will develop rules al-
lowing certain mascots, with an
exemption likely similar to NCAA
rules that permit universities to
use the Native imagery and name
of a certain Tribe with the Tribe’s
permission, such as the Florida
State Seminoles.
Throughout the two-year process,
Grand Ronde Tribal leaders, such
as Tribal Council Chairman Reyn
Leno and Tribal Council members
Cheryle A. Kennedy and Kathleen
Tom, have consistently testifi ed that
they do not deem Native American
mascots as de facto derogatory.
Team mascots are supposed to be in-
spirational and many Native chiefs
and braves from Oregon deserve to
be recognized in such a manner.
Grand Ronde Tribal leaders also
chided the Board of Education
for leaving
them out of
the decision-
making pro-
cess in 2012,
ignoring the
government-to-
government
relationship
Oregon has
established
Oregon Gov.
with its nine
John Kitzhaber
Tribal gov-
ernments.
Leno also testifi ed several times
before legislative committees that
the best way for Oregon to end dis-
crimination against Native Ameri-
cans is to include the history of the
state’s Tribes in its school’s history
curriculum instead of just teaching
about the Apache, Sioux and other
Plains Tribes.
The new mascot bill unanimously
passed the Oregon Senate and was
approved by the Oregon House in
a 40-18 vote.
“Given that everyone impacted
may not be party to the agreement
process outlined,” Kitzhaber said, “I
want to encourage all parties who
may be involved in the agreement
process to consider the community
impact of the use of these mascots
and to develop agreements which
promote inclusive and culturally
appropriate practices.”
The closest schools to the Grand
Ronde Tribe that use Native Ameri-
can mascots are the Banks Braves,
Amity Warriors and Molalla Indi-
ans. n
Includes information from The
Oregonian.
Transition House tour
The gift of
relief.
The sooner you call
Willamette Valley Hospice,
the more experienced
©2013 Willamette Valley Hospice
support we can provide.
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
Tribal Council member Kathleen Tom surveys the laundry room of the
new Women’s Transition House while Tribal Council tours the house on
Thursday, Feb. 27. The house has eight bedrooms, three of which can
accommodate women with children. A naming and blessing ceremony
for the house is scheduled to take place at noon Tuesday, April 1.
To learn more, call 503.588.3600 or visit wvh.org
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