S moke S ignals
july 1, 2014
Sacred Hoop
2009 – Tribal Elder and Vietnam War-era Navy veteran Gene
LaBonte was elected chair of the nine-member Governor’s Advisory
Committee on Veterans Affairs. He was appointed to a four-year
term on the committee in 2008 by Gov. Ted Kulongoski.
2004 – Tribal member Perri
McDaniel’s elaborate regalia and
horse trappings won second place
in the Best Individual Native or
Costume category during the Port-
land Rose Festival’s Grand Floral
Parade.
1999 – The Grand Ronde Tribe
celebrated the return of the per-
egrine falcon to Portland with
its float entitled “Soaring Spirit.”
The float won the Sweepstakes
Award in the Grand Floral Parade
File photo
and featured members of Royalty
– Ali Holsclaw, Halona Butler and
Stephanie Duran.
1994 – A $45,000 donation by Harold Blair purchased a mini-bus
for Senior Services transports and excursions. Blair, an Elder him-
self, lives near the Reservation and spent much of his life logging
and working in the woods. The donation came after he sold some of
his land to Hampton Lumber.
1989 – Tribal Council voted to proceed with putting the Tribal
Cemetery and Depot properties into trust. Nelson Witt, Siletz super-
intendent, was requested to attend the next Tribal Council meeting
to discuss the process for putting land into trust.
1984 – The Tribe’s Constitution and bylaws were completed and
sent to Washington, D.C., for approval by the Secretary of the Inte-
rior. Once approved, they will be sent back to be approved by the
general membership. Upon that approval, the Tribe will be governed
by those documents.
Yesteryears is a look back at Tribal history in five-year in-
crements through the pages of Smoke Signals.
Photo by Ron Karten
Kevin Simmons, who works for the Tribe as the Adult Education
and College Advising coordinator, drums during the Sacred Hoop
Ceremony held on Saturday, June 21, in the Tribal gymnasium. About
50 participated in what has become an annual event in Grand Ronde.
The event was filled with historic traumas that have devastated Native
Americans and advice for healing from facilitator Marlin Farley and
others. Farley is a master trainer for White Bison, a Native American
organization created for healing. The training this year ran about five
hours and included time for testimonials from participants, who talked
to the group about their addictions and traumas. The hoop represents
a world that was broken and now is in a period of healing.
Butler to referee at a national
event honoring Pvt. Lori Piestewa
By Ron Karten
Smoke Signals staff writer
Royalty selling fireworks
Tribal Royalty will be selling fireworks from 9 a.m. to dusk Monday, June
23, through Saturday, July 5, at the corner of Hebo Road and Highway 22
across from Spirit Mountain Casino.
The TNT booth will be selling fireworks that are legal in Oregon.
For more information, contact Tribal Royalty Coordinator Jackie Many
Hides at 503-879-7002. n
Fee assistance
Enrolled Tribal members can request assistance with test fees (i.e. GRE,
SAT, LSAT, ACT) and admissions application fees.
Contact Higher Education for more information at 1-800-422-0232, ext.
2275. n
Grand Ronde Tribal
Housing Authority
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 qualifies. 503-879-2401.
Tribal Elder Alton Butler will
be on his way to Arizona between
July 9-13 because he has been
named a basketball referee in the
annual Lori Piestewa National
Native American Games, started
in 2003 after the Hopi soldier was
killed in Iraq.
Piestewa is thought to be the
first Native American woman ever
killed in combat.
The Piestewa games are part
of the National Congress of State
Games, a component of the U.S.
Olympic Committee. They are be-
ing held in the Phoenix metropoli-
tan area on the Fort McDowell and
Salt River Indian communities.
Two-hundred Native American
teams from Tribes across the nation
are expected to compete in a variety of
sports. Butler is among some 90 refer-
ees and he has offered to referee eight
one-hour basketball games a day with
an hour break in the middle.
“You have to be in great shape,”
Butler said.
Butler has been a referee since
he was 25, after he left the Marine
Corps.
“I always loved sports,” he said.
He competed in baseball, football
and wrestling during his years at
Willamina High School.
Butler said he heard about
the games when reading about
Piestewa and offered his services
as a referee a few years ago. This
year, they called him.
He has been a referee in Salem,
West Valley and Tri City leagues at
one time or another working with
all age groups and in football, bas-
ketball, baseball and softball.
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
Tribal Elder Alton Butler will referee
basketball games at the Lori
Piestewa National Native American
Games being held in Arizona
between July 9-13.
He said that being a referee can
be tough, but the comments roll off
him. He once had a mother come
up to the pitcher’s mound to talk to
him while the game was going on.
“I have people who are still mad
at me from a call I made in Little
League 20 years ago. It’s normal
to make 50 percent of the people
mad at you during a game, but if
you make 100 percent of them mad,
that’s a really good game.”
He knows about getting angry at
referees because before he became
one, he said, “I yelled at the refs all
the time.”
Butler is the building official for
the Tribe. Previously, he was rec-
reation coordinator. n