10
S moke S ignals
october 1, 2014
Tribe to manage almost 5,000 acres
ENCAMPMENT continued
from front page
1853 treaty signing at Table Rocks,
as well as the Tribe’s 2011 memo-
randum of understanding with the
Bureau of Land Management and
the Nature Conservancy.
The memorandum gave the Grand
Ronde Tribe the right to manage
almost 5,000 acres of pristine land
around Table Rocks where the 1856
Trail of Tears started. The area is
within the Tribe’s ceded lands.
Each year since 2012, Tribal
members have set up demonstra-
tions of Grand Ronde culture and
hands-on experiences with Indian
ways at the state park.
Joining Farber were students
Daniel D’Mello and Malachi Beal,
and their mothers. They made bead-
ed necklaces and asked questions
of Tribal cultural consultant Greg
Archuleta, who put together the
educational display, including carv-
ing and weaving and the materials
used to make cultural artifacts.
More than 18 years as a teacher,
Farber said of his students, “I al-
ways made sure they knew that
fi rst peoples were here long before
Europeans arrived.”
Farber said that part of his les-
sons included information about
the nine Oregon Tribes.
Medford City Councilor Bob
Strosser attended with his grand-
son, seventh-grader Joey Zach.
Asked what he knew about Tribal
culture in Oregon, Zach said, “In-
dians were here before Europeans
came and they ate a lot of fi sh.”
Strosser called the Tribe’s out-
reach in the area “impressive.”
“The encampment,” he said,
“made you feel like you had new
friends.” He added that there is
potential to bring Tribal education
to the area’s Rotary Clubs.
Chris Arthur of Portland, a retiree
who volunteers with the Native
American Youth and Family Center
on its Urban Canoe project, was in
the area for a national conference. “I
thought I would drop by,” she said.
The daylong encampment was
held mostly in the shade of a 100-
degree day on Saturday, Sept.
20. The day before, friends of the
Tribal MOU were invited to “Coffee
and Conversation” at the Marriott
Courtyard in Medford.
Tribal Council Chairman Reyn
Leno welcomed the group in a
cooled conference room. He said
how good it is to be connected to the
land. “This has been our home for
thousands of years,” he said.
Leno discussed the Tribe’s
fourth-grade curriculum and the
Photo by Ron Karten
Tribal Council Chairman Reyn Leno welcomes a group of Medford-area
offi cials for “Coff ee and Conversation” at the Marriott Courtyard on Friday,
Sept. 19.
eighth-grade curriculum being
developed.
A tribal group from Tribal Coun-
cil, Land and Culture, Legal and
Public Affairs described important
points about the Tribe to a group of
more than 30 who fi lled the confer-
ence room.
Tribal Historian David Lewis
talked about the recently opened
Chachalu Museum and Cultural
Center, the Chinuk Wawa lan-
guage program, Native skills and
crafts, and gave a brief history of
the Tribe.
“We’re restoring the functions of
government and re-establishing
our relationship with our lands,”
Lewis said. “We’ve been here before
written history. We’ve been able to
trace it back 14,500 years, and we’ll
be here forever.”
Tribal Attorney Rob Greene talk-
ed about the MOU’s framework “to
work together and bring the Tribal
culture to others. It is such a beau-
tiful place,” he said. “I love coming
down here and walking through
the area.”
Tribal friends Taylor and Emily
Grimes teach the story of the Table
Rocks region through their speed-
boat recreation business, Rogue Jet
Boat Adventures. The Grimes have
consulted with the Tribe to have ac-
curate information about the Grand
Ronde experience in the area. This
year, the Grand Ronde story went
out on 3,500 trips up and down the
Rogue River.
“It’s really great that we can work
together,” Taylor said. “It’s our
passion for the region that keeps
us excited about the education. It’s
a tremendous opportunity for the
Tribe to be involved in the area.”
“We’re moving on the projects
we are working on,” said Jean Wil-
liams of the Butte Falls office of
the Bureau of Land Management.
“We have had great partners in our
projects.”
“We’re so grateful for the relation-
ship with the Tribe,” said Molly
Monson of The Nature Conservan-
cy. The Medford branch of The
Nature Conservancy has mapped
communities at Table Rocks and
documented the fauna and fl ora in
the area. She said that in addition
to thinning and burning activities,
“There is a strong educational com-
ponent in their work.”
Marko Bey, executive director of
the Lomakatsi Restoration Project,
in partnership with The Nature
Conservancy, is “building momen-
tum for working in the area, creat-
ing workforce development to bring
some of the ideas for the area to life.
The project is a nonprofi t, grass-
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Help wanted
The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde’s 477 Employment and Training
Program and Land and Culture Department have resources that can be
utilized along with community members who have a passion for gardening
or want to learn the art of agriculture. If you are a Grand Ronde Tribal
or community member and want to be a part of the planning, prepara-
tion and cultivation of the Tribal garden and orchard site for next year’s
planting season, contact Barbara Gibbons at 800-242-8196, ext. 2135, or
e-mail barbara.gibbons@grandronde.org. n
roots organization that develops
and implements forest and water-
shed restoration projects in Oregon
and northern California.”
“With these partners,” said Tribal
Council Vice Chair Jack Giffen
Jr., “we can get to the next level.
Everybody is studying eels. Last
year, we caught 120 eels due to
these partnerships.”
Jill Nishball, of Oregon State
Parks, has been “sparked” by the
new Grand Ronde curriculum be-
cause of her work with children.
“It took us 30 years to prove that
we can take care of us,” said Leno.
“With the relationships we have
here, I think we can do it.”
Public Affairs Director Siobhan
Taylor said that the Tribe wants to
know, “What can we do for you?”
Involved in the Friday meeting
were representatives of the Bureau
of Land Management, U.S. De-
partment of Agriculture’s Natural
Resources Conservation Service,
Oregon State Parks, Oregon De-
partment of Fish and Wildlife,
Jackson County Board of Com-
missioners, Medford City Council,
The Nature Conservancy and the
Lomakatsi Restoration Project.
From the Tribe, in addition to
Leno and Giffen, were Tribal Coun-
cil members Cheryle A. Kennedy,
who gave the invocation, Jon A.
George and Ed Pearsall. Staff mem-
bers in attendance were Taylor
and Public Affairs Administrative
Assistant Chelsea Clark, who put
the weekend events together.
Greene and Lewis, as well as
other Tribal members, Portland
Tribal Services Representative
Lisa Archuleta and Leno’s grand-
daughter, Cheyanne Fasana, also
participated.
“This is a very, very special place,”
said Taylor. n
Information is accurate as of date of printing and is subject to change
without notice. Wells Fargo Home Mortgage is a division of Wells Fargo
Bank, N.A. ©2011 Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. All rights reserved. NMLSR
ID 399801.
105361 -
REV 10/13
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