4
S moke S ignals
NOVEMBER 1, 2014
Programs offer assistance
for Tribal members, staff
By Ron Karten
Smoke Signals staff writer
2009 – Then-Tribal Chairwoman Cheryle A. Kennedy was set
to receive the Fran James Cultural Preservation Award from the
Potlatch Fund in Seattle, as well as travel to Washington, D.C., to
participate in the first Tribal Nations Conference that was promised
by President Barack Obama during his 2008 campaign.
2004 – About 250 Tribal
officials and state gov-
ernment department
directors attended the
annual Tribal-to-Tribal
Government Summit held
at the Wildhorse Casino
in Pendleton. Gov. Ted
Kulongoski attended.
File photo
1999 – The Oregon
Commission for Women named then-Tribal Council Chairwoman
Kathryn Harrison one of three Women of Achievement in the state.
Harrison was honored for her work on behalf of the advancement
of the Tribe. The commission also noted that Harrison worked with
nonTribal groups, such as the Women’s Political Caucus and League
of Women Voters.
1994 – Sam Henny and Rob Greene were pictured transplanting
400 checker-mallow plants from the construction site for Spirit
Mountain Casino. The threatened species plants were relocated to
an area across the street from the Spirit Mountain headquarters.
1989 – Smoke Signals and Tribal archives do not have a copy of
the November 1989 edition.
1984 – The Commission on Indian Services held its second region-
al meeting in the cafeteria of St. Michael’s Catholic Church. The
commission recently agreed to expand its membership to include
the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, as well as other federally
recognized Tribes. A draft bill was being readied for introduction to
the state Legislature in early 1985.
Yesteryears is a look back at Tribal history in five-year in-
crements through the pages of Smoke Signals.
Two Tribal programs – the Mem-
ber Assistance Program and Em-
ployee Assistance Program – often
get lost in plain sight.
Both programs are available to
Tribal members and staff at no cost
and offer a helping hand regarding
myriad topics.
California- and Pennsylva-
nia-based Integrated Behavioral
Health, a national company, ad-
ministers both programs for the
Tribe.
In September, the Health and
Wellness Clinic held a series of ed-
ucational seminars that described
the many parts of the programs to
encourage people to use them if nec-
essary. Staff throughout the Tribe
are now informed about the offer-
ings available and, as appropriate,
will remind Tribal members and col-
leagues about available counseling
and point them to the correct Inte-
grated Behavioral Health program.
“It is a resource that we just an-
nounced to get the word out as to
its availability,” said Jeff Lorenz,
executive director of Health Ser-
vices. “Hopefully, it will get widely
used as it is a support service to
our members and doesn’t involve
any cost.”
An unknown number of Tribal
members and staff take advantage of
the programs
annually be-
cause par-
ticipation is
confidential.
The pro -
grams offer
help with
work-life is-
sues; head,
Jeff Lorenz
soul and mat-
ters of the
heart; and sticky legal and financial
problems. There isn’t a lifeways or
work issue need out there – from
birth to walking on – that isn’t
addressed by one section of the
programs.
Possible solutions to the problem
of keeping a toddler, or an elderly
parent, busy are covered. Help is
available for a literacy issue, as well
as a job question, either getting or
losing one.
To access any of these services,
call 800-395-1616.
MAP and EAP also make webi-
nars, podcasts, audio and video
available to enable Tribal members
and staff to look up issues on their
own by computer or smartphone.
Every one of these services is con-
fidential, and nobody but the caller
will know that the service has been
used – not the Tribe, a spouse, bill
collector or judge. Unless the caller
chooses to share it. n
Reibach nominated for two
Native American Music Awards
Council OKs amendments
to Ilihi loan agreements
By Dean Rhodes
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
Smoke Signals editor
Jan Looking Wolf Reibach will
be presenting at the 15th annual
Native American Music Awards
being held Friday, Nov. 14, at the
Entertainment Center at the Sen-
eca Allegany Casino & Hotel in
Salamanca, N.Y.
Reibach also was nominated by
NAMA for Artist and Flutist of
the Year for
his compact
disc “Ta-
manawas.”
Reibach
is attending
the event
and will per-
form “Fire
and Water”
Jan Reibach
from the re-
lease.
“Tamanawas” – Chinuk Wawa
for “guardian spirit” – was released
earlier this year on Arizona music
label High Spirits and includes
drumming by Tribal member Bobby
Mercier on some of the songs.
The CD is dedicated to Tribal
member Nicholas Larry Lee Faas,
the son of Kathy Cole, who walked
on at the age of 24 as the result of
a May 2008 car accident.
Reibach said he recently signed a
three-record deal with High Spirits
to be recorded over the next six
years.
“Music remains a strong part of
my life,” he said. “I really hope that
Tamanawas wins because this CD
is dedicated to Nick.”
Voting to determine the winner
in each category is open to the
general public. Music tracks from
all the nominees are featured
on the awards’ website at www.
NAMALIVE.com.
Reibach is a multiple Native
American Music Award winner,
having been honored previously
for Best Flutist, Artist of the Year,
Record of the Year and Best Music
Video. ‘Tamanawas’ was the 19th
compact disc he has released since
making his first CD with a home
digital recorder in 2003 in the bed-
room of his then Grand Meadows
home.
“Tamanawas” is internationally
distributed at stores and at sever-
al sites on the Internet, including
www.highspirits.com. n
Tribal Council approved two
resolutions on Wednesday, Oct.
22, that allow Tribally owned
Ilihi LLC to defer principal
payments on two Tribal loans
and only pay monthly interest
through October 2015.
The resolutions affect an $8.1
million loan from the Tribe to
Ilihi in December 2013 and an-
other loan that was not to exceed
$5.5 million approved in June
2014. Ilihi, in turn, loaned the
funds to MicroGREEN Polymers
of Arlington, Wash.
Tribal members with ques-
tions were instructed to contact
the Tribe’s Economic Develop-
ment Department at 503-879-
1315 or Finance Officer Chris
Leno at 503-879-2340 for more
information.
In other action, Tribal Council
re-appointed Portland busi-
nessman Sho Dozono, Oregon
Secretary of State Kate Brown
and former Congresswoman Dar-
lene Hooley to the Spirit Moun-
tain Community Fund Board of
Trustees with terms expiring in
September 2016.
Tribal Council also approved
a blood quantum correction for
one Tribal member and set the
agenda for the Nov. 2 General
Council meeting, which will be
held in executive session to dis-
cuss the proposed 2015 budget.
Tribal Council member Jon A.
George, Jan Looking Wolf Rei-
bach, Travis Stewart, Cristina
Lara and Eirik Thorsgard per-
formed the cultural singing and
drumming to open the meeting.
The meeting can be viewed
on the Tribal website, www.
grandronde.org, under the Video
tab. n
Mushroom talk to be held
The Tribe’s Fish & Wildlife Committee and Education and Land & Cul-
ture departments will hold a Mushroom Identification and Usage meeting
at 1 p.m. Monday, Nov. 10, at the Elders Activity Center for those inter-
ested in harvesting edible mushrooms on the Reservation.
Bureau of Land Management botanist Ron Exeter will be the instructor.
Dessert will be served and there will be door prizes.
For more information, call Harold Lyon at 971-237-5775 or Michelle
Volz at 503-879-2376. n