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S moke S ignals
JUNE 15, 2015
State Education Board
bans Native mascots
By Dean Rhodes
2010 – The Willamina High
School softball team won the
OSAA Class 3A state champi-
onship at Erv Lind Stadium
in Portland. Tribal members
Justine Colton, Carley Tram-
mell and Samantha Grant-
Mooney were members of the
File photo
championship squad.
2005 – Tribal members
Amanda Thomas and Ashlee Merrill were recipients of Gates Mil-
lennium Scholarships, which promote academic excellence among
minority students. Grand Ronde members received two of only five
scholarships awarded to Pacific Northwest Native American high
school students.
2000 – Because of a growing Tribal population, the pharmacy in
the Health & Wellness Center expanded. With the new expansion,
prescription requests could increase from 200 to 600 a day.
1995 – Recipients of the 1995-96 Education Trust Fund scholar-
ships were Trevor Aaron, Loretta Knight, Amber Finney, Dustin
Leno, Jerry George, Delight Satter and Simone Auger. Scholarships
ranged in value from $1,500 to $5,000.
1990 – Angela Leno was selected as co-salutatorian of the grad-
uating class at Willamina High School. She had been active in the
Letterman’s Club, Pep Club, OSSOM, International Club and the
Tribal youth group. She also played varsity softball for three years.
1985 – A mini powwow was held at Grand Ronde Elementary
School. In addition, students had completed cultural classes taught
by Karen Harrison (drumming, dancing and singing), Patricia Hofen-
bredl (regalia) and Eula Petite (Chinuk jargon).
Yesteryears is a look back at Tribal history in five-year in-
crements through the pages of Smoke Signals.
Wyden re-introduces amendment
Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden re-introduced an amendment to the Grand
Ronde Reservation Act on March 19 that would streamline how the Tribe
takes land into trust.
The same amendment was close to passing during the previous Congress,
but ran out of time in the closing days.
The amendment would allow the Secretary of the Interior to treat land
within the original boundaries of the 1857 Grand Ronde Reservation as
an on-reservation trust acquisition, which would streamline the process
and not require the Tribe to return to Congress for an amendment to make
the lands part of the Reservation.
The amendment also would make all property taken into trust within the
Reservation’s original boundaries after Sept. 9, 1988, reservation lands.
The bill was referred to the Senate’s Committee on Indian Affairs. n
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Smoke Signals editor
The Oregon Board of Education ruled on Friday, May 22, that the 14
state public schools with Native American-themed mascots must change
their mascots or lose state funding.
The schools, including Amity and Banks high schools, have until 2017
to change their mascot.
During the meeting, board members voted unanimously against an
amendment that would have allowed schools to continue to call their
athletic teams by the nicknames of Warriors, Braves, Indians and
Chieftains.
Schools in Banks, Molalla and Roseburg use Native American mascots
while seven Oregon schools call themselves Warriors, including Amity.
Despite sentiments from the Siletz and Grand Ronde Tribes that sup-
ported respectful use of Native mascots by Oregon high schools and argued
that Native mascots can be interpreted as complimentary, Education Board
members reaffirmed their 2012 order that all state schools with Native
American mascots choose new ones.
The Grand Ronde Tribe has consistently supported teaching Oregon’s
Native American culture and history in classrooms as a way to combat
racism instead of unilaterally eliminating Native mascots. The Grand
Ronde Tribe has created a fourth-grade curriculum that includes lessons
on Native American history and culture, and is currently working on an
eighth-grade curriculum as well.
Tribal Chairman Reyn Leno said the Grand Ronde Tribe was not in-
formed of the Board of Education meeting.
“We are the ones who represent our people and I feel like they’re not
listening to what we have to say,” he said. “It’s a step backward as far as
what we’re trying to accomplish with educating people on the Tribes. We
feel it’s very unfortunate and we haven’t changed our position on this.
We’re disappointed.”
One school has changed its mascot during the back and forth on the
issue in the last three years. The Dalles High School dropped its mascot,
the Eagle Indian, and played this year as the Riverhawks.
However, the Board of Education’s ruling might not be the last word
on the matter.
Oregon Rep. Sherrie Sprenger of Scio introduced House Bill 3560 in
the Legislature on Wednesday, June 3, that would allow Oregon public
schools to use a Native American mascot if the public school enters into
an approved written agreement with an Oregon Indian Tribe.
The written agreement must contain, among other things, a plan for how
the history and culture of the Native Tribe will be included in the school’s
curriculum and how the school will address any achievement gap between
Native and nonNative students.
Sprenger’s bill was referred to the House Committee on Education and
no hearings have been scheduled, according to the Oregon Legislature’s
website.
Sprenger’s district includes Lebanon High School, which uses “warriors”
as its mascot.
In past testimony before the Legislature, Sprenger has said she sup-
ports communication and understanding between Oregon Tribes and
public schools instead of the state handing down a unilateral ruling on
the mascot matter. n
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