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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (July 15, 2015)
20 S moke S ignals JULY 15, 2015 TRIBAL EMPLOYMENT RIGHTS ORDINANCE OPEN FOR COMMENT The Tribal Council is considering adopting amendments to the Tribal Employment Rights Ordinance. The proposed amendments were given a First Reading at the July 1, 2015, Tribal Council meeting. The purpose of the amendments is to strengthen and clarify the role of the Tribal Employment Rights Office. The proposed amend- ments include the following: 1. Revisions to the definition of “Qualified.” 2. Clarification on the TERO Commission’s and TERO Director roles. 3. Requirements for TERO involvement at various stages of the Employment Process including, without limitation, review of candidate assessments and interview questions. 4. Provisions addressing promotions and retention. 5. A prohibition against retaliation. 6. Succession planning requirements; 7. Provisions permitting the issuance of a notice of violation to a Tribal Employer and allowing the Employer to appeal notices of violation to the TERO Commission; and 8. Clarification on workforce goals for contractors. The Tribal Council invites comment on the proposed amendments. For a copy of the proposed amendments please contact the Tribal Attorney’s Office at 503-879-4664. Please send your comments to the Tribal Attorney’s Office, 9615 Grand Ronde Road, Grand Ronde, Oregon 97347 or by e-mail to legal@grandronde.org. Comments must be received by Aug. 15, 2015. n Request for Proposals for Museum Exhibit Design Services The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde is soliciting for consultant services for creating an exhibit design plan for the Chachalu Muse- um & Cultural Center. Electronic copies of the RFP documents are available by e-mailing kim.rogers@grandronde.org or by calling him at 503-879-2250. Responses are due by 4 p.m. on Friday, July 31, 2015, to the same e-mail address. This work is being funded primarily by a grant from the Administration for Native Americans. n Invitation to Bid General Contractor Services The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Tribal Police Station Construction Project The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde hereby extends an Invitation to General Contractors to bid on the Grand Ronde Tribal Police Station Project in Grand Ronde, Oregon. The project includes the construction of a 4,400-square-foot police station located at 9675 Grand Ronde Road. Construction also includes a new paved vehicle parking area and utility improvements. Mandatory Pre-Bid Meeting: Wednesday, July 22, 2015, at 2 p.m. Bids Due: 3 p.m. local time, Wednesday, August 5, 2015 Bid Documents, including contract terms, conditions, and specifi- cations will be available beginning July 15, 2015. Contact the Project Architect for bid documents, Paul Bentley, Paul Bentley Architect, 615 S.E. Jackson Street, Roseburg, Ore., 97470; Ph: 541-672-0273, E-mail: paul@paulbentleyarchitect.com. For additional project information contact Jesse White, CTGR Engineering & Public Works Manager, at 503-879-2404 or jesse. white@grandronde.org. Invitation to Bid General Contractor Services The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde 9533 Raven Loop Burn Repair Project The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde hereby extends an Invitation to General Contractors to bid on the 9533 Raven Loop Burn Repair Project in Grand Ronde, Oregon. The project includes the re-construction of a duplex unit located in the Tribe’s Multi-Family Housing Development. Construction will include the complete repair of the home to its original condition. Mandatory Pre-Bid Meeting: Thursday, July 23, 2015, at 2 p.m. Bids Due: 3 p.m. local time, Thursday, August 6, 2015 Bid Documents, including contract terms, conditions, and specifica- tions will be available beginning July 15, 2015. Contact Jesse White, CTGR Engineering & Public Works Manager, for bid documents and project questions at 503-879-2404 or jesse.white@grandronde.org. n Not appropriate to keep remains in a museum BUILDING continued from front page David Harrelson. “The term can also be used more generally as a description of a place filled with death and destruction. The term was used by Lewis and Clark and other early Europeans in the region as they navigated the Columbia River referring to structures built by our ancestors on burial islands in the Columbia River and else- where throughout our homelands.” Historically, charnel houses or burial chambers were built near churches and used for depositing bones unearthed while digging graves. “There is a need at the Tribe for a place to keep things that we re- patriate,” says Harrelson. Harrelson says the problem of what to do with burial items and remains was brought to Tribal leadership by the Historic Preser- vation Office staff as a way to bet- ter handle an issue that had been building for years, and in some sit- uations, decades. He says the idea of ancestral remains being kept in a box on a shelf in someone’s office or a storage room was not ideal and goes against the belief system held sacred by many Tribal members. “It’s not appropriate to keep people’s remains in a museum. It’s not appropriate to keep people in Tribal buildings,” says Harrelson. “It’s felt that a building at the cem- etery could facilitate that. This can be done in a respectful way. The charnel house is going to be that.” Tribal Council Chairman Reyn Leno says he agrees with Harrelson on the issue of properly caring for an ancestor’s remains. “From my perspective, it is a mat- ter of respect,” says Leno. “I think it is just another piece of us recov- ering our culture. This project fits into the fabric of the Tribal family. Whether they died a 100 years ago or whether they died today, they have a right to be in the sacred grounds of our cemetery.” “Now we have a place to bring those items home to,” says Harrel- son. “It’s a very simple stone block structure with a roof and it will have shelves inside.” The charnel house will be a 20-foot-by-24-foot concrete mason- ry building. Tribal Engineering and Public Works Manager Jesse White says his department was asked by the Land and Culture Department to put together a budget estimate for construction of the charnel house. White says the building was bud- geted this year and should be com- pleted by the fall. “It’s a pretty basic structure as far as it’s just a concrete slab, con- crete masonry block walls and a simple roof,” says White. “We just need to finish up the plans and put the project out to bid.” White says an area just south of the south access road to the cem- etery is where the charnel house will be located. Tribal Archeolo- gist Briece Edwards will survey the area with ground penetrating radar before breaking ground to avoid disturbing previous burials in that spot. Harrelson says the ground pene- trating radar measures soil density. “People think the imagery you get looks a lot like a dental X-ray and it’s not,” says Harrelson. “Metal, concrete and different types of ma- terials reflect a unique signature that pops like a metal detector. We are not taking X-ray images of our ancestors, these are not photo- graphs.” In fact, White says only about a foot of topsoil will be removed for construction of the charnel house. “We are providing a place where our ancestors and these remains can rest peacefully until they are laid to rest forever,” says Tribal Council Secretary Toby McClary. “I think this charnel house is a perfect spot for them to have some comfort and peace while we get them to where they need to go.” Harrelson says that Tribal Ar- tisan Travis Stewart will create carvings for the building’s en- trance. Harrelson says the art will be minimal, but important. “It’s not a spot to be seen,” says Harrelson. Stewart says culture staff collec- tively felt a need to make a change in the way remains and burial goods were being cared for and that they settled on a charnel house be- cause it seemed appropriate. “We just figured it would be a good idea to come up with a more permanent structure at least to house the items until they can be reburied,” says Stewart. “We now have a little more time and resourc- es to take care of that sort of thing.” Stewart says that even though the art he will create for the charnel house is not necessarily to be seen, it is important and he is proud to be selected for the job. “Art is important to culture,” says Stewart. “It’s how we tell our stories.” Harrelson will host a public meet- ing at 5 p.m. Wednesday, July 15, in the Tribal Community Center to discuss the charnel house with the membership. He said he will be discussing the differences between a charnel house and a mausoleum so that everyone is clear that what is being proposed is not a place for living members to have their ashes placed. Harrelson said he is prepared to answer any and all questions about the project and that he has asked White and Member Services Department Manager Penny DeLoe to attend to help answer questions as well. A meal will be provided. n
