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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 15, 2015)
2 S moke S ignals AUGUST 15, 2015 NOTICE — Monthly Tribal Council Wednesday Meetings DATE TIME Wednesday, Aug. 26............................................................................5 p.m. Please note that these times and dates are subject to change if needed. Letters Dear Smoke Signals: The Smoke Signals of July 15 refers to a charnel house for the remains of our ancestors. My knowledge of our history, as is noted in all printed work of the Lewis and Clark journals (1804-06), tells of the Chinook Indians referring to the places set aside for the remains of their dead as Memaloose Illahee. The areas were located on islands in the Columbia River. These islands have been flooded over by the waters from the Bonneville Dam. I suggest it is traditional for us to name our place for the remains of our people as “Memaloose Illahee” – a sacred place of remembrance. Claudette Parazoo Roll #2923 Dear Tribal members: I found Angie Blackwell’s letter in the July 15, 2015, issue of Smoke Signals interesting for a variety of reasons, especially the part where Angie tries to say that disenrollment is a way for the Tribe to practice “gerrymandering.” Apparently Angie does not remember that there were 34 children and adults disenrolled on Dec. 3, 2008. After the disenrollment of those 34 there wasn’t any talk of “gerrymandering.” However, there was talk that the Tribe should conduct a full-fledged audit of the Tribal rolls to see if there were others who had been enrolled in error. In 2010, Penny DeLoe was made Member Services manager. Part of Pen- ny’s job was to oversee the Enrollment Office. It is my understanding that over the next few months many errors were found in the enrollment files. That caused more talk of a full-fledged audit of the Tribe’s enrollment files. Then in June 2011, the Tribal Council approved an audit for all of the Tribe’s enrollment files. In all of this, the concern seems to be toward getting the most accurate enrollment records possible and that was about it. When the processing of the findings of the enrollment audit started to take place in August 2013, I do not recall hearing anything about various people being targets of the enrollment audit. It wasn’t until specific individuals started getting their disenrollment letters that there was a cry of foul play and targeting. Then things got more heated over the next few months and that seems to continue from time to time. Now we are at the point where Angie Blackwell has referred to the disen- rollment of a specific group of individuals as a means for the Tribe to practice “gerrymandering.” To me that type of thinking is way out of line, to say the least. I say that because when the audit was approved, no one knew what the results would be and who would be affected in one way or another. In regard to the July 1, 2015, Tribal Council meeting, I personally do not feel that the question asked during that meeting about the status of the enrollment action before the Tribal Court was out of line or directed at any specific person or group of individuals. It was a legitimate question that has been asked in other meetings. The one thing I am in agreement with Angie Blackwell is the concern she has regarding the proposed amendments to the Enrollment Ordinance that would allow names to be removed from the Restoration Roll. If changes con- tinue to be allowed to be made to the Restoration Roll, we will not recognize it in the future. I just wish Angie Blackwell has written a letter sooner in the Smoke Signals asking Tribal members to read the proposed amendments to the Enrollment Ordinance and ask Tribal Council or somebody in our Legal Department to let you see them. The reason I say that is because the first reading of the proposed amendments to the Enrollment Ordinance took place during the April 22, 2015, Tribal Council meeting and comments were to be sent to the Legal Department by June 15, 2015. Leroy Good Roll #892 General Council meeting Sunday, Sept. 13 — 11 a.m. Tribal Community Center Smoke Signals PUBLICATIONS OFFICE 9615 Grand Ronde Road, Grand Ronde, OR 97347 1-800-422-0232, FAX: 503-879-2173 Website: www.grandronde.org/news E-mail: news@grandronde.org Twitter: CTGRgov Facebook: Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde CHELSEA CLARK DEAN RHODES PUBLIC AFFAIRS/ PUBLICATIONS ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT PUBLICATIONS COORDINATOR 503-879-1463 dean.rhodes@grandronde.org MICHELLE ALAIMO PHOTOJOURNALIST 503-879-1961 michelle.alaimo@grandronde.org 503-879-1418 chelsea.clark@grandronde.org GEORGE VALDEZ GRAPHIC DESIGN SPECIALIST 503-879-1416 JUSTIN PHILLIPS BRENT MERRILL 503-879-2190 503-879-4663 PAGE DESIGNER STAFF WRITER justin.phillips@grandronde.org brent.merrill@grandronde.org george.valdez@grandronde.org SCARLETT HOLTZ VALERIE COX 503-879-1447 503-879-1446 CENTRAL PHONES CENTRAL PHONES scarlett.holtz@grandronde.org valerie.cox@grandronde.org DEADLINE DATE ISSUE DATE Friday, Aug. 21.............................Sept. 1 Friday, Sept. 4............................ Sept. 15 Monday, Sept. 21..........................Oct. 1 Editorial Policy SMOKE SIGNALS, a publication of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Com- munity of Oregon, is published twice a month. No portion of this publication may be reprinted without permission. Our editorial policy is intended to encourage input from Tribal members and readers about stories printed in the Tribal newspaper. However, all letters received must be signed by the author, an address must be given and a phone number or e-mail address must be included for verification purposes. Full addresses and phone numbers will not be published unless requested. SMOKE SIGNALS reserves the right to edit letters and to refuse letters that are determined to contain libelous statements or personal attacks on individuals, staff, Tribal administration or Tribal Council. Not all letters are guaranteed publication upon submission. Letters to the editor are the opinions and views of the writer. Published letters do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SMOKE SIGNALS, Tribal staff, Tribal administration or Tribal Council. Members of: Native American Journalists Association Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association 2015 Tribal Council 1-800-422-0232 — tribalcouncil@grandronde.org Dear Smoke Signals: I am writing this letter to express my sincere gratitude for the contributions made by Robert W. Bradley of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and Kelly Dirksen of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Natural Re- sources Department and their respective staff members. They worked together and provided two donations of fresh salmon to iskam mfkhmfk. I appreciate the time spent by NRD staff Brandon Weems and Jer- amy Trammell who picked up, cleaned and packaged the fish for distribution. I feel that they went above and beyond to make this much-needed food do- nation happen for our community. Protein is the top requested item and also our most expensive to purchase. This donation was a wonderful surprise and every family who received a salmon fillet was very appreciative and excited to take it home. The salmon had a beautiful red color and smelled so fresh. I am taking this opportunity to express my thanks publicly, so all may know of their generosity and hard work. I hope this wonderful new partner- ship leads to more collaboration and more opportunities for iskam mfkhmfk haws. Haya masi. Francene Ambrose Roll #2955 iskam mfkhmfk haws coordinator Reyn Leno Tribal Chairman — ext. 2399 reyn.leno@grandronde.org Jack Giffen Jr. Tribal Vice Chair — ext. 2300 jack.giffen@grandronde.org Toby McClary Tribal Secretary — ext. 4555 Denise Harvey — ext. 2353 denise.harvey@grandronde.org Chris Mercier — ext. 1444 chris.mercier@grandronde.org Cheryle A. Kennedy — ext. 2352 cheryle.kennedy@grandronde.org Tonya Gleason-Shepek — ext. 1777 toby.mcclary@grandronde.org tonya.gleason-shepek@grandronde.org Ed Pearsall — ext. 2305 Jon A. George — ext. 2355 ed.pearsall@grandronde.org jon.george@grandronde.org