S MOKE S IGNALS
OCTOBER 15, 2015
13
U.S. Senate holds hearing on Reservation Act amendments
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
The Grand Ronde Tribe’s con-
tinuing efforts to get amendments
to its Reservation Act that would
streamline how land is taken into
trust through Congress received a
legislative hearing on Wednesday,
Oct. 7, before the Senate’s Commit-
tee on Indian Affairs.
Senate Bill 818, introduced by
Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden on March
1, would amend the Reservation
Act to create a one-step process that
would allow the Grand Ronde Tribe
to take land within its original
Reservation of more than 60,000
acres into trust as on-reservation
land and once the land is taken
into trust it would automatically
become part of the Tribe’s Reser-
vation.
Currently, the Grand Ronde
Tribe must apply to the Bureau
of Indian Affairs for a fee-to-trust
application when it purchases land.
After the land is accepted into
trust by the BIA, the Tribe then
must amend its Reservation Act
through congressional action for
the land to be considered part of
the Reservation.
“S. 818 would not only save Grand
Ronde time and money which could
be better utilized serving its mem-
bership, but would also streamline
the Interior Department’s land-in-
to-trust responsibilities to Grand
Ronde, thus saving taxpayer money,”
said Tribal Council Chairman Reyn
Leno in written testimony submitted
to the committee. “At a time when
federal fi nancial support for Indian
Country is dramatically decreasing,
Grand Ronde should be afforded the
tools necessary to reduce its costs and
maximize savings.”
The Grand Ronde Tribe has been
working for more than six years to
amend the Reservation Act. During
the last Congress, Reservation Act
amendments were passed by the
House of Representatives, but did
not get through the Senate before
Congress adjourned.
Leno said the Grand Ronde Tribe
has support from Polk and Yamhill
county commissioners, as well as
the entire Oregon congressional
delegation and the Bureau of Indi-
an Affairs.
“No opposition or concerns have
been raised by other Tribes or af-
fected interests,” Leno said.
Michael Smith, deputy director
of the Bureau of Indian Affairs,
testifi ed during the Oct. 7 hearing,
stating that the bureau supports
Storytelling Festival set for Oct. 15-17
The 10th annual Northwest Indian Storytelling Festival will be held from
7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15, at First Unitarian Church, 1011 S.W. 12th
Ave., Portland; 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16, at the Portland Community
College Cascade Moriarty Auditorium, 705 N. Killingsworth St., Portland;
and 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17, at the Portland Art Museum’s Mark
Building, 1119 S.W. Park Ave.
For more information and details, visit wisdomoftheelders.org/nisa or
send an e-mail to nisa@wisdomoftheelders.org or call D’Ana Soto at 503-
775-4014.
The festival is presented by the Northwest Indian Storytellers Asso-
ciation and Wisdom of the Elders Inc. and sponsored by the National
Endowment for the Arts and Regional Arts and Culture Council. n
the amendments to the Grand
Ronde Reservation Act.
“Taking land into trust is one
of the most important functions
that the department undertakes
on behalf of Indian Tribes,” Smith
said. “Homelands are essential to
the health, safety and welfare of
Tribal governments. Thus, the de-
partment has made the restoration
of Tribal homelands a priority.”
“S. 818 is a consensus-based
legislative proposal to assist the
Tribe in re-acquiring lands within
its original reservation,” Leno said.
“Based on the universal support
and the importance of the legisla-
tion to the Tribe, I request passage
of the legislation be a top priority
of the committee and the Senate.”
Regarding another bill that would
expand the area where the Siletz
Indian Tribe could take land into
trust, Leno said the bill is opposed
by three of the six counties affected
by the legislation, two Tribes and
U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, who
represents Grand Ronde and Yam-
hill County.
“Unlike Grand Ronde’s bill –
which seeks to improve the process
of acquiring lands in trust and
return to reservation status those
lands the Tribe re-acquires within
its original reservation – we believe
the purpose of the Siletz legislation
is to eliminate the historic claims
of other Tribes to the former Coast
Reservation, which was set aside
for all Tribes in western Oregon,
by equating the boundaries of the
Siletz Reservation (established
1875) with the boundaries of the
Coast Reservation (established
1855),” Leno said.
“The Coast Reservation, as de-
scribed in the executive order dated
Nov. 9, 1855, was never designated
exclusively for the Siletz. It was
set aside for Indians throughout
western Oregon, including the
antecedent Tribes and bands of
the Grand Ronde … The Siletz
are aware that Grand Ronde has
made its own historic claims to the
Coast Reservation. Their proposed
legislation is nothing more than
a veiled attempt to eradicate the
claims of Grand Ronde and other
western Oregon Tribes to the Coast
Reservation.”
Leno said the Siletz legislation is
inconsistent with the Siletz Indian
Tribe Restoration Act and infringes
on the sovereign interests of the
Grand Ronde Tribe by allowing
land to be taken into trust in Tilla-
mook and Yamhill counties.
Leno added that Grand Ronde
would support the Siletz bill if it
were limited in scope to Lincoln
County, which is consistent with
the Siletz Tribe’s Restoration Act.
The Confederated Tribes of Coos,
Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indi-
ans also oppose the proposed Siletz
legislation.
The legislative hearing was
chaired by Sen. John Barrasso
(R-Wyo.) and attended by Vice
Chair Jon Tester, a Democrat from
Montana. n
Phone numbers wanted for Elders
The Tribal Elders Committee is compiling a volunteer phone list of
Elders. If you would like to submit your phone number and address to
be available to other Elders, send it to elders.committee@grandronde.
org or leave a message at 503-879-2231. n
Seeking your donations for 3 organizations!
G RAND R ONDE H ELPING H ANDS
I SKAM M ƎK ʰM ƎK -H AWS , T HE C LOTHES C LOSET , & A C AUSE F OR P AWS ARE WORKING TOGETHER
You’ve got it. We want it!
Wednesday, October 21st
2 pm to 6 pm
Give to 3 organizations in one location!
Iskam is seeking warm clothes and
blankets. Items to create a Bed-in-a-bag.
Please consider donating: tent, tarp,
pillow, sleeping bag, blankets, sheets, or a
foam mattress for homeless families.
The Clothes Closet is seeking Halloween
Costumes! Consider recycling gently used
costumes for local youth.
Clean out your food pantry, we’ll figure out
the expiration dates!
A Cause for Paws is seeking pet costumes,
food, pet toys, and beds.
We will take books for our lending library.
If you are not sure if we can take it, bring
it or give us a call.
Iskam MǝkʰMǝk-Haws
9675 Grand Ronde Road
Grand Ronde, OR 97347
503-879-FOOD (3663)
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