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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 15, 2015)
2 S MOKE S IGNALS OCTOBER 15, 2015 NOTICE — Monthly Tribal Council Wednesday Meetings DATE TIME Wednesday, Oct. 28.............................................................................5 p.m. Please note that these times and dates are subject to change if needed. General Council meeting 11 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 1 Letters Dear Smoke Signals: On behalf of the Chehalem Cultural Center Board of Directors and staff, I would like to offer our sincere appreciation and take a moment to enumerate some of the positive results of our Focus Culture partnership over the past year. From our perspective, the project was a resounding success. I hope you feel the same. From the very fi rst day, my experience with the staff of the Chachalu Tribal Museum and Cultural Center was professional, courteous and en- gaging – from the front desk staff through every offi ce in the building. Jan Reibach was immediately open to the idea of collaborating, and he instantly understood that Grand Ronde’s new museum initiative could gain a wider audience through partnership. I am happy to report that throughout the fi ve months the project was open to the public, more than 12,000 visitors were exposed to the Tribe’s history, arts, language and traditions through the Chehalem Cultural Center. I know the partnership required no small effort on the part of the staff of Chachalu and other Tribal leaders. From the fi rst meetings, it was apparent that the Chachalu staff are incredibly passionate, dedicated people who have accepted a calling to do the work that they do. After initial brainstorming with Jan to determine how the relationship would balance to benefi t both Chachalu and Chehalem, the project was primarily executed by the talented teams of exhibition and arts professionals at Chachalu. I am gratifi ed to hear that the work the teams put into the exhibitions at Chehalem has helped them better understand how they ultimately want their exhibit space to look in Phase II of Chachalu. From the beginning, a strong education component was essential. Under the guidance of the Tribe’s Education teams, Chehalem staff provided inter- pretive tours and hands-on culture projects to more than 1,000 school children on fi eld trips from throughout the area. It was immediately gratifying to pass down a reverence for Oregon’s indigenous cultures to the next generation. To give adult visitors an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the ways of the people of the Tribes of Grand Ronde, the project included a free hosted conversation each month. The Tribe’s excellent cultural, land and historic preservation staff provided thorough and patient engagement with eager audiences. The fi nal forum with some of the Tribes’ most celebrated leaders was a stunning capstone to the project, demonstrating the depth of thoughtful leadership of the Tribes today. Finally, it was especially appropriate that we spent the second half of the project focused on the art of the Tribes, from the traditional to the contempo- rary. It is exciting to see how Tribal artists are supported and valued within the culture of the Tribes. You have a beautiful resource in those artists. Everyone we’ve worked with throughout the partnership has conducted themselves with dignity and poise. To a person, they are excellent repre- sentatives of the Tribes. I truly believe the partnership has had real and lasting effects. I know one of our proudest moments happened on opening day of the project when the mayor of Newberg presented the Tribes with a “key to the city.” This sym- bolic gesture signaled an offi cial and profound shift in local thinking, which to me is the most powerful effect we could ask for. I hope it is an indication of where the United States is headed in a cultural sense. Reconciliation is overdue, and that is only possible through recognition of the richness and legitimacy of indigenous ways of life (and their right to it), through atone- ment for the past, and through understanding instead of appropriation. But for this to even begin to be possible, it requires a willingness to trust. This was the key to our partnership. For this most of all, I commend Jan Reibach and the Tribal Council. What remains from the original agreement Jan and I discussed is a perma- nent way to recognize the people of Grand Ronde, the original people of this area, at the Chehalem Cultural Center. We haven’t yet determined what this will look like – whether it will be a panel inside the building, a monument outside of the building or something else entirely – but I want to assure you we will continue to work with the Tribes to make this a reality, and we will work to keep the relationship open even after this. The experience has been formative for us here at Chehalem Cultural Center, and we hope the effects will resonate within our organization for years. I know there is no way for me to thank everyone from the Tribes who had a part in this partnership, so I simply say thank you to the Confederated Tribes through you, the Tribal Council, for your leadership, for your vision and for your support of this project. Rob Dailey Executive director Chehalem Cultural Center See page 14 for more letters. Tribal Offi ce Closures Tribal offi ces will be closed on Wednesday, Nov. 11, in observance of Veterans Day. Offi ces will also be closed on Monday, Nov. 23, in observance of Restoration Day on Nov. 22. Offi ces also will be clos- ing on Wednesday, Nov. 25, at noon and closed on Thursday, Nov. 26, and Friday, Nov. 27, in observance of Thanksgiving. 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 DEAN RHODES CHELSEA CLARK MICHELLE ALAIMO PUBLICATIONS COORDINATOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS/ PUBLICATIONS ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT PHOTOJOURNALIST 503-879-1463 dean.rhodes@grandronde.org 503-879-1961 michelle.alaimo@grandronde.org 503-879-1418 chelsea.clark@grandronde.org GEORGE VALDEZ JUSTIN PHILLIPS BRENT MERRILL GRAPHIC DESIGN SPECIALIST PAGE DESIGNER STAFF WRITER 503-879-2190 503-879-4663 503-879-1416 justin.phillips@grandronde.org brent.merrill@grandronde.org george.valdez@grandronde.org SCARLETT HOLTZ VALERIE COX CENTRAL PHONES CENTRAL PHONES 503-879-1447 503-879-1446 valerie.cox@grandronde.org scarlett.holtz@grandronde.org DEADLINE DATE ISSUE DATE Tuesday, Oct. 20 ......................... Nov. 1 Thursday, Nov. 5 ....................... Nov. 15 Thursday, Nov. 19 ........................Dec. 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 verifi cation 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 refl ect the opinions of SMOKE SIGNALS, Tribal staff, Tribal administration or Tribal Council. Members of: n Native American Journalists Association n Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association 2015-16 Tribal Council 1-800-422-0232 — tribalcouncil@grandronde.org n Reyn Leno Tribal Chairman — ext. 2399 n Denise Harvey — ext. 2353 reyn.leno@grandronde.org n Chris Mercier — ext. 1444 n Jack Giffen Jr. Tribal Vice Chair — ext. 2300 jack.giffen@grandronde.org n Cheryle A. Kennedy Tribal Secretary — ext. 2352 cheryle.kennedy@grandronde.org denise.harvey@grandronde.org chris.mercier@grandronde.org n Brenda Tuomi — ext. 4555 brenda.tuomi@grandronde.org n Tonya Gleason-Shepek — ext. 1777 tonya.gleason-shepek@grandronde.org n Ed Pearsall — ext. 2305 n Jon A. George — ext. 2355 ed.pearsall@grandronde.org jon.george@grandronde.org
