S moke S ignals
FEBRUARY 1, 2016
5
'This is very difficult, delicate work'
MASCOTS continued
from front page
Braves, Chiefs and Indians.
However, state legislators be-
came involved in the controversy
and eventually passed a bill that
was signed by then-Gov. John
Kitzhaber that mandated that the
Board of Education create excep-
tions to its outright ban on Native
mascots.
In all, 15 Oregon high schools
would have been affected by the
ban. The schools included the Am-
ity Warriors, which until just a few
years ago had a parent dress up
for basketball games in what was
supposed to be an Indian costume
that featured a big plastic head
with a huge nose, and the Molalla
High School Indians, who allowed
a student to dress up for football
games wearing moccasins, buck-
skin pants, a feather headdress
and a big, red target painted on his
chest and back.
The new resolution and rule will
allow the state’s nine federally rec-
ognized Tribes to work with schools
to keep potentially racist imagery
from being perpetuated in Oregon.
The new resolution would allow
the schools affected to keep their
Native mascots if they reach a for-
mal agreement with a local Tribe on
what imagery associated with their
school mascots is acceptable. Es-
sentially, the board placed the de-
cision about Native mascots within
the purview of Oregon Tribes.
Grand Ronde Tribal member and
Tribal Lobbyist Justin Martin said
the agreement between the board
and the Tribes is an historic gov-
ernment-to-government accord that
allows Oregon Tribes their rightful
place at the decision-making table
as sovereign nations.
“This is very difficult, delicate
work,” said Board Vice Chairman
Charles Martinez during the hear-
ing held in Salem. “I have great ad-
miration and respect for this board
and for the Oregon Department of
Education. This board is steadfast
in its commitment to Oregon stu-
dents in the best way possible.
“Putting this decision back in the
hands of the Tribes to work on these
issues and to move through these
exceptions when it makes sense
may be the most respectful act we
can make as a board.”
Board Chair Miranda Summer
started the hearing by thanking
the Grand Ronde Tribe for meeting
with her and board member Antho-
ny Veliz on Jan. 8 to explain the
reasons behind the Tribe’s support
for exceptions to an all-out ban of
Native mascots.
The Grand Ronde Tribe has con-
sistently argued that not all Native
American mascots are derogatory
and that some are actually compli-
mentary, and that if Oregon schools
included the history of Oregon
Tribes in their curriculum that
there might not even be a mascot
issue to debate.
“I’m hopeful that all schools will
move to a more inclusive history,”
said Summer.
Deputy Superintendent of Public
Instruction Salam Noor, who acts
as an adviser to the board and sits
in on its meetings, said he felt it
was important to recognize Ore-
gon’s Tribes as sovereign nations.
“We learned a great deal (from the
Grand Ronde Tribe). We learned
about the history of the Tribes. We
learned about the significance of
the Tribes and the communities
that they live in and the state as
a whole,” said Noor. “We learned a
lot about mascots. We tend to think
about mascots in a very narrow
and focused way. We learned that
these images, these symbols are a
form of identity – a representation
of identity and they mean a great
deal to the Tribes.”
Noor said the mascot issue has
become a way for Tribes to “engage
schools and communities to help
them understand the Tribal com-
munity, its culture, its history, its
identity and its values.”
Noor said working through the
mascot issue with the Grand Ronde
and Siletz Tribes left a tremendous
impression on him.
“I carry it with me every day,”
said Noor. “We have a govern-
ment-to-government relationship
with Tribes and we need to engage
them at that level.”
Grand Ronde Tribal Council
Vice Chairman Jack Giffen Jr.
read Tribal Chairman Reyn Leno’s
written testimony into the record
for the board.
“It’s an honor and a privilege
to be in front of such a high level
decision-making body like this
for the future of our youth,” said
Giffen. “In historical practice, our
Elders taught our children and in
the modern world we still have
that responsibility to make sure
that our children are taught in the
appropriate way.
“As a sovereign nation, the Tribe
has worked hard to build positive
government-to-government rela-
tionships across all levels of govern-
ment. We have done so on federal,
state and local levels, including our
local school districts. We appreci-
ate the State Board of Education’s
recognition of our sovereignty and
for the government-to-government
consultation with us.
“The recent changes to the rule
before you are supported by the
Tribe. If passed, the proposed rule
would help the Tribe foster positive
relationships with neighboring
communities and surrounding
school districts. We are committed
to working with our local school
districts. It is the Tribe’s goal to
build respect and understanding
of the Tribe’s history and culture,
to give all youth the opportunity to
learn the Tribe’s curriculum and
to foster a culturally respectful
representation of Native American
symbolism and pride.
“The proposed rule allows for
Tribal determinations of when a
mascot is culturally significant to
the Tribe. The Confederated Tribes
of Grand Ronde, along with other
Oregon Tribes, prefer this solution
because it allows schools to keep
their Native mascots if they col-
laborate with a Tribe on positive
portrayals of Native symbols and
integrate Native studies in school
curriculum to combat stereotypes.”
Tribal Council member Tonya
Gleason-Shepek followed Giffen’s
testimony.
“I believe there is a commitment
to working with the Tribes and I
look forward to working with the
districts and seeing our history fi-
nally taught in the Oregon schools,”
said Gleason-Shepek. “I just want-
ed to thank the board for your com-
ments, your concerns that you’ve
expressed, the public comments
and concerns, and as we go forward
working with the districts we will
bring these concerns to the table.”
Once the public testimony con-
cluded, the board voted on the
proposed resolution and rule.
Board member Jerome Colonna
said that although he was conflicted
on the issue, it was more important
to honor the sovereign status of
Tribes and he voted in favor of the
resolution.
Summer said she “trusted” the
Tribes to make the proper decisions
and voted in favor of the proposal
as well.
Second Vice Chair Angela Bowen
said she felt each member of the
board had approached the decision
at hand with a good heart and
voted no.
Board member Samuel Henry
then abstained and Veliz voted no.
Martinez voted in favor of the
proposed resolution.
The vote tally was three in favor,
two against and one abstention,
and four votes were required for
passage.
Summer immediately called for
a five-minute recess to deliberate
and was heard telling Henry as
board members left the room that
he could not abstain.
After about a 20-minute break,
the board reconvened and Henry
changed his abstention to a yes
vote.
Summer then said the motion
passed and “we have adopted the
rule of resolution.”
Schools that will now have to
begin negotiations with their local
Tribes if they wish to keep their
Native American mascots are:
• Amity High School Warriors
• Banks High School Braves
• Lebanon High School Warriors
• Mohawk High School Indians
• Molalla High School Indians
• North Douglas High School War-
riors
• Oakridge High School Warriors
• Philomath High School Warriors
• Reedsport High School Braves
• Rogue River High School Chief-
tans
• Roseburg High School Indians
• Scappoose High School Indians
• Siletz Valley School Warriors
• Warrenton High School Warriors
Previous, more restrictive incar-
nations of the Board of Education’s
mascot exception rule would have
only allowed three schools to poten-
tially retain their Native American
mascot. n
Availability of Public
Transportation Grant Funds
The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde announces the availability
of applications for public transportation funding. Projects providing
transportation services to Elders and persons with disabilities are eli-
gible and general public transportation projects also are eligible. The
Tribe will be selecting up to two projects for competitive applications to
the Oregon Department of Transportation for its Special Transportation
Fund (STF) Discretionary Grant Program.
Applications for projects serving the Grand Ronde community must
be submitted to the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde not later
than 4 p.m. Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. For more information, contact Kim
Rogers at 503-879-2250, kim.rogers@grandronde.org. The application
packet includes instructions and eligibility guidelines. n
To find out more, attend a FREE Start Your Business class!
JOIN US at the Grand Ronde Adult Education Building
on the second Thursday of every month at 4PM
9615 Grand Ronde Road
Grand Ronde, OR
LEARN MORE AT:
WWW.meritnw.org
Or call 503 548-7314