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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (May 15, 2016)
PRESORTED STANDARD MAIL U.S. POSTAGE PAID PORTLAND, OR PERMIT NO. 700 Tribe hires new GIS analyst — pg. 8 MAY 15, 2016 Photo by Michelle Alaimo Tribal Cultural Outreach Coordinator Bobby Mercier carries the irst salmon after he harvested it at Willamette Falls for the Tribe’s fourth annual First Salmon Ceremony that was held after the harvest at the McLean House in West Linn on Friday, May 6. Tribal Council Vice Chair Jack Gifen Jr., back, Tribal Elder Greg Archuleta, right, and Andrew Freeman and Travis Stewart took part in the harvesting of two salmon for the ceremony. Tribe honors this year’s irst salmon By Brent Merrill Smoke Signals staff writer W EST LINN — Salmon are sacred to Native people. Their arrival each year to the home waters is a chance to celebrate and relect on the many blessings Creator has shared, including the irst salmon. The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde held its fourth annual First Salmon Ceremony in the backyard of the McLean House in West Linn on Friday, May 6. Constitutional amendment educational sessions slated By Dean Rhodes Smoke Signals editor T hree educational sessions regarding two proposed amendments to the Tribal Constitution have been set for May 17 through 19 in Portland, Grand Ronde and Eugene, re- spectively. Tribal Council decided in identi- cal 5-2 votes to send the proposed Tribal Constitution amendments to voters during its April 6 meet- ing. The irst amendment would, if approved by voters, remove the parent on the roll at time of birth and time of application require- ments and add language deining “Grand Ronde blood.” The new deinition, with new wording in italics, would read: “Grand Ronde blood is deined as all Indian blood derived from a direct ancestor whose name val- See SESSIONS continued on page 11 A group of Tribal members carried the ceremonial irst salmon up the embankment from the Willamette River access and the ish was laid out in the yard on a plank. Cultural Outreach Coordinator Bobby Mercier invited the women and young girls to come up and symbolically tap the ish on the head with a ish club. When the women See SALMON continued on page 9 Casino hosting ATNI Mid-Year Convention By Dean Rhodes Smoke Signals editor T ribal representatives from Native governments in Oregon, Idaho, Washing- ton state, southeastern Alaska, northern California and western Montana will converge on Spirit Mountain Casino Monday, May 23, through Thursday, May 26, for the Afiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians’ Mid-Year Convention. The conventions are where Indian Country of the Northwest comes together to advance the work for their communities in developing and implementing policy and programs for the re- gion. The convention serves as a platform for sharing information on matters of interest, as well as See ATNI continued on page 11