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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (June 15, 2016)
2 S moke S ignals JUNE 15, 2016 NOTICE — Monthly Tribal Council Wednesday Meetings DATE TIME Wednesday, June 15............................................................................1 p.m. Wednesday, June 29............................................................................5 p.m. Please note that these times and dates are subject to change if needed. Letters Dear Smoke Signals: It was hard not to notice all the letters during the last issue of Smoke Signals. As usual, our Tribe is sharply divided on the issue of enrollment. I wanted to share my thoughts because years ago I was a part of the Enrollment Requirements Ad Hoc Committee. Many of you might not be familiar with us. We were appointed by Tribal Council in 2005. There were nine of us, split between those who supported making changes, those who didn’t and those who were neutral. We met regularly for more than a year. In October 2006, we made our recommendations to Tribal Council. We recommended Tribal Council move forward with a constitutional amendment that: • Increased the relinquishment period from one year to ive; • Removed the requirement that you have a parent on the roll at time of birth; and • Changed the deinition of Grand Ronde blood to include the present Tribal roll. Even back then we dealt with fear-mongering as people were harping on the “loodgates” and worried about losing per capita. We had a good idea of the numbers of new people who could enroll. We also recom- mended Tribal Council combine the amendments, which is what people are referring to with “bundle” and “bundling.” Our goal was to help all the families impacted by the 1999 amendment and make sure nobody impacted was left behind. Considering all the personalities involved, I think our recommendation was a fair one that considered all the points of view, including those who didn’t support any change. What you are voting on right now is very close to our recommendation. I see now that Tribal Council has come up with language that limits any fears of the “loodgates.” And I can see that people still resort to misinforming others about the impacts. What people don’t seem to understand is that families moved away from Grand Ronde after Termination, and many start- ed lives and careers elsewhere. They did what was best for their families, but it seems some fellow Tribal members want to punish them for that. As somebody who spent a very long year trying to come up with a solution, I am happy to see a resolution that takes into account all the work we did, and the impacts and the families who have been waiting for so long to join a Tribe they clearly should be a part of. As a former Enrollment Requirements Ad Hoc Committee member appointed by Tribal Council and who took that job seriously, I am voting “yes.” It is about time. Diana Norton Roll #2599 Dear Smoke Signals: Do not allow your vote to be held hostage to a forced bundle! It is time to vote on the proposed constitutional amendment. The membership’s voice is heard through their votes. By bundling the dei- nition of Grand Ronde blood with the parent on the roll issues, Tribal Council is controlling the membership’s vote. This is not fair and this is not going to result in an accurate vote of the membership. If you agree with one issue and not the other, you have to pass something you don’t agree with or fail something you do agree with. This is forcing Tribal members to compromise. This is a disservice to the voting membership. Tribal Council members have publicly stated that they feel bundling these issues will give it a better chance to pass. How is this fair? This is a major decision and the membership should be able to vote on each issue separately. In addition to saying “no” to bundled amendments, please consider the following. The proposed amendment: • Will allow Indian blood not currently deined as Grand Ronde blood to become Grand Ronde blood for enrollment; • Will create new split families; • Will not create equality. There will be those born before 1999 who can count all Indian blood and those born after 1999 who cannot count all Indian blood; • Will not ix all split families. I will be voting “no” on the proposed constitutional enrollment amend- ment. Ed Pearsall Roll #589 See page 16 for more letters. Tribal Council nominations 11 a.m. Sunday, June 26 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 Tribal ofices will be closing on noon Friday, July 1, and closed on Monday, July 4, in observance of Independence Day. 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 CENTRAL PHONES 503-879-1447 scarlett.holtz@grandronde.org DEADLINE DATE ISSUE DATE Monday, June 20 ...........................July 1 Tuesday, July 5 ............................July 15 Wednesday, July 20 ...................... Aug. 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 veriication 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 relect the opinions of SMOKE SIGNALS, Tribal staff, Tribal administration or Tribal Council. Members of: Native American Journalists Association Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association 2016 Tribal Council 1-800-422-0232 — tribalcouncil@grandronde.org Reyn Leno Tribal Chairman — ext. 2399 Denise Harvey — ext. 2353 reyn.leno@grandronde.org Chris Mercier — ext. 1444 Jack Giffen Jr. Tribal Vice Chair — ext. 2300 jack.giffen@grandronde.org Cheryle A. Kennedy Tribal Secretary — ext. 2352 cheryle.kennedy@grandronde.org Tribal Oice Closures 503-879-1961 denise.harvey@grandronde.org chris.mercier@grandronde.org Brenda Tuomi — ext. 4555 brenda.tuomi@grandronde.org Tonya Gleason-Shepek — ext. 1777 tonya.gleason-shepek@grandronde.org Ed Pearsall — ext. 2305 Jon A. George — ext. 2355 ed.pearsall@grandronde.org jon.george@grandronde.org
