Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 1, 2016)
AUGUST 1, 2016 S moke S ignals 11 Senate approves Reservation Act amendment bill Tribe continues to oppose Siletz legislation that also was passed by the BIA, the Tribe must amend its Reservation Act through congressio- nal action for the land to be considered part of the Reservation. By Dean Rhodes The Tribe has been Smoke Signals editor working for more than The U.S. Senate approved two seven years to amend the bills on Friday, July 15: one that Restoration Act. During the Grand Ronde Tribe liked very the last Congress, the much and the other that the Tribe amendments were passed has opposed since it was first in- by the House, but did not troduced. get through the Senate be- The first bill, to amend the Grand fore Congress adjourned. Ronde Reservation Act, was intro- The other bill, however, duced by Oregon Sens. Ron Wyden is opposed by the Grand and Jeff Merkley. It was passed out Ronde Tribe because it of the Senate Committee on Indian would expand the area in Affairs on Nov. 18, 2015. which the Secretary of the The bill would amend the Res- Interior could take land ervation Act to create a one-step into trust for the Siletz process that would allow the Grand Tribe to include Tillamook Ronde Tribe to take land within Contributed photo and Yamhill counties, its original Reservation of more Tribal Council Secretary Cheryle A. Kennedy both counties allocated to than 60,000 acres into trust as met with Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley during the Grand Ronde Tribe in on-reservation land and once the his Town Hall meeting held in Tillamook its Restoration Act. land is taken into trust it would on Wednesday, July 20. Kennedy said she Currently, the Siletz automatically become part of the discussed the passage of Senate Bill 817 Tribe is limited to taking Tribe’s Reservation. land into trust within Lin- with Merkley, who co-sponsored the bill with Currently, the Grand Ronde coln County. Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden. Tribe must apply to the Bureau The bill’s passage was of Indian Affairs for a fee-to-trust addressed by Tribal Council Chair- After the land is accepted into trust application when it purchases land. man Reyn Leno and Tribal Council Secretary Cheryle A. Kennedy at the Tuesday, July 26, Legislative Action Committee hearing. Kennedy said she discussed the If you have an emergency and need to dial “911” you must first bill’s passage with Merkley, who dial a “9” (9911). also introduced it with Wyden, The only calls that do not require that you dial a 9+ are those made during a Town Hall meeting held in from the CTGR extensions within the CTGR campus and/or those Tillamook on Wednesday, July 20. who use CTGR Tel for their home phone service. “I asked him about what his intention was for helping to take care of the issue that has been created with the passage of Senate Bill 817,” Kennedy said. “And I Tribal Court provides both minor and adult name changes to enrolled asked him if he would be directly members for a filing fee of only $30. If you have any questions or would involved because we had opposed like to request a packet, contact Devin Larsen at 503-879-2303 or devin. many times and presented issues. larsen@grandronde.org. ATTENTION CTGR TELEPHONE SERVICE Name changes in Tribal Court Of course, he kind of said ‘I was not the lead on it,’ which we knew. I said we acknowledge that and know that, but he certainly needed to be part of the solution.” Leno said the bill’s passage could potentially create conflict between the two Tribes. “Our membership tends to think we argue a lot with these other Tribes, but what this bill is about is basically another Tribe trying to come in and take Tillamook County,” Leno said. “Our membership knows, or should know, that in the Resto- ration Act we received Tillamook, Polk and Yamhill counties. So this bill would actually give another Tribe rights in Tillamook County. That is the reason we are opposing it. “We’re not opposing it just to fight with another Tribe. We’re opposing it because we feel that’s our land, that’s where our people come from. The county acknowledges that; a lot of other people acknowledge that. “If you get two Tribes overseeing one county, you are going to have conflict, and that is what we don’t want, conflict over remains and artifacts. … These disputes, when you have two Tribes fighting, the government always says, ‘You guys have to work it out between your- selves,’ and that just never works.” Kennedy said the Grand Ronde Tribe requested a mediation ses- sion through Bureau of Indian Af- fairs Northwest Regional Director Stanley Speaks. The Siletz Tribe declined the offer, she added. Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, said in a press release that the House of Repre- sentatives will take up both bills in the near future. To become law, the bills need to be passed by the House and then signed by President Barack Obama. Grand Ronde Community Blood Drive Grand Ronde Community Center 9615 Grand Ronde Road Wednesday, August 31 10:30 AM - 3:30 PM To schedule your appointment, contact Francene at Iskam MəkMək-Haws at 503-879-3663, or visit redcrossblood.org and use sponsor code: GrandRonde RAPIDPASS – Save lives in less time with RapidPass! You can save up to 15 min. at your next appointment. Learn more at redcrossblood.org/RapidPass.
