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PERMIT NO. 700
Honors in Education edition — Pullout
OCTOBER 1, 2016
Tribe holding
History and
Culture Summit
By Brent Merrill
Smoke Signals staff writer
T
he 2016 edition of the Tribe’s
annual History and Culture
Summit will occur in Grand
Ronde at the Tribal gymnasium
on Wednesday and Thursday, Oct.
26-27, with a focus not only on the
positive work being done by people
locally, but also on people and proj-
ects that are making a difference
throughout Indian Country.
Cultural Resources Department
Manager David Harrelson said
that he would view the fourth
installment of the event as being
successful if Grand Ronde Tribal
members and employees attend in
large numbers.
“It looks like it’s going to be a reoc-
curring theme. Our goal for the event
is we want as many Tribal members
and employees to come as possible,”
said Harrelson. “We really felt like
we needed to try and bring in Tribal
members because we want them to
be a part of it. We are prepared to
continue to do it every year.”
Summit Coordinator Rebecca
Knight said “cultural continuity”
is the theme of this year’s sum-
mit that will consist of two days
of interdisciplinary lectures and
discussions and feature sessions
on anthropology, culture, history,
archaeology and environment.
Harrelson assigned a team to
facilitate the event that includes
Knight, Senior Archaeologist Briece
Edwards, Cultural Protection Coor-
dinator Jordan Mercier and Cultur-
al Collections Supervisor Veronica
Montano.
See SUMMIT
continued on page 10
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
Tribal Council Secretary Jon A. George teaches Tribal Elder Celia Randolph how to weave during the Tribal
encampment held at the Upper Table Rock Trailhead near Medford on Friday, Sept. 16.
Coffee & Conversation
Tribe hosts fifth Medford area get-together, encampment
By Brent Merrill
Smoke Signals staff writer
M
EDFORD — Tribal leg-
ends say that the selfish
actions of an ancient
medicine man led to the creation
of the flat-topped Table Rock in
southern Oregon.
According to Cultural Outreach
Coordinator Bobby Mercier, Red
Tail Hawk knocked the tops off of
those mountains with his wings
after Blue Jay told him about a
self-absorbed medicine man.
“One of the stories we always
like to tell our children that goes
along with this place is how Table
Rock was actually formed,” said
Mercier to a gathering of Grand
Ronde Tribal members, Tribal
Council members, Tribal staff
and local representatives billed
as a “Coffee & Conversation”
meeting in Medford on Friday,
Sept. 16.
“One of our stories that goes
back to our creation stories about
this place talks about how one
of the medicine men that was
down here became very powerful
See ENCAMPMENT
continued on page 6
Tribal Council elects Kennedy, George as officers
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
O
nly Tribal Council’s vice chair position
was supposed to be up for election at the
Wednesday, Sept. 14, meeting since Jack
Giffen Jr. ran for re-election on Sept. 10.
However, two of three officer positions were
eventually filled.
Tribal Council members elevated Secretary
Cheryle A. Kennedy to vice chair and then filled
Kennedy’s suddenly empty officer’s spot with
Jon A. George.
Tribal Council member Chris Mercier nomi-
Cheryle A. Kennedy
Jon A. George
nated Kennedy as vice chair. She had to resign
as secretary to accept the nomination. No other
nominations occurred, so Tribal Council Chair
Reyn Leno ruled that Kennedy was elected vice
chair by acclimation.
Tribal Council member Tonya Gleason-Shepek
then nominated Jon A. George to succeed Ken-
nedy as secretary. Again, no other nominations
were made and Leno ruled that George was
elected secretary by acclimation.
Kennedy has a long history of service as a Trib-
al Council officer, including 11 years as Tribal
Council chair. This is George’s first appointment
See TRIBAL COUNCIL
continued on page 4