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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 2016)
2 S moke S ignals OCTOBER 1, 2016 NOTICE — Monthly Tribal Council Wednesday Meetings DATE TIME Wednesday, Oct. 12.............................................................................5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26.............................................................................5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9..............................................................................5 p.m. General Council meeting Please note that these times and dates are subject to change if needed. Tribal gymnasium Letters Dear Smoke Signals: “Uphold the Constitution” is the simple phrase that I’ve read many times in the past few months and weeks. Many state it’s “black and white.” It’s simple. Well, I feel compelled to respond to the false interpretation that is floating around our Tribal community. Many present as fact that the Chief Tumulth clan members were en- rolled in error and that they did not meet the constitutional requirements of our Tribe. That is not true. They did. And they were enrolled by my great-grandmother, Martha Mercier, and many other respected Tribal Elders unanimously and consistent with the Constitution at the time. It is right there in black and white. The Constitution in the 1980s and 1990s read, “For purposes of this section, descent from a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon shall include lineal descent from any person who was named on any roll or records of Grand Ronde members prepared by the Department of the Interior prior to the effective date of this Con- stitution.” Any roll or record. Prior to the Constitution. Our foundational treaties are clearly “any roll or record of Grand Ronde members.” Here's how: Is the treaty a record? Yes. Does the treaty include Grand Ronde members? Yes. Is the treaty prior to the Constitution? Yes. Thus the treaty is a record of Grand Ronde members prior to the Consti- tution and Chief Tumulth's lineal descendants were eligible for enrollment. The wisdom of my great-grandmother and other Tribal Elders is clear. It was no mistake. In the enrollment record of the Chief Tumulth clan (Williams family), it clearly states that our Tribe enrolled them because they “proved that they would have been eligible for enrollment prior to Termination.” It’s not hard to understand why. Here is a family descended from one of our treaty signers. A family of the same Cascade blood that we claim as our own. A family that, but for the murder of Chief Tumulth and forced relocation of his heirs, would have likely been born on the Grand Ronde Reservation. By the way, there was evidence presented during their trial, with expert testimony supporting it, that Susan Tumulcha, a Chief Tu- multh descendant, did appear on an official Grand Ronde roll in the late 1800s. But that wasn’t the basis for the initial enrollment decision. The Enrollment Committee and Tribal Council based their unanimous decision on the fact that these treaty signer’s descendants were eligible for enrollment. End of story. Bryan Mercier Roll #1357 See page 18 for more letters. Youth Council seeking applications for vacancy The Grand Ronde Youth Council is currently taking applications to fill one vacant position. Applicants must be in sixth through 12th grades at an educational fa- cility that is accredited and recognized through the state of Oregon and who are an enrolled member of the Grand Ronde Tribe, direct descendant of a currently enrolled Tribal member or an enrolled member of another federally recognized Tribe receiving services from the Grand Ronde Tribe. Preference will be given to youth who have maintained good academic standing (minimum 2.5 GPA), maintain healthy lifestyle choices, demon- strate leadership skills and are able to travel to and attend meetings, trainings and other activities. Application deadline is 5 p.m. Monday, Oct. 31. For an application or more information, contact Tribal Council Adminis- trative Assistant Shannon Simi at 503-879-2301 or by e-mail at shannon. simi@grandronde.org. Applications also will be available at the Tribe’s Youth Education De- partment. 11 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 2 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 offices will be closed on Monday, Oct. 10, in observance of Indigenous Peoples' 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 Wednesday, Oct. 5 ......................Oct. 15 Thursday, Oct. 20 ........................ Nov. 1 Monday, Nov. 7 ........................ Nov. 15 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 verification 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 reflect the opinions of SMOKE SIGNALS, Tribal staff, Tribal administration or Tribal Council. Members of: Native American Journalists Association Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association 2016-17 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 Cheryle A. Kennedy Tribal Vice Chair — ext. 2352 cheryle.kennedy@grandronde.org Jon A. Geroge Tribal Secretary — ext. 2355 jon.george@grandronde.org Tribal Office 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 Kathleen George — ext. 2305 Jack Giffen Jr. — ext. 2300 kathleen.george@grandronde.org jack.giffen@grandronde.org
