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