6
S moke S ignals
OCTOBER 1, 2016
'This is a meaningful event'
ENCAMPMENT continued
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and he wanted to start using his
powers to only benefit himself. So
he started doing this and people
kept telling him he was doing bad
things. He kept doing those things
that would only benefit him and
his family.
“The Blue Jay went and told the
Red Tail Hawk about the things
that he was doing and so Red Tail
Hawk came and told him to stop
doing this. He came back five times
and on the fifth time he grabbed
that man and he took him out
and when he spread his wings he
knocked the tops of those moun-
tains off.”
Red Tail Hawk placed the med-
icine man in the middle of the top
of the mountain and
he became a cedar
tree.
“And he took his
wife and his two
kids and he stuck
them up on the
north side and they
became those great
big pillar rocks,”
said Mercier.
Mercier said that
Red Tail Hawk told
the people that ev-
ery time they see
these rocks they
would be reminded
that you shouldn’t Tribal Education Department Manager Leslie Riggs
just use your powers
gives an overview of the Grand Ronde Tribal History
to benefit yourself
curriculum, which was developed by the Tribe with
and your family,
but that you should hopes of it being taught in Oregon schools, during
always help your “Coffee & Conversation with the Confederated Tribes
of Grand Ronde” held at the Marriott Courtyard
people.
Mercier’s presen- Medford Airport in Medford on Friday, Sept. 16.
tation was part of
the Tribe’s annual trip to southern
important things that happened
Oregon that also featured a pre-
with our Tribe.
sentation by the Tribe’s Education
“When you come to our chambers
Department Manager Leslie Riggs.
we have all seven of our treaties
Tribal Council Chairman Reyn
hanging on the wall because it’s the
Leno led a contingent of seven Trib-
guide; it’s the guide for us to what
al Council members to Medford for
we should do for our people.”
the meeting that was organized by
Among the guests in attendance
Tribal Council Chief of Staff Stacia
were Grand Ronde Tribal member
Martin, Tribal Council Adminis-
Celia Randolph, who lives in the
trative Assistant Shannon Simi
area, Alison Chan of the city of Med-
and Public Affairs Administrative
ford, Molly Morison of The Nature
Assistant Chelsea Clark.
Conservancy, Jeanne Klein, Bonnie
Tribal Council Vice Chair Cheryle
Million and Jennifer Sanborn of the
A. Kennedy, Secretary Jon A.
Bureau of Land Management and
George and Tribal Council mem-
local historian Ben Truwe.
bers Jack Giffen Jr., Brenda Tuomi,
Giffen talked about the Reserva-
Tonya Gleason-Shepek and Denise
tion lands in the Grand Ronde area
Harvey also attended.
before Riggs gave a presentation on
Tribal Attorney Rob Greene,
the Tribe’s fourth- and eighth-grade
Tribal Photographer Michelle Alai-
Native American curriculums that
mo, Riggs’ wife Heather and Simi’s
are finding their way into schools
daughter Kaleigha attended as well.
throughout Oregon, including the
Mercier, George, Riggs and Clark
Medford School District.
performed the opening welcome
Riggs introduced himself in
song and George gave the invoca-
Chinuk Wawa and said that his
tion.
great-great-grandfather Solomon
“This is a meaningful event,”
Riggs was from the Rogue River
said Leno during his welcoming
and Umpqua Tribal people.
address. “I really hope one of these
Riggs said that the curriculum
years we can have a larger event.
project was a collaboration between
Many of our Tribal members have
the Grand Ronde Education De-
Rogue River blood. I hope we can
partment, the Tribe’s former Land
have a small powwow or something
and Culture Program and the Wil-
to celebrate this treaty signing
lamina School District.
because it’s really one of the most
“This curriculum is the product of
Photos by Michelle Alaimo
Tribal Council Vice Chair Cheryle
A. Kennedy, left, talks about the
necklace she gifted, on behalf of
the Tribe, to Ben Truwe during
“Coffee & Conversation with the
Confederated Tribes of Grand
Ronde” held at the Marriott
Courtyard Medford Airport in
Medford on Friday, Sept. 16.
Truwe is a local historian in the
Medford area.
years of hard work and dedication
by a number of committed staff,”
said Riggs. “It’s the first of its kind
in Oregon. All of the lesson plans
follow common core standards
and the lessons also meet Oregon
social science academic content
standards.”
Riggs said it is increasingly im-
portant to the Tribal membership,
especially the leadership, that a
historically accurate, place-based
curriculum that taught the true
story of the Grand Ronde people be
created for schools.
Riggs said that the project came
about after many of the Tribal
children/students reported having
to explain their history to teachers
and fellow students at local schools.
“Our desire is that teachers find
it useful and we appreciate the pos-
itive difference they are making by
teaching it,” said Riggs. “We know
it will have an incredible impact on
the generations to come.”
Randolph said that homeschool-
ing is popular in the area and she
encouraged Riggs to keep up the
work of educating young people in
southern Oregon about the true
history of the area. She said a more
realistic viewpoint of the current
state of Native Americans needs to
be a priority.
Truwe asked Tribal representa-
tives if they had any information
about the treaties that came before
the Treaty of Table Rock.
Greene said that those were
considered “agreements” and not
considered treaties by the Tribe
because they did not go through
the government-to-government
process.
Mercier said that some of the
wording of those original agree-
ments made its way into the trea-
ties that were eventually signed
and recognized.
Greene added that the agree-
ments were important because they
often provide details, such as the
names of chiefs and headmen and
the descriptions of lands and areas.
Truwe said he attended the meet-
ing because of his intense interest
in the local history of the people.
“The topic of the get-together was
the Table Rock Treaty, one of my
areas of interest,” Truwe said. “I’m
also interested in what becomes of
Rogue Valley residents after they
move on, and that certainly in-
cludes the area’s original owners.”
Truwe thanked the Tribe for the
dentalia necklace he was gifted at
the meeting.
“It’s now one of my prized posses-
sions,” said Truwe.
Sanborn, who supervises re-
search specialists, said the BLM
hopes to hire a Tribal member to
work with them on their Table
Rocks projects.
“We would like to get a Tribal
person hired to be an interpretive
specialist for the Table Rocks pro-
gram in the spring when we take
all the kids up,” said Sanborn. “We
want a more active presence in the
history of the area.”
After the meeting, a group went
up to an encampment at the Upper
Table Rock Trailhead off Modoc
Road for beading and Greene es-
corted Tuomi and Harvey on a hike.
“I really enjoyed the hike,” said
Harvey. “It was kind of spiritual
going up on that hike and getting
up there to the top and admiring
the view, but then realizing that
our people were encamped there.”
Kennedy said she was at the
first gathering in celebration of the
treaty in 2011 when the memoran-
dum of understanding was signed
between the Tribe, BLM and The
Nature Conservancy.
“It was a very moving experi-
ence,” said Kennedy. “I was thrilled
because the agreement was signed
at the Lower Table Rock near
where our original Rogue River
Treaty was signed in 1853. As
chairwoman of the Tribe when
the MOU was signed I knew our
Tribe was beginning to exercise its
treaty rights in southern Oregon. I
feel that our ancestors are pleased
with the undertaking of the Con-
federated Tribes of Grand Ronde’s
effort in educating others on who
the inhabitants of southern Oregon
really are. This year’s gathering
was a great experience.”
Leno said he was thankful for the
staff members who made the trip
to Medford and that he hoped the
meetings would continue.
“When we come down here I al-
ways try to think of what it was like
here in the valley 100 years before
the treaty,” said Leno. “This is a
very meaningful event for us.”