Smoke signals., December 01, 2016, Page 10, Image 10

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DECEMBER 1, 2016
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From left, Symphony Zimmer, Kalea Liebelt, Taylor Ruggles and Hallie Brewer hold hands as they participate in an InterTribal dance during the
Tribe’s 33rd Restoration Powwow held in the Tribal gym on Tuesday, Nov. 22.
RESTORATION continued
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Kim Contreras, Chelsea Clark
and Tammy Fisher, among others,
backed the drummers with singing.
Tribal youth Kailiyah Krehbiel
led a group of 12 Canoe Family
dancers around the gymnasium
while others drummed and sang.
Kailiyah Krehbiel and others
danced for the first three songs
and then Bobby Mercier said the
fourth song was important for the
Restoration event.
“This song is called ‘Traveling
With Our Ancestors,’ ” said Bobby
Mercier. “There were a lot of them
that traveled to be here. Many of
them passed away after just days
of being here from the exhaustion.
People were made to walk from
different directions to come here to
Grand Ronde. We’re very thankful
for the strength of those people that
made it here. We’re very thankful
for their teachings and everything
that they left behind to give us the
strength to carry on. We’re thankful
for all those that made it here so we
could be here today.”
Bobby Mercier said the fifth
song was about the 263-mile Trail
of Tears forced march from Table
Rock near Medford to Grand Ronde
that occurred in 1856.
“This song is to honor all of those
who made the journey here to the
Reservation,” said Bobby Mercier
as Canoe Family dancers gathered
with drummers on stage to join
them as backup singers.
Bobby Mercier had Nokoa Mer-
cier, Kaikanim Mercier, Izaiah
Fisher and Jacob Holmes go down
in front of the stage for the next-to-
last drum song for a “Boy’s” dance.
The final drum song to open the
Restoration event was a prayer
song. “This is a song for our ances-
tors,” he said.
Tribal Royalty performed “The
Lord’s Prayer” and Tribal Elder
and former longtime Tribal Council
Chairwoman Kathryn Harrison
gave the opening invocation.
“We want to thank you for this
day – especially this day,” said Har-
rison during her prayer. “We thank
you for those ancestors and for their
strength and wisdom.”
Tribal Council Vice Chair Cheryle
A. Kennedy welcomed the audience
and introduced council members
and former council members pres-
ent.
“This is a wonderful celebration,”
said Kennedy. “Of all of the events
that the Confederated Tribes of
Grand Ronde hosts every year, this
is the one that commemorates into
all the joy, the happiness, the hard
work and the gatherings of our
families and friends. It’s time to
celebrate. It’s time to give thanks.
It’s time to show that we are truly
Kaleigha Simi, right, dances with other girls, including Sophia Grout, left, in
a Junior Girls Exhibition dance during the Tribe’s 33rd Restoration Powwow
held in the Tribal gym on Tuesday, Nov. 22.
grateful. What a wonderful time.”
Kennedy said she was happy to
share the joy she had in her heart
with everyone who made the effort
to be with the Tribe on such an
important day.
“We are here,” said Kennedy. “We
stand together in unity. As we come
together here today in recognition
of our Restoration, we know that
throughout the years our Tribe has
been through many, many hardships
and there were many, many battles
that we had to go through to be here.”
Kennedy said that the treaties
the Tribe signed with the U.S. gov-
ernment meant little to the leaders
of the dominant culture. She said
the treaties were little more than
a land grab and that it was Native
peoples who paid the price with
their very way of life.
“We have five treaties that came
with all of the bands and the Tribes
of Indians that have come togeth-
er to form what we now know as
the Confederated Tribes of Grand
Ronde,” said Kennedy. “That blood
flows through your veins. That is
the one thing that we all have in
common – that blood flows through
us today. And it is powerful and it is
strong. It is the voice of our ances-
tors that keeps telling us to move
forward, keep on doing good things.
To keep on raising your children in
the Tribal way, keep on practicing
our cultural ways, keep doing that.”
Kennedy said the Tribal mem-
bership has much to be thankful
for and that if the U.S. government
could have eliminated Native peo-