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General Council briefed on
Health & Wellness Center — pg. 14
FEBRUARY 1, 2017
Tribal Government
Day set for Feb. 9
at State Capitol
Out of retirement
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
S
ALEM – The nine federally
recognized Tribes in Oregon
will have a chance to explain
to state legislators and their staff
members, state employees and the
general public who they are when
Tribal Government Day returns to
the State Capitol in Salem from 9
a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9.
Karen Quigley, executive director
of the Legislative Commission on
Indian Services, said the theme
of this year’s Tribal Government
Day echoes the Capitol Gateways
exhibit “We Are Oregonians” that
recently opened in an adjoining
hallway.
“Each Tribal government is in-
vited at their table to describe how
and why they are Grand Ronde,
Umatilla, Burns Paiute, etc.,”
Quigley said.
The Confederated Tribes of Grand
Ronde will supply bottled water and
snacks for the event and the Port-
land-based Native American Re-
habilitation Association will serve
fry bread. The Cow Creek Band of
See GOVERNMENT DAY
continued on page 11
If you go
Tribal Government Day
Where: State Capitol, 900
Court St. N.E., Salem.
When: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thurs-
day, Feb. 9
More info: 503-986-1067
Submitted photo
The Looking Wolf Band of Brothers that performed on the new album “Ascension” are, from left, Tim Yett, Jan
Looking Wolf Reibach, Nathan Myers and George Bobnett.
Reibach returns with contemplative ‘Ascension’
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
L
ike so many musicians before
him who have announced their
retirement from the music in-
dustry – Phil Collins comes immediate-
ly to mind – or embarked on “farewell”
tours that proved premature, Tribal
member Jan Looking Wolf Reibach’s
December 2015 retirement was short-lived.
At the time, Reibach, a four-time Native Amer-
ican Music Award winner and multiple nominee,
performed a farewell concert at the Chehalem
Cultural Center in Newberg and
announced that his 20th studio al-
bum “Tamanawas” would be his last,
thereby ending a successful career as
a recording artist.
However, Reibach didn’t take into
account that melodies would continue
to percolate inside his being, prompt-
ing him to record demos into his cell
phone while driving or interrupting dinner with
See ASCENSION
continued on page 12
Eighth-grade teacher embraces Tribal curriculum
By Brent Merrill
Smoke Signals staff writer
S
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
Tim Hart, a seventh/eighth-grade social
studies teacher at Faulconer-Chapman School
in Sheridan, taught the Confederated Tribes
of Grand Ronde Tribal History eighth-grade
curriculum unit to his students this school year.
HERIDAN – Eighth-grade students at
Faulconer-Chapman School have a much
more realistic view of local Native Ameri-
can history now that they are learning the Con-
federated Tribes of Grand Ronde’s new history
curriculum in their classroom.
Grand Ronde Tribal member and Curriculum/
Academic Adviser Mercedes Reeves has been
working with Faulconer-Chapman eighth-grade
teacher Tim Hart on introducing the Tribal cur-
riculum into local schools.
“Please take a moment to stop by the gover-
nance building within the next two weeks to see
the projects on display that were made by the
eighth-grade students at Faulconer-Chapman
School,” said Reeves in an all-employee e-mail
on Jan. 13 that notified the Tribal community of
the students’ efforts to build Tribal village diora-
mas. “The eighth-grade class spent a great deal
of time learning about the Confederated Tribes
of Grand Ronde using the Tribe’s eighth-grade
curriculum.
“During that time they became highly inter-
ested in the Tribe’s language, Chinuk Wawa;
plankhouses; bentwood boxes; and weaving.
The student projects represent the way Tribes
in the Pacific Northwest lived and the students
took great pride in bringing authenticity to
their projects while portraying the Tribes in an
appropriate manner. We hope the membership
enjoys the student projects and can see the hard
work and effort they put forth.”
Reeves said she was not only impressed with
See CURRICULUM
continued on page 6