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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 15, 2017)
S moke S ignals FEBRUARY 15, 2017 13 'This is all very new to them' GOVERNMENT day continued from front page ing our government-to-government relationships.” She said since the Youth Council is new, its members haven’t previ- ously observed Tribal interactions with state legislators and staff. “This is the first opportunity for our Youth Council to attend an event like this with a Tribal Coun- cil member and shadow us and be introduced to some of the repre- sentatives,” Gleason-Shepek said. “This is all very new to them. It’s definitely a foundation to build on.” Around 10 a.m., Gov. Kate Brown met and took photos with Youth Council members, as well as Tribal Council members in attendance. Brown, who for many years served on the Spirit Mountain Commu- nity Fund Board of Directors, embraced several Tribal members and laughed when Tribal Council Chairman Reyn Leno joked, “I’m not on the Youth Council.” Youth Council Secretary and Junior Miss Grand Ronde Isabelle Grout said that meeting Brown was the best part of the event. Youth Council member Madalyn Volz agreed that meeting the gov- ernor was a highlight, along with the knowledge she gained about Oregon’s Tribal culture. “I learned a lot about the different Tribes,” Volz said. “I learned that all of these places are from the state of Oregon, so we could go and visit them if we wanted to.” In addition to learning about Or- egon Tribes’ cultures and history, Youth Council members learned how Tribes work with the state to Photo by Michelle Alaimo Tribal Council member Kathleen George, left, and Tribal Youth Council Secretary and Junior Miss Grand Ronde Isabelle Grout, middle, talk with Oregon Rep. Julie Fahey during Tribal Government Day held at the State Capitol building in Salem on Thursday, Feb. 9. Grout shadowed George during the event. get things done. Leno said that an early education in the governmental process is an important tool for the Youth Coun- cil as its members are hopefully the future decision-makers for the Tribe. “It’s an educational process,” said Leno. “You look back at the Youth Council versus our first Tribal Council and how they had to learn. (Youth Council members) will be more familiar with the government as opposed to not having that edu- cation.” Leno said the event is important for Oregon’s Tribes because it’s an investment in the governing LIFEBOOK SUPPLIES WILL BE PROVIDED Please join us for our upcoming workshops Please bring your child's/teens: Pictures Creating a Lifebook Artwork Wednesday, March 8: 5:15pm - 8:15pm Awards Milestones Friday, April 7: 11:00am - 3:00pm Meal & Childcare Provided (must REGISTER for childcare) Family History Report Cards Birth History CTGR Community Center Building Letters 9615 Grand Ronde Road, Grand Ronde, OR & More!! Feel free to attend one, or both! What is a Lifebook? A Lifebook is a connection to a child’s past, a record of the child’s personal history and a valuable tool for helping a child understand the difficult transitions in their life. To register or for more information please call Amanda Mercier at 503-879-2039 process. “The value of today for all nine of the Tribes is to basically famil- iarize yourself with what goes on here,” Leno said, “because on a consistent basis one Tribe or the other will always be over here testifying.” Karen Quigley, executive director of the Legislative Commission on Indian Services, characterized the event was a “visiting day” for the Tribes so Tribal representatives can have discussions in a setting free from the typical structure of governmental interactions. “This is a day that they get to ask whatever they want,” Quigley said. Eight of the nine federally recog- nized Oregon Tribes hosted infor- mational tables with a variety of displays ranging from first foods to cultural traditions. Grand Ronde’s table was staffed by Public Affairs Administrative Assistant Chelsea Clark, Tribal Council Chief of Staff Stacia Mar- tin, Tribal Council Administrative Assistant Shannon Simi and Eco- nomic Development Administrative Assistant Meghan Zimbrick. The display provided information about Grand Ronde’s history as well as chocolate, pins, pens, ceded lands maps and copies of Smoke Signals. Martin explained the Tribe’s ceded lands map to State Library employees Dave Hegeman and Eu- gene Newbill, who are a reference librarian and cataloguing special- ist, respectively. “I love maps,” Hegeman said. “I plan on putting this in the collec- tion.” The five Youth Council members at the event were Dominik Briant, Grout, Raven Harmon, Fisher and Volz, along with Little Miss Grand Ronde Kaleigha Simi. Other Tribal Council members who attended were Vice Chair Cheryle A. Kennedy, Secretary Jon A. George, Jack Giffen Jr., Denise Harvey, Chris Mercier, Kathleen George and Brenda Tuomi. Also in attendance were Gener- al Manager David Fullerton and Intergovernmental Affairs Consul- tant Justin Martin. At noon, Tribal representatives met in Republican Sen. Ted Ferri- oli’s office for a brown bag luncheon with state employees to discuss Tribal-state relations.
