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PERMIT NO. 700
Tribe signs memorandum of
understanding with UofO — pg. 6
MAY 15, 2017
Grand Ronde
opposes Siletz
casino proposal
Honoring salmon
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
A
surprise announcement by
the Confederated Tribes of
Siletz Indians on Tuesday,
May 2, proposing an inter-Tribal
casino near Salem will not be sup-
ported by the Confederated Tribes
of Grand Ronde, says Tribal lobby-
ist Justin Martin and Tribal elected
officials.
Martin, who usually acts as the
Tribe’s spokesperson on casino-re-
lated topics, told numerous media
outlets that an inter-Tribal casino
off Interstate 5 near Salem would
be “devastating” to the Grand
Ronde Tribe, which operates Spirit
Mountain Casino, the closest Tribal
gaming enterprise to the Salem
market.
Instead, Martin said, the Grand
Ronde Tribe supports a solution
that works for all of Oregon’s Tribes
and for the state, and would also
help the Tribes and state compete
with the Cowlitz Tribe’s new casino
approximately 15 miles north of
See SILETZ PROPOSAL
continued on page 14
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
Tribal Elder Greg Archuleta places salmon by the fire for it to cook traditionally during the fifth annual
First Salmon Ceremony held at the McLean House in West Linn on Friday, May 5. Salmon netted last June at
Willamette Falls was used for the ceremony because river flows on the Willamette River were too high to safely
fish on ceremony day. About 50 people attended the event. See more photos on page 15.
General Council briefed on numerous topics
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
G
eneral Council attendees not only had a
full plate during lunch, which featured a
taco salad, but also on the agenda.
Tribal Lands Manager Jan Looking Wolf
Reibach, Tribal Council Chief of Staff Stacia
Hernandez and three top executives from Spirit
Mountain Casino discussed Tribal lands, the
former Multnomah Greyhound Park property
in Wood Village and the gaming facility’s plans
to combat competition from Cowlitz’s new Ilani
casino, respectively, during the Sunday, May 7,
meeting held in the Tribal Community Center.
Reibach was first with a PowerPoint slideshow
that explained the mission of the Tribal Lands
Department and its staff, and the history of
Grand Ronde Tribal lands, which now include
more than 15,000 acres with 11,540 acres in
Reservation status.
“We’ve worked every year very strategically
to improve our land base and fulfill the needs of
the community,” Reibach said.
He also distributed maps that showed where
See GENERAL COUNCIL
continued on page 12
Wink Soderberg has led an enterprising life
Tribal Elder staying involved on TERO Commission
By Brent Merrill
Smoke Signals staff writer
T
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
Tribal Elder Wink Soderberg at his home in Grand Ronde.
ribal Elder and former
Tribal Council member
William Joseph “Wink”
Soderberg spent his early child-
hood in Grand Ronde. In the mid
to late 1930s, the Grand Ronde
Indian Reservation was a much different
place than it is today.
When Wink, 83, was a boy there was no
running water in his Reservation home and
the family’s outhouse was a 50-yard sprint
in the middle of the night or winter cold.
“My mother always kept us involved
with Indians,” Wink says of his
childhood. “When the federal
government terminated us that
didn’t make any difference to
her. She still kept every record
she could get for my family and
my brother’s family.”
Wink, who served six years on Tribal
See ELDERS FEATURE
continued on pages 18-19