8
S moke S ignals
JUNE 1, 2017
'America is a nation of many peoples'
YOUTH continued
from front page
of Cultural Resources Department
employees Travis Stewart, Jordan
Mercier, Bobby Mercier and Brian
Krehbiel, as well as Fisher, per-
forming cultural drumming and
singing.
Tribal Elders Steve Bobb Sr. and
Alton Butler were part of the Color
Guard, bringing in the U.S. flag
and eagle staff, respectively. Grand
Ronde Honor Guard member and
Tribal spouse Richard VanAtta
carried in the Grand Ronde flag.
Cow Creek Chairman Michael
Rondeau performed the national
anthem and Warm Springs Chief
Delvis Heath gave the invocation
before Speaker of the House Tina
Kotek, Attorney General Ellen
Rosenblum and Senate Minority
Leader Ted Ferrioli welcomed the
audience.
“The Senate President
and I remain committed
to open and collabora-
tive relationships with
our nine Tribes,” Kotek
said. “The theme for
today is about tradition
and about our children,
and given the level of
uncertainty in our world
today, it’s even more
important to talk about
tradition and our chil-
dren. … Whether you are a Tribal
leader or a legislative leader, en-
suring our future by supporting our
children is absolutely essential.”
“America is a nation of many
peoples,” Ferrioli said. “Oregon is
one people made of many nations.
I am grateful and proud and glad
that the young people of the Tribes
are here to listen to the assertion
of Tribal sovereignty and the re-
spect we cherish in our govern-
ment-to-government relations.”
Tribal leaders from each of Or-
egon’s nine federally recognized
Tribes then explained how their
sovereign nations teach their chil-
dren and share traditions.
“I appreciate every one of you
and all of you wonderful children
for carrying on the traditions of
our people,” Kennedy said after
the children performed. “Thank
you for coming here and recogniz-
ing the commitment between the
state of Oregon and the Tribes of
Oregon. … We are the people of
the treaty of Jan. 22, 1855. It was
signed and ratified. We do have
seven treaties that were ratified
with our Tribe and our people,
recognizing them.”
Kennedy said that after the
Grand Ronde Tribe was restored
in 1983, all of the Tribe’s treaties
were restored as well.
“I believe what we have witnessed
here today is an effect by virtue of
having our children come to speak
the language, to show the songs
that we sing, to demonstrate the
dances that are done with our peo-
ple in our plankhouses under the
leadership of many great members
of our Tribe. Our people have in-
vested in our culture and we know
it is the strength and backbone of
our people.”
Photos by Michelle Alaimo
Tribal Council Vice Chair Cheryle A. Kennedy speaks about the Tribe’s Youth
Council during the Legislative Commission on Indian Services/Nine Tribes
Spring Celebration held at the State Capitol in Salem on Thursday, May 18.
Next to her are Youth Council members, from left, Secretary Isabelle Grout,
Madalyn Volz, Izaiah Fisher, Vice Chair Raven Harmon and Chair Payton
Smith. At left, Gov. Kate Brown signs the proclamation declaring May 20-27,
2017, as American Indian Week in Oregon during the Legislative Commission
on Indian Services/Nine Tribes Spring Celebration held at the State Capitol in
Salem on Thursday, May 18.
Kennedy said education is the
cornerstone of helping Tribal chil-
dren become who they will be in life.
“We, as parents, are teachers who
hold a strong key to making sure
that our children are learning, that
they are in an environment where
we support them, that we check
on them, that we be with them
through their academic endeavors,
that we participate in the schools
and that we show that this is very
important to them,” Kennedy said.
The Spring Celebration conclud-
ed with Klamath Tribal Council
Chairman Don Gentry performing
two songs – “Peace” and “Song for
the Children” – on Native Ameri-
can flute before Gov. Kate Brown
signed a proclamation making May
20-27 American Indian Week in
Oregon.
“I think this Spring Celebration
is one of the great gatherings our
State Capitol gets to host every
year,” Brown said. “It is an oppor-
tunity for all Oregonians to honor
and celebrate the nine Tribal Na-
tions who have called this place
home since long before there was
an Oregon.
“I am so moved by this year’s
theme. By sharing these sacred
traditions, we are building a more
just and more vibrant future for
our children.”
The Grand Ronde Tribe spon-
sored and Spirit Mountain Casino
staff served a lunch of baked salm-
on, baron of beef, pasta salad and
kale crunch salad to attendees after
the Spring Celebration. The Native
American Rehabilitation Associa-
tion based in Portland also provided
Indian fry bread for the famished.
During the morning, Tribal Coun-
cil Chief of Staff Stacia Hernandez,
Public Affairs Administrative As-
sistant Chelsea Clark and Histor-
ic Preservation Manager Briece
Edwards staffed an informational
table that included Grand Ronde
ceded lands maps, copies of Smoke
Signals, Tribal lapel pins and other
information about the Tribe.
In addition to Kennedy, Tribal
Council Secretary Jon A. George
and Tribal Council members Bren-
da Tuomi, Chris Mercier, Denise
Harvey and Kathleen George at-
tended, as well as General Manager
David Fullerton.
Most agreed that the event’s
highlight was the Grand Ronde
Tribal Language Immersion Pro-
gram children performing dances
to two paddle songs and a salmon
song, and singing “Tumala.”
“I just felt very proud of our pro-
grams that we have for our children
in teaching them the culture and
the language and the dance,” Har-
vey said. “I just had a very happy
feeling to see our kids here.”
“I was so excited to see them,” Jon
A. George said. “I was so proud of
them. I was looking at them and
looking at our Canoe Family now
and thinking they are learning
now and they are going to grow up
and I just picture them advancing
and being in the plankhouse as our
youth are now.”
“I just had the biggest smile,”
Kathleen George said. “I was think-
ing about these young ones who will
grow up feeling that it is a natural
role for them to represent our Tribe.
… I just felt an amazing happiness
to watch our young ones represent-
ing our Tribe and our Tribes here in
the State Capitol. It’s an absolute
blessing.”
“I thought as they were sitting
down on the steps that this soothes
my soul to see our youth in the
Capitol with all of these adults
and getting ready to come out and
participate in our culture for our
Tribe,” Tuomi said.
Other Tribal staff in attendance
included Education Department
staff members Kathy Cole, Justine
Colton, Ali Holsclaw, Santiago
Atanacio, Jeff Mercier, Halona
Butler, Jade Colton, Zoey Holsclaw
and Audra Sherwood, and Youth
Council Adviser Shannon Simi.
Students from Cole’s Willamina
High School Chinuk Wawa class
who attended were Andrea Gri-
jalva, Kailiyah Krehbiel, Aspen
Wilson, Juan Cortez and Colton
Keightley.
Tribal member April Campbell,
who works for the state Depart-
ment of Education, and Tribal lob-
byist Justin Martin also attended.
The Spring Celebration was
organized by the Legislative Com-
mission on Indian Services, which
is managed by Executive Director
Karen Quigley.
“We were so honored to have so
many young people from so many
Oregon Tribes sitting together
on the House steps during the
program in the Capitol Rotunda,
introducing themselves to us and
listening to Tribal leaders speak
with such pride about them,” Quig-
ley said. “Thank you to all the Trib-
al Youth Council ambassadors and
other Tribal youth who made the
day so memorable.”
“I think this has been a great
event,” Kennedy, who has been
the Grand Ronde Tribe’s longtime
representative on the Legislative
Commission on Indian Services,
said.