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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (June 15, 2017)
PRESORTED STANDARD MAIL U.S. POSTAGE PAID PORTLAND, OR PERMIT NO. 700 Elders fishing trip photos — pg. 17 JUNE 15, 2017 Tribal Council Chair Reyn Leno bows out of 2017 election Rainy day parade By Dean Rhodes Smoke Signals editor A n emotional Reyn Leno announced during the Wednesday, May 31, Tribal Council meeting that he will not seek re-election in 2017, ending 21 years of service on Tribal Council. Leno, whose seventh consec- utive three-year term on Tribal Council ends in September, said he will be on a plane to Hawaii with his children and grandchildren when Tribal Coun- cil candidates are Reyn Leno nominated on Sunday, June 25. His grandson, Justin Fasana, was valedictorian for the 2017 class at Willamina High School and requested the trip as part of his graduation gift. Leno, 66, was first elected to Tribal Council in September 1996. He served as Tribal Council vice chair for 11 years before being elevated to Tribal Council chair by his fellow council members in Sep- tember 2012. His 21 years on Tribal Council are the most of any Tribal member who has been elected since 1983’s Restoration. “It has been a quick 21 years,” Leno said while announcing his intention to not seek re-election. See LENO continued on page 5 Photo by Michelle Alaimo Spirit Mountain Casino’s float “Persistence of Culture” rolls down Northeast Weidler Street in Portland during the 2017 Spirit Mountain Casino Grand Floral Parade on Saturday, June 10. The float depicts the Tribe’s continuous struggle to retain culture and traditional knowledge and to stay afloat during trying times. The float won the Governor’s Award, which is awarded to the float with the best depiction of life in Oregon. More photos on page 11. Tribe’s dental team plays prevent defense By Brent Merrill Smoke Signals staff writer I f you are the mother of a 3-year- old child or younger, Tribal Dental Hygienist Sheila Black- eter wants to visit your home and sit across from you knee-to-knee to safely deliver dental services to young patients while they are held and comforted. “I bring my loupes and I have my container of fluoride varnish and toothbrushes and gauze,” Blacketer says of her home visit routine. “I put my loupes on and sit knee-to- knee with the mom and the baby’s head is on my lap and I can see if there is any cavities starting.” Dental loupes are small magnifi- cation devices used to look closely at a patient’s teeth. Blacketer’s home visits were still dreams on paper in 2012, but those dreams started becoming reality in 2013 with the first of what are now regular and welcomed home visits aimed at improving the den- tal health of Tribal members of all ages. By 2014, the visits were a regular offering and now they are part of the overall strategy of the clinic’s dental staff. It’s all about building trust and establishing relationships that will hopefully lead to lifelong improved dental health, she says. See DENTAL TEAM continued on page 8 First Foods celebration honors ancestors Culture Committee’s annual event held at Tribal plankhouse By Brent Merrill Smoke Signals staff writer T he Tribe’s annual First Foods celebra- tion held on Saturday, June 3, was about new beginnings and honoring ancestors and the foods they ate to survive. Tribal Council Secretary Jon A. George hosted the event held at the Tribe’s plank- house, achaf-hammi. He was joined by fellow council members Chris Mercier, Brenda Tuomi, Tonya Gleason-Shepek, Denise Har- Photo by Michelle Alaimo vey and Kathleen George, and former council members and Tribal Elders Kathryn Harrison and Wink Soderberg. Tribal members gathered in the morning in the outdoor area behind the plankhouse to prepare traditional Native foods like salmon, venison, lamprey, fry bread, salad, stew and berries. See FIRST FOODS continued on page 12 Dakota Smith serves salmon to Kalea Liebelt during the Culture Committee’s First Foods celebration held at achaf-hammi, the Tribe’s plankhouse, on Saturday, June 3.