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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 15, 2017)
10 S moke S ignals AUGUST 15, 2017 Dakota Whitecloud walks on at 69 By Dean Rhodes Smoke Signals editor Tribal Elder Dakota Rae Sangret- ta-Whitecloud, a former longtime Tribal employee and two-time Trib- al Council candidate, walked on Thursday, Aug. 10, at the age of 69. Whitecloud was born Nov. 11, 1947. She was raised near Wood- burn, Ore., and was a fifth gen- eration member of the Holmes family. Her mother was Pearl McGee and her grandmother was Theresa (Holmes) Zavadoski. Her great-grandmother was Mary Holmes and her great-great-grand- father was Kalapuya Chief and treaty signer Joseph Sangretta. Her father’s side of the family was Sioux and Apache (Wolf and Eagles Clans, respectively). According to her 2011 Tribal Council candidate statement, she lived in the Willamette Valley most of her life, but she also lived in the Umpqua V a l l e y before re- turning home to G r a n d Ronde. She worked for the Tribe, starting in August 1989 and retiring in May 2011. At the time of her retirement, she was the sixth longest-serving Tribal employee. She worked in the Executive, Legal and Finance offices before going to work for Tribal Council as its Relations Coordinator in 2004. She was known for her encyclope- dia-like knowledge of the Tribe and her loyalty. According to a 2011 Smoke Sig- nals story about her retirement, Whitecloud was instrumental in bringing Travis Benoist (Cheyenne River Sioux) to bless Spirit Moun- tain Casino when it opened. She also initiated the door prizes that have been a hallmark of General Council meetings ever since. Whitecloud also wrote five ordi- nances for the Tribe. “I’ve written enough policy to fill this office,” she said. “It needed to be done. I knew how to do it. I just did it.” After working for Tribal Council for many years, she ran for a seat on the governing body twice – in 2011 and ’10. Both times, she was nom- inated by her daughter, Christina Trevino-Jungers. In both of her runs for Trib- al Council, she supported better long-range planning and broader membership involvement in Tribal government. In addition to working for the Tribal government, she was a past-member of the Education, Archaeology and Powwow commit- tees, as well as the Election and Housing Authority boards. She also served as chair of the Veterans Special Event Board. “She was very much a traditional Native woman,” Tribal Council member Jack Giffen Jr. said. “She knew where she came from and never forgot that. She was rock solid in her beliefs. She had her opinion and it was from historical teachings, and she stayed very strong on those.” Giffen said Whitecloud, who was a distant relative, made his regalia and gifted him her eagle fan, which See PASSING continued on page 21 Summer jobs For another year, the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde hired Tribal youth for the annual Summer Youth Employment Program. About 40 youth, ages 14-18, worked in various departments from June 5 through Aug. 18. The youth had to attend four mandatory Professional Development Trainings as part of their employment. The program is overseen by the Human Resources and Youth Education departments. Summer Youth Employee Brandon Partridge puts containers filled with ranch dressing away while working at Grand Ronde Station’s Long Bell Diner on Wednesday, Aug. 9. This is the third summer he has worked at the station and the second working in the diner. Summer Youth Employee Franklin Norwest waters plants while working in the Tribe’s Community Garden on Wednesday, Aug. 9. Summer Youth Employee Risa Chrestensen folds paper with information about the 2017 advisory votes in the Governance Center Atrium on Tuesday, Aug.1. She was employed in the Tribe’s Housing Department, but was helping Public Affairs with the mailing that was sent to Tribal members. Summer Youth Employees Kenzy, left, and Sydney Lawrence make beaded necklaces during the Canoe Journey Gift Making Event at the Tribal Community Center on July 27. The sisters worked in the Tribe’s Cultural Resources Department and helped set up the event in addition to making necklaces. Photos by Michelle Alaimo
