Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 2017)
4 S moke S ignals NOVEMBER 1, 2017 'Basically we had a name and a cemetery' RESTORATION continued from front page on Nov. 22, 1983, when President Ronald Reagan signed the Grand Ronde Restoration Act. The federal government also re- turned 9,811 acres to the Tribe as a Reservation on Sept. 9, 1988, which also occurred during Reagan’s ad- ministration. The Restoration effort began in the 1970s. One of the first acts Tribal members took toward Resto- ration occurred when Kimsey and Holmes testified before Task Force 10 of the American Indian Policy Review Commission in Salem in March 1976. The commission was created to gather information about American Indian Tribes and make recom- mendations. Task Force 10 was specifically concerned with western Oregon’s terminated Tribes. Kimsey and Holmes, as well as representatives from as many as nine other Tribes, recounted the effects of Termination and what it had brought upon the Grand Ronde Tribe. Kimsey and Holmes said that Tribal members did not understand the devastation that Termination LIHEAP program open in service area The Tribal Social Service’s LIHEAP – Low Income Home Energy As- sistance Program – is open to eligible Tribal members in the six-county service area and Clackamas County. This is a first-come, first-served program and income criteria applies. LIHEAP is federally funded through the Department of Health and Human Services and is designed to help low-income households with home heating costs. For more information, contact Social Services at 503-879-2034. Clothes Closet open Friday mornings The Clothes Closet is open from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. the first and third Fridays of the month and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. all other Fridays on the Tribal campus near the Elders Activity Center at the end of Blacktail Drive. The Clothes Closet accepts clothing, small appliances, small pieces of furniture, electronics and household goods that are clean and in good condition. It does not accept books, large TVs or large furniture, but there is a community board where people can post those items. Donations are accepted during regular business hours. For more information or emergency clothes, contact Lori Walk- er-Hernandez at 559-847-7565. ATTENTION TRIBAL MEMBERS COMMITTEE AND SPECIAL EVENT BOARD VACANCIES The following Committees and Special Event Boards have vacant positions. Election Board 1 alternate vacancy Housing Grievance Board 1 vacancy Fish & Wildlife Committee 1 vacancy Please send completed applications to Stacia Hernandez, 9615 Grand Ronde Road, Grand Ronde, OR 97347. would wreak on the community and they explained how the last 820 acres of the Tribe’s original land base was sold and that the Tribe’s cemetery was all that remained of the more than 60,000 acres of Reservation land that was reserved by President James Buchanan’s executive order of 1857. Fourteen Tribal members filled out detailed questionnaires for Task Force 10. Among those providing information were Russ Leno, Velma Mercier, Kimsey, Holmes and others. Those Tribal members and many others, working with Oregon Sen. Mark Hatfield and his staff and representatives at the Native American Program Oregon Legal Services, provided information about employment, health, housing, educational needs and the problems associated with not having a land base. Together, they strategized how to achieve Restoration. In October 1983, Tribal Elder Kathryn Harrison and her son and daughter, Frank Harrison and Karen Askins, as well as Kimsey and Jackie Whisler testified before the House Interior and Insular Affairs Commit- tee about restoring the Grand Ronde Tribe to federal recognition. Sponsored by U.S. Rep. Les Au- Coin, the Grand Ronde Restoration Bill had 57 letters of support and no opposition. It passed the House on Nov. 7, 1983, and was introduced in the Senate by Hatfield four days later. The bill passed the Senate on a voice vote. Less than two weeks later, Rea- gan signed the Restoration Bill into law. “Basically we had a name and a cemetery. Nothing more than that,” former Tribal Council Chairman Reyn Leno has said previously about the importance of marking Restoration Day. “Everything on top of that people should be very thankful for.” The 34th Restoration Celebration begins with a Canoe Family per- formance and program starting at 10 a.m. followed by a meal in the Tribal gym at noon. There will be a break at 2 p.m. and a powwow be- ginning at 3 p.m. There also will be youth specials during the powwow in honor of Saige Selwyn, a Tribal youth who walked on in 2015. The Planning Committee for this year’s celebration includes Tribal Council Secretary Jon A. George, Tribal Council Chief of Staff Sta- cia Hernandez, Tribal Council Administrative Assistant Shannon Simi, Culture Committee members Tracie Meyer, Joanna Brisbois and Shayla Murphy, Cultural Resources Department employee Julie Brown, Food Bank Coordinator Francene Ambrose, Tribal Elders Faye Smith and Steve Bobb Sr., Portland Area Office Tribal Services Represen- tative Lisa Archuleta and Public Affairs Administrative Assistant Chelsea Clark. Grand Ronde Tribal vendors who wish to set up a table during the event should contact Ambrose at 503-879-3663. Space for vendors is limited. RSVP to Public Affairs at 503- 879-1418 or send an e-mail to publicaffairs@grandronde.org so that organizers can determine an approximate number of attendees. The 35th Restoration Celebration will be held Sunday, Nov. 18, 2018, at Spirit Mountain Casino, accord- ing to an authorization to proceed approved by Tribal Council on Oct. 26. Otherwise, 2018’s Restoration Day would have fallen on the same day as Thanksgiving. Includes information from previ- ous editions of Smoke Signals. Committee & Special Event Board meeting days and times Below is the most current information on the meeting days and times for Tribal Committees and Special Event Boards: • Ceremonial Hunting Board meets as needed. Chair: Marline Groshong. • Culture Committee meets at 5:30 p.m. the second Tuesday of the month at the Grand Ronde Food Bank/iskam mfkhmfk haws, 9675 Grand Ronde Road. Chair: Francene Ambrose. • Editorial Board meets at 10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 3, in Room 204 in the Tribal Governance Center. Chair: Siobhan Taylor. • Education Committee meets at 5:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday of the month in the Adult Education building. Chair: Tammy Cook. • Elders Committee meets at 10 a.m. the third Wednesday of the month in the Elders Activity Center. Chair: Gladys Hobbs. • Enrollment Board meets quarterly in Room 204 of the Governance Center. Chair: Michael Mercier. • Fish & Wildlife Committee meets at 5:30 p.m. the second Tuesday of the month at the Natural Resources building off Hebo Road. Chair: Tyson Mercier. • Health Committee meets at 10 a.m. the second Monday of the month in the Health & Wellness Center. Chair: Patti Tom-Martin. • Housing Board meets at 3 p.m. the third Thursday of the month in the Housing Department conference room. Chair: Matt Thomas. • Powwow Special Event Board meets monthly at noon at the Community Center. Dates vary. Contact Dana Ainam at 503-879-2037. Chair: Dana Ainam. • Timber Committee meets at 5 p.m. the second Thursday of the month at the Natural Resources building off Hebo Road. Chair: Bob Mercier. • Veterans Special Event Board meets at 5:30 p.m. the first Tuesday of the month in the old Elders Craft House. Chair: Steve Bobb Sr. To update information on this list, contact Publications Coordinator Dean Rhodes at 503-879-1463 or dean.rhodes@grandronde.org.