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Chachalu still under
construction — pg. 7
NOVEMBER 15, 2017
Tribal government
dumps Wells Fargo
Dual summits
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
T
he Grand Ronde Tribal gov-
ernment will no longer be do-
ing business with Wells Fargo
Bank, Tribal Council Chairwoman
Cheryle A. Kennedy announced
during the Sunday, Nov. 5, General
Council meeting to applause.
Tribal Council
voted 8-1 in a
staff directive
approved on
Oct. 13 to end
the financial
relationship.
Tribal Council
member Jack
Giffen Jr. vot-
Chris Leno
ed against the
decision.
Kennedy cited three reasons for
the Tribal government ending its fi-
nancial relationship with the bank,
including Wells Fargo’s involve-
ment in the controversial Dakota
Access Pipeline project in North
Dakota, it creating millions of fake
bank and credit card accounts for
customers and forcing unnecessary
auto collision insurance on more
than 800,000 clients.
Kennedy said that Columbia
Bank, based in Tacoma, Wash.,
with more than 150 branches in
Washington, Oregon and Idaho,
will become the Tribal govern-
ment’s new banking partner.
The Tribal government’s ac-
counts with Wells Fargo are used to
hold money only for short periods of
time, Tribal Finance Officer Chris
Leno said.
The Tribal government is cur-
rently going through a transition
period and the transferring of ac-
counts should be accomplished by
early 2018.
The Tribal government first em-
ployed Wells Fargo for banking
services from 1996 to 2005 and then
rehired the bank starting in 2013.
The Tribe started re-assessing
its relationship with Wells Fargo
earlier this year when the Finance
Department issued a request for
proposals for banking services.
The loss of Tribal business will
cost Wells Fargo less than $100,000
in processing fees, Leno said.
However, the statement is more
important than the lost revenue.
In late 2016 and early 2017, the
Dakota Access Pipeline project
See WELLS FARGO
continued on page 5
Fifth History & Culture event attracts more than 250
By Danielle Frost
Smoke Signals staff writer
T
he overall message of the
two-day Grand Ronde
History & Culture Sum-
mit is that Tribal culture is rich
in tradition and very much alive
today.
The event, now in its fifth
year, attracted a record num-
ber 250 people from across
the state, ranging from Grand
Ronde Tribal members to cul-
tural resource firms to educa-
tors who spent Wednesday and
Thursday, Nov. 1-2, soaking up
Tribal history and culture in the
Tribal gym.
The annual summit started
in 2013 to help remedy that
the histories of Oregon’s Tribes
have not been properly docu-
mented.
“Looking at this as a person
See HISTORY
continued on page 10
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
Tribal Cultural Education
Coordinator Jordan Mercier talks
about plankhouses, including
achaf-hammi, during the Grand
Ronde History & Culture Summit
held in the Tribal gym on
Wednesday, Nov. 1.
Tribal Council members attend state meeting
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
L
INCOLN CITY — At the
conclusion of the 18th an-
nual State-Tribal Summit
held Thursday, Nov. 2, at Chi-
nook Winds Casino in Lincoln
City, Gov. Kate Brown signed
Executive Order 17-12 that
establishes an Oregon Tribal
Cultural Task Force tasked with
surveying the Tribal cultural
items currently held in storage
or on display by state agencies,
universities, colleges and public
schools.
Brown was flanked by Grand
Ronde Tribal Council Chair-
woman Cheryle A. Kennedy and
See MEETING
continued on page 11
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
Tribal Council Chairwoman Cheryle A. Kennedy, middle, speaks during
the 18th annual State-Tribal Summit held at Chinook Winds Casino Resort
in Lincoln City on Thursday, Nov. 2. Also on stage with Kennedy is Cow
Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians Chairman Dan Courtney, left, and
Gov. Kate Brown, right.