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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 15, 2017)
10 NOVEMBER 15, 2017 S moke S ignals Breakout sessions part of summit HISTORY continued from front page who grew up here, to see where we have come from to what you see today is all from our past leaders’ work. It is important to share these stories,” Tribal Council Secretary Jon A. George said to open the event. Tribal Council members in atten- dance included Vice Chair Chris Mercier, Brenda Tuomi and Jack Giffen Jr. Elder and past Tribal Council Chairwoman Kathryn Harrison, who also was a key figure in the Tribe’s Restoration efforts in the early 1980s, gave the invocation. She thanked the “ancient ones” for their strength and wisdom that was passed down through the gen- erations. Cultural Resources Department staff members Bobby Mercier, Bri- an Krehbiel and Jordan Mercier led the Tribal drumming to open the event. Over the course of the two-day summit, attendees participated in group lectures about land and wa- ter, traditional gatherings, historic preservation and chinuk wawa. In the afternoons, breakout ses- sions were held in the Adult Educa- tion Building on topics that ranged from first foods to traditional games to repatriation of sacred objects. At the end of the first day, a din- ner was held at achaf-hammi, the Grand Ronde plankhouse. “This event is an opportunity to share the work that goes on here and the partnerships that have been developed,” Historic Preserva- tion Manager Briece Edwards said. Ceded Lands Manager Michael Karnosh’s primary responsibility is protection of the Tribe’s sovereign rights, interests and responsibili- ties over its ceded homelands. “We are in the Willamette Ba- sin, the area of the Willamette Valley Treaty of 1855,” Karnosh said on Wednesday as one of the first summit presenters. “There is a misconception that the area was an untouched, pristine wilderness before settlers came to the area, but in fact it was actively managed by different Tribes. … These natural landscapes are where Tribal history is written and alive.” Karnosh discussed the three main habitats of the Willamette Valley, which are rivers and flood- plains, riparian forests and open meadow. “Rivers nowadays are considered a nuisance to get over to go to work or the store,” Karnosh said. “But in traditional cultures, the river was the store. It wasn’t a barrier. It was a part of everything. … Rather than change the river to make life easier, the way of life was fitted to the way of the river.” Linguist Jedd Schrock, who has been active in the efforts to revi- talize chinuk wawa, spoke about Kalapuyan stories, which he is working to catalog and include in a database, from a collection of notebooks dictated by Grand Ronde member Eustace Howard in San- tiam. The notebooks were written what its construction has meant to the community, He said that for years, plankhouses were discour- aged or even outlawed. “The fact that we have one today is a huge bless- ing,” he said. “It is some- thing we have to house our own spiritual practices and beliefs. Most valuable to me is the sharing that occurs in these houses. It connects us to other Tribes, and is there for us to gather as a community and share with each other. It is helping to heal a lot of things.” Tribal member and Youth Prevention Coordi- nator Cristina Lara talk- ed about Canoe Journey, which teaches young Trib- al members life skills and gives them an opportunity to bond with other commu- nity members. “We like to offer these experiences to our young people so that they feel connected in a way they weren’t before,” Lara said. Breakout sessions cov- Photo by Michelle Alaimo ered such topics as first Tribal Elder Connie Graves shows Harris Reibach how to prepare a piece of cattail to foods, weaving, records use for weaving as she teaches a weaving workshop held at Adult Education during the research, language and landscapes, and indige- Grand Ronde History & Culture Summit on Wednesday, Nov. 1. nous experimental films. mette Valley Treaty of 1855 that down by Melville Jacobs of West During the records class, taught forcibly removed the Kalapuyans, Linn in 1929, but weren’t translat- by Tribal Elder June Olson, attend- Clackamas and Molalla to Grand ed until 1935 by John Hudson and ees heard from Harrison about her Ronde. never published. struggles in obtaining important “Today, we continue to, thanks to “What we end up with is a big family artifacts. the efforts of Tribal Council, have corpus of Eustace Howard stuff, “Don’t give up,” Harrison said. ceremonial fishing at the Falls,” mostly traditional stories,” Schrock “You can get your things back. It Archuleta said. “I am very grateful said. took me 34 years, but I am proud to staff who helped make that a re- One re-occurring story is “Coyote of what we got back. As soon as I ality. … During relocation, the Indi- in the land of the dead.” saw the artifacts, I started crying. an agents tried to keep (the people) “What is cool is we take all of It is not impossible, so I say don’t from going to Willamette Falls, but these Grand Ronde Elders who told give up.” that never became a reality. That this story and there is tremendous Harrison said she believes a rea- connection remained with us.” cohesion,” Schrock said. son she is still on Earth is to con- During the Wednesday afternoon The second session on Wednes- tinue to tell the story of her Tribe. session, Washie Squetimkin, a local day included speakers discussing “Our history needs to be told over resident and Colville Tribal mem- traditional burning practices, paleo and over, so it is told correctly and ber, discussed his experiences trav- landforms and Willamette Falls. everyone will know,” she said. eling to powwows and the different “Fire is often seen as the enemy,” Thursday presentations focused styles of dance and history behind archeologist Kelly Derr said. “There on chinuk wawa and historic pres- each. He helps teach a powwow are more fires now, and part of ervation, with breakout sessions class in the community. that is climate change, and part is about beading, traditional games, “The powwow originated as a so- removal of the people from the area. technology and repatriation. cial gathering of people and general … What is important to consider is The morning TED-like sessions way of life that speaks to everyone,” that the people who burn have been discussed schooling in the early he said. removed, and humans are a part days of Grand Ronde, mound sites, Tribal Cultural Adviser Bobby of those ecosystems. Removal can stone tools, best museum practices, Mercier talked about the Round alter them.” the West Coast Ocean Partnership Dance, one of the many Tribal tra- Tribal Elder and artist Greg and Tribal language immersion ditions that continues today. Archuleta and Fish & Wildlife programs. “We see a lot of our young people Program Manager Kelly Dirksen Chinuk Language Program Man- getting into this style, so we want discussed restoration of historic ager Ali Holsclaw discussed the to teach them what it is about, the fishing rights on the Willamette weekly language lessons and af- history and why we want to bring River and continued Tribal connec- ter-school programs. it here,” he said. tions to the Willamette Falls area, “It’s just another way for us to While powwows typically occur in known as “Tumwater” in chinuk get the language out there,” she the summer months, Round Dance wawa. said. “It is also offered at Willamina traditionally is held after harvest “Professionally and personally, High School as an elective and for in the fall and continues through Willamette Falls is a very powerful college credit.” the winter. place,” Dirksen said. “There has Additionally, there are adult “Every spring, we hold a Round been very significant progress on classes held at Lane Community Dance to honor those who have restoration of Tribal fishing rights College and in Grand Ronde and at passed in the last year,” Mercier at the Falls.” the Tribe’s Portland office. said. Archuleta discussed the treaties “We want to develop the language Tribal member and Cultural Edu- the U.S. government made with See HISTORY cation Coordinator Jordan Mercier local Tribes, trying to remove them continued on page 13 talked about the plankhouse and from the area, including the Willa-