10
NOVEMBER 15, 2017
S moke S ignals
Breakout sessions part of summit
HISTORY continued
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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-