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DECEMBER 1, 2017
Remembering Restoration
Tribe celebrates 34th
anniversary of regaining
federal recognition
By Danielle Frost
Smoke Signals staff writer
F
rom recognition of aging Res-
toration Elders to a powwow
featuring the youngest Tribal
members, the Grand Ronde Tribe’s
34th Restoration Celebration of
regaining federal recognition was
feted with respect, reverence and
joy on Wednesday, Nov. 22.
Despite being the day before
Thanksgiving, almost 300 Tribal
members, community members,
employees and others joined togeth-
er in the Tribal gym to recognize a
people coming together.
“Thirty-four years ago today,
President Reagan signed our Resto-
ration Bill into law because of those
who worked on it,” Tribal Council
Chairwoman Cheryle A. Kennedy
said during an afternoon speech
that honored key Restoration fig-
ures Marvin Kimsey, Margaret
Provost and the late Merle Holmes.
“Thank you for putting people
together and to our young ones,
remember what Restoration is,”
Kennedy said. “To know what it is
to have what we do today. Before
Restoration, the cemetery was
the only place we had. Today, we
have many things because of Res-
toration.”
Provost, one of the key figures
in early Restoration efforts, which
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
Tribal Elder Margaret Provost talks about her work on the Tribe’s Restoration effort during the 34th Restoration Powwow
held in the Tribal gym on Wednesday, Nov. 22. Standing behind her is her daughter, Tribal Elder Jackie Many Hides.
began in the 1970s, recalled her
experiences.
“After Termination in 1954, we
had nothing and were stripped of
our identity,” Provost said. “But
some families stayed in contact and
every Memorial Day, we met at the
cemetery.”
After moving to Lebanon for
work, Provost learned about Resto-
ration efforts occurring regionally
and across the country. She, Kim-
sey and Holmes attended a meeting
held by the Association of Urban
Indians in Lebanon and were in-
spired by other Tribal restoration
efforts, such as the Menominees in
Wisconsin, who became the first re-
stored Tribe in the nation in 1973.
“As time went on, people kept
bugging me to do something,” Pro-
See RESTORATION
continued on pages 10-11
Wellness Center responds to ‘opioid epidemic’
Opioid-based
medications, such as
hydrocodone, will be
more difficult to acquire
starting in 2018 because
of increased nationwide
concern about abuse
and overdoses using
the addictive drugs.
In reaction, the Tribe’s
Health & Wellness
Center will be changing
its pain medication
procedures to reflect
the changing attitudes
regarding opioid use
and prescribing.
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
Updated policies on chronic pain medication use are underway
By Danielle Frost
Smoke Signals staff writer
B
eginning Tuesday, Jan. 2, many
in Grand Ronde who use opioid
medications to relieve pain will
no longer be able to access them due to
mandates from federal and state govern-
ments, as well as rising concerns over a
nationwide “opioid epidemic.”
Earlier this year, the Oregon Health
Plan, which many Tribal members use
as their primary insurance provider,
announced that it will no longer cover
opioids for chronic back and spine condi-
tions as of New Year’s Day.
“Prescribers must establish a tapering
plan for patients currently prescribed
opioids for these conditions,” the memo
states.
The Grand Ronde Health & Wellness
Center is working to align its practices
as state and federal regulations are
continually changing.
For example, the U.S. Drug Enforce-
ment Administration published a notice
in the Federal Register during the first
week in November, stating that it would
reduce the supply of many commonly
prescribed schedule II opioid painkill-
ers. These include oxycodone, hydroco-
done, oxymorphone, hydromorphone,
morphine, codeine and fentanyl, citing
decreased demand for the medication.
See OPIOID
continued on page 13