S moke S ignals
FEBRUARY 15, 2018
7
Tribal Council approves increasing burial benefits
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
Tribal Council approved Burial
Fund Ordinance amendments
during its Wednesday, Feb. 7,
meeting that will provide addi-
tional monetary assistance after
the walking on of a Tribal member.
The amendments will increase
the burial benefit $500 from $5,500
to $6,000 and the reception benefit
from $300 to $400.
Tribal Senior Staff Attorney De-
neen Aubertin Keller said during
the Tuesday, Feb. 6, Legislative
Action Committee meeting that the
Tribe did not receive any member-
ship comments when the proposed
amendments were sent out for a
first reading.
It is the first increase in the
Burial Fund benefit since July
2014 when the burial amount was
increased from $3,500 to $5,500
and the reception amount doubled
from $150 to $300.
In other action, Tribal Council
voted to sign the “We Are Still In”
declaration that commits the Tribe
to continue working on climate
change goals outlined in the Paris
Accord, which the Trump admin-
istration announced the United
States would withdraw from in
June 2017.
Tribal Attorney Brooks Wake-
land said at the Feb. 6 Legislative
Action Committee meeting that
signing the declaration makes a
Tribal statement recognizing the
dangers of climate change and con-
veys the Tribe’s intent to continue
to take actions to reduce carbon
emissions, promote renewable
energy sources and adopt policies
and practices consistent with the
accord’s ideals.
Wakeland said that numerous
companies, such as Apple, Tribes
and universities have signed the
declaration.
Tribal Council member Jack
Giffen Jr., the Tribe’s principal
delegate to the Affiliated Tribes
of Northwest Indians, said that
Grand Ronde supported the dec-
laration at the Winter Convention
held Jan. 22-25 in Portland.
In other action, Tribal Council:
• Approved 2017-18 memoran-
dums of understanding with the
Willamina and Sheridan school
districts that formalize a collab-
orative relationship between the
districts and Tribe for the better-
ment of all students attending
those schools. Approximately
70 of Sheridan’s 740 students
identify as Native American and
approximately 267 of the 857
students in Willamina are Native
American;
• Approved a contract with Kal
Ent. Inc to provide the Tribe’s
Finance Department with addi-
tional assistance in implementing
the Abila/MIP Microix accounting
software that was purchased in
2015. A staff report stated that
the additional contractor services
are needed because of a staffing
shortage. The contract cannot
exceed $250,000;
• Approved the purchase of 33.26
acres in Lane County at Chahal-
pam using $57,000 in Bonneville
Power Administration funds
through the Willamette Wild-
life Mitigation Program. Tribal
Lands Manager Jan Reibach said
the purchase increases the Cha-
halpam-area holdings to more
than 460 acres and the Tribe’s
total acreage purchased using
BPA funds to more than 1,100
acres. The Tribe will manage the
area along the North Santiam
River for conservation and wild-
life habitat purposes;
• Approved a Juvenile Prevention
Agreement with the Oregon De-
partment of Education’s Youth
Development Division that brings
the Tribe $50,000 every two years
to fund services for school-age
children that support academic
success and reduces criminal
involvement;
• Approved the Whisp Logging
Unit timber harvest on the Res-
ervation that will involve two
cutting blocks and is estimated
to earn the Tribe $2 million in
timber revenue;
• Approved the enrollment of two
infants into the Tribe because
they meet the requirements out-
lined in the Enrollment Ordi-
nance and Tribal Constitution;
• And approved one Restoration
Roll correction that would add
one Tribal member to the roll.
The correction now must be ap-
proved by Interior Secretary
Ryan Zinke.
Also included in the Feb. 7 Trib-
al Council packet were approved
authorizations to proceed that al-
low staff to work with Vice Chair
Chris Mercier to research other
Tribal constitutions and prepare a
report, approves cutting down four
Douglas fir trees on the Thompson
property to use as wrapping for
the main exhibit hall at Chachalu
Museum & Cultural Center, autho-
rizes the transfer of $60,000 to fund
construction of a Brentwood Box
exhibit display case, authorizes the
Tribe to apply for a $65,000 grant
from the Notah Begay III Founda-
tion to focus on reducing obesity
and diabetes, and authorizes the
Tribe to apply for a $28,040 grant
from the Oregon Department of
Veterans’ Affairs to increase veter-
ans services to Native Americans.
Cultural Resources Department
Manager David Harrelson gave the
cultural presentation to open the
meeting and discussed Tribal Chiefs’
Day, which falls on Monday, Feb. 19.
Harrelson said that Tribal chiefs
were leaders and signed treaties,
but they were not equivalent to
European kings.
“They had a life about obligation
and responsibilities,” Harrelson
said, adding that women could be
chiefs in Native American Tribes.
The entire meeting can be viewed
on the Tribal website www.gran-
dronde.org by clicking on the News
tab and then Video.
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