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MARCH 1, 2018
Language
Program may
expand to fifth-
grade students
By Danielle Frost
Smoke Signals staff writer
B
efore the Confederated
Tribes of Grand Ronde’s
Restoration in 1983, pre-
serving the traditional language
was performed by Elders passing it
down to younger family members.
Post-Restoration, ensuring that
the Tribe’s Chinuk Wawa language,
culture and customs continue has
been a primary focus, beginning
when children are very young.
Since 2000, the Tribe has offered
an immersion preschool to teach its
youngest members the language.
Chinuk High School/Adult Teacher
Kathy Cole has been employed by
the Tribe for 15 years and teaches
in the preschool, and also works
with the adult and high school
language programs.
“I have a passion for this,” Cole
said. “With the younger kids, it is
like teaching them their culture,
too. They have no inhibitions and
are not embarrassed. We teach
them to dance, too, so it is not weird
to them as they get older.”
The program has expanded to in-
clude kindergarten and first-grade
students. Since 2015, second- and
third-grade classes have been add-
ed, as well as an Early Head Start
expansion in the fall of 2017.
Education Department Manager
Leslie Riggs said at the February
General Council meeting that there
are 12 Early Childhood pre-school
students in the Chinuk Language
See LANGUAGE
continued on page 12
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Director Curt Melcher and Tribal Council member Lisa Leno talk during
Tribal Governments Legislative Day held at the State Capitol building in Salem on Thursday, Feb. 22.
Day showcases state’s sovereign nations
By Danielle Frost
Smoke Signals staff writer
S
ALEM — Despite snowfall that covered sev-
eral parts of Oregon, all nine Tribes attended
Tribal Governments Legislative Day held
Thursday, Feb. 22, at the State Capitol.
This year’s theme was “Oregon is Indian Coun-
try: Who We Are.”
Tribal Governments Legislative Day is designed
to be a time for lawmakers, legislative staff, agency
directors and their staff, as well as members of
the public, to learn about Oregon’s nine federally
recognized Tribes.
Grand Ronde was well-represented at the event,
with eight of nine Tribal Council members attend-
ing: Chairwoman Cheryle A. Kennedy, Vice Chair
Chris Mercier, Kathleen George, Jack Giffen Jr.,
See GOVERNMENT DAY
continued on page 13
Planting educational seeds in Tribal children
Zylah Guzman, a Chak Chak class student,
adds dirt to cover a bulb she planted as
Tribal Lead Silviculture/Fire Protection
Technician Jeremy Ojua helps her during
a Native Plant Propagation workshop on
Monday, Feb. 26. The Natural Resources
Department’s Tribal Native Plants
Materials Program in partnership with
the Institute for Applied Ecology of
Corvallis put on the workshop for the
Early Childhood Education students at the
Tribe’s Education Department.
By Danielle Frost
Smoke Signals staff writer
M
ost preschoolers won’t argue if you encourage them to dig in
the dirt, which is exactly what students in Toni Lockwood’s
Chak Chak classroom had the opportunity to do recently.
The Tribe’s Natural Resources Department hosted a Native Plant
Propagation workshop in partnership with the Institute for Applied
Ecology for students ranging from preschool through fifth grade on
Friday, Feb. 23, and Monday, Feb. 26.
The program was started to give local students and community
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
See PLANTS
continued on page 15