S moke S ignals
JUNE 15, 2018
13
Gathering, preparing food took months
FIRST FOODS continued
from front page
ing conducted at Willamette Falls
in May.
Those who were apprehensive
about eating cuisine they had
never tried before need not have
been worried. Culture Committee
members presented the foods in
a familiar way, such as bear chili,
wild rice, camas root cakes and elk
jerky. Attendees were encouraged
to have seconds and thirds from the
tables laden with food.
Culture Committee Chair Fran-
cene Ambrose smiled as the cele-
bration continued throughout the
afternoon. Seeing people coming
together as a community made the
months of planning worth it.
“The sense of community here
is the best part,” Ambrose said.
“Everyone is connecting and en-
joying the day. As long as everyone
is feeling good … that is the best
medicine.”
Tribal Council Secretary Jon
A. George prepared a blackber-
ry-and-hazelnut cobbler, helped
cook and serve the food
and led the invocation,
where he gave thanks
f or foods th a t ha v e
nourished the Grand
Ronde people since time
immemorial.
Tribal Council mem-
bers Brenda Tuomi,
Kathleen George and
Michael Langley and
Vice Chair Chris Mer-
cier also attended.
Cultural Education
Specialist Brian Kreh-
biel and Cultural Ed-
ucation Coordinator
Jordan Mercier pre-
pared camas they had
gathered earlier, and
Krehbiel also helped
make frybread with El-
der Faye Smith, who is
known for her expertise
in creating the dish.
Tribal Elder and former Tribal
Council Chairwoman Kathryn
Harrison also attended.
Cultural Resources Department
Manager David Harrelson said the
event promotes community.
“It’s a very warm feeling and the
people who are here have come
from far and wide,” he said. “It
makes me happy to see people
coming together over food. We can
learn from each other and make our
community stronger.”
It was Tuomi’s second year at
the event.
“I really enjoy how everyone is
coming and working together,” she
said. “My favorite part is seeing the
salmon cooked traditionally.”
Mercier, also known as the “food
dude,” recalls attending the inau-
gural First Foods event held in
2009 and trying sea anemone.
“I like this because we have lost
track of what people have histor-
ically eaten,” he said. “I love this
event because when you think of
a culture, you think of music and
food. Food says a lot about a people
Photos by Michelle Alaimo
Youth Council Chair Payton Smith cuts elk meatloaf to serve at the First Foods Celebration held at achaf-hammi, the
Tribal plankhouse, on Saturday, June 2.
Jade Unger takes salmon off
the fire to be served at the
First Foods Celebration held
at achaf-hammi, the Tribal
plankhouse, on Saturday,
June 2. Helping him is April
Makinson.
and their culture.”
Kathleen George said her favor-
ite part is Tribal members coming
together in the spring, but doing it
around a time of thanksgiving.
“This is our opportunity to all
come together, honor our tradition-
al foods and give thanks to those for
feeding us for another year,” she
said. “Deer is one of my favorites.
It always has been. I have been a
deer eater since I was a baby.”
Several drummers and singers,
led by Cultural Advisor Bobby
Mercier, Jordan Mercier, Krehbiel,
Harrelson and Jon A. George, led
the opening song.
Ambrose encouraged attendees to
take a deep breath and exhale their
worries and stress.
“We are going to nourish our
spirits, bodies, hearts and minds
with this food,” she said. “Remem-
ber that our ancestors used these
foods to nourish themselves and
take the opportunity to gather and
enjoy the day.”
Ambrose also thanked Culture
Committee members for the months
they invested in gathering and pre-
paring the foods.
After everyone had eaten, the
celebration continued in the plank-
house with more singing and drum-
ming.
Culture Committee Elders Mar-
garet Provost and Smith, and mem-
bers Ambrose, Joanna Brisbois,
Shayla Murphy, Eric Bernando
and Logan Kneeland worked on
the First Foods event, with the
assistance of Tribal Council liaison
Jon A. George, and advisers Tracie
Meyer and Debi Anderson.
Bobby Mercier said he was thank-
ful for everyone who attended.
“We are also here to feed the spir-
it today,” he said. “The food nour-
ishes our body and we are fortunate
to be in a place like this where these
things can happen. … All of these
foods are still a part of us.
You can taste the love that
the cooks put into this food.
I am thankful for our young
ones here today. They will
not know that we didn’t do
this in our generation or our
parents’ generation.”
Former Culture Commit-
tee member Sarah Ross
said that the event has
grown and that the teas
served could be both medic-
inal and everyday drinks.
“I am so proud to see this
and all of you join in it,” Ross
said. “The history of our people is
that we use everything around us.
… Our ancestors knew how to use
those things. One of the mindsets I
worked to bring into the communi-
ty is that foods are medicine. They
are affecting your spirit. That is
the most important takeaway from
today. Sometimes these foods taste
a little different than what we are
used to, but they are very important
and make us strong.”
Jordan Mercier said he was grate-
ful to be at the First Foods event
and told attendees that the Cul-
tural Resources Department was
partnering with Natural Resources
is to make food more accessible
by creating a space at tayi prairie
on Grand Ronde Road, which is
near the Housing Department and
across the street from the gover-
nance campus.
“That work is starting to happen,”
he said. “We need the landscape to
promote our first foods to be healthy
and abundant. This will be a place
for the community to connect with
plants.” 