10
S moke S ignals
JULY 1, 2018
Tribe loses a voice as
Patsy Pullin walks on
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
Tribal Elder Patricia Joan
“Patsy” Pullin walked on Friday,
June 15, in Carson City, Nev., at
the age of 75
Pullin was born June 8, 1943,
to Frank H. Harrison, a Chip-
pewa-Cree from Montana, and
Kathryn Harrison, who would go
on to be a longtime Grand Ronde
Tribal Council chairwoman.
Her grandparents were Henry
Jones, a full-blooded Molalla
Indian, and Elena Katane, an
Eyak Native from Alaska.
Pullin received a degree from
the University of Alaska South-
east and worked for two years as
the Tribal Employment Rights
Officer for the Ketchikan Indian
Corp.
Patsy and her husband, Gene,
performed in bars and at Veter-
ans of Foreign Wars posts while
living in Alaska and raising four
children. They also recorded
three albums together. Accord-
ing to a Jan. 1, 2005, Smoke Sig-
nals story, they married in 1960.
“He had a band, and I con-
vinced him that he needed a
woman singer,” Patsy said.
Pullin moved to Grand Ronde
in 1999 and worked for the
Smoke Signals file photo
Patsy Pullin
Grand Ronde Tribe as an Em-
ployment and Training Specialist
in the Social Services Depart-
ment. She also served on the
Education, Culture and Health
committees.
Pullin ran for Tribal Council six
times. Her best finish occurred in
2010, when she garnered 331
votes and finished fourth out of
14 candidates.
In her 2008 Candidate State-
ment, Pullin said her mother,
who survives her, was a “mentor
and role model.”
Autumn Funerals and Crema-
tions in Carson City is assisting
the family with arrangements.
A full Walking On notice ap-
pears on page 26 of this issue of
Smoke Signals.
CTGR Community Health
Coming to the Portland Office!!!
*
CTGR Community Health will be coming to help educate
yourself/and families on how to live a better lifestyle.
Every 3rd Wednesday of the month from
10-2pm
CTGR Portland Office
4445 SW Barbur Blvd Portland, OR 97239
For any questions please call
Lisa Archuleta 503-879-1881
Office of Tribal Government Relations Specialist Terry Bentley speaks during the
Veterans Summit: Gathering of Warriors at Uyxat Powwow Grounds last July.
Veterans Summit
first held in 2013
EVENTS continued
from front page
with the theme “Sharing Stories
to Heal.”
The first general session will fea-
ture welcoming remarks by Tribal
Council Secretary Jon A. George
and feature three speakers: Acting
Oregon Department of Veterans’
Affairs Director Mitch Sparks, Of-
fice of Tribal Government Relations
Specialist Terry Bentley and Port-
land Veterans Affairs Health Care
System Director Michael Fisher.
The first general session also will
feature Martin Earring, special as-
sistant in the executive office of the
National Museum of the American
Indian, who will speak about the
museum’s oral history project.
The Friday sessions will start at
9 a.m. with Sarah Suniga, a clinical
psychologist with the Portland Vet-
erans Affairs Health Care System,
who will discuss trauma stories and
Liz Estabrooks, women veterans
coordinator with the Oregon Depart-
ment of Veterans Affairs, will return
to the summit and discuss women
veterans and intentional inclusion.
A closing ceremony is scheduled for
3:15 p.m. in achaf-hammi, the Tribal
plankhouse.
The Veterans Summit, which was
first held in 2013 after former Trib-
al Council Chairman Reyn Leno,
a Marine Corps veterans from the
Vietnam War era, attended a plan-
ning meeting held in San Diego.
The summit’s goal is to connect
veterans to the governmental ser-
vices that they have earned, as well
as help with employment issues
and the effects of post-traumatic
stress disorder.
The Veterans Powwow contin-
ues throughout the weekend with
grand entries at 1 and 7 p.m. Sat-
urday, July 7, and 1 p.m. Sunday,
July 8. Veterans Royalty competi-
tion will occur at 5 p.m. Friday and
a men’s traditional dance special is
scheduled for Saturday night with
a top prize of $300.
Nick Sixkiller will once again act
as master of ceremonies for both
the summit and Veterans Powwow.
Vendors interested in selling
their wares or food at the Veterans
Powwow should contact Molly Leno
at 503-879-6790 or via e-mail at
charleslenojr75@gmail.com.
In addition, Chachalu Museum &
Cultural Center will be open during
veterans weekend so that attendees
can view the “Rise of the Collectors”
exhibit, which features 16 Grand
Ronde artifacts from the 19th cen-
tury that are on loan through May
2019 from the British Museum in
London.