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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (July 1, 2018)
14 S moke S ignals JULY 1, 2018 Tomanowos affects those who visit it TOMANOWOS continued from page 13 said in opening remarks. “I know it is a significant investment of your time. This is our 18th year of the partnership and is very special to me since I am one of those who helped forge it.” She also thanked past Tribal Council Chairwoman Kathryn Har- rison for the partnership. “This was very much her vision and I am proud to be a part of that,” Gugenheim said. Tuomi said she was “a little hum- bled” to be standing there. “Over the years, Grand Ronde has been able to work hand in hand to provide educational opportuni- ties for students that teach them valuable skills they can take into the real world,” Tuomi said. “Last night at the river, Kaleb and Pay- ton had the opportunity to share with complete strangers what we are doing there and I can’t wait for them to share with our youth and other Tribal members. “It is said that Tomanowos leaves an impact on those who visit and that is very true for me. It was awesome to stand and touch it. I will always remember that. The creator gifted us with Tomanowos and because of you we get to con- tinue these ceremonies. Our Tribe is very thankful for that.” Gugenheim congratulated the Tribe on the recent re-opening of the Chachalu Museum & Cultural Center. “We appreciate the invitation to come and visit and look forward to doing that soon,” she said. “I also want to acknowledge the 34 years since Restoration. It is such an incredible story of what the Tribe has gone through and its strength Photo by Michelle Alaimo From left, Tribal Interpretive Coordinator Travis Stewart, Tribal Historic Preservation Program temporary employee Nicolas Atanacio and Tribal Cultural Protection Specialist Chris Bailey sing and drum after cedar boughs used in the private ceremony honoring Tomanowos were tossed into the Hudson River in New York City on Wednesday, June 20. today.” After the breakfast, Clark gave gifts of cedar rose, sage, chocolate and beaded necklaces to museum officials in attendance. In exchange, they gifted delegation members with museum souvenirs. “Thank you for the gifts, friend- ships and partnerships we have here,” Coley said. When the gift exchange was complete, the delegation was giv- en a behind-the-scenes tour of the Earth and Planetary Sciences Department, which included the experimental planetology labs and the chance to handle pieces of the Ad created by George Valdez billions-of-years-old meteorite col- lection. Sightseeing tours While in the city from Tuesday, June 19, to Friday, June 22, delega- tion members had the opportunity to visit various cultural, historical and popular New York landmarks. On Tuesday, despite jetlag from the time difference and a long flight, some delegation members visited Times Square and experi- enced what the saying “the city that never sleeps” really means. After dinner at a Greek restaurant, the group visited a Yankees and I Love New York store to purchase souvenirs before taking in the sights and sounds of the city at night. Tim and Stacia Hernandez took in a Yankees-Seattle Mariners game on Tuesday, where Tim, a Tribal police officer, described the crowd as “fairly calm.” “We sported our Mariners’ gear and only had a few hecklers,” he said. “We haven’t had problems with anyone at all.” On Wednesday, most delegation members toured the Statue of Lib- erty, gift shop and rode the ferry past Ellis Island. “The excitement down on the town last night was fun, but it is really special to be this close to the Stat- ue of Liberty,” Galligher said. “It’s exciting to be seeing something like that. I know people who come to our country are impressed by her.” Tuomi said she didn’t think she would ever see the Statue of Liberty in person. “It’s pretty exciting, but I always imagined it to be bigger than it actually was,” she said. Atanacio spent the day with Bai- ley and the interns at the museum and ate New York City pizza. “The canoe room at the museum is amazing,” he said, referring to the 63-foot canoe suspended from the ceiling. “And the pizza I had was awesome.” The seaworthy Great Canoe is one of the museum's most popular artifacts, according to its website. It was carved in the 1870s from the trunk of a cedar tree and features design elements from different Northwest coastal Tribes. The group also toured the 9/11 Memorial, where more than 2,600 people lost their lives when the World Trade Center’s twin towers were attacked by terrorists on Sept. 11, 2001. Today, the area has been com- pletely reconstructed and One World Trade Center is the tallest building in the United States, reaching more than 100 stories. The memorial is next to it and honors the lives of those who were lost. It includes eight of the 16 acres at the World Trade Center. The names of every person who died in the terrorist at- tacks of Feb. 26, 1993, and Sept. 11, 2001, are inscribed in bronze around the twin memorial pools. “I remember watching the at- tacks on TV so to see this in person after almost 17 years was amaz- ing,” Grout said. “What they have done in that time is very inspiring.” “It was so different and beauti- ful,” Galligher said. “It was really cool to look out and see how big everything was, too.” After breakfast on Thursday, some members of the delegation headed on a long New York City subway ride to Coney Island, where they took in the sights and sounds of the historic boardwalk. At JFK Airport early Friday morning as the group waited for the flight back to Portland, Atanacio recalled some highlights of the trip, but one loomed larger than the rest. “It was definitely the ceremony for sure,” he said. “It just means so much that I got to be here for it. Nothing competed with that.” Galligher echoed those senti- ments. “Seeing the meteorite was amaz- ing,” she said. “I never thought I would see anything like that. It was very impressive.”