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AUGUST 1, 2018
Contest Powwow set for Aug. 17-19
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
T
here’s one attraction from
last year’s Grand Ronde Con-
test Powwow that organizers
cannot replicate no matter how
hard they try.
A total solar eclipse.
The 2017 Grand Ronde Contest
Powwow was one of the better
attended in years, attracting 275
dancers competing in 26 dance
categories.
Smoke Signals file photo
Attendance burgeoned from
2016’s total and organizers credit-
ed several things – renowned host
drum Blackstone, increased prize
money and the eclipse, which oc-
curred the day after the powwow’s
conclusion. Attendees were allowed
to stay overnight at Uyxat Powwow
Grounds to watch the early-morn-
ing celestial event.
See POWWOW
continued on page 7
Kalea Liebelt dances during the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Contest
Powwow held at Uyxat Powwow Grounds last August. This year’s Contest
Powwow is Friday through Sunday, Aug. 17-19.
Forum attracts
more than 30 to
hear candidates
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
M
ore than 30 Tribal mem-
bers and their spouses
attended the official Tribal
Council Candidates Forum held
Wednesday, July 25, in the Com-
munity Center and heard all eight
council hopefuls state why they
should receive a vote in the Sept.
8 election.
Incumbents Cheryle A. Kennedy,
Jon A. George and Brenda Tuomi
were joined by challengers Steve
Bobb Sr., Victor Cureton, Jonathan
R. George, Kristina Helfrich and
Brent Merrill at a long table where
they sat in alphabetical order.
After attendees dined on a meal
of chicken, steak, pasta salad and
grilled peppers, Tribal Council
Chief of Staff Stacia Hernandez
briefed the candidates on the rules.
Four candidate names would be
drawn and they would have two
minutes each to answer a question
submitted from the audience. Then
another question would be drawn
and the other four candidates
would answer that question. Ques-
tions were drawn randomly from a
coffee can.
Each candidate opened with a
three-minute introductory speech
before questions were asked.
The nine questions posed to the
candidates included concerns about
how to clean up the drug problem
in Tribal housing, should Tribal
See FORUM
continued on page 6
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
Grand Ronde Canoe Family Stankiya skipper Bobby Mercier asks the Puyallup Tribe of Indians for permission to
come ashore during Landing Day of the 2018 Canoe Journey “Power Paddle to Puyallup” in Tacoma, Wash., on
Saturday, July 28. Paddling in from the left is ulXayu, the second Grand Ronde canoe that participated in the
canoe journey.
Paddling to Puyallup
Canoe Journey participants make final preparations on Columbia River
By Danielle Frost
Smoke Signals staff writer
S
T. HELENS — The Grand Ronde Canoe
Family is more than a name. After hours of
paddling practice, attending planning meet-
ings and the coming together of different Tribal
departments, the core group is a tight-knit bunch.
“The biggest goal I have every year is to make
sure the group is cohesive and welcoming to new
people,” Cultural Education Coordinator Jordan
Mercier said. “It is a very close group, so to (a new
participant) it can be intimidating. It is important
to bridge them in.”
On Friday, July 20, most of the Canoe Family had
set up camp at Columbia View Park in St. Helens
for three days of paddle practice on the Columbia
River to become more adept at navigating before
they began the miles of paddling starting from
Samish, Wash., and ending in Tacoma, Wash., on
Saturday, July 28.
Stops were scheduled to occur at Swinomish,
Tulalip, Suquamish and Muckleshoot.
Chemical Dependency Counselor Joe Martineau
was participating in his 12th Canoe Journey. Re-
cent surgeries mean paddling for hours is not an
option, so he supports the Tribe’s efforts as a part
of the ground crew, driving one of the vans and
See CANOE JOURNEY
continued on page 13