S moke S ignals
AUGUST 15, 2018
Tribe helping name
Marys Peak creeks
Harp retires
By Danielle Frost
Smoke Signals staff writer
CORVALLIS — Since time immemorial, Marys
Peak in Corvallis has been described as a “place of
refuge” for the Kalapuya people, who climbed it for
safety to escape the floods that shaped the Columbia
River Gorge.
Now, the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde,
which includes the Kalapuya, will have input on nam-
ing several of the creeks on the east-facing slope of
Marys Peak in an effort to help visitors recognize the
mountain’s history by including indigenous names.
David Harrelson
Earlier this year, David Eckert, a member of the
Marys Peak Alliance, reached out to Oregon State
University professor Natchee Barnd, a member of the Ojibwe Tribe, for
help with including area Tribes that had ties to the mountain into the
naming process.
Grand Ronde Cultural Resources Department Manager David Harrelson
had worked with Barnd on a lecture series this past fall and enjoyed their
partnership, so when he contacted him about potential names in the Rock
Creek tributary, Harrelson was happy to help.
“Marys Peak is one of our spirit mountains,” Harrelson said. “We took
the protagonists from mythological stories … of early oral histories for the
proposed names. We will be meeting with the Oregon Geographic Names
Board in the coming months. It is a rather lengthy process.”
Other groups involved in the naming process include the Confederated
Tribes of Siletz Indians, Oregon State University Native American Long-
house, U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, city of Corvallis,
Starker Forests, Oregon State University and the Marys Peak Alliance.
The names Grand Ronde contributed include Ahntkwahkwah “The Frog,”
Ahmoolint “The Wolf,” Ahsney “The Coyote,” Ahshahyum “The Grizzly”
and Ahnhoots “The Panther.”
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
Tribal Part-Time College Program Coordinator John Harp shakes hands
with Tribal Employment & Employee Relations Manager Sarah Harvey
during his retirement party held in the Tribe’s Adult Education building
on Thursday, Aug. 2. Harp has worked for the Tribe in this position for 16
years and his last day was Monday, Aug. 6.
Appointments available in Optometry
at the Health & Wellness Center
• Comprehensive eye exams
• Diabetic eye exams
• Red eye treatment
• Excellent selection of frames
Call 503-879-2097 for an appointment.
Join us!
October 24-25
LOCATION // Grand Ronde, OR
www.grandronde.org/hcsummit
AMERICAN INDIAN TEACHER PROGRAM
7