Smoke signals., October 01, 2018, Page 5, Image 5

OCTOBER 1, 2018
S moke S ignals
Interpretive sign
2013 – Madison Ross,
11, made her first ap-
pearance to the commu-
nity during her Coming
of Age ceremony held at
the Tribal plankhouse
on Sunday, Sept. 29.
Leading up the event,
she spent four days
with her mother, Sar-
ah Ross, and grand-
2013
File photo
mother, Tribal Elder
Kelly Nelson, praying,
learning family and Tribal histories, making giveaway items, and
on a search for the spirit that will guide her through life. It was the
first public Coming of Age ceremony for the Grand Ronde Tribe in
more than 100 years.
2008 – The Tribe held a Chankal Celebration about pieces of rock
that were found on a property it had purchased on Skyline Road in
Salem. The rocks had been recognized as fertility artifacts from the
Kalapuya people and by Tribes from across the Northwest through
thousands of years of their history following the Missoula Floods
more than 14,000 years ago. The Tribe purchased the property in
2007 and after an intensive cleanup job, it was opened for a celebra-
tion. From the peak, a group of more than 50 people could see some
of the area’s important cultural sites, including Marys Peak west of
Corvallis and Spirit Mountain above Grand Ronde.
2003 – A sunrise ceremony was held at Portland State University’s
new Native American Student and Community Center. The student
center, built with the help of a $250,000 grant from Spirit Mountain
Community Fund, is located on the PSU campus on the corner of
Southwest Broadway and Jackson streets. At the time, it was the
only facility of its kind in the greater metro region, and provided
a place for community activities, ceremonial and social functions,
community outreach programs, storytelling and art activities.
1998 – The Tribe filed a lawsuit against the Grand Ronde Water
Association in a final effort to end a yearlong disagreement over
the cost of a water hook-up for the Tribe’s Grand Meadows Housing
Project. The two sides were locked in a dispute over initial water
hook-up fees. The Tribe attempted to solve the dispute informally and
was unsuccessful. Tribal attorneys then proposed arbitration, which
was rejected by the Water Association. “The Tribe acknowledges that
it is a large user of water in this community,” said Tribal Attorney
Rob Greene. “We use more water and we pay for the water we use.”
1993 – The development of Spirit Mountain Resort was progressing
according to plan after a groundbreaking event that included tradi-
tional ceremonies as well as a statements from Tribal Council Chair
Mark Mercier, Vice Chair Kathryn Harrison and Spirit Mountain
Development Corp. General Manager Bruce Thomas. A new sign
along Highway 18 announced the construction, which was expected
to be finished in late 1994. Paul Rink Architecture was selected to
design the facility, and the conceptual drawings had been complet-
ed. A committee comprised of Harrison, Merle Holmes and Tammy
Cook were working with historians in an effort to keep the Tribe’s
cultural heritage in the final design.
1988 – Ray McKnight, Marvin Kimsey and Merle Holmes won the
Tribal Council election, garnering 98, 77 and 74 votes, respectively.
McKnight was the only incumbent re-elected as Gene LaBonte and
Merle Leno did not have enough votes. Chairman Mark Mercier
thanked both for their service, noting that the Reservation Bill
process was “no cakewalk.”
Yesteryears is a look back at Tribal history in five-year in-
crements through the pages of Smoke Signals.
Photos by Timothy J. Gonzalez
Tribal Council Secretary Jon A. George, left, and Curtis Robinhold,
executive director of the Port of Portland, look over the newly
dedicated interpretive sign commemorating the Tribal cultural
significance of the Sandy River Delta region in Troutdale on Thursday,
Sept 13.
Tribal members and staff of the Port of Portland gathered to dedicate
an interpretive sign commemorating the Tribal cultural significance of
the Sandy River Delta region in Troutdale on Thursday, Sept 13.
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