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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 15, 2018)
PRESORTED STANDARD MAIL U.S. POSTAGE PAID PORTLAND, OR PERMIT NO. 700 Dorothy "Dottie" Greene turns 100 — pg. 3 OCTOBER 15, 2018 Platform pursuit Grand Ronde moving forward despite disagreement with PGE By Danielle Frost Smoke Signals staff writer O REGON CITY — Despite the threat of a lawsuit from two other Oregon Tribes and Portland General Elec- tric’s refusal to allow access to its property, the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde remains steadfast in its plan to construct a state-approved platform for ceremonial fishing at Willamette Falls. The Tribe has identified an alternative, albeit more dangerous way to access the fishing platform site for construction and eventual fishing, eliminating the need for a now-defunct access agreement with PGE. Constructing the fishing platform has become such a high priority that Tribal Council postponed its Budget Summit meetings to travel to Willamette Falls on Wednesday, Oct. 3, and support employ- ees who are putting themselves at risk to construct the platform. “This means so much to us,” Tribal Coun- cil Secretary Jon A. George said. “We’ve cancelled our Budget Summit because of how important and historical this moment is to our Tribe.” On Monday, Oct. 1, George and Tribal Council Chairwoman Cheryle A. Kennedy visited Willamette Falls to pray for the safety of Natural Resources Department employees Kelly Dirksen, Matt Zimbrick See PLATFORM continued on page 8 Tribal staff members continue to work on the site of the Tribal fishing platform being constructed at Willamette Falls on Wednesday Oct. 10. At right, General Manager David Fullerton, left, takes Tribal Council member Michael Langley, middle, and Utility Maintenance Supervisor Joe Loomis up the Willamette River to watch the start of building the new fishing platform at Willamette Falls in Oregon City on Wednesday, Oct. 3. Photos by Timothy J. Gonzalez Portland hosts first Tribal Nations Summit By Danielle Frost Smoke Signals staff writer P ORTLAND — Grand Ronde Tribal members stood at the banks of the Willamette Riv- er at Tom McCall Waterfront Park to welcome canoe families from the Warm Springs and Cowlitz Tribes to their ancestral homelands on Friday, Sept. 28, as part of the first Tribal Nations Summit hosted by the city of Portland. They gathered with other Tribal Photo by Timothy J. Gonzalez delegates, drumming and singing, as the canoes approached on what was also National Indian Day. The event, coordinated by Port- land’s Tribal Relations Director Lau- ra John (Blackfeet/Seneca), marks the first time in the United States that a local city government has en- gaged with its neighboring Tribes to establish local partnerships. See SUMMIT continued on page 7 Tribal Council Vice Chair Chris Mercier, left, Cowlitz Elder Tanna Engdahl, second from left, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, center, and Tribal Council Secretary Jon A. George, center right, participate in the opening ceremony for Portland's first Tribal Nations Summit at Tom McCall Waterfront Park on Friday, Sept. 28.
