10
S moke S ignals
DECEMBER 1, 2018
Grand Ronde hosts annual Tribal-State Summit
By Danielle Frost
Smoke Signals staff writer
Tribal Council members from
across Oregon, elected represen-
tatives and state officials attended
what is now the third decade of
government-to-government con-
sultation between the state and its
nine federally recognized Tribes on
Tuesday, Nov. 27.
In 1999, Senate Bill 770 was en-
acted, requiring the governor of Or-
egon to convene an annual meeting
where representatives from state
agencies and Oregon’s Tribes could
work together to achieve goals. This
legislation was co-sponsored by
then-Sen. Kate Brown of Portland.
When the Tribal-State Summit
opened at Spirit Mountain Casino,
Brown, who is now governor, talked
about how the concept of govern-
ment-to-government consultation
is evolving in its third decade.
“I see agency leaders who are
knowledgeable and sensitive to
Tribal concerns,” Brown said.
“When I go to other meetings, it is
clear that the work we are doing
here in Oregon is the best in the
country and we should be proud.”
The Confederated Tribes of
Grand Ronde hosted the summit,
which rotates among the Tribes on
an annual basis. Approximately
275 people attended the event.
The summit opened with the
Grand Ronde Honor Guard bring-
ing in the colors, followed by mem-
bers of the Grand Ronde Tribal
Council and representatives from
Oregon’s other eight Tribes.
Drumming and singing was led
by Cultural Advisor Bobby Mercier,
Cultural Resources Manager David
Harrelson, Cultural Education
Coordinator Jordan Mercier, Cul-
tural Education Specialist Brian
Krehbiel, Interpretive Coordinator
Travis Stewart, Prevention Coor-
dinator Cristina Lara and Public
Affairs Administrative Assistant
Chelsea Clark.
Michael Rondeau of the Cow
Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of
Indians sang “The Star Span-
gled Banner” and Klamath Tribal
Chairman Don Gentry gave the
invocation.
Grand Ronde Tribal Council
Chairwoman Cheryle A. Kennedy
welcomed attendees to the summit.
“We have been a great nation
and appreciate all of the work done
by our state agencies,” she said.
“Thanks for taking time out of your
busy schedules to come here and
talk to Tribal leaders in the spirit of
consultation. … Before you make a
decision in your planning processes,
(continue to) invite Tribes to the
table.”
In that spirit, representatives
from each Tribal Council sat on
couches at the main stage with
Brown in the middle. In the audi-
ence were Tribal representatives,
employees, heads of various state
agencies and elected officials.
General Manager David Fuller-
ton, Tribal Attorney Rob Greene,
Finance Officer Chris Leno and
Chief of Staff Stacia Hernandez
were among the high-level Grand
Ronde staff members who attended.
“Before Oregon was here, we Trib-
al people occupied these lands,” Ken-
Photos by Timothy J. Gonzalez
nedy said. “Termination
in the 1950s was directed
at our Tribal nations
from the federal level,
so there is lots of tumul-
tuous history between
Tribes and the United
States. … It caught us
all in a struggle and this
continues today, but
we’re a dedicated people
who set our hearts on
a goal. We are taking
care of our land and each
other. … Building this
nation has been a lot of hard work,
but a lot has been done.”
Kennedy touched on how climate
change is affecting different areas,
but that Tribal people have always
known how to take care of the land
and the animals on it.
“Our ways of preserving our
natural resources are good ways,”
she said. “For decades, Tribes have
been trying to impress upon the
powers that be that there is a way
to take care of this land. Hopefully,
our ideas can be fully included so
we can prevent the devastation
seen in the state of California.”
Brown spoke about the recent
successes of the government-to-gov-
ernment consultation process, which
include integrating Tribal history
into school curriculums and the im-
plementation of the Tribal Cultural
Items Task Force, which is over-
seeing the process of getting state
agencies, and eventually universities
and public schools, to see what items
they have on display or in storage
that may be associated with Oregon
Tribes, and discuss the most appro-
priate place for those items.
During the afternoon session,
Cultural Items Task Force mem-
bers hosted a panel discussion and
updated summit attendees about
their work. Grand Ronde Tribal
Council member Michael Langley
and Historic Preservation Man-
ager Briece Edwards were panel
members. Others included repre-
sentatives from the Coquille, Siletz,
Burns Paiute and Warm Springs
Tribes, and Willamette University,
University of Oregon and Oregon
Tribal Council member Jack Giffen
Jr. talks with Gov. Kate Brown
during the annual Tribal-State
Government-to-Government
Summit held at Spirit Mountain
Casino on Tuesday , Nov. 27.
At left , Tribal Council member
Michael Langley takes part in the
Cultural Items Task Force discussion
during the annual Tribal-State
Government-to-Government
Summit held at Spirit Mountain
Casino on Tuesday , Nov. 27.
Department of Fish and Wildlife
officials.
The message: There is no timeline
to cultural items. These include
past, present and future items and
can range from military records to
old photographs to hair. Culture
is not just something you do; it is
something that you are.
“What we have now is an oppor-
tunity to recognize the expertise
that Tribes have in this area, and
how they can help facilitate state
agencies in trying to understand
those items are not just stones
and bones,” Edwards said. “They
include documents, imagery and
records. This is a great opportunity
for Tribes and agencies to move
forward in building relationships.”
Langley said it has taken time to
build momentum after Termina-
tion, when there was a generational
break in the culture.
He gave examples of taking
three-dimensional images of the
16 Summers Collection items, on
loan from the British Museum to
the Chachalu Museum & Cultural
Center until May. The items were
collected from Grand Ronde shortly
after the Reservation was estab-
lished in the 1800s.
“This gives us the opportunity
to look at how our ancestors made
these items,” he said. “Reclaiming
these processes is important.”
Langley also talked about how a
photo of an ancestor fishing from
a platform at Willamette Falls in
the late 19th century was recently
obtained after it was shown as part
of a lecture at the Tribe’s History
& Culture Summit held in October.
“That picture had been lost to us,”
Langley said. “But we were able to
reconnect with that. … These are
the things that help our children
see themselves as Tribal people
and we are able to learn from those
things. We can’t wait to see what
else is out there.”
After the panel discussion con-
cluded, a “table talk” was held on
the meaning of cultural items and
what public entities may have in
their possession.
Brown said learning about the
connection between secular and
sacred items was something that
would stay in her memory.
“I know the finish line for this
work never really comes,” she said.
“We will continue to provide staff-
ing for the task force through (at
least) this year.”
The summit closed with an in-
vocation by Grand Ronde Tribal
Elder and Tribal Council member
Steve Bobb Sr. and the retiring of
the flags.
Kennedy thanked all of the Tribal
representatives who traveled to at-
tend, as well as Brown for staying
the entire summit.
“I raise my hands to all of you,”
she said. “This is work that we
think about long after others have
gone to bed.”