Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 2018)
S moke S ignals DECEMBER 1, 2018 9 Exploring the past Portland sessions teach how to trace genealogy By Danielle Frost Smoke Signals staff writer PORTLAND — Family is a huge part of Tribal life. But for some, adoption, moving away or a simple lack of knowledge about the past has resulted in unfamiliarity with individual family ties. A workshop at the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde’s Portland Area Office held on Tuesday, Nov. 13, helped those who were interest- ed in learning more about Tribal culture and its ties to their past. The all-day event was planned by Tribal Services Representative Lisa Archuleta and Tribal Elder and artisan Greg Archuleta. Tribal genealogist Josephine Ingraham was the guest speaker. “We’re excited about this and to have Josephine here,” Lisa Archule- ta said. “We’ve never done anything like this before and thought it would be fun to try something new. We’ve had Greg’s classes before and open houses, but thought this might be a fun way to get people in the area to come to the office.” Greg Archuleta thought of the idea of a family history activity after attending a workshop at Clackamas Community College last spring. “I focused on the history of my family at Willamette Falls and created a video,” he said. “The idea behind it is that we all have these connections. I want people to become more knowledgeable about the Tribe’s history and culture. A lot of members know some of it, Photo by Danielle Frost Tribal Services Representative Lisa Archuleta , left , and Tribal genealogist Josephine Ingraham peruse information about creating family trees during a workshop about Tribal family history held at the Portland Area Office on Tuesday , Nov. 13. but not all. I hope people become familiar with their family trees and the Tribal members they are connected to.” After a short video featuring Greg Archuleta, Cultural Advisor Bobby Mercier and Cultural Education Coordinator Jordan Mercier, at- tendees heard from Ingraham. Genealogy has been a passion for Ingraham since the mid-1980s when she was hosting a garage sale and a customer told her she knew her family in Grand Ronde. “I told her, ‘I don’t have any fam- ily in Grand Ronde.’ She told me, ‘Yes, you do,’ ” Ingraham recalls. Intrigued, Ingraham began re- searching her family. “I was raised white and didn’t know my Tribal family history at all,” she said. “My grandma and auntie would leave quite frequent- ly when we were growing up, but not tell us where they were going. Turns out they went to Grand Ronde.” After she learned more about her Native heritage, Ingraham was hooked. “I have totes and totes full of note- books about it,” she said. “I live it and sleep it.” She also explored more of her French-Canadian roots and is hop- ing to visit France someday. While researching Tribal family genealogy, Ingraham found that the roots were widespread throughout Washington, Oregon, Idaho and California as Tribal members would marry into other Tribes to avoid intermarriage. She also stressed that interview- ing Elders is a crucial way to learn new stories and know more about family. “Everyone will have different stories for you,” Ingraham said. “You really want to get the whole family involved if possible so they can carry it on later.” She added that census data, espe- cially taken before 1910, isn’t very accurate when it comes to Native Americans. “When the census takers came, a lot of times Native people would pretend not to speak English so they wouldn’t have to answer any questions because that was the era when kids were taken from their homes so they were afraid,” she said. Tribal Elder Marilyn Portwood attended with her spouse, Richard Portwood. “It sounded really interesting,” she said. “When I was growing up, people didn’t talk a lot about their Tribal history so they could blend in.” Tribal Elder Debi Anderson de- cided to attend out of curiosity. “It sounds like a really interest- ing and fun event,” she said. “It’s nice to do this with families who still live in the area.” Ingraham also discussed creative family tree making, how to get chil- dren interested in the process and dealing with potentially shocking information. “Be proud,” she said. “You are who you are, no matter who or what your parents, grandparents or you ancestors were.” Another workshop on family history will be offered from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Dec. 3, at the Portland Area Office, 4445 S.W. Barbur Blvd., Suite 101. Food and snacks will be provided. Attendees are asked to bring family photos if possible. RSVP to Lisa Archuleta at 503-879-1881. Holiday Market VENDORS WANTED Do you bead, sew, carve, weave or make any kind of art. If you have a product to sell we are looking for you. SPACES ARE LIMITED. Some restrictions. To sign-up or more info contact Angey Rideout @ 503-851-8406 12/14/18 Ad created by George Valdez 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. Tribal Gym
