Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 2019)
PRESORTED STANDARD MAIL U.S. POSTAGE PAID PORTLAND, OR PERMIT NO. 700 ATNI Winter Convention draws large Tribal turnout — pg. 12 FEBRUARY 1, 2019 Federal shutdown forces election day delay to March 22 By Danielle Frost And Dean Rhodes Smoke Signals staff T he recently concluded partial government shutdown has forced the Grand Ronde Tribe and the Bureau of Indian Affairs to postpone the scheduled Feb. 25 Tribal constitutional amendment election to Friday, March 22. Tribal members who registered for the Feb. 25 election will not have to re-register for the new election, but Tribal members who did not register will now have more time to do so. Registration packets for the March 22 election will be sent out on Monday, Feb. 4, with a new registration deadline of Friday, Feb. 22. Ballots will be mailed on Friday, March 1, assuming that the federal government does not shut down again on Feb. 15. Tribal members who turn 18 be- tween Feb. 26 and March 22 and those who are adults who were enrolled during the last quarterlies will receive the revised registration packets. Register to vote, then wait and see was the main message of the Wednesday, Jan. 16, educational meeting regarding the Tribal con- stitutional amendment election that was originally scheduled to occur on Feb. 25. The meeting, held at the Tribal See BIA continued on page 11 Photo by Timothy J. Gonzalez Jackie Many Hides, Margaret Provost’s daughter, sits as scanning technician Barbara Kinzle-Christman scans her at Form 3-D Foundry in Portland on Thursday, Jan. 10. Jackie, along with Duke Kimsey and Jim Holmes, acted as stand-ins for their parents, Marvin Kimsey and Merle Holmes. The scanning was the fi rst step in the creation of a statue honoring their Restoration eff orts. The statue will be installed in front of the Governance Center. Statue stand-ins Children of Tribal Restoration leaders pose for new sculpture By Danielle Frost Smoke Signals staff writer P ORTLAND — Three Tribal members served as stand- ins for their parents, who will be memorialized in bronze for their contributions to the Grand Ronde Tribe’s Restoration. In the early 1970s, Tribal lead- ers Margaret Provost, Marvin Kimsey and Merle Holmes began efforts to reverse Termination and undertook the arduous task of seeking Restoration as a feder- ally recognized Tribe. After more than a decade of work, the Grand Ronde Restoration Act was signed on Nov. 22, 1983, by President Ronald Reagan. Their children — Jackie Many Hides, Duke Kimsey and Jim See 3-D continued on page 8 Tribal Librarian checking out new chapter in her life By Danielle Frost Smoke Signals staff writer A Photo by Timothy J. Gonzalez Librarian Marion Mercier, who participated in Adult Reading Time in the Cougar Lodge on Wednesday, Jan. 16, retired at the end of January. Harris Reibach will be fi lling the librarian position on an interim basis. fter 29 years with the Tribe, Librarian Marion Mercier is trading in her library card for retirement adventures. “It’s time,” she says. “I’m looking forward to visiting libraries, museums and small towns across the state, and doing some rock hounding.” A lifelong Oregonian, Mercier, 64, grew up in Grand Ronde and began working for the Tribe’s Social Services Department in 1990 as a case- worker. Her tenure puts her among some of the Tribe’s longest-serving employees. “I was going to retire at 62, but our library patrons are wonderful and I feel like I have the best job at the Tribe,” she says. “But it’s time for new things.” After three years with Social Services, Mercier transferred to the Education Department, where she served in several roles before becoming the librarian. She helped plan the library building’s construction while serving as the Tribe’s Edu- cation manager. “It was a big change when the library moved here (in 2002),” she says. “Prior to having a location, the library collection was very limited and mainly used by employees and Education Department students.” During the past 16 years, the library has been expanded and remodeled, and its collection has grown from 800 to 18,000 items. After five years as Education Department manager, Mercier started working as the li- brarian in 2006 when the Tribe began funding the library. See LIBRARIAN continued on page 6
