12
S MOKE S IGNALS
FEBRUARY 1, 2019
ATNI Winter Convention draws large Tribal turnout
By Danielle Frost
Smoke Signals staff writer
PORTLAND – The Affiliated
Tribes of Northwest Indians’ Win-
ter Convention was one of the best
attended in recent years and Grand
Ronde was well-represented.
The annual event, held Sunday,
Jan. 27, through Thursday, Jan.
31, at the DoubleTree Hilton, is an
opportunity for meetings, discus-
sion, presentations and committee
work that affects policy, legislation
and the future of Indian Country
in the Pacifi c Northwest. The con-
ference began just days after the
longest partial federal government
shutdown in history had ended on
Friday, Jan. 25.
Grand Ronde Tribal Council
Secretary Jon A. George led the
invocation Monday, asking for a
blessing upon ATNI staff, Tribal
leaders and the city of Portland.
Drumming and singing were led
by Tribal Cultural Advisor Bob-
by Mercier, Tribal Artisan Brian
Krehbiel, Jon A. George, Historic
Preservation Technician Nicolas
Atanacio, Cultural Resources Man-
ager David Harrelson, Interpre-
tive Coordinator Travis Stewart,
Cultural Education Coordinator
Jordan Mercier, Cultural Protec-
tion Specialist Chris Bailey, Tribal
member Kyoni Mercier and Kevin
Paul of the Swinomish Tribe.
Flags were brought in by the
Northwest Indian Veterans Associ-
ation, which included Grand Ronde
Veterans Honor Guard members
Al Miller, current Tribal Council
member Steve Bobb Sr., Raymond
Petite and Rich VanAtta.
All Tribal Council members at-
tended the ATNI convention. They
are Chairwoman Cheryle A. Kenne-
dy, Vice Chair Chris Mercier, Jon
A. George, Kathleen George, Jack
Giffen Jr., Lisa Leno, Bobb, Denise
Harvey and Michael Langley.
Also attending were Tribal Attor-
ney Rob Greene, General Manager
David Fullerton, Finance Offi cer
Chris Leno and Tribal Council
Chief of Staff Stacia Hernandez.
Kennedy welcomed convention
attendees to the Grand Ronde
Tribe’s homelands, and thanked
the color guard and drummers.
“Today we will have a fruitful
day of discussion,” she said. “To-
day I am grateful the shutdown is
over. I welcome you all to the city
of Roses … When you think of the
Willamette River, say a prayer for
it. It is in distress.”
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler
thanked ATNI for continuing to
select Portland as its Winter Con-
vention site.
“I really appreciate all the work
you do to protect the environment,”
Wheeler said. “Creating relation-
ships with Tribal governments is
very important to me personally
and my colleagues on the City
Council. … We have to acknowledge
our history to move forward. There
is so much dark history to reckon
with.”
Wheeler highlighted the city’s
Tribal liaison Laura John (Black-
feet/Seneca), who began her job
more than a year ago to help devel-
op Tribal relationships.
On Sept. 28, 2018, the city host-
summit was paddling
with the Cowlitz Ca-
noe Family. … We are
honored by your pres-
ence here and support
that work that you
do.”
ATNI Executive
President Leonard
Forsman (Suqua-
mish) told attendees
that the fi ght contin-
ues for Tribes to be
able to honor their
traditional ways and
have access to their
homelands.
“We need to use op-
portunities to educate
people about the con-
text of ceremony,” he
said.
Forsman also
touched on the recent
mid-term elections,
partial federal gov-
ernment shutdown
and climate change in
his opening remarks.
“Lots of Tribal can-
didates were elected
in both the state and
federal governments,
and I am glad the
shutdown is over,” he
Photos by Timothy J. Gonzalez
said. “With climate
Tribal Council member Steve Bobb Sr. leads the
change, we see it every
Veterans Honor Guard in posting the colors during
day with the changes
the Affi liated Tribes of Northwest Indians Winter
in tides, seasons and
Convention held in Portland on Monday, Jan. 28.
gathering times. We
are trying to get peo-
The conference ran through Thursday, Jan. 31.
ple to acknowledge it
as an issue.”
ed its inaugural
Other Monday
Tribal Nations
morning topics in-
Summit, which
cluded speakers
marked the first
on national In-
time in the United
dian Child Wel-
States that a city
fare Act issues,
government en-
climate change and a natural re-
gaged with its neighboring Tribes
sources panel.
to establish local partnerships.
Afternoon activities included
“We’ve made some progress. …
a Tribal leaders’ climate change
It is critical that the city develops
roundtable and a screening of
a deeper understanding of Native
“100 Years,” which tells the story
food, the river, natural resources
of Elouise Cobell (Blackfeet). She
and how Canoe Journey revital-
began asking questions about miss-
izes Native traditions,” Wheeler
ing federal government money in
said. “For me, the highlight of the
Bureau of Indian Aff airs Northwest Regional Director and Tribal member
Bryan Mercier speaks during the Affi liated Tribes of Northwest Indians
Winter Convention held in Portland on Tuesday, Jan. 29.
Indian trust accounts. The Tribal
treasurer discovered a trail of fraud
and the fi lm highlights her 30-year
fi ght for justice for 300,000 Native
Americans.
On Tuesday, Grand Ronde Tribal
member and newly minted Bureau
of Indian Affairs Regional Director
Bryan Mercier spoke to attendees.
“We have largely 350 largely
Tribal members who work at the
BIA,” he said. “We believe in serv-
ing Tribes and the shutdown had a
huge effect on our people’s morale
and fi nances.”
Mercier added that since he was
deemed an “essential” employee,
he worked without pay during the
35-day shutdown.
“I’ve been inspired by the stories
of donations to furloughed employ-
ees by Tribes,” he said. “It was a
tough one to get through and I hope
we all have learned our lessons. We
need to do better to prepare our-
selves so there is no loss of funds to
communities in the future. I want
to serve Indian Country to the best
of my ability.”
Part of that will include traveling
with his family this summer to var-
ious Tribes within the BIA region
he leads.
“My priority is going to be visiting
your communities,” Mercier said. “I
plan to spend a lot of time on the road
this summer. There are 45 Tribes in
the BIA region, and I will try to even-
tually get to all of your communities.”
Two other priorities include hir-
ing Tribal members to fi ll spots left
by retiring BIA personnel and to
improve Tribal self-determination.
“Our Tribes are largely self-de-
termined, but there are still things
that can be improved,” Mercier said.
Spirit Mountain Community
Fund Executive Director and Grand
Ronde Tribal member Michael
Cherry participated in a philan-
thropy panel that discussed giving
in Indian Country.
“I believe Tribes have a rich his-
tory of potlatch and giving back,”
she said. “We have been giving long
before we had community funds
and charitable arms. … It’s always
important to our Tribe to be part of
the solution.”
She also discussed some of the
misconceptions nonTribal charita-
ble organizations have about Tribal
people.
“A narrative I would like to see
shift is perception,” Cherry said.
“We get out and do workshops,
and sometimes these include some
uncomfortable conversations about
Termination and Restoration.
Some people ask if we still live in
teepees. That was eye opening to
me and concerning. We have to
educate people. I tell my staff to set
an example and not take offense.”
Other highlights of the fi ve-day
conference included a Get Out the
Vote panel, media and community
strategies, the Grand Ronde Tribe’s
Hatfi eld Fellowship, workforce de-
velopment needs in Tribal forestry,
a culture night and trauma-in-
formed care.
The convention wrapped up on
Thursday, Jan. 31, with resolu-
tions that will be forwarded to the
National Congress of American
Indians for consideration. n