S moke S ignals
MARCH 1, 2019
9
‘Words cannot be put into this’
mette University in April 2006.
According to Grand Ronde Depu-
ty Press Secretary Sara Thompson,
it is estimated that 100 fragments
of Tomanowos exist in private and
institutional collections.
TOMANOWOS continued
from front page
erties. It is a great, great thing to
have this piece back. The story of
Tomanowos is a story of hardship,
endurance, survival and victory.
From the heart and soul of the
Grand Ronde people, we give sin-
cere thanks and gratitude to have
this piece back.”
The ceremony opened with sing-
ing and drumming by Cultural
Advisor Bobby Mercier, Cultural
Protection Specialist Chris Bailey,
Historic Preservation Technician
Nic Atanacio, Interpretive Coor-
dinator Travis Stewart and Cul-
tural Collections Specialist Nick
Labonte.
“We chose the song, ‘Traveling
With Our Ancestors,’ after think-
ing about this meteorite and what
it has been through to come back
home,” Mercier said.
Evergreen Museum Interim Ex-
ecutive Director John Rasmussen
said that although meteorites have
“great significant value” to the
museum, the cultural value to the
Tribe outweighs it.
“This is a significant day for us,”
Rasmussen said. “This piece of the
meteorite has special meaning to
our friends in Grand Ronde.”
Kennedy and Tribal Council
member Steve Bobb Sr. gifted mu-
seum officials with beaded necklac-
es to thank them for the return of
a piece of Tomanowos.
“Words cannot be put into this,”
Kennedy said. “Meteorites contain
answers to the universe. We are a
spiritual people and believe this
came from Creator.”
The piece became part of Ev-
ergreen’s collection in 2006 after
being purchased at auction by Yam-
hill County resident Del Smith,
founder of Evergreen Aviation &
Space Museum. Before Smith pur-
chased the fragment, it was part
of the Macovich Collection in New
York City.
The first piece of Tomanowos to
come back home was a 2.2 pound
fragment repatriated by Willa-
Tomanowos the traveler
Tomanowos fell from the sky
more than 10,000 years ago and
came to rest in what is now West
Linn by way of the Bretz Floods.
Clackamas Chinook Tribal peoples,
who lived in the area, believed the
meteorite was invested with divine
properties and frequently visited it
for ceremonial purposes.
In 1906, a New York philan-
thropist purchased Tomanowos
f or $ 2 0 , 6 0 0 a n d s h ipped th e
31,000-pound meteorite by train
to New York City, where it was
donated to the American Museum
of Natural History, where it still
resides 113 years later.
In November 1999, the Grand
Ronde Tribe filed a claim for the me-
teorite, citing the Native American
Graves Protection and Repatriation
Act of 1990. In 2000, the Tribe and
museum reached an agreement that
keeps Tomanowos in New York City
and allows annual ceremonial access
to Grand Ronde Tribal members.
In 2012, a slice of Tomanowos
was auctioned off for $2,000 in New
York City by meteorite collector
Darryl Pitt. He obtained his pieces
of the meteorite in 1998 when he
traded the American Museum of
Natural History for a half-ounce
piece of a meteorite from Mars.
The trade occurred before the Tribe
staked a claim to Tomanowos.
The Tribe is currently planning
an exhibit, “Witness,” about Toma-
nowos at its Chachalu Museum &
Cultural Center, scheduled to open
in spring 2019.
Child Care
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Prizes & Great
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Special Education
Roundtable
Curriculum is based
around ages 0-5
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