Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (March 1, 2020)
Daylight Saving Time Begins March 8, 2020 PRESORTED STANDARD MAIL U.S. POSTAGE PAID PORTLAND, OR PERMIT NO. 700 Turn clocks Forward one hour at 2 a.m. Sunday, March 8 s i g n k • o march 1, 2020 l z s N f Smoke Signals U M P Q U A • M O L A L L A • R O G U E R I V E R • K A L A P U YA • C H A S TA An Independent Publication of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde • Smokesignals.org Tribe, Salem sign memorandum of understanding Commission on Indian Services has a new spark Oglala Lakota Nation member takes over trailblazing entity By Dean Rhodes Smoke Signals editor S ALEM – The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and city of Salem consummated a memorandum of understanding during a signing ceremony held on Wednesday, Feb. 19. Salem joins myriad other governmental en- tities that have signed MOUs with the Tribe, including the city of Portland, University of Oregon, state Department of Transportation, national forests located within the state and area school districts. Both the Grand Ronde Tribal Council and Salem City Council approved the MOU in Jan- uary 2019. Representing the Tribe at the signing were Tribal Council Chairwoman Cheryle A. Kenne- dy, Tribal Council Secretary Jon A. George and Tribal Council member Lisa Leno. Tribal Coun- cil Chief of Staff Stacia Hernandez and Ceded Lands Manager Mike Karnosh were among staff members who attended, as well as a drum of Cul- tural Resources staff members Bobby Mercier, Cristina Lara and Chris Bailey. The MOU’s goal is to “strengthen the govern- ment-to-government relationship” between the Tribe and city and “facilitate communication on matters of mutual interest.” Specifically, the MOU pledges that repre- sentatives of the Tribe and city will work col- laboratively to establish a database that will include known archaeological sites and Tribally signifi cant areas that have a high probability of historic and pre-contact signifi cance. “Every effort shall be made to ensure protec- tion of these areas, and avoidance of any adverse effects,” the MOU states. The city also pledges to provide the Tribe with See MOU continued on page 3 By Danielle Frost Smoke Signals staff writer S Photo by Timothy J. Gonzalez Legislative Commission on Indian Services Executive Director Mitch Sparks was interviewed in the Oregon Tribes Treaty Room at the state Capitol in Salem on Tuesday, Feb. 18. Sparks took over for Karen Quigley, who retired in late 2018 after almost 24 years as the commission’s executive director. ALEM — When the Ore- gon Legislative Commis- sion on Indian Services was formed 45 years ago, it was the fi rst of its kind in the country: A permanent forum for consideration of Trib- al-state government relations and consultation. The state didn’t stop there. In 2001, Oregon was the fi rst in the nation to pass a state-Tribal govern- ment-to-government relations law, which requires ongoing state consultation with its nine federally recognized Tribes. The commission has been a key partner in further- ing these efforts. After longtime Executive Director Karen Quigley re- tired in late 2018, the search began for a replacement. Retired Navy veteran and Oglala Lakota Nation mem- ber Mitch Sparks accepted the job in late 2019. “I’ve always wanted to work on behalf of Native Amer- icans,” Sparks says. “It’s a See COMMISSION continued on page 8 So Far Away: Two Tribal members live on Emerald Isle (This is the second in a se- ries of stories about Grand Ronde Tribal members liv- ing abroad that will appear in Smoke Signals in 2020.) By Dean Rhodes Smoke Signals editor T wenty-five percent of the eight Tribal members who reside abroad live in the Midlands area of Ireland. Maya Frost, 51, and her 16-year- old son, Liam O Gallachoir, are just the continent of North America and the Atlantic Ocean away. A S FAR AWAY Gr a nd R onde Trib al Members Living Abroad mere 4,646 miles, give or take a few miles, or kilometers, once you land in Dublin. There is also an eight-hour time difference. When it’s noon on the Grand Ronde Reservation, it is 8 p.m. in Frost’s home in Athlone. The Republic of Ireland boasts a population approaching 5 million and controls most of the Emerald Isle that is located west of England. Northern Ireland remains part of Great Britain, which also includes Scotland, Wales and England. “I spent many years in county Donegal in the northwest of Ire- land,” Frost says via e-mail. “It is a very beautiful area. Ireland’s climate is very mild and reminds me of growing up in Oregon with the hills, rugged coastline and great See SO FAR AWAY continued on page 9 Tribal member Maya Frost and her son, Liam O Gallachoir, live in the Midlands area of Ireland, approximately 4,646 miles away from the Grand Ronde Reservation. Contributed photo
