14
MAY 1, 2022
Smoke Signals
Two out of three Tribal Council
incumbents to seek re-election
Center opens ‘Where the
Waters Come Together’
By Dean Rhodes
PORTLAND – The Center for Native Arts and Culture, 800 S.E.
10th Ave., Portland, opened its inaugural exhibition “Where the Wa-
ters Come Together” on Friday, April 22, with an opening reception.
The exhibition explores indigenous perspectives on the relation-
ships to rivers and oceans with works from Native artists responding
to fundamental questions around cultural buoyancy, biodiversity
protection, food sources and material necessities.
Grand Ronde Tribal member Greg Archuleta is among the Native
artists with work displayed, including “Sun Rattle” and “Daughter
of Sun Returning to the Sky World” panel.
“This exhibition and related community programming is an op-
portunity to highlight the cultural traditions and creative artistry
of nationally acclaimed Native artists who reside in the Portland
metro area, inclusive of members of local Tribes as well as those
who are part of the broader Indigenous diaspora,” said Barbara
Mumby-Huerta, vice president of programs and partnerships for
the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation. “It is our hope that the
center becomes a welcoming place to exchange stories and strengthen
relations throughout the region as well as throughout the nation.”
Exhibition hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Friday
and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday through June 30. 
From left, “Sun Rattle” and
“Daughter of Sun Returning to
the Sky World” are two pieces of
art created by Grand Ronde Tribal
member Greg Archuleta that are
part of the “Where the Waters Come
Together” exhibit at the Center for
Native Arts and Culture, 800 S.E.
10th Ave., Portland. The exhibit
is open Wednesdays through
Saturdays through June 30.
Smoke Signals editor
Contributed photos
Tribal Council incumbents Denise Harvey and
Kathleen George are in while Jack Giffen Jr. is
out.
Giffen, one of the Tribe’s longest-serving Tribal
Council members, will not be seeking re-election
during the 2022 campaign, ensuring at least one
new member on the Tribe’s governing board.
“I am not planning to run,” he said in an e-mail
to Smoke Signals on Tuesday, April 19.
Giffen, 70, served two terms from 2003 to 2009
Kathleen George
and was then re-elected in 2010 and has served
since then. Come September, he will have served
six terms, or 18 years, on Tribal Council.
Giffen will retire as the third longest serving
Tribal Council member ever behind current Trib-
al Council Chairwoman Cheryle A. Kennedy, 23
years, and former Tribal Council Chairman Reyn
Leno, 21 years.
Denise Harvey, who was first elected to Tribal
Council in 2013 after five unsuccessful campaigns,
confirmed to Smoke Signals that she will seek her
fourth consecutive three-year term.
Denise Harvey
Harvey, 59, finished first in 2013 and 2019 and
third in 2016. She has accumulated 2,981 votes in
her eight runs for Tribal Council.
George, 50, will be seeking her third consecutive term on Tribal Council.
She served as director of Spirit Mountain Community Fund beginning in
2011 and finished first in the 2016 Tribal Council election. She secured
another council term in 2019 with a second-place finish behind Harvey.
“We have a lot of important progress underway, and I want to see this
through to completion,” George said in a text to Smoke Signals.
Tribal Council nominations will occur during a special General Council
meeting to be held at 11 a.m. Sunday, June 26. This year’s Tribal Council
election will be held on Saturday, Sept. 10. 
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