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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 2022)
PRESORTED STANDARD MAIL U.S. POSTAGE PAID PORTLAND, OR PERMIT NO. 700 Daylight Saving Time Ends Nov. 6, 2022 Turn Clocks Back One Hour At 2 A.M. Sunday, Nov. 6 november 1, 2022 Turning 25 Health & Wellness marks milestone anniversary By Danielle Harrison Smoke Signals assistant editor/staff writer T he Grand Ronde Health & Wellness Center marked its 25th anniversary on Friday, Oct. 21, with a celebration that in- cluded food, speeches from various Tribal officials, giveaways and the unveiling of a new community ca- noe made by Tribal artisan Brian Krehbiel. The celebration began with a prayer song which included Tribal Cultural Advisor Bobby Mercier, Krehbiel, his daughter Kailiyah Krehbiel, Tribal Cultural Educa- tion Coordinator Jordan Mercier and Tribal Council member Jon A. George, who also led the invocation afterward. “What an amazing journey it has been,” Health Services Executive Director Kelly Rowe said. “We’ve persisted through the pandemic, we’ve persisted through wildfires. Despite all of that, we have still been able to do all the things we wanted. We expanded Behavioral Health, we hosted mass vaccination clinics and opened Great Circle Recovery in Salem (medication-as- sisted treatment clinic), all in the midst of a pandemic and everything else raining down on us. “At one point it seemed that we would never get out of it, but all of this was possible because of the hard work of so many. We had ev- erybody jumping in to do what was Photos by Kamiah Koch A canoe built by Tribal member Brian Krehbiel was presented to attendees of the 25th anniversary celebration of the Health & Wellness Center held in the Health & Wellness Center’s atrium on Friday, Oct. 21. The canoe was filled with presents for attendees to take home and it will be used by the Tribal community. At left, Tribal Council Chairwoman Cheryle A. Kennedy shares how she became interested in medicine through the teachings of her grandmother during the 25th anniversary celebration. See CELEBRATION continued on page 8 39th Restoration Day returns to an in-person event By Danielle Harrison Smoke Signals assistant editor/staff writer I f there was one word that reverberated throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, it was “resiliency.” The Grand Ronde Tribe understands the meaning of it in a way few do: After 30 years of Termination under edict of the federal gov- ernment and after working tirelessly for no pay and with little resources, Tribal leaders saw the realization of a dream when the Grand Ronde Restoration Act was signed on Nov. 22, 1983, by President Ronald Reagan. See RESTORATION continued on page 6 Tribal Council member Jon A. George dances during the last in-person Restoration Celebration held in 2019 in the Tribal gym. This year’s event marking the 39th anniversary of Restoration will be hybrid, but also include in-person attendance at Spirit Mountain Casino for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Smoke Signals file photo
