Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (July 1, 2023)
sNok signflz JULY 1, 2023 13 Supreme Court upholds Indian Child Welfare Act By Dean Rhodes Smoke Signals editor WASHINGTON, D.C. 3 The Su- preme Court voted 7-2 on Thursday, June 15, to uphold the Indian Child Welfare Act9s preference for Tribes when Indian children are adopted and overturned a Texas federal court judge9s 2018 ruling that said the act was unconstitutional. The court ruled that the law does not discriminate on the basis of race and does not impose a federal mandate on traditionally state-reg- ulated areas of power, citing more than 100 years of precedent that classioes Native Americans as a political, not racial, group. Justice Amy Coney Barrett wrote the majority opinion for the Supreme Court and justices Clar- ence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented. Congress passed the federal Indian Child Welfare Act in 1978 to extend protection to Tribal fam- ilies by keeping Tribal children connected to their culture and to help preserve Tribes. Before the act was passed, Native children were frequently removed from their families and communities, and often placed with non-Native families permanently without any connection to their roots. In 2020, the Legislature passed the Oregon Indian Child Welfare Act, which aligned with the federal law and also recognized the needs of the nine federally recognized Tribes in the state. The constitutionality of the fed- eral act was argued before the Supreme Court on Nov. 9, 2022, during the Haaland v. Brackeen case. The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde discussed it during a Feb. 15 Facebook Live session. Haaland v. Brackeen was a law- suit brought by Texas (and previ- ously Indiana and Louisiana) and several individual plaintiffs, who said the ICWA is unconstitution- al and discriminatory regarding decisions on adoption and child placement to families based on race, and forces states to carry out federal mandates. <This ruling is a huge sigh of re- lief for Tribes and Tribal families throughout Indian Country,= said Grand Ronde Tribal member Kristi Petite, who is co-chair of the Oregon Department of Human Services9 Indian Child Welfare Act Adviso- ry Committee. <As we9ve worked tirelessly to protect Tribal children and keep them connected to their identity, culture and families, this decision will allow us to continue to advocate and promote healing for our families. <Our ongoing relationship with ODHS will continue as we work Gas discount at Grand Ronde Station together with the goal of lowering the disproportionate rates that Tribal children experience in the child welfare system. It is also a re- minder of the importance to contin- ue to assure that our work renects the intent and requirements of the Indian Child Welfare Act. Today is a great day to honor Tribes, Tribal sovereignty and the continued pro- tection of Tribal families.= Oregon Department of Human Services Tribal Affairs Director Adam Decenti (Navajo/Dine), who participated in a panel discussion about the past, present and future of the ICWA on Nov. 2, 2022, at Willamette University in Salem, also heralded the decision. <This decision is cause for cele- bration for Tribes and Tribal com- munities throughout the country,= he said. <The federal Indian Child Welfare Act keeps Tribal families intact, preserves Tribal culture and upholds Tribal sovereignty. Oregon is one of a handful of states who have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to these principles by codifying these protections in state law. <The decision to uphold all pro- visions of the Indian Child Wel- fare Act will have lasting impact for decades for Tribes. This win allows our agency to continue to implement our state9s Oregon Indian Child Welfare Act as well as continue to support the govern- ment-to-government relationship with the Tribes.= The ICWA received wide support during a lower court hearing as 486 Tribal Nations, 59 Native organi- zations, 31 child welfare organiza- tions, 26 states and the District of Columbia, and 77 members of Con- gress offered their support for it. þ Chris Mercier Michael Langley Lisa Leno Matthew Haller Veronica Montano Chris Bailey Grand Ronde Tribal members, as well as Tribal and Spirit Mountain Casino employees, can receive a 30-cent per gallon discount on gasoline at the Tribally owned Grand Ronde Station convenience store. There are, however, a few rules. Tribal members and employees must go inside and show either their enrollment card or employee identiocation card to receive the discount. þ Candidates will have a 600-word statement published in Tilixam Wawa NOMINATION continued from front page TRIBAL VETERANS SERVICE OFFICE Contact us at (503) 879-1484 or via e-mail at CTGRTribalVSO@GrandRonde.Org Veterans! You may not need it now, but you could in the future. As a veteran who has served your country, you deserve to apply for these beneots and resources. You may think another veteran needs it more than you or you are taking resources from another veteran, but you are not. You may not want beneots, but having them can beneot your spouse and your family. Contact the Tribal Veterans Service Ofoce to ask questions, ond out more information or ole for a service-connected disability today! Ad by Samuel Briggs III Wildwood Hotel in Willamina. He is the son of Rex Haller and Mar- tha Hood and grandson of Robert Haller and LeVeta Sell. He was nominated by Jonathon R. George, who works in the Tribe9s Human Resources Department. Montano, 37, is employed by the Tribe9s Finance Department as the Budget Coordinator. She previous- ly was the manager of the Tribe9s Member Services Department. Montano is descended from the Holmes family. Her mother is Tam- my Chavez, her grandmother is Betty Dick and great-grandmother is Arlene Holmes. She was nomi- nated by Jamie White. Bailey, 46, works for the Tribe9s Cultural Resources Department as a cultural protection specialist. He has been a Tribal employee for more than 20 years. His parents are Jerry and Teresa Bailey. He was nominated by Greg Archule- ta, who also works in the Cultural Resources Department. This year marks the 10th consec- utive year of single-digit candidates running for Tribal Council. The last time 10 or more candidates threw their proverbial hats in the ring was in 2013. Tribal Council candidates will have a 600-word statement pub- lished in the July Tilixam Wawa that will be mailed to voters before ballots are mailed out. In addition, Smoke Signals will continue its practice of interviewing all of the candidates and placing their pod- cast interviews on spreaker.com. The nomination process was su- pervised by Election Board Chair Michael Mercier via Zoom and in-person by Election Board mem- ber Joann Mercier. This year9s election will be held on Saturday, Sept. 9, with elected council members being sworn into ofoce on Wednesday, Sept. 13. þ
