Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current, November 15, 2023, Image 1

Smoke signals., November 15, 2023, Image 1

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Newspaper Page TextPRESORTED STANDARD MAIL U.S. POSTAGE PAID PORTLAND, OR PERMIT NO. 700 40 Years of Restoration Special edition insert inside november 15, 2023 Lineal descent amendment vote on the horizon By Dean Rhodes Publications coordinator G rand Ronde Tribal members will be voting in 2024 on a major overhaul to the Tribe9s membership requirements, potentially moving away from blood quantum toward lineal descent. Tribal Council Vice Chair Chris Mercier read an announcement during the Oct. 25 meeting outlining the plan. <During a work session on Oct. 12, Tribal Council met with staff regarding the advisory votes on enrollment,= Mercier said. <Based on the results of the vote, council has decided how to prioritize our work on the next constitutional election for enrollment. We will be focusing on Kennedy receives Community Visionary Award lineal descendancy, including exploring options that will ad- dress the 999 amendment issue. Staff is already working on putting these options together.= Mercier added that Tribal Council would discuss the op- tions during the week of Nov. 6 Tribal Council and plan for engagement with the membership. Vice Chair In response to an online ques- Chris Mercier tion from Tribal member Eric Bernando, Mercier said he expected another Bureau of Indian Affairs-supervised election to occur in early 2024 after the holidays conclude. <The last time we9ve tried doing a constitu- tional amendment around Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks, BIA has not always been amenable to do that,= Mercier said. During the Sept. 9 Tribal Council election, Tribal members were asked ove questions re- garding enrollment. The results found that more than 70 percent of Tribal members who voted 3 1,295 for a 29 percent turnout 3 favored changing current en- rollment requirement and more than 65 percent supported moving toward lineal descendancy for enrollment. Lineal descendancy also was the most favored See VOTE continued on page 8 Harvesting crab By Sherron Lumley Smoke Signals staff writer G rand Ronde Tribal Council Chairwoman Cheryle A. Kennedy received a stand- ing ovation on Friday, Nov. 3, while accepting the 2023 Community Visionary Health Impact Award from Salem Health West Valley Foundation. The award is in recognition of her distinguished career and exempla- ry contributions to improve health care in the region. See AWARD continued on page 9 Tribal Dental Assistant Sam King reaches into a crab trap to release a female crab back into the water during the Grand Ronde Fish & Wildlife Committee crabbing trip in Netarts on Monday, Oct. 30. Photo by Michelle Alaimo Tribal Council Chairwoman Cheryle A. Kennedy was awarded the Salem Health West Valley Foundation Community Visionary Health Impact Award during the Community Health Impact: Spotlight on Polk County event held at Western Oregon University in Monmouth on Friday, Nov. 3. The Tribe9s Natural Resources Department employees set up traps on four boats in Netarts Bay to collect crab for harvest on Monday, Oct. 30, during the Tribe9s Fish & Wildlife Committee crabbing trip. The four boats were not enough for all the Tribal members and staff who attended this year9s trip. Some boats took turns switching out attendees so everyone had an experience on the water. Most of the Tribal members received their shellfish licenses through the Natural Resources Department, after a memorandum of agreement was signed by the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission in 2022, permitting Tribal members to harvest shellfish under a special gathering permit rather than a recreational shellfish license in the Trask Hunting Unit and the ocean adjacent to the unit. Photos by Kamiah Koch