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PERMIT NO. 700
Youth
Community
Gathering
— pg. 8
january 15, 2024
General Council briefed on Health & Wellness
By Danielle Harrison
Smoke Signals editor
H
ealth Services Executive
Director Kelly Rowe briefed
General Council on initia-
tives her department is pursuing
during the Sunday, Jan 7, hybrid
meeting held in Tribal Council
chambers and on Zoom.
“It is a pleasure and an honor to
be here and to talk about health
and wellness, what we have done in
2023 and what is to come in 2024,”
she said. “I can’t believe it’s been
eight years since I started here.
Time really flies, it certainly does
Kelly Rowe
when you’re
having fun,
and it’s great
that we’re able
to make a dif-
ference to the
membership
and bring ser-
vices and pro-
grams that are
needed.”
Rowe said that Health & Well-
ness continues to grow, and has
recently added a nurse practitioner,
psychiatric nurse practitioner and
a dentist, with a second one coming
in April.
The department’s tush lamatsin
(good medicine) events have contin-
ued to increase in popularity, with
the Fall Festival attracting more
than 350 people.
Additionally, the new public
health and vaccination clinic, lo-
cated next to the Heath & Wellness
Center, will be opening in February
to provide additional services to the
membership including vaccination,
a denturist lab, diabetic care, pedi-
atrics, naturopathic care, an indoor
demonstration kitchen and presen-
tation area, and outdoor patio with
‘Pajama Jam’
a kitchen and fish pit.
“This is a labor of love and gives
us the ability to expand our ser-
vices,” Rowe said.
During her presentation, Rowe
shared several other accomplish-
ments of 2023 and goals for 2024,
some of which she and the staff
have been working toward for
years. One of these is to have a fi-
nancially independent department.
“When I came to Health and
Wellness in 2015, one of the things
See MEETING
continued on page 9
Roots, rock, reggae
Grand Ronde Tribal member Adam Sierra is
bringing an Indigenous show to Portland
By Sherron Lumley
Smoke Signals staff writer
M
Photos by Michelle Alaimo
Worthy Amouak, 5, left, and Sadie Tasker, 4,
read “Little Acorn” during the Pajama Jam
held in the Tribal gym on Thursday, Jan. 11.
The tush lamatsin (good medicine) family
event included singing, dancing, drumming,
games, a cake walk, raffle prizes and the first
125 youth received a copy of the “Little Acorn”
book. Breakfast for dinner was also served.
Gabriella Sabey, 5, dances during the
Pajama Jam held in the Tribal gym.
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usic producer and Grand Ronde Tribal
member Adam Sierra is bringing an
all-Indigenous reggae and hip-hop
show to the Tribe’s ceded homelands on Friday,
Jan. 26.
Sierra, co-founder of
Chalice Row Records,
is hosting, “Rebel Mu-
sic,” Friday, Jan. 26,
at The Haven in south-
east Portland.
“This show is show-
casing all Native art-
ists,” Sierra, 39, said.
“It’s a reggae and hip-
hop performance with
some spoken word, and
Adam Sierra
we focus on cultural
identity, mental health awareness and entrepre-
neurship. The purpose is to uplift the community,
to help keep our Native culture relevant and seen.”
The Haven show will feature Mista Chief
(Northern Cheyenne), Savelle Tha Native (Chet-
co/Shasta/Siletz), MzShellz (Cree) and Y.N.G.
Native (Haida/Tsimshian) with special guest
DJ D-Rock. Native pop-up restaurant Javelina
is providing food for the event.
Meanwhile, Sierra is also busy organizing the
third annual Oregon Reggae Fest, a three-day
event relocating to Stayton from Ashland for the
first time this summer.
The festival will be held July 26-28, and will
bring together a lineup of reggae music, wellness
workshops, children’s activities, cultural arts
and crafts, and world cuisine. The new loca-
tion, approximately an hour’s drive from Grand
Ronde, brings the venue much closer to where
Sierra grew up.
He said that he knew at a young age he wanted
to be a music producer. It began with a book he
read while a student at Sheridan High School.
One thing led to another, and Sierra began pro-
ducing shows while living in Willamina when
See CONCERT
continued on page 6