8
MARCH 1, 2024
SMOKE SIGNALS
First Agency Creek Round
Dance was held in April 2003
ROUND DANCE
continued from front page
Youth Empowerment & Preven-
tion has been preparing for the
event by sponsoring several gift
making workshops in order to cre-
ate giveaways for guests.
Additionally, Children & Fam-
ily Services hosted three ribbon
skirt and shirt making workshops.
Fabric, ribbon and supplies were
provided.
The first Agency Creek Round
Dance was held in April 2003 and
subsequently held annually until
the COVID-19 pandemic forced the
cancellation of the event in 2020,
’21 and ’22.
The event is an opportunity for
Tribal members to dance with their
ancestors as they join hands and
circle around drummers through-
out the evening and early into the
next morning, and also is a cele-
bration of sobriety and community
health and wellness, regularly
attracting 400 to 500 attendees.
“It’s a whole ceremony in itself,
it’s not just a bunch of people com-
ing together and singing,” Mercier
said in a 2016 Smoke Signals ar-
ticle about the Round Dance. “For
us here, we want to do it right. It
also ties back to other ceremonies
like the Ghost Dance; that’s how
powerful that Round Dance is.”
Mercier was responsible for start-
ing the Round Dance tradition in
Grand Ronde because of the healing
nature of the ceremony and what it
can do for a Tribal community.
“All of Friday until midnight and
all of Saturday until midnight is
the time that we are dancing with
our ancestors, we’re dancing with
those spirits and it is to bring that
healing and teaching back. That’s
why people get up and dance – it’s
a healing dance.” Mercier said.
To hear Mercier discuss more
about Round Dance, visit www.
spreaker.com/show/smokesignal-
spodcast and search for Episode 8. n
Health & Wellness
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have you subscribed?
A first for the Tribe: Whale
harvested from Sunset Beach
Courtesy photo by Greg Archuleta
Tribal members Nakoa Mercier, left, and Cristina Lara harvest a fin
whale on Friday, Feb. 16. The whale washed up on Sunset Beach near
Warrenton earlier that month and the Grand Ronde Tribe is the only
tribe harvesting the whale.
By Katherine Warren
Smoke Signals staff
After a dead male fin whale washed up at Sunset Beach near
Warrenton last month, Tribal Historic Preservation Manager Briece
Edwards and Tribal Cultural Advisor Bobby Mercier recognized an
important potential cultural opportunity.
Edwards contacted the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin-
istration, which worked with the other agencies such as Oregon State
Police, Oregon Parks and Recreation, and local agencies at Sunset
Beach to receive permission to harvest the whale. It’s a first for the
Grand Ronde Tribe.
NOAA issued a harvest permit for the whale and while Edwards
was coordinating that aspect, Mercier contacted Chinook Tribal
Chairman Tony Johnson to ask permission to enter their traditional
homelands.
“We were there within a week to harvest it and we are working with
not only NOAA, but Camp Riley and Oregon Parks and Recreation,
as it is still open to the public,” Mercier said.
Added Edwards, “NOAA saw this as a timely matter for harvesting
this gift and we want to thank all the agencies that helped make
this possible. It’s nice to see this practice coming back to our Tribe.”
Grand Ronde is the only tribe harvesting the 46-foot long whale,
removing a fin and lower jaw bone. There are also plans to harvest
the baleen and more bones. The bones will be carved to replicate work
from Tribal ancestors and there will be carving classes as well. The
baleen will be used for weaving small baskets and more. n
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