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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 1, 2024)
sNok signflz AUGUST 1, 2024 3 Tribal election office open through Sept. 5 stuxtkin-mun (August) • Wednesday, Aug. 7 – Tribal Council meeting, 4 p.m., in-person atten- dance in Tribal Council Chambers and via Zoom. 503-879-2304. • Thursday-Saturday, Aug. 15-17 – Annual Fish Distribution, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 9 a.m.-noon Saturday, Natural Resources Department Fish Lab, 47010 S.W. Hebo Road. 503-879-2424. • Friday-Sunday, Aug. 16-18 – Grand Ronde Contest Powwow, uyxat Powwow Grounds. 9600 S.W. Hebo Road. Grand entries at 7 p.m. Friday, 1 and 7 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. • Wednesday, Aug. 21 – Tribal Council meeting, 4 p.m., in-person atten- dance in Tribal Council Chambers and via Zoom. 503-879-2304. • Thursday, Aug. 22 – Annual Fish Distribution, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Portland Area Office, 4445 S.W. Barbur Blvd., Portland. 503-879-1881. • Friday, Aug. 23 – Grand Ronde Education Summit, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Spirit Mountain Casino, 26820 S.W. Salmon River Highway. • Friday, Aug. 23 – Community barbeque and outside movie night, 6:30 p.m. in Tribal housing. Kwayts-mun (September) • Monday, Sept. 2 – Tribal offices closed in observance of the Labor Day holiday. • Wednesday, Sept. 4 – Tribal Council meeting, 4 p.m., in-person atten- dance in Tribal Council Chambers and via Zoom. 503-879-2304. • Saturday, Sept. 7 – Tribal Election Day. 503-879-2271. • Sunday, Sept. 8 – General Council meeting, 11 a.m., in-person atten- dance in Tribal Council Chambers and via Zoom. 503-879-2304. • Wednesday, Sept. 11 – Tribal Council swearing in-ceremony, 11 a.m., Tribal Governance Center, 9615 Grand Ronde Road. 503-879-2304. • Friday-Saturday, Sept. 13-14 – Spirit Mountain Marketplace, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Spirit Mountain Casino, 26820 S.W. Salmon River Highway. • Wednesday, Sept. 18 – Tribal Council meeting, 4 p.m., in-person atten- dance in Tribal Council Chambers and via Zoom. 503-879-2304. • Friday, Sept. 27 – Tribal offices closed in observance of National Native American Day. To stay informed of future Tribal events, visit www.smokesignals.org/calendar. CTGR Member Services Requests for Descendancy Options 1. Descendancy letter (no DNA testing) 2. Certificate of Descendancy (DNA testing required) Process: Submit completed application (digital signatures are not accepted) along with a copy of an original state certified birth certificate (we cannot accept copies) and proof of payment for the DNA from the Finance Department. Once application is received, Enrollment Office staff will process and setup the DNA appointment. DNA at the Grand Ronde Health & Wellness Center: Cost of DNA testing is $35 and you must pre-register with the clinic prior to your appointment. To pre-register, contact Ashley Stonebrink at 503-879-1325 or Stacy Pond-Bissonette at 503-879-2096. To request an application or if you have any questions, contact the following: Memberservices@grandronde.org Enrollment staff: Tristin Armstrong 503-879-1619, Tristin.armstrong@grandronde.org Nick Labonte 503-879-2490, Nick.labonte@grandronde.org Please send completed applications to: The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Attn: Enrollment Office 9615 Grand Ronde Road, Grand Ronde, OR 97347 Ad by Samuel Briggs III The Tribal Election Board office will be open through Thurs- day, Sept. 5. Office hours are 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Monday to Thursday. The office is located in the Tribal Community Center, 9615 Grand Ronde Road. The phone number is 503-879-2271. Blank signature verification forms have been placed in a hanging basket outside the Election Board’s office door. Complete signature verification forms, with a notarized signature or legible copy of identification including your signature, such as a driver’s license, Tribal ID, passport, etc. need to be mailed to the Election Board for processing. The form will not be processed unless it has been notarized or includes a legible copy of your ID to match signatures. Ballots were mailed to voters with verified signatures on Wednes- day, July 24. Tribal members can submit a verified signature card at any time up to and including Election Day, which is Saturday, Sept. 7. There will be a ballot box in the Governance Center during the election season and one in the Community Center on Election Day to drop ballots off. Ballots will be available, as they have been in the past, for Tribal members who prefer to vote in person. It is the voter’s responsi- bility to ensure their ballot is received by the Election Board on or before Election Day. Remember, if using the Post Office all mail must go to Portland to be sorted before returning to Grand Ronde, so make sure your ballot is in the mail a few days early. n Larsen served on Tribal Council from1992 to 2004 LARSEN continued from front page 1992 through 2004 and owned the Spirit Mountain Store at the corner of Hebo and Grand Ronde roads before he began his council run. Larsen’s late wife, Shirley, ran the store while her husband drove a log truck. The couple wed on Oct. 23, 1976, and were married for 35 years before her passing in 2011. As the Tribe began the process of establishing Spirit Mountain Casi- no in the 1990s when Larsen was on Tribal Council, he was acknowl- edged as a key figure in the effort to win over West Valley residents and business owners in securing support for the casino. He served as Tribal Council Sec- retary from 1994-95 and reached the vice chair position in 1996, where he served on and off until 2000. The 2017 article noted that Lars- en, “has become a walking book of Grand Ronde Tribal knowledge.” “In many respects that is a good description,” Tribal Attorney Rob Greene said in the article. “The thing that has always impressed me about Ed and continues to im- press me about him is his phenom- enal memory. He can remember the smallest details from so many years back, it’s incredible. Whether he was on the council or the board (Spirit Mountain Casino Board of Directors) he brought that same sharpness of mind to the issues and he would report back to the council the various things the board was considering.” Greene said he first met Larsen when he was on the casino board and the property was opening. “I think one of the things about Ed is he was comfortable in any situation in terms of his ability to communicate with people,” Greene said. “I attended a number of meet- ings with Ed and he was always very comfortable and I think made people who he was talking with feel very much at ease. He was a won- derful ambassador for the Tribe. He was excellent at that.” Larsen said his style of leadership was to bring everyone together. “My way was to get it done and not fight about it,” he told Smoke Signals of his time on Tribal Coun- cil. “My idea was to make it work whether it was my idea or somebody else’s idea. I think my strongest deal was getting along with people.” Larsen was also well-known throughout the area for his fash- ion sense, often sporting cowboy hats, leather jackets and big boots in a way that set him apart from the crowd, former longtime Tribal Council Chair Reyn Leno recalled in the article. “He always wore those big cow- boy hats,” he said. “He always just seemed to be saying this is the way I am. Ed always remembered he was a Grand Ronde Indian and that is what made him successful when he was on council. He cared about people. He was really sup- portive of those issues like veterans and Elders. He was raised here in Grand Ronde when you respected your Elders. People don’t do that anymore.” Funeral services will be held for Larsen at 11 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 8, at the Tribal gym with interment at the Grand Ronde Tribal Cemetery. A meal will follow at the Elders Activity Center. Bollman’s Tribute Center in Dallas is assisting the family. A full obituary appears on page 24 of this edition. n
