A “Grand” Finale Stop

The final tribal stop of the tour was in Oregon at the community of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde. The confederation is composed of tribal communities from the area including the Umpqua, Molalla, Rogue River, Kalapuya, and Chasta. Tribal members totaling 8,000 are scattered throughout the world.

Thanks to Siobhan Taylor, Public Affairs Director, and the Grand Ronde community, we stayed at the lovely Spirit Mountain Casino. Our day began by meeting Angela Sears who directed us to the Natural Resources Division building to meet Siobhan, Kelly, and the Youth Conservation Corps who we would work with during the service project.

Siobhan discussed the history of the Grand Ronde community with us before we set off on our project. In the 1850s the United States government rounded up Native people in the extended area, most of which were hunter, gatherer, fishermen, and put them on reservations in hopes of making them farmers. One soldier said it was the “saddest experience he had ever seen.” The Chinook Jargon was the language that united the Native people that came to be the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde. Chinook is taught in preschools today and serves as a means of cultural renewal. The Grand Ronde community had to go through the same assimilation process that many Native communities experienced in the 1950s: termination. In the 1954, the tribe was federally terminated and left with the cemetery land and the caretaker shed. Siobhan described this process as a form of “ethnic cleansing.” The community worked together and successfully fought for federal restoration on November 25th, 1983. Land was given back in trust and the community was able to rebuild once again. The first big economic resource on the land came with the building of the Spirit Mountain Casino, which, to name a few, provides funds for schooling, housing, and the natural resource development.

Our service project consisted of helping in the restoration process of the Tillamook Trail with the youth crew who has been hard at work on it all summer. The boys worked extremely hard and put much effort into perfecting the trail. Each had a story or two or many, depending on who it was, to tell which made time fly by. The trail and woods are absolute beauties, and one can only hope that more people will venture out and enjoy it.

Siobhan was at the grill when we returned from our service project flipping burgers. We had a wonderful lunch with the youth crews and Grand Ronde community members and various other employees. We had the special treat of meeting and talking with Chris Mercier, Tribal Chairman and brother of Udall intern alumni Bryan Mercier. It is a tough call on who is the better looking brother. We also shared some laughs and stories with William “Wink” Soderberg, an elder Tribal Council member.

Chris Mercier, Tribal Chairman of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde

We were sent home with not only informational packets and cd’s of tribal member Jan Michael Looking Wolf Reibach, but also memories that will last us a life time. Thank you Siobhan, Kelly, youth crew and all of the Grand Ronde community.

By: Martina Gast