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1 week ago | 
smokesignals.org | Nicole Montesano |Danielle Harrison
By Nicole MontesanoSmoke Signals staff member First Nations Experience, a national television network devoted to Indigenous content, featured Tribal member Bobby Mercier in a recent episode that looked at several Indigenous artists and craftspeople in Oregon, titled “This is Indian Country 111: Oregon.”Mercier, a cultural advisor in the Tribe’s Cultural Resources Department, was discussing his Chinookan wood carving.
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3 weeks ago | 
smokesignals.org | Danielle Harrison |Nicole Montesano
Registration forms must be received by 3 p.m. Monday, June 2Tribal members who want to vote in the upcoming Bureau of Indian Affairs constitutional amendment election Wednesday, July 9, must register to vote, even if they are already registered to vote in Tribal elections. If approved, the constitutional amendment would remove the BIA from future constitutional amendment elections.
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3 weeks ago | 
smokesignals.org | Danielle Harrison |Nicole Montesano
By Danielle Harrison and Nicole MontesanoSmoke Signals staffTribal Council approved its response to agencies regarding the federal government’s proposals to reduce protections to Tribal resources, including water quality, at its Wednesday, June 14, meeting. The response is essentially Tribal Council declaring a minimum standard for the federal government to uphold its treaty and trust responsibilities to the Tribe.
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3 weeks ago | 
smokesignals.org | Nicole Montesano |Danielle Harrison
By Nicole MontesanoSmoke Signals staff writer Tribal members holding their breath over the outcome of Portland General Electric’s effort to take ownership of Willamette Falls will have to wait, as Judge Michael Simon said he plans to issue a written decision within 30 to 90 days of the Tuesday, May 6, closing arguments. In a six-day trial that began Monday, April 21, at the Mark O.
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3 weeks ago | 
smokesignals.org | Nicole Montesano |Danielle Harrison
Douglas Burgess (Grand Ronde) and Chantele Rilatos (Siletz) have been selected as the two Indigenous Place Keeping Artist Fellows for 2025. “This fellowship not only provides the resources to begin this project, but also the recognition to help build momentum for long lasting cultural impact in my communities,” Burgess said.
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1 month ago | 
smokesignals.org | Danielle Harrison |Katherine Warren |Nicole Montesano
By Danielle HarrisonSmoke Signals editorGrand Ronde Food Bank Coordinator Francene Ambrose briefed Tribal members on the various services it has provided to the community during a Sunday, May 4, General Council hybrid meeting held via Zoom and in Tribal Council Chambers. “I’m very happy to be here today to see all of you and I wanted to say, ‘May the fourth be with you,’ because I’m a huge Star Wars fan as well,” she said.
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1 month ago | 
smokesignals.org | Danielle Harrison |Nicole Montesano |Katherine Warren
By Danielle Harrison Smoke Signals editorTribal Council approved an application for a grant focused on supporting Tribal families and parents with educational-related activities at its Wednesday, April 30, meeting. The $500,000, five-year grant would be used by the Tribal Education Department to provide parent engagement activities, host community culture camps and other events for families, as well as provide a disability screening and referral program.
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1 month ago | 
smokesignals.org | Danielle Harrison |Nicole Montesano
By Danielle HarrisonSmoke Signals editor Stephanie King has been dedicated to helping Elders since she was a teenager and has built an entire career around that passion. “I’ve always had a caregiver kind of aspect about me,” she said. “It started when I was 16 and my grandma was sick with cancer and I did some caregiving for her.
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1 month ago | 
smokesignals.org | Nicole Montesano |Danielle Harrison
By Nicole MontesanoSmoke Signals staff writerPORTLAND -- Officials for Portland General Electric testified in federal court that the utility must own Willamette Falls to ensure public safety and its own operations. In a trial that began Monday, April 21, at the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse, PGE sought to condemn and take ownership of the falls, where the Tribe has a removable seasonal fishing platform it uses for an annual ceremonial catch of up to 15 hatchery spring Chinook.
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1 month ago | 
smokesignals.org | Danielle Harrison |Nicole Montesano |Katherine Warren
By Danielle Harrison Smoke Signals editorTribal Council approved the establishment of an Elder Board and its bylaws at its Wednesday, April 16, meeting. Tribal Council member Denise Harvey cast a “no” vote. The board will replace the Elders Committee, which has been on pause since mid-December 2024 so that council and staff could develop ordinance amendments and revised bylaws and policies.
