Letters to the Editor -- Oct. 15, 2015

Dear Smoke Signals:

On behalf of the Chehalem Cultural Center Board of Directors and staff, I would like to offer our sincere appreciation and take a moment to enumerate some of the positive results of our Focus Culture partnership over the past year. From our perspective, the project was a resounding success. I hope you feel the same.

From the very first day, my experience with the staff of the Chachalu Tribal Museum and Cultural Center was professional, courteous and engaging – from the front desk staff through every office in the building. Jan Reibach was immediately open to the idea of collaborating, and he instantly understood that Grand Ronde’s new museum initiative could gain a wider audience through partnership. I am happy to report that throughout the five months the project was open to the public, more than 12,000 visitors were exposed to the Tribe’s history, arts, language and traditions through the Chehalem Cultural Center.

I know the partnership required no small effort on the part of the staff of Chachalu and other Tribal leaders. From the first meetings, it was apparent that the Chachalu staff are incredibly passionate, dedicated people who have accepted a calling to do the work that they do. After initial brainstorming with Jan to determine how the relationship would balance to benefit both Chachalu and Chehalem, the project was primarily executed by the talented teams of exhibition and arts professionals at Chachalu. I am gratified to hear that the work the teams put into the exhibitions at Chehalem has helped them better understand how they ultimately want their exhibit space to look in Phase II of Chachalu.

From the beginning, a strong education component was essential. Under the guidance of the Tribe’s Education teams, Chehalem staff provided interpretive tours and hands-on culture projects to more than 1,000 school children on field trips from throughout the area. It was immediately gratifying to pass down a reverence for Oregon’s indigenous cultures to the next generation.

To give adult visitors an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the ways of the people of the Tribes of Grand Ronde, the project included a free hosted conversation each month. The Tribe’s excellent cultural, land and historic preservation staff provided thorough and patient engagement with eager audiences. The final forum with some of the Tribes’ most celebrated leaders was a stunning capstone to the project, demonstrating the depth of thoughtful leadership of the Tribes today.

Finally, it was especially appropriate that we spent the second half of the project focused on the art of the Tribes, from the traditional to the contemporary. It is exciting to see how Tribal artists are supported and valued within the culture of the Tribes. You have a beautiful resource in those artists.

Everyone we’ve worked with throughout the partnership has conducted themselves with dignity and poise. To a person, they are excellent representatives of the Tribes.

I truly believe the partnership has had real and lasting effects. I know one of our proudest moments happened on opening day of the project when the mayor of Newberg presented the Tribes with a “key to the city.” This symbolic gesture signaled an official and profound shift in local thinking, which to me is the most powerful effect we could ask for. I hope it is an indication of where the United States is headed in a cultural sense. Reconciliation is overdue, and that is only possible through recognition of the richness and legitimacy of indigenous ways of life (and their right to it), through atonement for the past, and through understanding instead of appropriation. But for this to even begin to be possible, it requires a willingness to trust. This was the key to our partnership. For this most of all, I commend Jan Reibach and the Tribal Council.

What remains from the original agreement Jan and I discussed is a permanent way to recognize the people of Grand Ronde, the original people of this area, at the Chehalem Cultural Center. We haven’t yet determined what this will look like – whether it will be a panel inside the building, a monument outside of the building or something else entirely – but I want to assure you we will continue to work with the Tribes to make this a reality, and we will work to keep the relationship open even after this. The experience has been formative for us here at Chehalem Cultural Center, and we hope the effects will resonate within our organization for years.

I know there is no way for me to thank everyone from the Tribes who had a part in this partnership, so I simply say thank you to the Confederated Tribes through you, the Tribal Council, for your leadership, for your vision and for your support of this project.

Rob Dailey

Executive director

Chehalem Cultural Center

Dear Smoke Signals:

My name is Jessica Holmes. I am writing this letter because I believe that everyone takes things I say wrong or only hear what they want to hear. I did say get over it, but if you were listening to my words before that you would know that I meant move on because there is enough sorrow here than anywhere.

To brighten better days, to live, to laugh; it was meant for words of encouragement. But my words didn’t come out right to some people, I guess.

I see a lot of people every day. Everyone has their good days and bad days. I happen to be one of them. I don’t try to judge people. That’s not my job to judge.

Again, thank you for taking the time to read this and hopefully you could understand. Also, I didn’t mean to offend anyone.

Jessica Holmes

Roll #2681