Metro meets with Tribal Council

PORTLAND -- Developing partnerships, stewardship of environmental and economic resources, and preservation of cultural heritage are common goals for the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and regional government Metro.

Members of the two entities gathered in a government-to-government consultation meeting at Metro’s Portland office on Thursday, March 22.

The Tribe has participated in many government-to-government meetings before, but this was the first with Metro. However, staff members from the two groups have met informally before.

Metro consists of a regionwide elected president and six councilors who are elected by district every four years in nonpartisan races. The Metro Council works with community leaders and constituents across city and county boundaries to shape the future of the greater Portland area, according to its website. The area was ceded by the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde in the Willamette Valley Treaty of 1855.

“We recognize our role as a regional movement dedicated to responsibility and stewardship of natural and economic resources (is similar) to yours and we want to strengthen our relationship,” Metro Council President Tom Hughes said.

“It’s great to be here,” Tribal Council Chairwoman Cheryle A. Kennedy said. “I am pleased that you included in your opening remarks that you are interested in a meaningful partnership. The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde expands to a vast area. … Our history is well known within us but not so well known to other Oregonians. … When we all get on the same page, it motivates us to form meaningful partnerships and all move in one direction. … We can bring something to the table that no one else can because we know the land. We are very interested in opportunities that might unfold.”

The meeting opened with Kennedy giving an invocation. Tribal Council Vice Chair Chris Mercier, Secretary Jon A. George, and Tribal Council members Denise Harvey and Brenda Tuomi also attended.

Additionally, Tribal Attorney Rob Greene, Tribal Council Chief of Staff Stacia Hernandez, Tribal Cultural Resources Department Manager David Harrelson, Environmental Resources Specialist Meagan Flier and Administrative Assistant Meghan Zimbrick attended.

Harrelson gave a brief cultural presentation about the history of the Grand Ronde Tribe and the 263-mile Trail of Tears march in 1856 from the Table Rock Reservation near Medford to Grand Ronde during which eight Tribal members died and eight were born on the arduous journey.

The Grand Ronde Reservation was formed in 1857 by executive order of President James Buchanan.

“When I talk about the story of our people, it is an Oregon story,” Harrelson said. “This is the story of the land and it is not just our story, it is all of our stories. We are still here. … We incorporate the understanding our ancestors had to our understanding of place today.”

Harrelson also said that the Tribal leadership structure looked very different than the typical patriarchal society of the 1850s.

“We had women as leaders and men as leaders,” he said. “People identified based on what villages they came from. With the signing of the treaties, different people were raised up. … Our constitutional form of government didn’t begin until the 1930s.”

Kennedy said that the Tribe has been “active and involved” with Metro for several years on various regional projects, such as the Blue Lake Regional Park Tribal carvings in 2005, Wilsonville’s Graham Oaks Nature Park interpretive signage in 2008 and the Willamette Falls Legacy Project, where Tribes with historic and cultural ties to Willamette Falls are acting as advisers with the project to open the falls, which have been closed for more than 150 years to the public. Plans include creating a public walk alongside the Willamette River and laying the groundwork for downtown development.

“It will be a wonderful thing when citizens and visitors can enjoy the beauty of the area,” Kennedy said. “It will be a flagship place to come and enjoy. … Our staff have engaged with your staff, and we want to extend a hand of friendship and meet regularly. We would like to see a memorandum of understanding established to put words to paper of what the areas of interest might include.”

Hughes said that Tribal and Metro staff have been in discussions about that very topic.

“There are many areas where we have and will benefit from your wisdom,” he said. “The largest, most expensive and most dramatic project will be Willamette Falls. … A written agreement is probably a good idea, but I also like the ideas of meeting regularly and sharing food.”

Metro District 3 Councilor Craig Dirksen talked about plans for the proposed Chehalem Ridge Nature Park, which would include 1,200 acres on top of Chehalem Mountain between Newberg and Hillsboro.

“Parks and open spaces are near and dear to my heart,” he said.

Metro is working with the Tribe to identify opportunities to collaborate on the future of the park. Ideas include the development of interpretive content and public art.

“We are hoping to turn it into public access,” Dirksen said. “As our region grows, it becomes more and more important to have those spaces preserved.”

District 5 Councilor Sam Chase said he appreciates the Tribe’s long-term thinking approach regarding land use.

“We need to take care of future generations so that they will find a place that they can succeed and thrive,” he said. “It’s not just a way of preserving nature, but access and opportunity for future generations to value it.”

District 4 Councilor Kathryn Harrington said history is not only being remembered, but also being lived from the past to the future.

“We are blessed to be thinking out 50 odd years,” she said. “Thanks for reminding us of where we are and our sense of place. I am looking forward to continuing our partnership as we move bravely and boldly into the years and decades ahead of us.”

Kennedy said she was very interested in knowing when there are construction plans underway or being planned.

“We can make sure to give advice about location and a heads up to see if it fits in with our cultural constraints,” she said. “We are also very interested in displaying our art, and the Willamette River and its cleanup.”

Mercier mostly sat and listened, but did jokingly refer to himself as the “food guy in Grand Ronde.”

“Government-to-government interactions are great, but they don’t always have to be formal because it is at social gatherings where our story gets told,” he said. “We have a First Salmon ceremony in May and I think inviting you guys to events like that would be useful.”

The First Salmon ceremony is held at the McLean House in West Linn, which is within the Metro region.

George described efforts to promote the Tribe as more than just Spirit Mountain Casino as involving “constant education.”

“It is the telling of who we are and who our people are,” George said. “It is important we volunteer our time to sit on different boards and commissions. In those meetings, we may see Tribal members and other Indian organizations. It is really a part of educating people that we are not just a casino.”

Harvey said she values the opportunity to serve on various boards and attend community events.

“People are always very interested in learning our history and I value and appreciate the opportunities, and take a lot of pride in attending the events,” she said.

After the meeting concluded, the two governmental representatives exchanged gifts. Metro gave Tribal Council a framed photo of Willamette Falls and Tribal Council gave a series of historic photos and paintings of Willamette Falls, a framed map of the Tribes’ ceded lands and necklaces made by George.