Yesteryears -- July 15, 2018

2013 – Navajo code talkers were among those honored at the Marcellus Norwest Memorial Veterans Powwow held at the Uyxat Powwow Grounds. The Tribe wrapped the men in traditional blankets and presented them with Native American Medals of Valor. Navajo code is considered the most successful military code ever invented and remained unbroken by the Japanese throughout World War II.

2008 – Construction on Grand Ronde Road was set to begin in August and included widening the road to add bicycle lanes and sidewalks on the east side of the Yamhill River bridge to allow for safe pedestrian travel. Roadside ditches were to be replaced with storm sewers to make room for the roadway widening.

The sanitary sewer and water lines also were scheduled for upgrades. “There’s an awful lot of very serious drainage problems that we’re trying to resolve,” Tribal Engineer Eric Scott said. “We are proposing to discharge the storm water to historic and underutilized drainages. We know there’s an impact and we’re doing everything we can to mitigate it.”  

2003 – The first phase in a longtime Tribal plan to provide quality, affordable housing for its members was officially enacted with the dedication of a new 36-unit Tribal housing development. Its name “Chxi Musam Illihi” means “a sleeping place” in Chinuk Wawa. “I think that we finally achieved a goal that we set many years ago about building nice housing for Tribal members,” Grand Ronde Tribal Housing Authority Chair Tim Holmes said. More than 100 Tribal members applied for the 36 available homes.

1998 – The Tribe hosted community meetings for urban Tribal members in Portland, Salem and Eugene. The meetings were the first three of five scheduled that summer to solicit member input on community needs, program spending and other uses of Tribal funds. Overall, members from Oregon’s three most populous cities showed “broad support” for long-term financial planning while favoring enhanced program services as the No. 1 Tribal need.

1993 – The Nanitch Sahallie employee of the month was Intake Service Counselor Karen Schmid. She was a member of the Choctaw/Apache Tribe and grew up in Portland. After graduating from Northwest Indian College in Bellingham, Wash., she also received additional certifications in her field. “I feel it is a privilege to work here,” she said. “My job is worthwhile if I can see I’ve made a difference in one person’s life. I want to help make Native people stronger.”

1988 – The class of 1988 was featured and included Tribal members Steve Bobb Jr., Jeffery J. Brickell, Mike Colton, Mychal Childers, Darren Houck, Chris Leno, Joey Larsen, LaDonna Norwest and Gina Valera. Childers said that her mother, Candy Robertson, helped her realize her dream of wanting to pursue a career in interior decorating. She said her hobbies included “everything,” but she especially enjoyed running and exercising.

Yesteryears is a look back at Tribal history in five-year increments through the pages of Smoke Signals.