Yesteryears -- Dec. 1, 2020

2015 – A large contingent of Grand Ronde Tribal members participated in a long-awaited flag hanging ceremony during dual assembles held at Willamina High School. The Tribal flag was placed next to the Oregon flag, U.S. flag and POW/MIA flag near the scoreboard in the school’s gym. “It is an honor what is happening here today,” Tribal Council member Jon A. George said. “A lot of the reason we wanted to hang our flag in your school has to do with sovereignty. Our sovereignty means that we are a government within a national government. We have partnerships and friendships with other governments.”

2010 – The Tribe celebrated its 27^th anniversary of Restoration with a ceremony, meal and powwow. The celebration began in the Tribe’s new plankhouse and moved to the Tribal gymnasium for the meal and powwow. “This is the greatest celebration that the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde can ever have,” Tribal Chairwoman Cheryle A. Kennedy said. “Against all odds, a new nation was created on that day, and that new nation is us.”

2005 – Spirit Mountain Community Fund celebrated $30 million in giving with a party at the new Salem Convention Center. “Who would have thought that in so short a time, we could have accomplished so much?” said Community Fund Board Director Kris Olson. “Lives have been transformed. Hope has been restored.” Since 1997, its first year of giving, the Community Fund awarded 127 grants to arts and culture, 309 grants to education, 66 to environmental preservation, 163 to health, 14 to historic preservation, six to problem gambling and 77 to public safety.

2000 – A groundbreaking ceremony was held for the future home of the Grand Ronde Veterans Memorial at the Tribal Governance Center. Approximately 100 supporters attended the event, which was led by the Grand Ronde Honor Guard bringing in the colors. “There would be no freedom in America without veterans,” Veterans Memorial Committee Consultant Gene Hancock said. “These are exciting times for the Confederated Tribes because this memorial is moving from the conceptual stage to reality.”

1995 – The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde announced it would establish a Housing Authority within the next several months. The authority would be similar to a nonprofit corporation and would require a Board of Commissioners to oversee all housing management and operations for the Tribe.

1990 – Tribal Council Chairman Mark Mercier reported that the Tribal government was preparing to move its administrative and government functions on to Tribal land. “Naturally, our expectations for a move-in date have come and gone, and we are rapidly regrouping and targeting other dates,” he said. The most recent schedule update was to have modular buildings on the property, with utilities hooked up and the moving complete by mid-December.

1985 – The Tribe extended its congratulations to Tribal members who were given awards in football, volleyball and cross country at an annual fall dessert banquet at Willamina High School. Those who lettered on the varsity football team were Chris Leno, Mike Colton and Steve Bobb Jr. Melanie Smith received a letter for the junior varsity volleyball team and Gregg Leno earned an award for the cross country team.

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