Hatfield Fellow visits Grand Ronde

By Danielle Harrison

Smoke Signals editor

The 2024-25 Hatfield Fellow Kwani-Fawn Marcellay (Colville) visited Grand Ronde on Thursday, April 17, to give Tribal Council and Spirit Mountain Community Fund staff members an update midway through her fellowship in Washington, D.C. and her plans for the future.

“Thank you so much for having me and taking the time today,” she said. “I’ve been able to take part in a lot of really great things as the Hatfield Fellow. I’m also working on a natural resources portfolio in addition to Tribal work…Right now, I’ve been taking a lot of individual stakeholder meetings with people…and been able to take a more active role with legislative work.”

Marcellay is a recent graduate of Portland’s Reed College, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in anthropology.

The Tribe established the Mark O. Hatfield Fellowship in 1998 as a living tribute to Sen. Hatfield to honor his accomplishments as Oregon’s governor and a U.S. senator.

Each year, Spirit Mountain Community Fund sponsors a highly motivated Native American to serve as the Hatfield Fellow and intern in an Oregon congressional office, enhancing the mutual understanding between leadership in Washington, D.C., and Indian Country.

Marcellay is midway through an eight-month term in Rep. Val Hoyle’s office. Hoyle represents Oregon’s fourth congressional district and it is the first time her office has hosted a Hatfield Fellow. Hoyle is also a past member of the Community Fund Board of Trustees.

While studying at Reed College, Marcellay served as president of the American Indians Student Union. She also worked as a legal assistant for her Tribal public defender’s office and conducted community-based research for her Tribe related to sexual assault reporting.

Marcellay is the 25th Native American to serve as a Hatfield Fellow. She began her fellowship in November.

“What I’ve learned is that in a lot of these (Capitol Hill) offices is that unless you’re in a district where there are a lot of Tribal members out there who are making their voices heard, it’s really hard to keep reminding people about the impact on Tribes because it’s not often brought up in those spaces,” she said. “It’s been my honor to do that as often as I can and kind of just remind people, especially during this time.”

She added that it is a “crazy time,” to be in Washington, D.C.

“You need to keep talking about the Tribes and how things are impacting them,” Marcellay said. “There’s not a lot of Native staff members in D.C. and I think on the House side, I’ve been so happy to know four of them…I’ve also been really taking advantage of my time in D.C. and really strongly networking there.”

Marcellay shared that she applied for a Native American Congressional Internship through the Udall Foundation. She is one of 11 college, graduate and law students from across the United States who was accepted. The internship will begin in September. It is similar to the Hatfield Fellowship, in that it gives Native American students the opportunity to gain experience with the federal legislative process and receive first-hand training on how the government-to-government relationship between Tribes and the federal government works.

“It’s one of those things where if I had not done the Hatfield Fellowship, I would have never thought I was capable of applying for the Udall internship,” she said.

Tribal Council Chairwoman Cheryle A. Kennedy thanked Marcellay for the update.

“What a wonderful experience you’re going to have and I wish you well and thank you for coming and being a part of what we’re trying do, and it really is to elevate our status in this country and make sure our rights are recognized,” she said.

Then, Marcellay was gifted a dentalium necklace made by Tribal Council Secretary Jon A. George and a Tri-logoed blanket designed by Tribal member Matthew Williams.

Applications for the 2025-26 Hatfield Fellowship program are being accepted through Friday, May 2.

Visit www.thecommunityfund.com for more information about the Hatfield Fellowship program and the Spirit Mountain Community Fund.