Yesteryears -- Sept. 1, 2018

2013 – Tribal Council voted to disenroll 13 members for violating the dual enrollment provision of the Tribal Constitution. Seventeen other cases were sent back to the Tribal Enrollment Committee for re-examination. The meeting began with Tribal Council member Chris Mercier moving to suspend the process until the Tribe could find a way to help those facing disenrollment. The motion failed 5-4. Tribal Council Chair Reyn Leno said it was the current council’s duty to uphold the Tribal Constitution and clean up the Tribe’s enrollment files.

2008 – Tribal member Kass Ritchey, 24, became a homeowner using the Tribe’s Down Payment Assistance Program. He approached the Housing Authority for assistance at the suggestion of his mother, and three months later was a homeowner. “I couldn’t have bought the house without the Tribe,” he said. Due to the program, homeownership has become a reality for many Tribal members. At the time, the program had issued almost 900 grants since its inception in 1990.

2003 – The Hall of Legends opened at Spirit Mountain Casino and included 53 feet linking the casino with the lodge next door. The hall told the story of the Tribe. Elaine LaBonte, Tribal management mentee, organized the project by gathering ideas from staffers and the Tribe’s Cultural Resources Department. They gathered hundreds of artifacts, artwork and stories for the hall. “Our primary goal was to honor our ancestors and their stories,” LaBonte said. “It’s not our interpretation of history. It’s theirs.”

1998 – The Tribe made a proposal to include certain Tribal properties as part of the federally recognized Reservation. If passed, the amended Grand Ronde Reservation Act would redefine the official status of seven parcels of land purchased after the Tribe was restored in 1983. The 191 acres, held in trust by the U.S. government, would officially become part of the Grand Ronde Reservation.

1993 – Oregon Gov. Barbara Roberts signed a gaming compact with Tribal officials, signifying the end of negotiations. It was the Tribe’s hope that the gaming facility would be in operation within a year, employ 600 people and offer a badly needed economic boost to the area. The gaming facility was to include a 1,000-seat bingo hall, video machines, keno and a buffet-style restaurant. Future plans included a hotel, golf course, retail space and other recreational amenities. Money generated from the gaming facility was to potentially be used to build a Tribal human services clinic and offices, as well as housing.

1988 – The Tribe celebrated its fourth annual powwow with more than 1,300 attendees. “Our powwow gets bigger every year and we are indebted to all who helped prepare for our event,” Tribal Council Chairman Mark Mercier said. “Believe me, it takes a lot of careful planning and hard work to make an event of this magnitude a success.” He noted that a group of employees, Tribal Elders and community members had gathered weekly to make items for the Tribal giveaways, as well as those who volunteered to cook for the attendees.

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