General Council hears Elders Committee nominations, Smoke Signals presentation

By Nicole Montesano

Smoke Signals staff writer

Tribal Elders nominated 11 people for the Elders Committee during the Sunday, Dec. 1, General Council meeting.

Voting will be in-person at the Elders Christmas Party at the Elder Activity Center from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday, Dec. 20, and at the next General Council meeting on Sunday, Jan. 5.

There are four open seats on the committee. Nominations were as follows: Darlene Aaron was nominated by Reyn Leno. Ida Paterson was nominated by Claudia Leno. Claudia Leno was nominated by Ida Paterson. Jennifer VanAtta was nominated by Penny DeLoe. DeLoe was nominated by Jennifer VanAtta. Melody Wright was nominated by Kimberly Contreras. Contreras was nominated by Wright. Shannon Lafferty was nominated by Tammy Garrison. Garrison was nominated by Lafferty. Pamala Warren-Chase was nominated by Linda Warren. Tammy Chavez was nominated by Collette Abdie.

During the presentation portion, Smoke Signals Editor Danielle Harrison and staff members in attendance introduced themselves, then Harrison presented a six-minute video by Social Media/Digital Journalist Kamiah Koch, which included an introduction to staff and their roles with the paper, as well as accomplishments in the past year.

Publications Secretary/Advertising Representative Katherine Warren told the council that Smoke Signals prints roughly 7,000 copies of the newspaper every two weeks and has another 500 e-subscriptions. It is considering increasing its print run due to high demand, she added.

Editorial Board Chair Mia Prickett, Vice Chair Shelley Hanson and Secretary Tracy Moreland introduced themselves and presented a slide show about the Independent Tribal Press Ordinance passed by the Tribal Council in 2017.

They shared that Smoke Signals is one of just five independent newspapers among the 562 federally recognized Tribes in the United States.

“So that’s something to be proud of, that we recognize the First Amendment and think it should apply to our Tribe as well,” Prickett said.

The ordinance “means that Smoke Signals, like any other media outlet, gets access to Tribal events, news, and … really allows us to function as quality news outlet, which is what we believe our membership deserves,” Prickett said.

Hanson quoted from the Indigenous Journalists Association, saying, “An independent Tribal media is an essential part of a thriving, transparent Tribal government. As Tribal governments grow, it becomes more important that Tribal media grow to inform Tribal citizens how these rapid changes affect their families and communities. Tribal governments must foster an environment (where) Tribal media can develop policies, journalistic excellence, editorial freedom and independence from undue government influence.” 

Prickett responded to 21 questions and comments. She urged people who have concerns or suggestions to attend the monthly Editorial Board meetings to discuss those. The meeting times and dates are listed in every edition of Smoke Signals.

The council held a raffle with three $100 prizes and five $50 prizes.

The $100 prizes went to Hanson, Prickett and Todd Shandy.

The $50 prizes went to Contreras, Pamela Patrick-White, Ken Robertson, Erin Castro and Katherine Warren.

Tribal Council member Kathleen George gave the invocation.

Tribal Council Secretary Jon A. George led the Youth Council in drumming and singing to open the meeting and gave the invocation for the noon meal.

The next General Council meeting is scheduled for 11 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 5, with a report from the Grand Ronde Health & Wellness Department.

The meeting can be viewed by visiting the Tribal government’s website at www.grandronde.org and clicking on the Government tab and then Videos.