Yesteryears: Dec. 15, 2024

2019 – The number of Native American students graduating from Willamina and Sheridan school districts within 4 years increased significantly, according to the Oregon Department of Education annual school report card.

The Willamina School District, where approximately 40% of students identify as Native American or Alaska Native, saw an 11% increase, from 71% in 2018 to 82% in 2019.

In the Sheridan School District, in which about 5% of students identify as Native American or Alaska Native, rates increased from 60% in 2018 to 75% in 2019.

2014 – Tribal Council member Chris Mercier attended the annual White House Tribal Nations Conference, where more than 300 representatives of 566 federally recognized Native nations met with President Barack Obama, Cabinet officials and the White House Council on Native American Affairs to discuss issues facing Tribes. Mercier urged them to increase funding for development of Tribal law enforcement.

2009 – The lead cooks for Spirit Mountain Casino’s Cedar Plank Buffet, Carl Hoover (Cahvilla descendant) and Tribal member Ray Nelson, won the inaugural Rez Kitchen award.

Nelson prepared a bacon-wrapped salmon roulade, while Hoover made a pumpkin seed and hazelnut-crusted elk tenderloin.

2004 – The Tribe was a major sponsor, along with the Cow Creek Band, of  an awards ceremony by the Portland-based Oregon Business Association, during which former U.S. Sen. Mark O. Hatfield was named Statesman of the Year.

1999 – The Natural Resources Department was preparing a new 10-year management plan to run through 2010, for Tribally-owned timberland. It focused on preserving the most ancient trees and emphasized culturally valuable plants and habitat restoration, as well as on harvestable timber. 

1994 – The Tribe adopted a memorandum that officially set its strategic plan in motion, providing planning guidance for staff managers and supervisors.

1989 – No December edition was available

1984 – The Bureau of Indian Affairs approved a contract between the Native American Program of Oregon Legal Services and the Tribe, set to begin in 1985, to enable NAPOLS to better serve the Tribe. It included the possibility of hiring a dedicated attorney stationed in Grand Ronde.

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