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Culture MMIP walk honors missing and murdered 09.11.2025 Nicole Montesano Murdered and Missing Indigenous People Riley Freeman, 13, left, and Tribal member Fabian Quenelle participate in Ampkwa Advocacy’s 2025 Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Awareness Walk at Riverview Park in Independence Saturday, Aug. 30. (Photo by Michelle Alaimo) By Nicole Montesano Smoke Signals staff writer It has been 26 years since Leona LeClair Kinsey (Puyallup) of La Grande, Oregon, joined the legions …

and Lands Director Jan Reibach, Social Services Department Manager Dana Ainam. 29 years : Ceded Lands Program Manager Michael Karnosh 28 years : Restorative Assistant Donnette Spaulding, Police Records Evidence Technician Egypt Leno, Cultural Center Supervisor Crystal Szczepanski, Judicial Operations Supervisor Julie Boekhoff. 27 years : Employment Specialist Tauni Tollas. 26 years : Procurement Department Manager Nathan Rolston. 24 years : Housing Improvement Coordinator Donald Coon. 22 years …

prizes of $250; six prizes of $500 and three prizes of $1,000. It honored the following employees: 36 years: Kelly Leno, procurement specialist. 30 years: Julia Papen, licensing program manager. 28 years : Sunni Ulestad, billing supervisor. 27 years: Melody Baker, clinic business office manager. 26 years: David DeHart, employee relations manager; Becky Mode, compensation-HRIS specialist. 25 years: Angela Sears, Spirit Mountain Community Fund director. 24 years: William Mercier, web administrator …

milepost 26 on Highway 18. A confused elderly driver was contacted and provided a courtesy ride back to their residence. Friday, Aug. 5 Traffic assist performed for a disabled vehicle near milepost 24 on Highway 18. Citizen contact occurred in the 9600 block of Grand Ronde Road. Assisted outside agency with a domestic disturbance in the 200 block Cherry Hill Road. Officers responded and assisted Yamhill County Sheriff’s deputies with the arrest of the involved male. Assisted outside agency …

at the 2011 Grand Ronde Contest Powwow this year held at Uyxat Powwow Grounds near Fort Yamhill State Park. Dances honored Elders who have walked on. The Tribe hosted guests from as far away as Costa Rica, and the Tribe's only member living in Vermont came for a visit. Saturday afternoon for Grand Entry, dancers circled until they were three deep under the tent at Uyxat Powwow Grounds. The stands were so packed, not a seat was available. The temperature hit 95 degrees. Tribal Culture Committee …

back in the 1990s when Ed was on Tribal Council, he was acknowledged as a key figure in the effort to win over West Valley residents and business owners. He was nominated for his first run for Tribal Council by Tribal Elder John Mercier, who at the time was in his 20s. “I remember it quite clearly because we used to go and visit him at the store,” Mercier says. “I didn’t even give it a second thought. Now, all these years later, I would definitely give it a second, third, 10th thought before I …

for their own child, he says. “I brought her into one of the treatment groups that I was doing,” recalls Leno. “I introduced her and told my story. After that she was able to come in as a regular visitor of mine and just visit.” Time has brought reflection for Leno. He is now a father. He still wonders. “Even to this day, I don’t know if I was in her shoes,” says Leno. “I don’t know if I could be that forgiving. I don’t know and I’ve been the person. I know that it was an accident. I never intended …

Falls. “While other people traveled to the Falls or came to visit and trade, our ancestors were the people of the Falls. Fishing at the Falls was central to our life and culture. Today, we maintain an ongoing connection to the Falls. We harvest lamprey as our ancestors did. We also work closely with government agencies, businesses and organizations that are connected to Willamette Falls. “This rule and our fishing at the Falls will have a profound impact on the Grand Ronde people …

, but the actual material evidence left behind that can fill in the gaps in history. We want to be able to tell the story of the people who came to the Grand Ronde Reservation. We saw this need.” Harrelson and Edwards say there is a desire to have this type of information to help educate the membership and people who visit the Tribal museum and cultural center – Chachalu. “There is a need for additional information about the time period from the settlement of the Grand Ronde Indian Reservation up until …

Ronde eventually received $45 million in CARES Act funding that supplemented many of its efforts to assist Tribal members. Tribal events started to be canceled left and right as the number of cases burgeoned in Oregon. The April 5 General Council meeting in Eugene was scrapped as Lane Community College closed, the Summer Youth Employment Program was postponed and the annual internship to the American Museum of Natural History in New York City and concurrent visit to Tomanowos did not occur …