Smoke Signals podcasts Dean Rhodes

Grand Ronde Tribal Council Secretary Micheal Cherry recently attended the Tribal Elected Official Training at the ilani Casino Resort in Washington. Cherry sat down with the Smoke Signals podcast to share her take-aways from the three-day training.

Smoke Signals Editior Danielle Harrison and Social Media/Digital Journalist Kamiah Koch sat down with Tribal Council member and Indian Gaming Association Tribal delegate Denise Harvey to discuss her recent trip to London for the International Casino Exhibition.

Visitors to the Spirit Mountain Casino have long been able to purchase Tribal memorabilia from the gift shop. Jewlery and beaded items made by Grand Ronde Tribal members sits in a display box next to the cashier for interested buyers. On another wall in the gift shop offers a rotating display of visual artwork and drawings from regional artists for interested buyers. Although there are several Tribal artists from the Grand Ronde Tribe, none of thier visual artwork was available in their own Tribal gift shop. That was until the casino noticed TwahnaCreation.

The Grand Ronde Tribe hosted its first Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Awareness Dinner on Friday, Dec. 1. Smoke Signals was permitted to record the full panel discussion as a part of our Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Awareness series, following MMIP Resource Coordinator Amanda Freeman and Great Circle Recovery Operations Director Jennifer Worth's awareness efforts.

Upcoming MMIP awareness events:
Jan. 13, 2024: Self-defense class
June 1, 2024: MMIP Awareness Walk at Salem Riverfront Park
*More details on these events to be released soon and can be found on the Smoke Signals calendar.*

Tribal member Amanda Freeman has been working on a photography project for several years, with the goal of raising awareness for missing and murdered Indigenous people. In the last few months it has reached new heights with the help of the Tribe’s Great Circle Recovery Operations Director Jennifer Worth. Together, along with collaboration from Spirit Mountain Casino, they installed a new billboard along Highway 18 with the words, “How many must go missing before you start to listen?” Smoke Signals talks with Freeman about the story behind this billboard and what she hopes to achieve.

Upcoming MMIP awareness events:
Jan. 13, 2024: Self-defense class
June 1, 2024: MMIP Awareness Walk at Salem Riverfront Park
*More details on these events to be released soon and can be found on the Smoke Signals calendar.*

Podcast #101
During the 2023 election, Smoke Signals asked all six Tribal Council candidates to elaborate on their vision for economic development for the Tribe, solutions for enrollment issues, their qualifications for the job and more. You can find all six podcast interviews with the candidates on our Spreaker page, or wherever you listen to podcasts, to help you decide on who to vote for.

Ballots were mailed to voters with verified signatures on Wednesday, July 26. Tribal members can submit a verified signature card at any time up to and including Election Day on Saturday, Sept. 9. The Grand Ronde post office is no longer open to accept ballots on Saturday, Sept. 9. For Tribal members’ convenience, there will be a ballot box in the Governance Center during the election season and also on Election Day there will be a box in the Community Center where ballots can be dropped off. Ballots will be available, as they have been in the past, for Tribal members who want to vote in person. It is the voter’s responsibility to ensure their ballot is received by the Election Board on Election Day and allow for adequate time for the ballot to reach the Election Board by Sept. 9. If you have questions regarding your vote, contact the Tribe’s Election Board office located in the Tribal Community Center, 9615 Grand Ronde Road, and the phone number is 503-879-2271.