Turning Things Around

Profile
Enrolled members: 5,000
Location: The 10,000-acre Grand Ronde Reservation lies 65 miles SW of Portland in Oregon’s rural Coast Range mountains.
Principal Tribes: Kalapuya, Molalla, Chasta, Umpqua and Rogue River.
Leadership: Governed by an elected, nine-member Tribal Council.
Terminated: 1954
Restored: 1983

Progress toward self-sufficiency: The Tribes offer health insurance, need-based scholarship aid, pensions for Tribal elders and employment training to Tribal members. The Tribes manage more than 9,000 acres of its own timberland and owns and operates Spirit Mountain Casino. Other tribal enterprises include Grand Ronde Industries and Spirit Mountain Logistics, which provide inventory management and support services to manufacturers, and Spirit Mountain Environmental Services, providing environmental consulting and management.

The Story of the Grand Ronde Tribes:
Turning Things Around The Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon is a federally-recognized Native American Tribe. The Tribe’s are a confederation of the tribes that inhabited the valleys of Western Oregon from what is now the California border to present-day Portland. Its principal tribes are the Kalapuya, Molalla, Chasta, Umpqua and Rogue River, with several other smaller bands and groups.

The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde was established in the winter of 1856 when the federal government forced member tribes to cede their ancestral lands and relocate to a 60,000-acre reservation in Oregon’s Coast Range. Beginning with the Rogue River and Shasta tribes in Southern Oregon, the "Trail of Tears" began to move northward, with other tribes joining the march as it passed their homelands. During the journey, many died from the harsh winter conditions.

The Grand Ronde Reservation was decreased over the years until the U.S. government terminated the Tribe’s in 1954. All that was left was 7.5 acres of land—a cemetery and a maintenance shed. Through the hard work and sacrifices of Tribal members, federal recognition was restored in 1983. In 1988, Congress re-established a 9,811-acre reservation. The Tribe’s have since acquired additional land, built a community center, a health clinic and a tribal governance center and started education, health-care, and other programs for Tribal members. The Tribe’s have also embarked upon an ambitious economic development program, which includes Spirit Mountain Casino. Spirit Mountain is the Northwest’s most successful casino and Oregon’s top attraction, making it a vital part of the Tribes’ effort to achieve self-sufficiency.

The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde are committed to building self-sufficiency and turning things around for tribal members and the Oregon community. When current Tribal Leader Chair Kathryn Harrison and other tribal leaders were fighting for restoration, she made this pledge: "We’re fighting for our rightful place among the family of Indian nations. There won’t be any surprises from us; we’re open and above-board; we won’t embarrass you. By helping ourselves, we’ll be helping the whole community."

Tribal members are fulfilling that promise. Through the creation of the Spirit Mountain Community Fund in 1997, Tribal members give six percent of the profits from Spirit Mountain Casino to worthy organizations and causes in western Oregon, practicing the age-old Tribal traditions of sharing and giving back. In fall 2000, the Spirit Mountain Community Fund had given a landmark $10 million to charities since the funds’ inception in 1997.

Tribal leaders also have worked in partnership with local and state agencies to help restore important fish and wildlife habitat throughout western Oregon. While working to turn things around for its members by providing needed social services, the Tribe also is taking on the hard work of reclaiming its traditions and preserving its history. Its cultural preservation work includes teaching the traditional language, Chinook Jargon, building the Tribal archives, reclaiming ancestral remains and other funerary and significant objects, and working in partnership with local institutions to make the art and culture of native peoples more accessible to the general public.