I was hired on at Spirit Mountain Casino in June of 1996. I was introduced to many people as we opened one of the first expansions of the casino, Legends Restaurant. I remember going through new-hire orientation and listening about our tribe's history as we were given a clear explanation as to why the casino was built and what it meant to not only our tribe but Indian Country as a whole.
I remember the reaction of those who hadn't already known that information, the history and heritage and the conversations that took place about the tribe and it's future. I grew up in Grand Ronde so I was an easy source of information for those who had further questions. There were many individuals who wanted more and felt that the tribe's history was very rich and found the culture to be very interesting. When I was recognized in my department as a Tribal Member (at that time, I was the only one), I was bombarded with questions and dialogue and it was apparent that these non-tribal employees were hungry for information. I did my best to answer but I am no historian.
After several months of coworkers picking my brain about the tribe, it was obvious that they had begun to take some pride in where they worked and who they worked for. I believe that they were proud to become part of the Grand Ronde family. I feel they had a sense of belonging and they understood where Grand Ronde had come from. They understood that Grand Ronde was terminated, restored and were now paving the path to self-sufficiency for the entire tribe and it's members. They were happy to contribute. I would start seeing them at tribal functions such as our annual pow-wows, fundraisers and community events. They were proud to be part of something. They were proud to help pave our path.
In November of 2003, I was hired on with the Public Information Department at the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde. I said goodbye to the family I had grown with for seven years. I worked in the Public Information Department for four years and then decided to pursue a career opportunity back at the casino.
When I went through new hire orientation this time, I noticed there was no information regarding the tribe and it's history. There was nothing to explain our heritage and nothing to describe what our ancestors had gone through to help secure our future. There was nothing to help explain to those in attendance why they were there, other than a job. To me, we had now become "just another company."
With that being said, it would be easy for non-tribal employees to become frustrated with benefits such as per capita, tribal hiring preference and free healthcare. It would be easy because they wouldn't understand where the tribe came from, the three decades it took to re-establish our identity and the path to self-sufficiency that the casino was built to help pave. A lack of understanding and education is a potential potion for discrimination. Tribal Members only make up about 10% of the casino's workforce. Tribal Members are the minority at Spirit Mountain. We need to share our story with the entire workforce at Spirit Mountain Casino. We need casino employees to be proud of where they work and who they work for.
Let's bring Grand Ronde back to Spirit Mountain.
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