Karuk Community Development Corporation Celebrates Its Second Year

Two-Years Old and Still Growing: Karuk Community Development Corporation Celebrates Its Second Year hat would you do if your tribe Utilizing money from Rural Develop reorganized, and expanded. The Karuk had an enrolled population base ment, the Forest Service, the Bureau of Building Center continues to meet the of 2,500 and lived in a remote, Indian Affairs, and the Karuk Tribe, the needs of mid-Klamath River communi mountainous region of California, KCDC began with a staff of three: Ex ties for high quality, competitively priced where a formerly timber dependent ecutive Director Suzanne M. Burcell hardware and building supplies, as well 'Onomy had just collapsed? Answer: (Karuk), Corporate Accountant Leila L. as good customer service. trt an economic development corpo- Fuller, and Executive Assistant Karen A second Tribal enterprise began in ation. That's what the Karuk Tribe did G. Derry. The, then fledgling corpora February of 1996 when the Eagle Staff in 1994 when it chartered the Karuk tion began pursuing three goals: Fund of First Nations Development In Community Development Corpora (1) Tribal enterprise development, (2) re stitute (a private Native American foun tion (KCDC) as an economic develop cruitment of new employers to the area dation and intermediary grantmaker) ment organization separate and distinct (including the prerequisite community awarded the KCDC a $30,000 start-up from the Tribal government. infrastructure development) and (3) cre Grant for the market testing phase and The KCDC' s mission is to build diver ation of a small business development development of Karuk Rustic Decor & sified, sustainable economies by center. Furniture. The enterprise, initially, will creating new business ownership and The first Tribal enterprise was acquired manufacture rustic decor and, eventu employment opportunities within the on December 4, 1995 when the KCDC ally, rustic furniture. Ancestral Territory of the Karuk Tribe, took over Pence's Hardware. Now Additionally, in partnership with the specifically along the mid-region of the known as the Karuk Building Center, Happy Camp Action Committee, the Klamath River. the new business has remodeled, KCDC also worked with the California Conservation Corp (CCC) Del Norte District, the Forest Service, the Karuk Tribe, and the Siskiyou Training and Employment Program (STEP) to help initiate a Summer Youth Employment Program. The program, which began in the summer of 1995, helped pave the way for the CCC'sAmeriCorps "Cadre of Corps" program to include the mid Klamath River region during FY 1996-97. After two weeks of train ing in Klamath, the new complement of AmeriCorps participants returned to continued on page 2 These are samples of the Indian designed wall hangings made by the Karuk Rustic Decor and Furniture. work in Happy Camp and the sur Affairs (BIA) and the U.S. Small KCDC continues to pursue any oppor rounding area on a variety of educa Business Administration (SBA). tunity which will enhance the lives of the tional, human service, natural resource Today the Karuk Community Devel people in the mid-Klamath region conservation and public safety projects. opment Corporation is busier than Tribal and non-Tribal, alike. As Executive A unique aspect of the AmeriCorps ever. With the addition of Business Director Burcell says, "the most reward program is that Corps members will be Development Specialist Thomas E. ing aspect of the work has been the team trained to assist local communities in Waddell, as well as several seasonal building, both within the corporation and assessing their own needs for such ser fisheries enhancement personnel, the extending into the larger community." vices as tutoring, mentoring and con struction or repair of needed facilities, as well as traditional CCC work-trail construction and maintenance, water shed restoration, firefighting, and flood control. Another project which stands tall in the KCDC's growing list of accom plishments is the addition of the Tribal Business Information Center (T-BIC). One of only two such centers in Cali fornia, the Karuk CDC houses the northern T-BIC, with the other being lo cated near the Torres-Martinez Reser vation in Palm Springs. The siting of the northern T-BIC in the offices of the KCDC was based upon its previously developed plan to establish a Small Business Development Center to offer existing and prospective business own ers training in entrepreneurship and business management, one-on-one technical assistance in business plan ning, a library of business information resources, and access to essential com puter equipment and software pro grams. The T-BIC's are a partnership between Tribes, the Bureau of Indian 2 ...alllk.. THE MESSENGER pring 1997 meant more than just the award winning The Saw another semester of classes. To dust Wars, and The American the Indian, academic, and non Book of the Dead. He attended academic communities of this area, it a reception which was hosted meant a semester which was filled with by the INRSEP Student Club a wide variety of cultural activities. To and then gave an outstanding the Indian and academic programs at reading of his poetry in HSU' s Humboldt State University (HSU), it Goodwin Forum. Dr. Barnes' meant a lot of rewarding work. led a lively discussion of his po Along with HSU's annual Pow-Wow etry; and the audience was more and the annual American Indian Col than ready to participate. lege Motivation Day held at HSU, Michael Dorris (Modoc), spring 1997 saw renowned Indian au nationally known author of thors and culturally sensitive produc- Yellow Raft on Blue Water and rs strengthen their commitment to In the highly acclaimed The Bro JTEPP Director Laura Lee George and Miss NCAJ ian issues through their individual ken Cord (which was named Keduescha Lara present author Michael Dorris with works and their individual visits to the best non-fiction book in 1989 an JTEPP t-shirt. north coast area. by the National Book Critics Dr. Jim Barnes (Choctaw), who was Circle), came to Humboldt county Greg Sarris (Coast Miwok), author of invited by HSU's Indian Natural Re March 9-12. Invited by College of the contemporary Native American Litera sources, Sciences, and Engineering Redwoods' (CR) English Department, ture and Poetry, but perhaps best known Program (INRSEP) and its student club, specifically Pat McCutcheon, Dorris for his HBO movie version of Grand Av came to HSU on March 1''. Dr. Barnes met with representatives from many of enue,_ came to HSU April 11'"· ITEPP is a noted poet whose better known po the local Tribes and the local commu Director Laura Lee George, and Dee etry books include A Season of Loss, nity, as well as some of the local elemen McBroome, an HSU History Professor tary schools. At many of the functions, who uses Sarris' book, Keeping Slug he discussed a wide variety of Indian Women Alive in her class, led an in issues, both personal and professional. spired campaign to bring the celebrated CR used Yellow Raft on Blue Water as writer I producer to HSU' s campus. its book of the year in many of its classes. Subsequently the event was sponsored by Laura Lee George (Karuk), Director of ITEPP, the ITEPP Student Club, the Cen HSU' s Indian Teacher Educational and ter for Indian Community Development Personnel Program (ITEPP) coordi (CICD), and a Teacher Diversity Grant. nated a reception for Dorris at CR' scam Sarris gave a public lecture in HSU's pus. She enlisted the aid of ITEPP's Stu Natural Resources Building and attended dent Club and HSU's American Indian a pot luck at ITEPP. He then presided Alliance (AlA). Altogether, the com over a packed video screening and book bined Indian effort from HSU signing of Grand Avenue in Gist Hall. organizations guaranteed that the recep Dan Hart, a former instructor at HSU, Jim Barnes (Choctaw) reads tion was a resounding success, as hun who now teaches at Montana State his poetry at HSU dreds will testify. Continued on Page 10 SPRING 1997 ......_3 ~iiiin istory, culture, spirituality, util Tolowa, from Wilson Creek to ity and artistry were inter Smith River; the Yurok, from twined in the works, "Her the mouth of the Klamath Mind Made Up, Weaving Caps the In upriver to Bluff Creek; the dian Way." This show of traditional lo Karuk, from farther up the cal basket caps premiered in Humboldt Klamath; and the Hupa, from State University's (HSU) Reese Bullen the Trinity River area. Gallery and the caps were on display Susan "Tweet" Burdick, a from March lO th through April 15th. Yurok basket-maker who According to HSU Art Professor Ron teaches a Basket class every Johnson, who curated the exhibit with spring at HSU, was one of the Colleen Kelly Marks, a basket expert masters whose work was and curator for the Trees of Mystery exhibited, as was work by Museum in Klamath, "Our title empha Leona Wilkinson (Wiyot), sizes that these women are artists. We secretary for the campus Upward From left to right; Sisters Leona Wilkinson, have representations of generations Bound Program. Johnson said, Cheryl Seidne1; and Marian Seidna from the late 19th century to baskets "Wilkinson, a Wiyot weave1~ is being woven for the exhibition by leading a revival of the art among younger Hupa women who are very her people." women, a newer tradition of yarn caps · promising weavers." Wilkinson and her sister, Cheryl Seidner, worn by men has emerged. These yarn Though some caps are on loan from from Humboldt's Educational Opportu caps are crocheted with the designs of major museums, most came from the nity Program, demonstrated basket basketry caps." In ... many ... places Indian community, which gave "tre weaving and lectured on the impor along the Klamath and Trinity river val mendous support" for the showing, tance of it in the Wiyot culture as part leys, one sees men wearing crocheted Johnson said.

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