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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (June 6, 2013)
VIEWPOINT a selfi sh daycare director are threats to a wide variety of living organisms — some over 100 years old. UO, turn off your sprinkler system and stop terrorizing life on Moss Street. There is no land for an indoor track in the east campus area. Your creepy mega-donor will have to fi nd a different location. Zachary Vishanoff Eugene REMEMBER DARFUR I am a child of immigrants. My father, born in Nuremburg, never completed more than eighth grade and served in the cavalry. He became a labor relations arbitrator, thus pursuing a career of securing equal pay for equal work through unions. To this day, teachers fi ght to secure their wages and benefi ts, and when all is said and done, women make just 77 cents to a man’s dollar, which is not fair. My mother was born near the family farm in Bristol, S.D. She very simply said two things to my sister and me, “You can’t change the weather,” which I really don’t believe, and that she was “crazy for daisies. ” Simon and Garfunkel intoned “still crazy after all these years,” and as one who has lived with mild to severe depression over 20-plus years, I can state that 10,000 lux “Happy Lights” from Costco may be your saving grace. Research may well prove craft lights are equally effective in leading men and women back to fi ne point work. But in seriousness, although the Dalai Lama brought sun and warmth to the region, we must not forget the people of Darfur. After a hiatus, the Lane County Darfur Coalition is mounting a new campaign in the Willamette Valley to do what we can to bring human rights, peace and justice to the region of the Sudan. Our movement follows the blog of Eric Reeves and Nicholas Kristof. On this Memorial Day, we mark the lives of all those lost to the genocide. I’ve asked my sister to put sunfl owers on our parents’ grave in San Diego. We are immigrants, and we come from good stock. Martha Sjurson Amberger Lane County Darfur Coalition BY CHARLOT TE BEHM & VICKY MELLO Talking Stones DEDICATION OF NEWEST MONUMENT A chorus of bird songs fi lled the air on a recent stop at HAL-BA (“downstream”), one of the new Kalapuya Talking Stones that will be dedicated at a public ceremony on June 8. The beauty of the Whilamut Natural Area provided a peaceful place to refl ect upon the incredible progress Springfi eld and Eugene have made in honoring the Kalalpuyas. It’s been only 15 years since a member of the Citizen Planning Committee of East Alton Baker Park (CPC) heard Kalapuya elder and storyteller Esther Stutzman say that there were no Kalapuya names spelled correctly displayed anywhere in Oregon and that The Oregonian newspaper had reported that the Kalapuyas were extinct. Stutzman said it was as if the Kalapuyas never existed even though they were the largest indigenous group in western Oregon. The CPC began conversations with Stutzman, and together they set on a course to bring Kalapuya presence back to the park. The CPC hoped that the partnership would increase public support for the value of preserving the park land in its natural state, balance the park’s history that was dominated by stories of European settlers and provide insights into native plants. Four years after the initial contact, the park name was changed from East Alton Baker Park to the Whilamut Natural Area of Alton Baker Park (WNA). Whilamut is the Kalapuya word for “where the river ripples and runs fast” and is likely how the Willamette River was named. The 2002 naming ceremony was attended by hundreds of people who heard a Kalapuya song sung in public on the banks of the Willamette River for the fi rst time in 150 years. The fi rst 11 Talking Stones — basalt stones inscribed with Kalapuya words — were installed in 2003 throughout the WNA, four in Springfi eld’s Eastgate Woodlands and seven in Eugene. Both Willamalane Park and Recreation District and Eugene Parks and Open Space sponsored the name change and the Talking Stones project. When the construction of the I-5 Willamette Bridge was announced, the CPC immediately went into action to name the bridge for the Kalapuyas. Springfi eld CPC members met with their state representative Terry Beyer, who was chair of the House Transportation Committee, and spoke at a meeting at the UO Longhouse to ask local Indian leaders for their support. CPC members were part of the initial community group convened by ODOT in 2006 and today remain active. At fi rst, their idea of honoring the Kalapuyas wasn’t taken seriously, but six years of persistence paid off. Backed with information and wisdom from Stutzman and David Lewis, ODOT staff and other community members warmed up to the idea of having the bridge and art honor the Kalapuyas. As part of mitigative restoration from the I-5 bridge project, ODOT sponsored four more Talking Stones to complement the existing 11 for a total of 15 Talking Stones. Both the numbers fi ve and three are special to the Kalapuya people. Stuzman will lead the dedication ceremonies at 1 pm Saturday, June 8. Attendees will hear Kalapuya songs, and, hopefully, some of the park’s resident birds will again be singing. The event will begin at GUDU-KUT (“frog”), located at the north end of the Knickerbocker Bridge. Parking is available at the Aspen Street boat launch area in Springfi eld’s Eastgate Woodlands. The longest distance between one new Talking Stone and another is just over 1 mile. For more information, see willametteriverbridge.blogspot.com. Charlotte Behm made the initial contact with Esther Stutzman and as chair of the CPC, led the efforts to rename the park. Vicky Mello is the current CPC chair. Behm and Mello promoted the idea within the ODOT project that both the bridge name and art honor the Kalapuyas. Help plan Springfield’s transportation future! Alison Shiboski Custom Work 343-4972 The City of Springfield has identified potential pedestrian, bike, transit and road projects for the next 20-years and wants to hear from you. Share your thoughts today! Listening Station Friday, June 14 from 3 to 7 p.m. Sprout! Farmer’s Market 418 A Street (EMX or #18 bus) Online questionnaire open through June 21 www.SpringfieldTSP.org Showing at: Call David Reesor at 541-726-4585 (or dreesor@springfield-or.gov) for hearing impaired services or Spanish translation 2-days before event. La ciudad de Springfield ha identificado proyectos de transporte en el futuro para los próximos 20 años y quiere saber lo que piensa. Obtenga más información y nos dicen lo que usted piensa en una estación de escucha (de llamar a los servicios de traducción el 12 de Junio, David Reesor 541-726-4585) o en línea. eugeneweekly.com • June 6, 2013 7
