Image provided by: The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs; Warm Springs, OR
About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (March 10, 1978)
PAGE 2 M A R C H 10, 1978 Flora Thompson, Gone But Never Forgotten Many people did not have the opportunity to know her well, but they danced long into the night to honor “the flower.” Flora Cushingway Thomp son, who was well known and respected by many p e o p l e throughout the Northwest, died March 3 in a fire that destroyed her home at Celilo Village, 12 miles east of The Dalles. She had lived there for nearly 30 years. Born on the Warm Springs Reservation in 1898, Flora was loved and adm ired by local people. Caroline Tohet, who had known Flora all her life said, “She was a real elder. It was her way to attend all funerals in hopes that it would make people feel better. She held no des- crimination against anyone and her loss is great, not only to Warm Springs people, but to whites and other Indians as well. She had many friends.” Mrs. Tohet had been a neighbor of the Cushingway family up at Tenino. “It was our way to visit each other all the time. We were a very friendly bunch.” Flora was raised where the Hank Palm ers now have their home. Last summer, she looked over her old home site, no doubt remembering where her house stood and where she had spent many days. The general concensus is that Flora was a wise and great-hearted woman. “She was always sharing her beliefs and wisdom and giving advice to our young people,” remarked Ver bena Greene while she was pre paring one of the m eals at the Longhouse. “ She was also an historian. In fact, she knew a lot of what some people didn’t know,” Mrs. Greene added. Mrs. Thompson did a lot of traveling in her 79 years. Many people were often surprise when they received postcards from her from all over the United States. But she never wore out her welcome, never staying in one place more than two or three days. Flora out-lived three hus bands and three children. Her last husband, the legendary Chief Tommy Thompson, died in 1959 at the age of 104. After her husband’s death, Mrs. Thomp son continued as the matriarch of the almost vanished Wy-ams. The death óf an elder such as Flora Thompson, makes a person realize how valuable their stories and wisdom are. Many of us now wish that we had listened while our parents and grandparents were telling of the time they were born, the time they dug their first roots and to the legends surrounding their heritage. See page 12 for Howlak Tich- um. which destroyed her home and many pictures, papers, and a peace pipe which was smoked by ancestors of the late Chief Tommy Thompson during the visit of Lewis and Clark. ■ Turnover Of Indian Counselors Becomes M a tte r of Concern w ife. w M B r , .r ;•* «SMEWr* 8■ . - S Flora and Chief Tommy Thompson admire “Pi-a-toot Ka-Ke-a” which the chief carved many years ago. A bronze replica of “the holy bird” rested atop a prayer pole or “la-Wit”, at the east end of the Celilo Longhouse. When the sun came up the shadow of the bird came through the high window above the door people believed that it was a sign the Almighty had heard their prayers. S p ily a y T ym oo Coyote News . 5 ' - ” - SF1LYAV TYMOO STAFF Managing Editor " Assistant Editor Photographic Specialist/Writer Reporter/Photagrapher ' ' Secretary , - '? v ><■' r '< \ \ & Ss % \ Sandy RangHa Cynthia Stowe» Donna Behrend Greg Smith • Trainees Priscilla Squtemphen .< ’/ FOUNDED *N MARCH 1976 Published by-weekly by the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon. Warm Springs. Oregon 97761. Any written material to the Spilyay Tyraoo should be addressed to: f | ? |g ||1 |g ||g ||I ff||§ | |||||||B i l l H - .< FO . Box 735 War» Springs. Oregon 97781 1 IS! liS i sw«« 11 H i 111 SIS 1 Bi 811 H H ■ V * ' X*S M i l 'Rkt 1 » ''' ; r / i x Subscription Rate $6.00 per year. x '' i Simnasho Kids Plan Carnival Everyone is invited to come to the St. Patrick’s Day Carnival to be held Friday night March 17 at the Warm Springs Commun ity Center. the students of the Simnasho School have been working hard to prepare for the carnival, which is a fund-raiser for a trip later this month. It should be a lot of fun, according to Simnasho teacher Rich Little. The school is pro mising such a d v e n t u r e s as sponge throwing, cake walks, fortune telling, bingo, ring toss and lots of fry bread and chili. Seattle and Vancouver, B.C. are the destinations of the ambi tious students, who plan to hit the road March 24 for five days of fun and learning. A successful carnival means a happy trip. Come to the com munity center at 6:30 and stay till 9:30 . . . and leave some of your pennies behind! _ , The sudden resignation of Small Fire Hawk from his coun seling position at Madras High School has left many people pondering the future of federal programs for Indian students in the 509-J school district. Hawk resigned in February from the Title IV position he held for one month, to begin training as a patrolman for the Warm Springs Police Department, Being the fifth person to vacate the job in the five-year history of the Title IV program in 509-J, Hawk has draw n a t tention to the turnover of Indian counselors and the larger issue of how to meet the needs of Indian students in the schools. Hawk became the counselor in January after a year and a half of teaching and coaching at the high school. The position, left open for the second time this school year, will not be filled again until next September. In the m eantim e a second com munity liaison.will be hired to work as an in-school counterpart of the existing liaison. Title IV P a rt A Parent Committee Chairman Fabian Sutterlee noted that current fighting incidents at the school point to the need for an Indian counselor for students “to turn to and talk to.” Unworried about a loss in the credibility of his committee which oversees the spending of Indian Education Act funds and the hiring of Title IV staff, Sutterlee said “ The kids are the ones who are suffer ing.” Tribal Education Director Charles Calica, who is also a former Title IV counselor ad mitted that the lack of continuity in counseling “ kind of throws kids for a loop.” The Indian Club is left without consistent direction and when the kids need help they’re not sure where to turn, he said. Given the acknowledged need for an Indian counselor, why has the job been continually vacated? Hawk’s resignation repeats a pattern set by the two previous counselors, both of whom left the job to go to work for the Confederated Tribes. Mike Cle ments resigned in November after a year and a half at the high school and two years as the junior high counselor, taking a job in the Tribal Planning De partment. Calica was the coun selor for two years before be coming the Tribes’ Education Director. Their reasons for leaving the district shed some light on the individual nature of their decisions as well as some, com mon concerns. Hawk regretted leaving the school mid-year but felt he could not turn down an unfortunately- timed opportunity to enter his favored field of law enforce ment. Wanting to reach “ that one-third” that he couldn’t reach as a counselor, Hawk plans to eventually work with juveniles. Calica also felt he could be more effective on another level, that of designing and adminis tering programs to meet Indian students’ needs. So he applied for the tribal directorship and was hired in 1976. Both ex-counselors pointed (Continued on page 9)
