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 ,
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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
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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)