PAGE 4 MARCH 1«. 1978 _
I
Editorial
EEWA
**\
fl
B i w
4
-sits
■
To The Editor
“ It Ju st Isn ’t F a ir ”
The Madras White Buffalo
Basketball team, not favorites
at the beginning of the season
showed great poise during regu
lar league play and emerged as
co-champions with Vale, as each
ended the season with an 11-3
record.
After a long hard-played
basketball season the team with
the best overall record should
represent their conference as
the No. 1 team.
The White Buffalo’s are the
only team to defeat all the other
top contenders two times. The
games lost were those on long
road trips which takes a lot out
of any athlete.
THE DECISION BY the
leagues three-school committee
was totally unfair. M adras al
ready two time winners over
Vale should have been the un
disputed No. 1 team in the
Greater Oregon League.
Owners Urged Te Control Pets . . .
Dogs Blamed For
Livestock Harrassment
Free-roaming dogs are re
portedly h arrassing livestock
and may be responsible for the
death of some cows and calves,
according to staff of the Tribal
Natural Resources Department.
Coyotes have also been sighted
feeding on calves.
Owners of the dogs are
urged to restrain their pets to
prevent further loss during this
critical calving season. A
mother-calf pair has been esti
mated to be worth-over $300.
According to Tribal Ordi
nance, owners must license and
control their dogs or risk the
impoundment and destruction of
their troublesome pets.
Anyone seeing dogs harras
sing or killing livestock is asked
to get a description of the ani
mals* note whether they wear
collars and tags, observe the
location and report the incident
to the N atural Resources De
partm ent at once. Reports of
coyotes are also urged.
Natural Resource personnel
are located in the old agency
building and can be contacted by
calling 553-1161 ext. 233.
Please cooperate in the con
trol of dogs who endanger valu
able stock.
Short: People
What has become of the
song, “Short People”? Why is it
no longer being played in many
areas? Is the rhythm bad or is
the content too disturbing and
offensive. If so, , to whom?
Surely it does not offend
those who are short for its
message has a very deep ring of
truth. No one knows better than
a short person what life can be
like in society’s process of com
paring those who are at one
extrem e or another with those
who are “ normal.or average”
(whatever that is).
I would suggest that the
ones most disturbed and offen
ded by the message in the song
are the ones who have, for most
of their lives, however uncon
sciously, related to those who
experienced by the listener.
Rather than ban this song, I
hope it hits a record high. I also
would hope the writer may
share some of the royalties with
Human Growth Foundations
around the country who are
doing extensive work in the field
of Human Growth.
I would like to see people
who have closed their eyes, and
turned their backs to those who
are shorter or taller, thinner or
fatter, blacker, whiter, or red
der to realize that our hearts
and minds are quite the same
and what we do with them will
determine how much alike our
consciences are.
So, play it again Joe.
Kholeen Jackson
Mother of a Short Person
Are We Losing Our Real Heritage ?
We buried another young person last week. Too many times
in recent months the longhouse has been filled with mourners.
Parents’ faces are becoming etched with grief. It grows harder for
friends’ faces to maintain their youthful resilience.
We also buried an elder this week. It is sad to lose our old
people who have shared with their sons and daughters, grandsons
and granddaughters the knowledge and wisdom of a long lifetime. We
clutch desperately to a way of life and a way of thought that will
never be quite the same.
But with the passing on of the old people there is a hope, a
challenge to carry the lessons of the past into a future that it is in our
power to shape.
Not so with the destruction of our youth. Our hopes for the
future are shattered each time a young person dies by another’s hand
or by the curse of alcohol. Who will take the heritage left by our
elders and give it life and new direction?
The youth' are showing us with each tragic incident that they
have not found a direction, that they don’t know how to use what their
elders are leaving for them. In fact they seem to be telling us that life
is of little value. The weeks are to be endured so that the weekends
can be spent getting “wasted.” The kids’ own term for fun reveals
much .about their view of life — it is to be wasted.
We can’t blame recent deaths on the premeditated malice of
certain individuals. It is not a conscious or purposeful destruction of
life that we are witnessing.
First "Indian Oscar" To Be Awarded
At American Indian Film Festival
The third annual American
Indian Film Festival to be held
at the Palace of Fine Arts in San
Francisco has been scheduled
for May 11 to 13 this year. It is
sponsored by the San Francisco
American Indian Center.
So far, the festival sponsors
are considering only three com
m ercially produced films for
presentation. Among them is
“ Three W arriors” which was
filmed here on the W a r m
Springs Reservation. The other
two are “ White Buffalo” and
“Gray Eagle”.
Emphasis this year will be
upon Indian-produced films
which fall into the following-
categories; contemporary por
trayal,-semi-documentary, doc
um entary, selected short sub
jects, and animation.
For the past few months the
sponsors have been conducting a
national films search. For those
who have made a film they wish
to enter, it must be received by
festival director Michael Smith
no later than March 24. All films
will be previewed.
are at one extrem e or another
much like the song suggests.
So why be disturbed and
offended unless we are prepared
to take offense and be disturbed
by the very real discriminations
that are being experienced by
all who don’t quite fit the mold.
The song, “Short People”,
however, disturbing, reflects so
ciety’s attitudes. It stings the
side of us that we don’t want to
admit even exists, and the truth
hurts. However to bury the song
and its message will not bury
the truth-nor will it purify the
conscience.,
I feel the writer of the song
displayed a real identy with, and
an empathy for Short People.
I’m pleased his message
was heard and I hope that some
measure of awareness has been
New this year will be Amer
ican Indian Motion Picture
Awards (Indian Oscar) which
will be presented on the con
cluding night (May 13) of the
festival.
According to Smith, the
categories for the awards will
include: Best Actor, Best Ac
tress, Best Supporting Actor-
Actress, Best Film, etc.
A special aw ard will be
presented to that m ajor film
studio which has demonstrated
its willingness to strive for hon
est portray of American Indians
in their films.
As in the past festivals,
guest lum inaries (actors, pro
ducers, directors) will be on
hand to lend their presence to
the promotion of the American
Indian Film Festival.
Past Indian celebrities have
included Canada’s Johnny Yes-
no and chief Dan George (1975),
Will Sampson, Raymond T ra
cey, Iron Eyes Cody, Lois Red
Elk, Monika Rameriz, Sacheen
L ittlefeather and Charlie Hill
(1977).
Last year Ms. Alanise Obo-
msawin (National Film Board of
Canada), and Fantasy Film s’
Saul Zaentz (One Flew Over the
Cuckoo’s Nest) made appear
ances at the film festival.
The only film series pro
duced by Native Americans, the
1978 American Indian Film Fes
tival is supported by a grant
from the National Endowment
for the Arts.
To The Editor
We would like to take this
means of expressing our thanks
and appreciation to all our
friends and relatives who were
so kind and helpful to all of us in
our bereavement. Special thanks
to the drum m er, singers and
cooks at the longhouse.
Meanus-Arthur families
It is rather a carelessness about life that pervades whole
segments of the youth. The same carelessness which is displayed in
irregular school attendance and the use of alcohol and drugs can also
result in the tragedy of a lost, or taken, life.
The circum stances are incautiously created and the
consequences not considered. Which is not to say the consequences
aren’t felt. There is a special sadness in a teenager’s tear-streaked
face, in the expression of disbelief and betrayal. “Hey, we were just
having fun! This wasn’t supposed to happen!”
Hopefully there is in this carelessness an element of
searching. As adults our role is to direct the search.
We can do this my offering ourselves as models that interest
and earn the respect of young people. We can allow them the freedom
to experiment but at the same time offer boundaries and structure.
We can make sure that they hear what the old people have to say but
also have an ear tuned to their own future.
Our old people often take their knowledge with them to their
graves, afraid of how it may be used. They might feel more inclined
to pass on their wisdom if they knew the young would use it wisely.
< Our heritage will be preserved and given new vitality only if
our youth learn to value themselves and their future.
With the promise of thoughtful direction, the passing on of
our elders will be less tragic and the destriction of our youth less
frequent.
TOE NESS
There were these two guys that came upon this girl in a
stalled car and said, “Having car trouble lady?” “I’m out of gas, she
replied, could you guys push me to a gas station?”
The two guys got behind the car and started pushing, this
continues for quite sometime, finally one guy noticed that they had
passed a station so he asks the lady why she didn’t turn in at the last
station. She-said, “They don’t give green stamps!” “YIKES”
SS SS SS
There was this lady who went into the Attorney’s office and
said that she wanted a divorce from her husband. Hie Attorney asks,
“On what grounds?” The Ladies reply was, “his appearance,
because he hasn’t made an appearance in two years.” “YIKES”
SS SS SS
There was this history teacher trying to inspire one of his
students to do more work. She he mentions Abe Lincoln to the student
and said, “He was a very famous man during his time, you know
when he was your age he was out in the woods splitting rails for a
fence.” The student looked to the history teacher for a while than
remarked. “Yeah, when he was your age he was President of the
United States.” “YIKES”
SS SS SS
There was this 90 year old man going to marry this 18 year
old girl. Ju st before the wedding the old man asks the 18 yr. old
beauty, “Has your mother told you about the bird and the bee’s?”
No, said the girl, why? The 90 year old said, “I sure was hoping she
did, because I’ve forgotten a lot of it.” “YIKES”
SS SS SS
There was this guy that spent a lot of time in his workshop
tying flies for fishing and he was real proud of what he made, but this
disturbed his wife because he spent more time doing this than being
with her. The wife real disgusted walks into the workshop looks
around at the flies he had made and with a big grunt she said, “Any
stupid fish that falls for that junk deserves to be caught.” “YIKES”
SS SS SS