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About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 29, 1981)
Spllyay Tymoo September 29, 1981 Pape 5 Northwest tribes band together in steelhead fight by Dick Johnston (Reprinted with the permission of The Oregonian) Northwest Indians are ready for the latest skirmish in their long battle to retain the fishing rights guaranteed them by treaties, Indian leaders said in Washington, D.C. Friday. At issue is a bill before Congress that would decom- mercialize steelhead trout. The legislation, which would affect 25 Northwest tribes, received a second hearing Monday before the Senate Select Committee on Indian Affairs. “When they talk about decommercializing, it doesn’t only affect commercial rights. It affects two other uses we have — cerem onial and s u b sista n c e ,” m a in tain ed Nelson Wallulatum. Warm Springs is among a dozen tribes inyited to send spokesmen to the hearings. The legislation, sponsored by Republican Senator Slade Gorton and other members of the Washington congressional delegation, would extend state laws governing steelhead to Indians both on and off reservations, making steelhead a game fish only. Indians see the proposal as an abrogation of the treaties their tribes signed with the federal government in the mid- 1850’s. Those treaties, as in te rp re te d by the U.S. Supreme Court, reserved for Indians the right to harvest half the available salmon and ste e lh e a d in N o rth w e st streams. Treaty tribes have been fighting for their fish for most Another letter to the editor No response to jail concerns To the men and women with power, . I don’t know who to address with the problem^ Maybe I should get a hold of some people who can do something about the many problems with this tribal jail. I think that it’s a long overdue problem that needs at least a discussion. I don’t know if there’s anything at all being done because I don’t hear much from these walls. I’ve been in here for three months now and I’ve already changed. I mean that this so- called jail really put a new head on me, and my ways have changed. To the good or the bad, I just couldn’t say. But I’ll find out soon. I don’t know how many people read the letter I wrote a few months ago (Tribal jail really stinks), but I know that I didn’t reach the right people. There must be a milion things wrong with this jail . . . There’s absolutely no exercise program of any sort. There’s hardly any room in the cell to properly exercise and it’s a very rare occasion when we’re allowed out of our cells. Some people care about their bodies. Obviously the jailors have no consideration or any type of feelings towards the prisoner’s pride in himself. I feel that most of the jailors here are out to break a man or woman’s pride. I’ll tell you one thing—the federal prisoners get far more privileges than other prisoners that are locked up here. I don’t say nothing about it because my pride is still untouched by this system, if vou can call it that. Is it humane to keep a prisoner isolated for about two months? I was in solitary confinement for one month. Now I’m in a juvenile cell until the federal prisoner goes back to where ever he came from. If I’m not out soon I think I’ll give in to insanity. The problem with your jail is that it’s run like a prison. There’s no type of counseling. There’s no type of ways to let out your aggression unless you pound the walls. The way I feel right now, I feel that I’d much rather be in prison., Well, I know that most of you well respected citizens have better things to do than worry about such a small problem, but someday your kids may end up here. I feel sorry for those who end up on this long and tiring road. 1 will be the death of me someday—mark my word. Davis Stwyer TOE NESS There was this guy who said, “Inflation has really made me believe in reincarnation, I’m already spending my next life’s savings.” YIKE SS SS SS EXPERIENCE: “Well, this is something you get while you are looking for something else.” YIKES SS SS SS A guy told his friend, “You are growning older when you burn the midnight oil after 9:00 p.m. YIKES of the century, going frequently to the Supreme Court, which decided its first Northwest Indian fishing case in 1905. U n d e r th e p r o p o s e d legislation, Indians would be compensated for their loss through adjudication before the U.S. Court of Claims. The bill also provides for rep lacem en t of the lost s te e lh e a d by e n h a n c e d hatchery programs for salmon. “That’s what they said with our five-year p la n ,” said Kathryn Brigham, a Umatilla from Cascade Locks. She was referring to an agreement, which expires next F e b r u a r y , u n d e r w hich Columbia River treaty Indians agreed to take fewer fish during some salmon runs in exchange for a guarantee of 300,000 more salmon in other seasons. “That hasn’t been met once in the five-year time,” Ms. Brigham complained. Tim Wapato, a member of the Inter-tribal Fish Commis sion from Colville, Wash., said as many as 500 Indians fish commercially, while many others catch steelhead for their own food or for use in religious ceremonies. He contended that the Washington sponsors of the bill have been pressured by “special interests” to make steelhead a game fish. W allulatum said spring Chinook are coming under the same attack. C om pensation, he said, would be unsatisfactory. “We wouldn’t accept any,” he added, pointing out that steelhead have a religious s ig n ific a n c e fo r m any Northwest Indians and that paying them to cease fishing would be like paying Catholics to abandon the use of wine at Mass. The bill says steelhead are of “substantially greater” value to the economy as a game fish than as a commercial fish. “We don’t put a dollar value on our resources,” retorted Guy McMinds of Quinault, W ashington. ‘‘T here are cultural and social values that are immeasurable.” The Reagan administration will oppose the Gorton Bill. Kenneth L. Smith, a Reagan appointee to the position of Assistant Secretary of the Interior Department for Indian Affairs, is an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. 38th annual NCAI meeting nears The National Congress of American Indians is pleased to announce its 38th Annual Convention to be held in A n c h o ra g e , A la s k a , on October 11-16. The theme for this year’s Convention, hosted by the Alaska Federation of Natives, is “Spirit/Sovereignty /Survival.” The Convention will feature high-level policymakers from the Reagan Administration. The Honorable Samuel Pierce, Secretary of Housing and U rban D evelopm ent; the Honorable Kenneth Smith, Interior Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs; the Honorable Dorcas Hardy, HHS Assistant S e c re ta ry fo r H um an Development Services; the Honorable James DeFrancis, Energy Assistant Secretary for External Affairs; and the H o n o ra b le F ran k R yan, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Indian Education. Mr. Morton Blackwell, Special Assistant to the President for Public Liaison, will attend pending approval by the White House Travel Office. More than 1,000 NCAI members from throughout the United States will be in attendance to assess the R eagan p o licies to w ard s Indians in nine issue areas: Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, E c o n o m ic D e v e lo p m e n t, Education, Health, Housing, Human Resources, Indian Preference, Natural Resources, Litigation and Trust Responsi bility. The membership will review NCAI activities during the p ast y ear, ev alu ate performance and set priorities for the forthcoming year. Elections for NCAI officers will be held. The NCAI, founded in 1944, is a Washington, DC-based m em bership o rg a n iz a tio n , dedicated to securing and p ro te c tin g the rig h ts of A m erican Indians. NCAI represents more than 150 tribal governments and monitors congressional and federal activities as they relate to Indian tribes. Future law students should prepare The American Indian Law law school should immediately S tu d e n ts A s s o c ia tio n is contact AILSA and the offering assistance to all Indian American Indian Law Center persons interested in applying in Albuquerque, New Mexico. to law school for the school The Law Center sponsors the year beginning in Fall of 1982. Special Scholarship Program The deadline for application to in Law for American Indians. many schools is quickly The Programs provide Indian a p p r o a c h in g a n d it is Law students with a stipend for i m p o r t a n t t h a t I n d ia n living expenses, while they are applicants begin the process in law school. 'immediately. the fate of the Scholarship Although the number of Program is as yet undecided in Indiai lawyers is growing, the wake of present budget i n d ' i n p e o p le r e m a in cutting. However for further u n d e r r e p r e s e n te d on a information about the program nationwide level, says the itself and its continuance, American Indian Law Students contact the American Indian A s s o c ia tio n ‘‘I n te llig e n t, Law Center. dedicated and hardworking AILSA has six regional Indian people are needed to coordinators at various law bolster the ranks of Indian schools around the country. lawyers who are assisting their T hese people can assist tribes or other Indian people to p r o s p e c tiv e law sc h o o l a c h ie v e a d e q u a te le g a l a p p l i c a n t s w ith t h e i r representation.” applications and the proce Indian people interested in dures for application. However as all applicants are working with time restraints, and in some (if not many) cases, communication will be through the mail, we urge applicants to begin application procedures now before the deadlines are upon us. Interested applicants should c o n ta c t A IL S A a t th e University of New Mexico and they will fo rw ard your information to the appropriate regional coordinator. Please include current mailing address and phone and school(s) you are applying to. Further inquiries should be addressed to the American Indian Law Students Associa tion, American Indian Law Center, 1117 Stanford, NE, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87131. Prospective applicants may also call Thomasine Ross, Director of the Scholarship Program, at (505) 277-5462. SUBSCRIPTION TO SPILYAY TYMOO SEND SUBCRIPTION TO SPILYAY TYMOO P.O. Box 735 WARM SPRINGS, OR 97761 NA M E_________________ ____________________________ ADDRESS ________________________ ______________ SS SS SS CONFUCIUS SAY: “Amazing how cold cash warm girl’s heart!” YIKES SS SS SS There was this guy who said, “I’ll never forget when I lost my baby teeth—I didn’t know my father could hit that hard.” YIKES SS SS SS CITY_______ __________ __ STATE____ __ 2 |P .________ SUBSCRIPTION RATES: ONE YEAR $6.00 All Warm Springs tribal members will receive the Spllyay Tymoo at no cost. Spllyay Tymoo is published bi-weekly by the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs.
