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About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 12, 1983)
Spilyay T y moo Editors Note Spilyay Tymoo welcomes articles and letters to be published from its readers. Short letters preferably 300 words or less and must include the writers signature and address. Thank you letters and poetry will be published at the editors discretion. All letters are the opinion of the writer and do not reflect any opinion of Spilyay Tymoo. Spilyay Tymoo reserves the right to edit all copy OR refuse publication of any letter that contains libelous material. August 12, 1983 Page 5 Thanks for To the Editor, We would like t take this time to thank all of the people who took the time to turn out for Sammy Allen’s luncheon on August 1, 1983. Your respect and support meant alot to her. Her family would like to thank the following people: Carol Allison, Lucinda David for preparing the salads, C a ro lin e T o h e t fo r the support S m ith urges b e tte r fiscal acco u n tab ility w o n d e rfu l sp eech and kindness, Charles Calica for being there to present her award from the United States Achievement Academy and for the nice letter written to her, from Sal Sahme, Education Committee Chariman, and Zane Jackson, Tribal Council Chairman. Thank You, Kenny and Frances Allen Parents Support given for return of land The Reagan Administration has announced support for a bill to transfer title to 25,000 acres of land within Caja del Rio National Forest to the Indians of Cochiti Pueblo in New Mexico. Interior Assistant Secretary Ken Smith, testifying before the House Interior and Insular Affairs Committee July 26, said the land had been frauduently taken from the Pueblo in the early 19th century and failure to return it to its rightful owners would be a grave injustice. The land has “considerable sy m b o lic , re lig io u s a n d economic significance to the Pueblo,” Smith said. Smith said that Interior Secretary James Watt strongly supported the bill, H.R. 3259. He commended W att for w orking closely w ith the A dm inistration to initiate return of the land to the Cochiti Pueblo. The Cochiti’s claim to the land is based on a 1744 purchase of the land from a Spanish grantee. The Indians were deprived of the 25,000— acre tract by a fraudulent conveyance in 1805. A Spanish colonial court subsequently declared this 1805 conveyance void—but that court order was lost and the document not uncovered until 1979. U.S. courts, in the meantime, had denied the Cochiti claim, foreclosing the possibility of correcting the title through the court system. Assistant Secretary Smith, in a May 13 briefing paper to Secretary Watt, said: “It is clear that the loss of this land in the past has been a grave injustice to the Pueblo de Cochiti. By the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the United States was obligated to respect and protect vested Indian property rights. Had the recently-discovered Spanish Colonial Court decree been available at the time the question of the Pueblo’s title was pending courts of the United States, the Pueblo’s title to the Santa Cruz Spring Tract would almost certainly have been confirmed.” Smith, in his testimony pointed out that the Cochiti claim is unique. “It represents the only known case of an Indian tribe pressing for land restoration on the basis of a paper title acquired by purchase.” The legislation expressly limits future use of the land to its present uses and specifically grants access through the land to existing recreational areas. I I 0s Toe Ness yjK0s There was this duck hunter who claimed to be an expert marksman. One day he took his friend out duck hunting to prove his fine marksmanship. After some time had passed they saw this lone duck flying by. He said, “Watch this,” and takes aim and tires, the duck kept on flying. Smith identified the kinds of assistance provided by the BIA to help tribal governments develop effective administra tive systems and avoid the kinds of problems identified in the past by the Inspector General. Included were self- evaluation process for the tribes; a project to help small tribes develop management capabilities; and a program to give tribes on-site technical assistance for their accounting systems, payrolls and other administrative functions. Smith emphasized the need for a good annual audit for every tribe. “I know of nò management tool that is mòre useful or beneficial.” He said the audits would help tribes to identify problems and develop solutions for them. He added that they would be useful also in dealing with Congress and the Office of Management and Budget. The Inspector General’s office, Smith said, planned to expend 15 staff years in BY 1984 to audit tribes with indicated problems. Sociologist to study Indians A ccording to available statistics, Native Americans have the worst health, poorest housing, most unemployment, and least education of any ethnic group in the United States today. In the past Nevada tribe seeking water litigation On June 30, 1983, the Tribal adjudication and sacrificed Council of the Pyramid Lake the Tribe’s interests in favor of Paiute Tribe met with the the Newlands Reclamation Tribe’s attorneys to discuss the Project. Following that discussion, recent decision of the United States Supreme Court in the the Tribal Council passed a case of Nevada vs. United resolution reaffirm ing its States. In th at case, the commitment to doing whatever Supreme Court held that the is necessary to gain sufficient Tribe is barred by res judicata T ru ck ee R iv er flow s to from existing appropriators of Pyramid Lake to maintain the Truckee River water ev,en lake’s level and to restore the though the federal government natural spawning of Lahontan inadequately represented the cutthroat trout and cui-ui in the Tribe in the Truckee River Truckee River. Included in that K en S m ith , I n t e r i o r Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, today announced a “major initiative to bring a high level of fiscal accountability to both Indian tribes and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.” In a letter to tribal leaders across the nation Smith noted that he has received more than 150 audit reports from the Interior Insepctor General in the past two years which have identified weaknesses or abuses in tribal or local BIA financial management procedures. “Too often in the past,” Smith said, “problems in either th e B u r e a u o r t r i b a l adm inistrations have been identified and then, apparently, ignored. I have advised BIA officials that I will not tolerate such non-responses/’ Smith said waste or wrongful use of federal funds in any “Bureau or tri bally-operated program has an impact on all Indian programs. Pressure is created to cut back or halt funding across the board for all Indian programs.” In his letter to tribal leaders, resolution was a direction to the Tribe’s attorneys to renew their efforts in all existing litigation regarding Truckee River water quantity and quality and to actively pursue the possibility of federal legislation. F o llo w in g the C o u n cil meeting, Tribal Chairman Roy Garcia stated; “We are, of course, disappointed by the Supreme Court’s decis'on. We remain of the belief, however, that Pyramid Lake is a natural resource of this nation that m ust be p reserv ed and protected for the use and enjoyment of future genera tions. The Tribe is proud of the great progress that v e have made over the past 10 years and we will continue to fight in any way we can to ensure the survival of Pyramid Lake. In the end, I am sure that we will be successful.” “Oh gee, you’re witnessing a miracle, there flies a dead duck!” YIKES reliable data on this most disadvantaged group among all American citizens has been scant. However, University of M ary lan d so c io lo g ist C. Matthew Snipp has received a grant from the Social Science Research Council which will soon pro/ide a first-time opportunity to more accurately assess the number, as well as the place, of Native Americans in contemporary American society. Snipp, who is of Oklahoma C h e ro k e e a n d C h o c ta w descent, will use 1980 census data to complete the most e x te n s iv e d e m o g ra p h ic analysis ever undertaken on Native Americans. The results of Snipp’s work will be published in a book, Native Americans: A Contemporary Assessment, *o be completed late next year. In th el9 8 0 census, the U.S. Census Bureau made an unprecedented effort to locate and count American Indians and Alaskan natives. It also compiled information from a special questionnaire admin istered on reservations and historic areas in Oklahoma. This abundant data, which has never before existed and which may not be collected again in the 1990 census, will provide th e b a s is f o r S n i p p ’s demographic profile of current Native Americans and their position in American life. The sociologist will examine the extent to which Native Americans have continued to be a distinct and unique segment of the U.S. population as well as how similar they are to the non-Indian population. He will also explore what impact the federal government has had on the Indians. “ F e d e ra l in te r v e n tio n , especially on reservations, is a pervasive influence on Native A m erican life,” says the so c io lo g ist. “ T he fe d e ra l government’s ' influence on Native Americans can be directly observed in housing quality, access to health care, patterns of employment, and schooling.” Snipp’s research is intended to provide an up-to- d a te a n a l y s i s o f t h i s relationship. Snipp received his Ph.d in Sociology from the University of Wisconsin in 1981. He has been an assistant professor of Sociology at UMCP since 1981. A specialist in rural sociology, he has done previous research on the Chicano labor force, studied unemployment of Wisconsin Native Ameri cans and studied the effects of energy development on Native Americans. SS SS SS SUBSCRIPTION TO SPILYAY TYMOO There were these two golfers talking after a good round, the first asked, “How many strokes did it take you to get out that last trap?” “Three,” the o th erjep lied. “But I heard six.” His friend said, “Oh, the other three were echoes.” YIKES SS SS SS There was this young marine recruit who turned his nose up to the chow and complained to the mess sergeant, “Don’t I have any choice here?” “Certainly, my boy,” replied the sergeant. “Take it or leave it.” YIKES SS SS, SS There was this family who invited the pastor over for a meal and they asked him to lead in prayer. After a brief prayer junior said. “You don’t pray so long when you’re hungry, do you?” YIKES SS SS SS SEND SUBCRIPTION TO SPILYAY TYMOO P.O. 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