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About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (April 1, 1994)
Spilyay Tymoo Warm Springs, Oregon April 1,1994 Pages Warm Springs Elementary News CALENDAR UPDATES April 4th-Back to School-Regular Day May 25th-No Kindergarten Early dismissal. May 30th-No school-Memorial Day Holiday PHONE NUMBER CHANGES Due to phone problems, effective March 9th, the phone number for Simnasho School has been changed to 553-6023. We apologize for any inconvenience that his may have caused. FIREBUSTER CONTEST RESULTS On Tuesday, March 8th Fireman Bob Sjolund came to the awards as sembly to announce the winners of the recent Firebuster Contest. Kin-dergarten-Rayann Katchia & Weston Heath, First Grade-Juila Stwyer & Matthew Craig; Second Grade Julienne Govenor & Jackson Mitchell; Third Grade-Shayla Frank & Richard Rowe; Fourth Grade Nicole Main & Devery Arthur; Fifth Grade-Krysta Rhoan & Oscar Queahpama. The grand prize winner of the bike was Louis Smith from Mrs. Comment's fourth grade class. Classes who turned in the most for each grade were: Mrs. Fuentes, Mrs. Cook, Mrs. Adams, Miss Ohman, Mrs. LaPage and Mr. Phillips. CENTRAL OREGON ARTS IN EDUCATION COAIE and the Redmond Park District will be hosting a Native American Day on Saturday June 1 1 th, from 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. on the grounds of the Redmond Park Dis trict Office. We are looking for art ists that are willing to demonstrate andor offer simple workshop classes. In exchange, artist will be offered a small honorarium and a free booth space in which they could sell or display their own wares. A small amount would be available to cover mileage and an effort would be made to provide food for participants. Individuals wishing to set up or stay overnight on Friday evening may do so with the pool rest room area open for your use at no charge. If you know of other individuals at Warm Springs that might be interested in participating in this event (foods, dancing, drumming, children's ac tivities, information booths, etc.), please contact Gretchen Bass at 9320 4860. CAMBELL'S SOUP LABEL UPDATE Recently, the Campbell's soup labels were trimmed and counted to see where WSE stands. We did reach our goal of right at 4,000 labels, but will be holding them until next year to try and trade them in for a larger prize. As mentioned in an earlier newsletter, it takes almost 3,000 la bels just to get a basketball. Please continue to send in labels throughout the year. Thank you for your support! ! INSIGHTS FOR PARENTS Helping Children Focus On Sav ing Our Earth As our country celebrates Earth Day on April 22, much attention will be directed at ways we can make our world a better place to live. We would like to invite you to work with us to continue the important focus on our environment throughout the year. Here are some ways you can help your children understand how unique and precious our environment is and how they can enhance it for future generations: Recognize that you are a role model. One way you can do this is by practicing and involving your chil dren in waste recycling. By separat ing the garbage and being responsible for saving recyclable materials, your children can play an important role in helping our environment. If money is earned from the alu minum cans, glass or newspapers you return, let your "helper" snare in some of the profits. Discuss the concept of recyclin, with your children. Better yet, as your children to explain the advan tages of recycling and the uses of recycled materials. Take family outing to zoos, aquariums and museums and take the time to notice exhibits of extinct animals or endangered species. Talk about what that means. Develop a family recycling or waste reduction project. You can reduce the amount of waste you con tribute to land fills by being aware of product packaging, reusing bags or using canvas bags when you go to the store and using reusable instead of disposable containers. Ask your children for other ideas. Encourage your children to expe rience nature first-hand. Go on walks together. Count the stars and planets. Hunt for fish in a stream, identify edible weeds or look for new birds in your neighborhood. Read about and discuss local and national environmental issues. Let your children know why you are concerned about a particular issue and discuss what stand your family can and should take. As a family, take personal respon sibility for keeping your street free of trash and litter. Contact your local electric andor gas company for energy-saving tips and enlist your children's support in implementing some of them (such as turning off lights, closing doors and reducing laundry volume, thus using less hot water, etc.) by explaining the impact of savings on our environ ment. Insights for parents is provided by your child's school in recognition of your role as a partner in education. X,.., r t .... 4 . IS , JL John Katchia, III was born Saturday, March 26. He weighed a whopping J 1 lbs., 14 oz and was 23 inches long. He is affectionately known as "Lil' Sky" to those of us at Spilyay. UT Sky joins sister Toya, three. His parents are John and Saphronia Katchia, Jr. r mmm r aapnroma n.aicma,jr. Iff SeaS" Gathering of Nations to begin April 21 Happy 3?? Birthday- Richard From brother Chuck & Suzie Well, people "It s that time of the year again! Look for your mitt and dust off those running shoes. Come out and "Play Ball!" This year I've only got three of my own trying out, Rocky, Willyum and Dawn. I'll be busy, myself. Coaching T-ball again! I hope this season will be just as good as last With the help of their team 's coaches, my children got to make it to their games while I was working with my own team. Thank. Little League had a fund raiser selling candy and pepperoni sticks last year and Rocky sold the most He earned two tickets to the April 12th Trailblazer Game. I'm so proud and happy for him! But, I'd like to thank our community for your sup port and sponsoring little league in their efforts of raising money. A few problems from other sea sons I'd like to address: our biggest "problem" is there's no bathroom facilities available near our playing field (sorry), no cleats are allowed for t-ball players but (on the other hand) sturdy running shoes are re quired. I'll only be responsible for my own team members (and my own children) at practice or games. Any extra brothers or sisters of the play ers need a baby-sitter to care for their well being and needs! I'll be able to provide drinking water, but my play ers need to bring their own sip cups or something to use to drink from. Thanks. Tammy J. Kalama An International World Celebration of Indigenous People "Gathering of Nations" is to begin April 21, 1994, at the University of New Mexico Arena "The Pit," in Albuquerque, New Mexico. There will be over$70,000 to be awarded to contest winners. The three day event is co-sponsored by The University of New Mexico and is North America's biggest powwow. Powwow will feature the Indian Trader's Market, Miss Indian World contestandspecial contests. The public is invited to attend. Admission fee is $5.00 for Friday and $6.00 for Saturday, $9.00 for both days, group rates available also. Powwow schedule is as follows: Thursday, April 21: Registration ; for dancers opens from Noon to 5 :00 , p.m. at the Host Hotel. Friday and Saturday, April 22, 23: Noon Grand entrycontest dancing; 5:00 p.m. Gourd dancing; 7:00 p.m. Grand entrycontest dancing. 9:00 p.m. crowing of Miss Indian World (Saturday). Contest categories include: Tiny Tot Girls (all styles), Jr. Girl's fancy jingle and traditional (divided), Teen Girl's fancy & jingle (divided), Teen Girl's Traditional (north and south combined), Women's fancy and jingle (divided). Women's Northern Traditional buckskin, Women's Southern Traditional buckskin, Women's Traditional Cloth, Women's Golden Age (50 & over), Tiny Tot Boy's (all styles), Jr. Boy's fancy, grass and traditional (divided), Teen Boy's fancy (north and south combined), Teen Boy's Grass, Teen Boy 's Northern Traditional, Southern Straight, Men's Northern Fancy, Men's Southern Fancy, Men's Grass, Men's Northern Traditional, Men's Traditional, Southern, Straight, Men's Golden Age (50 & Over), Men's and Women's Elders (70 & over). Special contest include: Women's jingle sponsored by Charlene KJien family from Taylor, Michigan; Men's Southern Straight Sponsored by children of Johnny Houghs; The "Super Shawl" women's fancy (30 & over) sponsored by Melanie Mathews ($1 ,000 cash to one winner 3 day ocean cruise and gifts $3,500 total package), Consolation gifts to all participants. Drums invited to Gathering of Nations are: Whitefish Bay (1993 World Class Champions), White Fish Bay, Ontario, Canada; Eagle Mountain, Kyle, South Dakota; Assiniboine Jr.'s, Long Plain, Manitoba, Canada; Southern Thunder, Hominy, Oklahoma; Stoney Park, Morley, Alberta, Canada; Fort Oakland Ramblers, Ponca City, Oklahoma; and all drums welcome. For more information contact: Gathering of Nations, P.O. Box 75102, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87194; (505) 836-2810(800)551-6291; FAX (505) 839-0475. For Miss Indian World information ask for Melanie Mathews. Host Hotel is Fred Harvey Hotel at the Albuquerque International Airport, (800) 227-1 1 17(505) 843 7000. Not responsible for accidents or theft. Alcohol, drugs and weapons not permitted. Darcy named Parent of the Year by National Indian Education Association by E.K. Caldwell for News From Indian Country In a time when parents receive media attention for abuses like aban doning their children to go on vaca tion in Mexico or chaining their children to a bedpost and leaving them home alone as a punishment, it is heartening to know there are par ents who understand the value of honoring and loving our children, the future of our nations. Tucked in the small community of Siletz, Oregon, there lives a mother of five who has long been recog nized in the state for her ongoing dedication to the well-being of chil dren. In October 1993, Pat Darcy, of Northern Cheyenne and Ojibway descent, was unanimously recog nized by the National Indian Educa tion Association as the Native Parent of the Year. Unaware that she had even been nominated, Darcy stated she was "honored, but shocked. I never expected this." She is the second award recipient from the region in the past 25 years, and is especially honored because the previous recipient was her men tor. Verbena Greene of Warm Springs, where Darcy was raised. Until the 1970s, Oregon had no concept of "Indian education." Darcy initiated an Indian Parents group during this time "because we started realizing our kids were off the reser vations and in urban areas. In the public school system, they were be ing left out worse than ever, and it prompted us to take some action." This action resulted in her in volvement in the original ad hoc committee that introduced and insti tuted the idea of Indian education throughout the state. She has been active in the Oregon Indian Educa tion Association and various com munity activities, including work with the local women's shelter. Currently planning yet another statewide OIEA conference slated for the spring, her ongoing dedica tion to young people and to educa tion continues to make a valued con tribution. Recently Darcy took time from her always busy days to spend a morning discussing her percep tions about parenting and young people. Q: You've been working with women and youth for a long time now. What do you see as the major trends and patterns of difficulty with our youth? Darcy: I've been really rethink ing that as of late. I think because I have been here and have been in volved for so many years, that I've seen where kids didn't have any thing. Kids would have to put to gether a buck for gas so they could all pile in a car to get somewhere and drag the streets. Then I saw the tribes getting money and I saw drugs a lot of drugs and then I saw death because of drugs and alcohol. Most were car wrecks, solely because of drugs and alcohol. Many young people will never reach the age of forty. I read somewhere that most deaths of youth are directly related to drugs and al cohol. We didn't have that before. We had horses. We went swimming. Put our money together for gas if we were lucky enough to be going somewhere in a car. We were more involved in the community. And we were able to have leaders come from that in our era. Q: Why do you think so many youth aren't in volved tn the commu nity in that way any more? Darcy: Because they're handed too many "things" and they got spoiled. They're not having to work for it I'd like to see it go back to where the kids are more respon sible, but I don't know if we'll ever see those days again because there's too much greed for money. Now it's expected, not earned. Q: What about our youth who are disenfranchised and who are basi cally lost and confused and running amok with this wannabe gangster mentality in which their sense of power is based in violence? Why aren't they connected to the commu nity? How are we losing them? Dairy: I think it's because of pa rental involvement You used to see alot of parents involved. You don't see that anymore. Yon see the kids being sent to something.butyou don't see the parent accompany that child and the parent doesn't take responsi bility. Parents are into alcohol and drugs and they set those kids aside and let them go without any direc tion. These kids have no direction. They don't know how to follow rules and regulations from anybody. And they end up hurting themselves and hurting their families. Q: Do you think alot of people in this country just don't know how to parent? Darcy: I think so. I was taught by my grandmother and there were more family oriented things. My grand parents were a really big part of my life and my aunts and my cousins. We were all one big family. And happy. Cooking, learning, doing things together. Learning tra ditional ways. It was wonderful. You don't have that anymore. You have parents giving kids money to get lost. To get out of their hair so the parents can party. It's come to that now. I ' ve seen it and it's sad. All they want to be is little kids and what they're doing instead is trying to act like what they've seen on TV. Tough guys. What they really want is to be loved and to feel loved. No one should p u t shame and doubt in them. That's abuse. Q: Do you think it's possible to reclaim our children from the street and the drugs and the violence and the confusion? Darcy: Thai's a real tough ques tion. I don't see alot of parents that know how to do that (long pause) or want to learn. Only if they've hit bottom, like with drugs and alco hol men all of a sudden they want to learn how right now. But until that happens, we'll have these kids lost generation after generation. Q: What do you think about the ideas some have about parenting courses and mandating people to come in and get trained to be par ents? Darcy: I have a friend who is Number one rule in parenting. "Listen to your children. Don't tell them to shut up and go away." Kids "don't know how to follow rules.Jhey end up hurting themselves and..their families" directly involved with that. After lis tcning to her, I've come to the under standing that it's like a bandaid ap proach, but you have to start some where. And these are our kids' lives at stake here. Q: What skills do you think it takes to be a good parent? Darcy: I have no problems an swering that One. And that's to lis ten. Listen to your child. Don't tell them to shut up and go away.. And respect that little human being for what they are. They're real and part of you. Don't snoosh them out the door. Let them speak to you. Q: What would you say to par ents who are trying t learn to listen and their children tell them things they don't want to hear? Darcy: I'd stuff it, as the adult, so you can talk to that child. I would talk about birth control and make sure there's no an unwanted pregnancy because they're too young to be par ent I had to have talk like this with my kids. And you have to be up front with them, like, "Okay, you wanna smoke some pot or do some crank or crack or whatever," then you say, "I want to show you something." And you show them their counterparts in their age groups in state hospitals and treatment centers and de-tox centers. They need to see that That's ex actly what needs to happen with lots of these kids. It takes time to d this. And parents have to be involved. When I was raising my kids, I didn't work outside the home at all. Cause I don't go for that Not anymore. At first I thought I did with all this working business for women, but I don't go for that anymore. Q: What about the moms who have to work? The single mothers, and fathers, who are heading single parent households? Darcy: That's a hard one. You would have to almost be a "superparent" to be able to put you job and your tiredness and your life aside you have to put it aside t deal with your kids. These kids need at tention. They have to come first. Q: There are thousands f single parent female headed households in this country more than ever before. There are so many absent fathers. What would you say to the men in our communities who have chldren that they don't keep in contact with and take responsibility for? Darcy:....These are real kids. It's time to be responsible. Or else some day a knock will come on your door to let you know your child is dead. And that's exactly what h a p -pens. The chances f these kids liv ing are worse than the chances for kids living with two parents who are involved with them. Q: Earlier we talked about the extended families that some of us were fortunate to be raised with and how that can help us have a founda tion and understanding about fam ily. Now there is suspicion and dis trust between us, and abuse happens more with people children know than with strangers. Do you have any sug gestions about what communities can do to create safety and a sense of family for the children? Darcy: The chldren must be sur rounded by good people who love and care for that child. And those kids who have that they know it They're very respectful and when they become disrespectful, one of us will say something to those kids, and make sure those kids know we are saying, "We love you and that our hearts are connected as if the same blood runs through our veins as runs through yours." I've connected to alot of kids be cause the parents don't want to be parents. It involves getting to know one another more honestly as adults so we can communicated and mist one another more. You have to know who you can trust, especially with your kids. Q: When you think of this work to which you have dedicated yourself, what comes into your heart and your mind? Darcy: I never knew what uncon ditional love was. I knew what love was, but I didn't know what uncon ditional love was. I know what it is now. It means our hearts and our minds are connected, even when we disagree. Every tribe has their problems and has their kids nobody wants. That's why I wish I had a big house that would cover all these acres and I would take them all in. I feel like I have this much love to share. Not the knowledge, mind you, just the love. The longer we're out of the bottle and the drugs and the abuse, the hap pier we can be. We're going back to feeling our Indian spirit again. It still exists you can open that up. It doesn't have to leave you be cause you're in prison or you're drinking and drugging. But when the drink and all the things leave you, well, you want to have your spirit that's what's left That makes sense. And the kids want to know about the spirit Seek the counsel of others more experienced than you are. These young girls and boys, we need to help them to realize how unique and special they are. Honor yourself. Don't get into the bottle or the drugs or alot of the white ways. You will find peace if you do it the Indian way. Keepers of the Treasures Conference May, 2, 3 and 4, 1994 Kah-Nee-Ta For more information, contact Culture Heritage Committee Members, Culture Heritage Department or La I m y u-uuurai resources 4