Spilyay Tymoo
Warm Springs, Oregon
August 29, 1996 7
Breaking shell of silence helps woman deal with life of abuse
A young
woman's
story of
abusive
childhood
offers lesson
from which
all can learn
Editor's Note: The follow
ing "short story" was sub
mitted anonymously.
Though unsigned, other than
with "The Abused", the
message is strong, clear and
important. It offers a lesson
we can all appreciate.
To the Editor and people of
Warm Springs,
Enclosed is a short story I
wish to have printed. It is a
true story about my life as an
abused child, teenager,
woman. I want the commu
nity to become aware of what
I went through as a child and
of the evident, so called tell
tale signs of abuse, I showed.
To all the children, par
ents, policemen, doctors,
teachers, judges, counselors
and chila welfare workers:
Had we known then what
we know now, just think
what my life could have
been.
I do not wish to be known
yet. I don't seek pity. I just
want this to be known. In
case you know of an abused
child, don't hesitate to inter
vene, for without help, they
could end up like me. No
child should be made to carry
such a heavy burden
throughout life.
Thank you.
The Abused
"Once there was a small child in the worst possible too ashamed and dirty to tell
girl child of seven or eight way by raping her. As the the real reason, and her fear
years. She was taken from girl child lay un
the warmth and security of der her stepfa-
her grandmother's home and ther, a part of her
placed in her mother's care died. Her being
and household. was now shat-
"Her mother had once tered and lost
again remarried, so the little forever.
Atter mat
first time, the
girl now had a stepfather.
Thus began a life of pain, hu
miliation, suffering, secrets stepfather con
and rejection. For what be- tinuedtorapethe
gan next was to be the foun- girl child con
elation for a hard, lonely life tinuously, never
for this small girl child. fearingof getting
"In the beginning, life caught for the
seemed good for the small mother never
girl child. She almost caught once suspected a
the feeling of security, of truly thing was wrong,
belonging to a family of love. "The girl child
But, as she was soon to find started showing
out, all good things come to disturbing signs
an end. of what she was
The sexual abuse
stopped when
the small girl
child was
10...."But the
cycle had begun
and would
continue, this
time the demon
was her own
brother. He
began where the
stepfather left
off."
was too
deep.
She had
run so
many
times,
that
soon the
police
were in
volved. The
mother
and
had
c o n -vinced
the po
lice that
nothing
was
wrong,
worthless drunkard. The settled down with one man.
small girl child was eventu- Not much had changed, for
ally placed in the group he became her new abuser,
home. She tried to turn her
life around by talking with
counselors. She tried to tell
of the evil done to her, but it
just wouldn't come out.
thus continued the cycle of
abuse. She had four children
with this man, and was with
him for eight-and-one-half
years. The first three years
Frustrated by this, the small were full of physical and
"It seemed the stepfather enduring at the
could not accept another hand of her stepfather. She and that the small girl child
man's child as his own. He would cry and cling to her was only exaggerating,
started with light spankings mother as she left to go to "When the small girl child
that soon became pure tor- work, beccine to be taken reached aee 10, the father
ture. Once
the stepfa
ther had
the girl
scared into
silence
with a mere
glance, the
real pain
began.
"Since
the mother
worked
evenings
and some
nights, the
stepfather
was in the
home to
The small girl
child "almost
caught the
feeling of
security, of
truly belonging
to a family of
love. But as she
was soon to find
out, all good
things come to
an end."
so
tized, the mere
thought of
asking to use
the bathroom
along. She was stopped the sexual abuse,
trauma- tearing the girl child was
about to break her shell of
silence.
"The small girl child had a
glimmer of hope, hope of a
during school new peaceful beginning. But
was unthink- the cycle had begun and
able. Many would continue, this time the
times during demon was her own brother,
her third grade He began where the step fa
year, she had ther left off. It went on for at
least another year, until the
mother "caught" the brother
in the act.
"She did very little to rep
rimand the small girl child's
brother, but by this time it
didn't matter. The small girl
child continued to run away
from home and ended up
becoming a ward of the tribal
accidents right
there in her
classroom, in
front of all her
classmates.
She started
running away
girl child
gave up
and took
another
road out:
The road to
through
running
away, alco
hol and
drugs. She
continued
this
her teen
years.
There was
so much al
cohol and
so many
different
men using
her body,
they were
all just a
blurry
circle of
faces.
"When the small girl child
turned 18, the confronted her
"When the small
girl child was 21,
she finally
settled down
with one man.
Not much
changed, for he
became her new
abuser, thus
continued the
cycle of
abuse....He never
let her forget
that she was less
than a whore, a
completely unfit
mother,
unworthy of
him."
mental abuse.
After that, it
was mostly
mental abuse.
He never let
her forget that
she was less
than a whore,
a completely
unfit mother,
unworthy of
him.
"Toward
the end of this
time, the small
girl child, who
was now a
woman of 30
years, tried to
figure out her
life, and why
it had become
what it was.
She realized
all the pain,
abuse and
heartache be
gan that one
night so many
years ago. She also realized it
was time to come out of her
shell of silence, for it was not
mother and stepfather about healthy anymore for herself,
the sexual abuse. The stepfa- or her four small children.
care for the small girl child, from home, hoping to es
It was at a time like this, that cape the private hell it had
the stepfather summoned the become. She ran to friends'
girl child to his bedroom, homes, but mostly to her real court. At every court hear
Upon entering the master's father, who lived only two ing the mother told of how
domain, the girl child was blocks away from her. She the small girl child was be-
told to remove her clothing tried to tell of what was hap-, yond control. The small girl
and lay on the bed, the very pening to her, but all that ' child still held hope of living
bed the stepfather shared would come out of her " with her real father, but the
with her mother. He then mouth was the physical mother always convinced the
proceeded to torture the girl abuse. By this time, she felt judge that the father was a
ther flat-out denied any
wrong doing, but what re
ally broke the small girl
child's heart was when her
own mother chose to believe
her husband over her child.
The small girl child came out
She knew she was a good
mother, for her children
loved her and she them. They
were the reason to keep
moving forward. She began
by writing a story about a
small girl child, hoping to
Conflagration Act allowed for outside fire protection
Editor's Note: Warm Springs Fire
and Safety Chief Danny Martinez
submitted the following letter to help
clarify, and put on record, the chain
of events which occurred early on in
the Simnasho Fire.
Martinez stated that 1 3 task forces,
totaling 494 personnel, were brought
to Warm Springs to help protect
structures in housing subdivisions
and around the reservation. Sixty
eight communities helped with the
effort. He also added that it was he
who contacted the State Fire
Marshall's Office and called for the
initiation of the State Conflagration
Act.
Cost of structure protection, ap
paratus, manpower and equipment
associated with the Conflagration Act
is between $2.8 and $3.5 million.
This is included in the estimated $5.1
million is has cost so far to contain
and control the fire. Additional costs,
for reforestation and rehabilitation,
are expected to reach into the mil
lions of dollars as well.
"As of August 10, 1996, at 2000
hours, the Confederated Tribes and
the BIA have delegated the authority
and responsibility for the complete
management of the Simnasho Com
plex Incident. Doug Porter is assigned
as the Incident Commander along
with the Porter Interagency Incident
Management Team. Porter has full
authority and responsibility for man
aging the wildland fire suppression
activities within the framework of
tribal laws, agency policy, and di
rection provided in the Escaped Fire
Situation Analysis and the Line Of
ficer briefing.
"On August 1 1 , Daniel Martinez,
Tribal Fire Chief, requested of the
Oregon State Fire Marshall to enact
the State Conflagration Act. The
Oregon State Fire Marshall concurred
with this request. By enacting the
Conflagration Act, this committed
the State Structural Protection re
sources to be assigned and used on
the Reservation for fire protection on
all tribal, private, federal structures,
which are in danger form the
Simnasho Wildland Fire Incident.
"With the initiation of this, the
Confederated Tribes and the BIA
request your active involvement,
participation, assistance, advice to
provide sound strategies and re
sources for the protection of tribal,
private, federal structures, which are
in danger form the Simnasho Wild
land Fire Incident. This incident was
initiated as a federal Wildland Fire
Incident, as such federal manage
ment will take precedence, which is
consistent with the US Government's
trust responsibility to the Confeder
ated Tribes. Therefore, all State
Structural Protection Resources will
be assigned and committed to the
Porter Incident Management Team.
"All specific direction and as
signments for the State Structural
Protection Resources committed to
the Simnasho Wildland Fire Incident
covering human life, firefighter
safety, structure protection, natural,
traditional, cultural, environmental
and social concerns will come from
Porter and the Incident Management
Team. The following specific direc
tion will be:
"1. We would request the State
Fire Marshall to designate one per
son, who would report directly to
Porter and provide direct supervision
over the State Structural Protection
Resources. Porter and the Incident
Management Team will provide spe
cific direction and assignments of
the State Structural Protection Re
sources. "2. The State Fire Marshall desig
nee will need to attend all strategy
meetings and briefings of the Inci
dent Management Team. The times
I
L mi
h ... MM
of these meetings and briefings will
be provided by the Incident Com
mander. "3. Coordinate all activities, re
source, logistical needs to Porter or
the appropriate Incident Management
Team Section Chiefs.
"4. The State Fire Marshall desig
nee will need to interface with the
Incident Management Team Section
Chiefs.
"5. Porter will determine when
the "threat of the wildland fire dan
ger" is over for structural protection,
according to the wildland fire behav
ior and weather of the Simnasho Fire
Incident and the demobilization of
the Structural Protection Resources.
"6. Porter's and the Incident Man
agement Team 1 priority will be
firefighter safety, protection of hu
man life, even at the expense of
structures and acres burned; 2 pri
ority will be the protection and sav
ing of all structures; 3 priority will
be avoid damaging or disturbing cul
tural, archaeological, traditional and
historic sitesareas on tribal lands.
"We appreciate your assistance
and to follow this delegation of au
thority letter. Thank you for your
assistance."
Raymond Calica, Sr.,
SecretaryTreasurer
Gordon Cannon, BIA
Superintendent
Dated August 16, 1996
of silence only to end her cycle of abuse and
be pushed back in it even begin cleansing and healing
further. her broken being.
"Three years and two "The small girl child has
children later, the small girl finally found courage and
child was still looking for strength to break out of her
someone to love her, even if shell of silence,
it was only for one night. The end.
"When the small girl child And the hope of a new be-
was21-years-old, she finally ginning"
Circumstances bring out the
heroes of the community
At the Simnasho Fire camp, over 1,000 fire personnel ate in the instant dining hall behind the grade
school.
To the editor,
Every now and then we hear of
unexpected and heroic acts that
people do. Many of us don't know
the untapped strength that lies within
each of us, under inevitable unusual
circumstances. I like to refer to this
as the reserve power which we are
born with and are unaware of, until a
situation presents itself and catches
us off guard.
There are such people amidst us
in Warm Springs who have had pre
dicaments present themselves in
which something very precious was
at risk and could be lost, if action
wasn't taken immediately.
One of these incidents was a young
female tribal member whose young
child became entrapped under a
heavy duty iron panel; the mother
was the only person in the immedi
ate vicinity and had no choice but to
grab the panel with one hand, lift it
off and remove her. The child was
rushed to the hospital and diagnosed
as having a fractured arm. Later this
young mother went back to the scene,
tried to lift the panel and was unable
to.
A young male married into the
tribe came upon a scene on the high
way where another Indian male had
been trying to fix a flat tire; the jack
slipped and the car fell on top of his
chest. There were other people
stopped at the scene and witnessed
the slipping of the jack, with the
car's weight landing on the man's
chest. Not knowing what to do and
evidently frozen in a state of shock,
they did nothing. This MIT ran over,
grabbed the car by the fender and
lifted it off the man's chest alone,
while the others pulled out the en
trapped man from underneath the car
and got medical help.
A young tribal member family of
four lives west of highway 3 near
Simnasho. The fire spread so fast
that it reached and jumped highway
3 in seemingly a matter of couple of
hours. The fire came toward the
family's house; the father and young
son had gone into town for food and
supplies; the young mother and
daughter were home alone when the
fire jumped the highway. It was
within a few hundred feet of the
home; fortunately, the mother had
learned during childhood years how
to operate farm machinery and other
implements. Luckily, a tractor and
blade were at the small ranch. This
young mother, without thinking, went
into immediate action. She attached
the blade to the tractor, considering
the weight of the blade, then built a
fireline completely surrounding the
house and corrals. If this hadn't been
done, the loss might have been com
plete, including human lives. She
kept the water sprinkler running and
kept the ground as wet as possible.
Down the road about five miles
away another family and home were
Continued on page 10
V5" S
2nd Annual Dental Product Fair
Come sample various dental products
September 13, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
at the Warm Springs Health Center
Free refreshments will be provided.
Door Prizes may be won!!!!
Learn about the Dental Products you buy.
FREE SAMPLES!
For more information call Erica at 553-2462
0 S