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2 December 4, 1997
Warm Springs, Oregon
Spilyay Tymoo
Hot Shot crew offered encouragement, appreciation
Annual Thanksgiving Powwow held
v (i U v,
Warm SDrinas Inter-aaencv Hot Shot fire fiahtina crew members top row from left to right Tony Holliday,
Luther Clements, John Hicks, David Johnson, Tracy Sam, Glenn Smith and Edmond Francis. Bottom row
from left to right Lawrence Heath, Mark Stacona, David LeClair, Jo-Jo Smith, Aldwin Keo, Ben Holtby and
Frank Brunoe.
The Warm Springs Interagency and to celebrate the end of the 1997 "We had a total of 1 1 off-rcserva-Hot
Shot fire crew held a luncheon at fire season. According to 13-year tion fire dispatches and were gone 29
the Community Center Wednesday, crew member and crew supjrinten- days," says Clements. "During the
November, 12 to recognize and honor dent Luther Clements, "The 1997 luncheon, we had a special guest
the crew members and their families fire season was very slow this year." speaker by the name of Dr. Ralph-
Braids & Boots moving to Madras
Braids & Boots Hair Saloon is moving to Madras. Operator,
Diane Green, says, "Hopefully, we will be set to open by
December 5."
Everything will be the same, except the location and phone
number. The new phone number is 475-5720. If you dial the
previous number it will direct you to the new number. The
new address will be 123 SW S Street, Madras, Oregon
97741, the old fire station. The building behind the Taco Time
called the New Energy Fitness Center.
It's everybody's business
Holtby and his wife of Redmond,"
says Clements.
"Dr. Holtby and his wife are the
narcntsof Bonnie Holtby, a Prineville
I lot shot crew member who lost her
life during the 1994 Storm King
Mountain Fire in Colorado. The
Holtbys are also parents of 19-year-old
Warm Springs crew member ben
Holtby. Dr. Holtby expressed his
concern and gave his support to all
. crew members and told them that it
took a specially strong minded per
son to fight fire. Dr. Holtby also
presented Luther Clements with a
rhoto of the Prineville Hot Shot
Monument.
"The duties and the dungcr of
fighting Tire are similar to that of
fighting a war," said Jody Calica,
General Manager for tribal Natural
Resources. "When this young twenty
person fire fighting crew travel out
side the reservation to fight fire, they
represent Warm Springs. They need
support not only from their families,
but from the community as well,"
says Calica.
Long time crew members include
Luther Clements, 13 years; Glenn
Smith, 12 years; Emerson Culpus,
10 years; Alwin Keo, nine years;
David LeClair, eight years; Tony
Wells, seven years; and Tony
Holliday, six years. Other crew
members include John Hicks, David
Johnson, Tracy Sam, Edmond
Francis, Lawrence Heath, Mark
Stacona, Jo-Jo Smith, Ben Holtby
Early Childhood Education
Center held their annual
Thanksgiving powwow and
bake sale.
Baked pies and cakes
were donated to ECE and
were sold by staff during
the powwow.
Children are taught social
dances and contest
dancing by local dancers
and elders. These dances
are performed for parents
and relatives during the
powwow
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This owl dancing is not hard for
this pair.
Even the smallest can dance.
"If I want to drink. ..it's
nobody's business, but mine!"
-If you call in "sick" more than
once a month, it becomes your
bosses' business.
-If your co-workers cover for you
when you call in "sick", it's their
business.
-If you work at half-speed be
cause of a hangover, it's your bosses'
business.
-If your children missed school
because you "partied all night", it's
their business.
-If your hangover makes you short
tempered with your kids, it's their
business.
-If you spend the rent money, it's
your landlord's business.
-If you drink and drive, it's
Readers needed at Warm
Springs Elementary:
Tuesdays or Thursdays
12 hour
Read to a Kindergarten
through 2nd grade student
Make a special friend
Questions or sign-up call
553-1128.
everybody's business.
-If your family gets scared when
you don't come home, it's their busi
ness. -If your family get scared when
you come home drunk, it's their
business. ..
-If your spouse avoids you when
you're drinking, it's herhis business
too.
etc., etc., etc...
MADP Staff
Warm Springs Rodeo Association
presents the 1997
Christmas Stocking Raffle
Over $200 worth of miscellaneous items
$1.00 each (need not be present to win)
Drawing to be held on December 25th
(listen to KWSO for winner)
Tickets can be purchased from the
following people:
Ginger Smith, Vesta Miller, Shawna Jackson,
C.R. Begay, Val Squiemphen, Monica Leonard,
Gladys Squiemphen, Rita Squiemphen and
other Warm Springs Rodeo Assoc. members.
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Kah-Nee-Ta
Holiday Feature
Roast turkey with giblet gravy,
home stuffing, buttermilk mashed
potatoes, cranberry relish, corn bread,
pumpkin pie -
$10.95
Honey glazed ham, candied yams,
buttermilk mashed potatoes, acorn
squash, corn bread, apple pie -
These selections will not be on
our menus. This is being offered to
Warm Springs residents and associ
ates only. Make your reservation and
ask for our Warm Springs apprecia
tion selection by name.
Melinda Tohet and Billy Joe Berry lead as the children watch and
learn the owl dance.
Brunoe lands role as Apache woman in "Buffalo Soldiers"
Warm Springs Cdnjniunity Center
December activities
4th- Tree lightinqpPte feed and hot
chocolate fpflowing.
9th- Family 4atnboree Night, 6-bop.m. Dinner
and gamecPoS'y'
13th- Christmas Bazaar, 10:00 an. to 4:00
p.m.,ve'ndQLet-up from 8-10;-
Spilyay Tymoo
Sid Miller
Donna Behrend
Selena T. Boise
Bob Medina
Dan Lawrence
Publisher:
Editor:
ReporterPhotographer:
ReporterPhotographer:
ReporterPhotographer:
Secretary: Tina Aguilar
Founded in March 1976
Spilyay Tymoo is published bi-weekly by the Confederated
Tribes of Warm Springs. Our offices are located in the
basement of the Old Girl's Dorm at 1 1 1 5 Wasco Street. Any
written materials to Spilyay Tymoo should be addressed to:
Spilyay Tymoo, P.O. Box 870, Warm Springs, OR 97761
(54 1 ) 553-1 644 or 553-3274 - FAX NO. (54 1 ) 553-3539
Annua! Subscription Rates:
Within U.S. - $15.00 Outside U.S. or I st class in the U.S. - $25.00
Spilyay Tymoo 1997
On December 7, beginning at 5
p.m., Turner Network Television
(TNT) will air the made-for-televi-sion
movie "Buffalo Soldiers". Well
known actors Danny Glover and
Mykelti T. Williamson will be im
mediately recognizable to regular
movie goers. However, the actress
playing the role of a fierce Apache
woman will not be familiar to most.
She is a member of the Confederated
Tribes of Warm Springs.
Jeri Brunoe-Samson, the only
woman in Buffalo Soldiers, left the
Warm Springs Indian Reservation
almost 1 0 years ago when she moved
to Oklahoma. When she arrived in
Oklahoma she knew one person and
had $200 in her pocket. She was
following her dream of being a moti
vational speaker and trainer for Na
tive American youth.
In the last 1 0 years, Jeri has carved
out a career that would be the envy of
most. In 1990, living in Oklahoma
City, she was working as a trainer for
youth conferences and also doing
some modeling. "My agent asked me
to audition for some commercials,"
Jeri remembers. "I got the part for
Oklahoma Tourism....it was the first
time I had ever auditioned for a part.
My agent got me more involved, and
I started taking acting classes."
One of the first roles Jeri landed
was a part on Unsolved Mysteries.
"After that, I went to Dallas, Texas,"
Brunoe-Samson said. "I was in the
premiere movie for 'Walker, Texas
Ranger'."
Jeri eventually started her own
business as a trainer and consultant.
This allowed her to continue as a
motivational speaker at youth semi
nars and conferences. As her busi
ness flourished, her focus on acting
diminished.
A few years later, Jeri moved to
Arizona. Living in Scottsdale brought
her closer to the film capital of the
world, Hollywood. She decided to
attend the Native American Film
Awards show in Los Angeles. She
renewed old acquaintances, and met
new people in the business. Jeri said,
"I visited with Renee Haynes, a cast
ing lady I had read for years ago."
Haynes said she had been trying to
find Jeri. She said she was coming to
Arizona and she would like Jeri to
read for a part in a movie, Buffalo
Soldiers.
Jeri remembers Haynes telling her,
"There's this Apache woman, she's
mean, she's tough, she fights a lot
and she speaks Apache. During this
whole movie you're going to have to
speak Apache." Jeri made it through
the first audition, but on the second
audition she had to read it in Spanish.
"I had to learn it in Spanish. Then
Renee asked me if I could do it in
Apache, and I said no....but I had
some friends that I could get some
help from."
"What really got the part for me
aside from being able to pick up
these languages, was my growing up
in Warm Springs, being able to handle
a gun and ride horses," Jeri said.
"They said they needed an excellent
horse person and I said 'Well, I grew
up riding horses so I can handle
that.. .that's no problem.' They said,
'Well, can you shoot a gun?' and I
said 'Yea, I can do that, too.'" Being
raised with two brothers, Jeri had
plenty of experience with fire arms.
According to Jeri, being in good shape
also helped her because she had to do
some of her own stunts in the movie.
Buffalo Soldiers was filmed in
Benson, Arizona, slightly southeast
of Tucson. Some of the filming was
actually done in the Coochise
Stronghold and Rattlesnake Springs.
Coochise is buried somewhere in the
Coochise Stronghold; however, no
one knows exactly w here. "When we
were out there you could just feel the
presence. Everyone felt
something.. ..they didn't know how
to explain it or what it was, but it was
awesome," Jeri stated. The young
actress said she learned a lot about
the Apache people and what they had
to endure.
The Wasco from Warm Springs
plays the part of a Chief's daughter.
In real life she is the daughter of
Bruce "Mickey" Brunoe, a tribal
councilman and self-employed log
ger on the reservation. "I did a couple
of my own stunts. I get pulled down
off a horse and dragged for 30 or 40
years," Jeri explains. "They throw
me down on this log and have a gun
to my head. When he is dragging me,
it looks like he is pulling me by my
hair but he really had ahold of my
vest with some hair."
Before Buffalo Soldiers, Jeri had
some near misses. She credits her
family in Warm Springs for provid
ing support. "They have always en
couraged me to do what I love to do.
Don't let anything hold me back,"
Jeri says. The family Jeri mentions is
her father, Mickey, mother Frances,
grandmotherMadeline Mclnturff and
two brothers, Bobby and Bruce, Jr.
Her husband Edward Samson, an
Economic Development Analyst for
the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Res
ervation in Arizona, has also pro
vided encouragement. "Edward has
been very supportive. He's the one
who says, 'You need to go' because
I don't like going to L. A. very much.
He says, 'This is your dream.' He
encourages me....he's great support."
"Over the years I had read for
quite a few parts. I read for
Pocohontas, Lakota Woman and
couple of others. And every time, I
would miss a call-back." Jeri men
tions Irene Badard, who did the voice
of Pocohontas. She also played in
Lakota Woman and Geronimo. "I
would find myself in that kind of
company....she's a really great ac
tress, and when I find myself in that
realm, I think....ah, that's great."
Jeri worked with some outstand
ing people on the set of Buffalo Sol
diers including Charlie Haid, of Hill
Street Blues fame, who was the di
rector. Brunoe-Samson developed the
utmost respect for Danny Glover. "I
doalotof national training foryouth.
There's a large conference that I do
the lead training for called the United
National Indian Tribal Youth Con
ference," Brunoe-Samson said. "The
organization is based in Oklahoma
City, but it's held in a different state
every year. I told Mr. Glover there
were going to be 1,300 native youth
attending the conference in Phoenix.
I said, 'I know your schedule is tight
but could you come to our United
National Indian Tribal Youth Con
ference?' Mr. Glover checked his
schedule, then called me and said,
'I'd love to be there.' He flew in on
his own and those youth went nuts."
Brunoe-Samson said the movie is
a great story about the struggle of
two minority people. The cast is also
comprised of great people who care
about each other. "I've been told by
people connected with this movie
that a lot of agents are asking 'Who is
the girl that got this part?' I've been
told by Danny Glover and also
Carolyn McDonald, another pro
ducer, to be prepared for when this
movie comes out," Jeri commented.
"Carolyn said this is a great break for
me. She said that very few people get
this kind of an opportunity. She said
there is a window of opportunity, and
it takes a lot to step through that and
see what you can do with it."
Jeri feels that she has been blessed
to be in this movie. "I'm honored. A
lot of times people say, 'What does it
take.... is it luck?' I just feel that if
you work very hard and don' t give up
your dream....I didn't give up the
dream. ...I worked very hard at it, and
I worked hard spiritually," she ex
plains. When asked if her training
and motivational speaking played a
part in her getting this role, she re
sponded by saying, "Acting is my
own personal challenge, as well as
being another avenue, another tool,
to help our youth today. This is a way
to give back and to provide a positive
role model."
For the thousands of young Na
tive Americans who have attended
youth seminars and conferences
where Jeri Brunoe-Samson was a
featured motivational speaker, it will
come as no surprise that this talented
lady has elevated her game to another
level, so to speak. After all, by being
a positive role model....she is just
walking her talk.