Image provided by: The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs; Warm Springs, OR
About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 26, 1998)
8 February 26, 1998 Warm Springs, Oregon SfilyayTymoo Tribal records reveal words to live by- if, Jr. Y The Indians of the Warm Springs Reservation elected their first Tribal Council in 1936. Council members are seen here with Superintendent Jasper Elliott of the Warm Springs Agency. From left are: (standing) Frank Winishut, Isaac McKinley and Joe McCorkle; (middle row) Chief Frank Queahpama, James Queahpama, Chief George Meacham, Chairman Moses Hellon and William McCorkle; (front row) Sam Wewa, Elliott, Fred Wagner and Oliver Kalama. "I see the need everyday to have a good Council. We should have a Council elected by the people who have authority from the people to act." (source: ln7 meeting after Indian Reorganization Act became law n 1934 and before first Council was elected.) George Meachem and Isaac McKinley urged (newly elected) Court -" I members to cooperate for common welfare of whole reservation. (Source: Tribal Council Minutes of 1938) (Discussion of six-year program from 1941-1946) "This building made entirely of brick of hollow tile with full basement in which to keep our records, a better vault at one end of the building to keep our most important r, documents; as it is, we have a little place about eight feet square and this is about enough for or. eighth of our important papers; as it is, we have to keep some of our office supplies and records in the upper story of a wood frame building and that is a fire trap. We would be a sorry mess if this building should burn down." (Source: Tribal Council minutes of 1939) (Indication of Tri 1 Council's desire to keep people informed and peopi .. participating in decisions... Candidate To the Editor, It's not necessary for introductions between myself and the people. We have lived and worked here in Warm Springs most of our lives, been raised by our grandparents, parents, and now we are raising our kids and grandkids here. We know each other, through the good and bad times, and have helped each other when times were very bad, and rallied when good things happened. My main focus is on working together as one people. This comes from my heart, it is not just something written on paper for our people to read. I urge every voting tribal member to take this focus to heart this means all three districts, not just the district from which I am seeking a seat on Tribal Council. With that focus in mind, let's take a look at the problems or issues that need to be worked on to come up with a solution or options. They are listed, and I will elaborate on each one: Council needs to work together as one body for a safer community to live in. Education. Housing. Economic development and opportunities for tribal members. Social issues. Employee incentive program. Council needs to work together as one body for a safer community to live in. While it's true we have three separate districts, when the 1 1 individuals come to Council meetings, they represent all three tribes as a whole. They work together for the betterment and general well-being of tribal members, as stated in our Constitution. Each of three districts has its own diverse and unique needs. The members fromeachdistrictcome forward and state what they feel their needs are, such as Seckseequa and Sidwalter lack a fire hall and emergency medical services; these areas should not be taken lightly or put on the back burner when discussed, as they have to do with the very lives of people. There is a need for Council and committees to share information with the people. For each trip, a report needs to be brought back to Council on what has been accomplished, which leans toward "return on investment." Information needs to be shared with the people in the form of district meetings, home meetings, newsletters, reports put in the Spilyay Tymoo. For a safe community to live in, I see a needsfor more police services. This service needs to be divided proportionately as equally as practicable, considering budget constraints. We are all aware that there are many more thefts and break-ins to people's homes for various reasons. The days are gone when a person could leave their doors and gates unlocked One of the main contributing factors to this problem is alcohol and drug addiction. Some of you older people can remember hea Warm Springs was safe, everyone trusted each other. Those times are bo longer ith os As a possible solution, I see us working more in the area of prevention insiead of going through the police and cowl system m at "mmm hopeful speaks out on after the fact. There needs to be random police checkpoints, checking for alcohol and drugs, driver's licenses, making sure youngsters who are under driving age are not driving or breaking the curfew law. All these are in the interest of living in a safe community. Keep this thought in mind: Peace is not only the absence of violence and breaking of the law; it includes the presence of justice for this choice of behavior, through our court system. Education. Some of you may be aware of the Oregon State Study which was completed in 1959 using a cart of The Dalles Dam settlement funds. One of five volumes is in the area of Education. The Study outlined which resources had potential for development and the kinds of professions it would take to fill these jobs. One of the components of education is employment. Ask yourselves "why is it that the current unemployment rate at this time is 21?" In the past, unemployment rates have fluctuated from 12.8 to as high as 24 for this time of the year. Bordering on education comes the challenge of stabilizing the work force and reducing employee turnover. Once a tribal member is hired for a job, they need to learn to stick with that job through thick and thin. It is a constant in our lives that helps with all basic necessities such as shelter, food and clothing. Let 's think about "hanging in there" instead of quitting because of personality clashes and other minor problems. Work things out. The Tribe has funded many young people to attend institutions of higher learning (colleges), with the expectation they will return and apply that knowledge (and common sense) to the problems that arise out of a lack of education. Many of these college graduates don't return to Warm Springs because there aren't jobs that will fit their chosen fields. As much as we would like to see these graduates come home and work for betterment of the reservation, they cannot because we don't have a job that fits their expertise. The job market is shrinking. Some of you may have participated in meetings for updating the Comprehensive Plan. One of our elders suggested in the Comprehensive Plan video used at meetings, that we go back to the Oregon State Study and begin planning from there according to the recommendations in the Study. Also in the area of education, I am concerned with the high school dropout rate. We are losing high school students somewhere in the transition from middle school to high school. Why is this? My idea is to interview these students and ask them why they have lost their motivation and incentive to graduate. One high school sophomore recently told me six of her friends (sophomores) are pregnant (they aren't necessarily all from our community), average I S years old. This is good enough reason for Discussion about non-Indian grazing rights in disputed area known a McQuinn Strip) "Joe McCorkle favored the suggestion that they talk to the people of the reservation and explain it to them as many of the people are young and don't know much about it.-It was decided that a meeting will be called August 15 at HeHe Mill to discuss the problem of the north boundary with the people of the reservation." (Source: Tribal Council minutes of 1945) (On Indian boys skipping school) "I asked them what . their idea was being on the road. They said they were just walking and didn't give no other reason. I gave them a talking to; jr my days when we walked off the campus we were given '25 lashes or some other punishment....this is the fault of the parents, they never correct their children." (Source: Tribal Council minutes 1945, Isaac McKinley) (On students' school attendance) "The only thing to do is have the parents talk to the children and insist upon their going to school. It is important that you make use of this school to the fullest extent possible. ' j'ur children need education and Congress may decide to abolish your school unless you take advantage of it. We hope we may get greater cooperation from the parents." (Source: Tribal Council minutes of 1945, BIA Superintendent JW Elliott) "We should use bur better judgment as the people elected us to put thr jgh what we thought was right." (Source: Tribal Council minutes of 1947, Avex Miller) "The uniqueness that sets the Confederated Tribes apart from other tribes is leadership. We have a reputation for being well managed in our affairs. Leaders here continually try to operate on values, to make the best use of what we have now for the sake of the future. We're in this thing forever. The best service tribal leaders can provide is to capture the values that puiled our people through the hard times where there was no money, before Celilo Falls settlement, and pass those values on to the generation that's coming up." (Source: Larry Calica 1947-1990, from a speech given at Oregon State University) "Those of us on the Tribal Council are constantly aware of the great responsibility we have in representing the people of the Warm Springs Reservation. Without their suggestion . ideas, foresight and support, tribal governmexa on the Warm Springs Reservation would be a burden to our people rather thart"aTbeiefit7'.7' (Source: 1978 Annual Report, Eugene GrfeehSChairmah) ' "The appointment by President Ronald Reagan of Ken Smith, our General Manager, as Assistant Secretary for Interior for Indian Affairs, gives us all a great feeling of pride. It's nice to know that a member of ft Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs now uolds the top Indian position in the federal government. We'll miss him, but look forward to his occasional visits to Warm Springs." (Source: 1980 Annual Report, Delbert Frank, Sr., Chairman) parents to know where their kids are, what they are doing, are they skipping school, etc. Most importantly, are these planned pregnancies, or accidental? Why don't parents talk preventative measures with their children? What does the future hold for babies born to kids too young to know the meaning of responsibility? How, or will, the fathers of these babies help raise or support these babies of babies? Will the parents or grandparents have to raise them? Do we have people in the community willing to volunteer to tutor students who needs help? Let's work individually as concerned families to get to the bottom of this type of behavior and talk to our children about consequences. A segment of education has to do with recreational outlets for our children. In our small community there aren't many "fun" constructive things to do. The few things we do have are the basketball courts, occasional movies, a few community center activities. I do not mean to say that the Tribe should be responsible for providing all of the recreation for our kids, but rather should share the responsibility with parents. Recreation, and other things, should serve as a reward for good behavior, good grades, or anything kids do positively, as a reinforcement to continue down the right path. Kids have too much time on their hands. Some of you may be familiar with the voting we did as a Tribe to build the community center. One of the reasons for justification of constructing the center was for recreation for our children, which was to include a bowling alley in the basement, among other things. This didn't happen. The facility, it appears, is more catered toward adult activities, than trying to provide child adolescentyouth recreation. Consider teaching our children to stay home and learn domestic-type things. This is something that will benefit the family, as well as the child learning skills that will help them later in life when they go venturing out in the world on their own. Housing. This is a real problem we live with and have for years. Our tribal population continues to grow, at a rale that housing is unable to keep up with. In primitive times, several families lived in one house some are still forced to live in those conditions. The existing tribal rental units need to be brought up to code to make them rentable and livable. Another option is to have starter homes for families just starting out, or construct apartment complexes. Again, this is not to say the Tnbe should provide for everyone's needs. The people need to take some of this responsibility into their own hands. There is at least one program called Habitat for Humanity, which could serve as an example for our community. The organization would help qualified applicants; however, those ho qualify would be required to provide labor as their share of the cost. issues affecting welfare of Tri Think about it people. There are many opportunities out there just waiting for you. Take the initiative, and add assertiveness. You can't help but win. , Another suggestion is the idea of teaching our people to help themselves. The United States does this in the form of the Peace Corps created by the late President John F. Kennedy. One of the many functions the Corps did in foreign countries was to teach third-world countries how to plant crops, build homes and basically become self sufficient. They would teach them the skills to support themselves, but not do the work for them. This same principle could be applied at home, right here at Warm Springs. Along this same line of thinking, people, we need you to help the government. We need your volunteer help to set up programs for the community. Think about how much the Tribe has done for you; now it's time to start doing something for your Tribe, which in return will help yourselves, as a shareholder in our corporation. Economic Development and opportunities for tribal members. This topic is a little on the down side of thinking. In order to do all of the above, we need more businesses to support community economy. We need to keep most of the dollars in our community. When the economy ($$$) is up, the whole community benefits through creation of jobs. We need to take a good look at some of our enterprises and ask ourselves why we are subsidizing (appropriating money to) them, but they continue to lose money. Maybe the solution is better management, better location, or just plain closing the operation down and trying a new business enterprise or project. Think hard, people. I know there's a lot of smart tribal members out there, who are reluctant to get up and speak their peace at public meetings. If you hear of a home base meeting, attend it, write up your suggestions, hand them in to your Council representative. If you don't speak up, no one is ever going to know about your good ideas. Social issues. What I am talking about in all of the above, is the quality of life a family has. Each and every one of us has the potential to better our lives, with a little thought, good choices and elbow grease. Co through the list of issues above, and think how they contribute to social problems on the reservation. Also think about the good things that can come out of making mistakes. Take lessons from a 12 month old baby. This baby is pure and clean when it is bom. When it rums a year old, it begins to try to walk. It becomes frustrated after falling, but does it just throw its hands in the air and give up? Of course not. it gets up and tries again, again and again, until it succeeds. Employee incentive program. There is not an incentive program in place at this time. Employees are at their same rate of pay as "....Tribal government continues to grow and evolve while protecting the source of its creation, the Treaty. Wise leadership, foresight on the part of the elders and continual vigilance by the membership has brought Warm Springs from federal dependency to a successful self-governing reservation within 50 years." (Source: 1983 Annual Report, Ralph Minnick, Secretary- : j Treasurer) "Visions of what was achieved in 1985 were at one time only dreams. We have been blessed with many visions that have become reality. It is f hilosophy not to take our progress for granted, but a date our -: . y accomplishments, while sustaining our cultural and traditional values." (Source: 1985 Annual Report Zane , Jackson, Chairman) , " Linton Winishut's vision, when on Council, was that "our children are f :ng to have a hard time in the future , if we don't set something up." And so they did. (Source: 1988 Annual Report) '' "We are striving to become a healthy, happy and proud community. This mandates many changes and . encompasses major challenges. Our people need good , jobs, good education, and most of all, they need to make good choices m their lirestyies. uur roreratners cared greatly about our future the negc d the Treaty for us with our children's children in nuriu. ;ime ha$ proved I them very wise, blessed with compassion, determination and vision. Their vision for us was a better life. Some of us have fulfilled that vision....some of us have not. If we make changes in our lifestyles and view the future with f ; optimism through education and hard work, we will 4 fulfill the dreams that our forefathers envisioned for us." (Source: 1991 Annual Report, Ken Smith, CEO) ' ''' -i ' . "We must see that the people's voices are being heard. I am optimistic about our tribe, our organization and our reservation. We must channel our efforts to assure that , the people are getting what they are asking for. , Hopefully Tribal Council and management will become a team that is accountable and provides for the basic needs of the people." (Source: 1992 Annual Report, Raymond ; Calica, Chairman) ' "To succeed in the 21st century, we must be as adaptable as our ancestors were when they moved to the reservation the 1880's. There is no question that to succeed we must be as well educated as the outside world. In 1992, we saw the benefit of long-range plans , with Early Childhood Center, Museurrf construction -startup of the Health and Wellness Cenk Je, as an " " ' organization, must continue to plan for the ruture. If we are to fulfill the dreams our ancestors had for us, we, as a people, must strive to be the best we can be!" (Source: 1992 Annual Report, Ken Smith, CEOSecretary Treasurer) Editor's Note: This information compiled by the Tribal Records Center staff. , - . , 4 , ? K . $ ?1 ' they were in 1993. There needs to be some type of program that would encourage employees to stay in jobs. There is a lot of job-hopping though an employee may like the job they have, but see a job that pays a higher wage or salary, and transfer. This creates a lot of turnover and chaos in departments when someone transfers out without leaving guidelines for someone new who steps into the position. Incentives help to keep employees content and productive; even a cost of living allowance (COLA) increase helps. Each issue can lead to social problems IF you permit it to. The governing body was set up as a result of the Wheeler-Howard Act of 1934, which is also known as the Indian Reorganization Act. Basically, it permits a tribe to set up and run its own government. The Tribal Council was elected to set policy and conduct the business affairs of the tribes here. If the Council does not work together, everybody suffers. All differences need to be set aside as each Councilman takes his seat around the table. Concentration is on the business at hand. Decisions are to be made for the sake of the constituents (the people who elected them). Can you comfortably go to work each morning, send your kids to school, knowing that your home and personal property will be safe? This is your right, to feel good about leaving home and coming home knowing your belonging will still be intact. Would you feel safer with more police protection, or a Neighborhood Watch in place? Would you feel better if police . services held random checkpoints? Many of you have children in school grades K-1 2. In the olden days, it used to be considered a commendable accomplishment to finish grade school. Those days are gone. Now, an individual stands a better chance of getting good employment with a college education. It is unmistakably a must. I am encouraging you to teach your children early, that they are expected to finish college and seek employment in that field. Many children now are suffering because they lack the support of family in helping them with their studies, attending their activities, and even getting a good breakfast before leaving for school. Some do not have clean clothes to wear, or even a decent pair of shoes. What incentive are you giving your childchildren to go to or to even stay in school? Why are these young girls pregnant? Is it because they don't know about he 'birds and bees?' I don't think so. There has to be better communication at home between the family. Dinnertime is a good time to do this, to share the day's happenings, both good and not so good, resolve issues, make plans to tackle problems, or just spend good quality time together. To fill kids' spare time, encourage them to join a sport, a club, or any ' constructive activity. In the olden days, we had to do chores before we could- go out to play. It you're interested in adding activities for kids, talk to your Councilman, that's what he'sshe's there for, to represent you at the Council table. Above all, reward your kids for good deeds. ' '. - In the housing Issue, talk to your Council representative about how the Tribe can work together with the people to build a home ' example 5050 on the cost-sharing, or 6040. If you would rather live in an apartment isuch t as a single person), bring up apartment-type living. Do you know how to grow a garden to help save on your food bill? We have a department right here in Warm Springs that can help you in many ways. Is there something special you want to buy but don't have the money ? There are ways you can help yourself, such as budgeting your hard-earned money . and cutting down on 'luxury' items, in order 10 save $$$ for that item or service, ' It would take a vote of the people to start up a new . business, "as an economic development initiative, since most ventures cannot be started for less than $25,000. We do need to bring in more revenue to the Tribe, and spend less as a government. Our commercial . corridor needs to be expanded so that it can pull in the business of a portion of the 7,000 to 8,000 vehicles that pass through the reservation everyday. How would you feel if you or your spouse got an increase in pay? I'm sure it would make you feel happier, take some worry off you in getting your bills paid, buying that item your child needs, fix up your car, or even have a special home dinner. I have 37 years of work experience with the tribal government. I started out just like everyone else, at the bottom and learned the -value of a dollar, working my way into government. I have been a general manger ' twice, once as Public Safety CM and the other as Public Utilities GM. AS the Public Safety CM, I served both as chief of police and GM. -I served as Budget Officer for three year. I served on the Alcohol and Drug Council for over 20 years, on the Jefferson County 509-J School Board for nine years. I am now the Budget Compliance Officer my duties include making sure the Tribal budget complies with the Constitution, Charter and Management plan. In closing, I will be up front with all of yoa and state that I would carry only one vote in Council and my one vote would be in the best interest of the majority of the tribal membership. Values are important to me, especially those I was raised to believe in and to follow. I would appreciate your vote in my favoroa March 31. 1991. Thank yoa and good luck to the other candidates. Sinctrely, Jeff Ssndert, Sr. Ctniiiat Jot Agency District 1