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About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 12, 1999)
Warm Springs, Oregon August 12, 1999 5 My loved one just died Now what? Winners of Safety Poster Contest If you've experienced the death of a loved one in the past, you know about grief and the new responsibilities you faced. But what advice would you give to someone who has just recently undergone a loss? we have the following suggestions: The grieving process is different for every body, so take as long as you need and get as much help as you can to cope with the shock, sadness, fear, guilt, anger or other emotions that consume you. If you cannot get out of bed each day or if your feelings are overwhelming, seek professional help. Support groups, clergy and professional therapists can help immensely. Once you are up to it, consider cuing involved in activities suchasjoiningagardenclub.entering a bridge tournament or becoming civic-minded. You may be nagged by well intended people who want to help you with your finances. It is a good idea to learn the basics of money management, then take care of bills and investing yourself. But do not be in a hurry to make any major financial decisions! Many people take 6-12 months or longer to get their finances in order. Then, when you're ready and not feeling pressured, you can best decide how to invest the money, what todo with the house orbusiness, and make sure that you are taking care of your own interests, as well. Do you have any advice for those who have recently experienced a loss? To share your suggestions for a future article, email us at publishadviccco.com or write us at P.O. Box 1739, Mill Valley, CA 94942. The following article was reprinted from the Advice cS Council Newsletter provided courtesy of the ' Standard Secure Access Account Program at Stand Insurance Company, Volume 6 7 July 99 SpilyayTymoo - ,f k- f V V Local poet to receive honor William Moses received a letter from the Famous Poets Society in July informing him of the poet contest he entered. His poem "Mystic Images Do Exist" was chosen by the Executive Committee of their Board of Directors to be eligible for a presentation at the Fifth Annual Poetry Convention. The convention will be held at the Reno Hilton in Reno, NV beginning October 24, and ending on October 26. Moses will be honored as a Famous Poet for 99 and presented with an elegant Diamond Homer trophy. The formal presentation is scheduled to take place on the first day of the conference, October 24 at 3 p.m. Following is the poem chosen by the Famous Poets Society. Mystical Images Do Exist Lights and shadows bounce across the land Life of the past and the future live Whether we do or do not understand In our minds, hearts and expressions we give. People, animals, shapes of many sizes Mother Earth and all creations playing hide & seek Spirituality, dreams, visions are the wishful prizes From the low valleys up to the high mountain peaks. Cloud formations scatter across the skies ' . y Rivers, streams winding through the canyon passes Optical illusions, space and time pass through each one's eyes , Whether it be the minimum or in large masses. Images dancing in the light of the sun or moon Each day different from the first time In hopes to see the mystical images come alive soon , Hearing songs of the old, sing to our hearts like a chime. Relay for Life participant gives thanks for all who were supportive I would like to thank the following people for their generous donations to the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life. Thanks also to those who asked about the event and wished me well. Ben, Shon and SaraLee Hintsatake, Tryna Mullenburg, Jolene Sotos-Torres, Carla Dean Caldera, Jane Kirkpatrick, Cathy Laszlo, Bobbi Jo Berry, Nacny Saludo, Cassandra Del Nero, Chris Talifson, Lynn Tanewasha, Ken Miller and Sue Matters, Esmade Made, Julie Quaid, Robert and Maria Macy, Richard and Vivian Macy, Kalama kids: Perry colleen and Shanell, Selena Boise, Shilo Shaw and Bodie Shaw. Sincerely, Martha Gomez ... Carol's Room at the Warm Springs Recreation dept. held a poster contest after kids had learned about safety in the home, in their vehicle, and health tips-no smoking, no abusing alcohol and drugs, no playing with matches, etc. Spilyay was invited to judge the contest of winners. First place was awarded to Braylen for his poster about alcoholism. Second place was awarded to Sasha Robinson for her poster, "Don't Smoke." Third place was awarded to Dena Thomas for her poster on drinking and driving. Fourth place went to Cassandra for her poster "Don't play with matches." All the kids were presented these safety tips at the Community Center which prompted a poster contest to show their talents. Special prizes were awarded to the contest winners and all the children that participated received a gift. A very Happy Birthday to the following people from Leminnie & Boys: Lucy Gadberry (1st), Alex Smith (4th), Rupert Smith (6th), Matthew Smith (9th), Clarice Crane (12th), Larson Kalama (15th) & Dabid Rodriguez (25th). Happy Birthday Regan Calica August 6, God Bless you Always! Love you Dad, Easton Tina & kids. August 5, 1999 Happy Birthday Baby, I pray that the Great Spirit Bless You in many ways. Hugs & Kisses. Love Always Baby Girl! Back to future To the editor, Remember when the 1999 Public Safety budget was questioned? Many people, not just our own tribal members, but other tribes and news media are watching and waiting to see what happens at Warm Springs, this means not just in the northwest, but other reservations in distant states. There have been no changes in the Public Safety Branch. It seems to have gone full circle and come back to square one. Same individual calling the shots, A bit of shuffling departments and programs around , nothing really significant. A contract temporary person heading up the branch, on paper only. To refresh your memory, remember that the tribal members voted td suspend the 1999 Public Safety budget by a vote of 444 to 421. Council justified over-riding the vote by saying it was "close." Even if it passed by one single vote, it is a law of the people. A "close" vote does not entitle the council to ignore the voice of the people. "Close" just doesn't cut it. You, the people, by majority vote, mandated Tribal Council hold that portion of the budget until certain specific changes were made in the branch. Council certified the results of that election by Resolution 9659. Article VI Initiative and Referendum states, "whenever a matter of great importance comes before the Tribal Council, the Councilmen shall, by resolution duly passed, submit the matter to a vote of the people. If they do not so agree to submit the question, any two members of the council, or one-fifth of the members of the Confederated Tribes, may within 30 days after the vote of the Council, call such a popular referendum.. ..The will of the majority of those voting shall be the law, provided at least one-third of the eligible voters actually vote." This Tribal Council, with the exception of three members, chose to ignore the vote of you, the people, by proceeding to appropriate the funds designated by the people to be withheld. This took place early in the spring of 1999. Do you, the peole, agree with this breec of tribal law, which wasis included in our Constitution by our elders who knew what was best for future generations, you and me, our children, grandchildren? The tribe adopted the Wheeler-Howard Act of 1934 that made this reservation a self-governing sovereign nation and elected a council in 1937. The first council adopted a constitution and by-laws with the assumption that future councils would abide by it. It is one of the most important major documents that provides a solid foundation for our people. It sets out laws to show the way to our Council to make decisions for the people. Are you willing to sit back and accept this outright infringement of one of our constitutional laws? The councilmen, including officers, who made the decision to ignore the people are on record for future reference that they disobeyed the people's law in addition to showing disrespect for their fellow tribesmen who had entrusted and counted on their judgement to make decisions on their behalf.- Remember that the bottom line of withholding the branch budget is THE SAFETY OF THE COMMUNITY. The budget for next year is now in the process, and the issue from 1999 is not yet resolved. The issue of the snakebite victim has gone on since August 1998. How much longer does the family have to suffer before they are afforded a settlement? They have been too tolerant of the system and have too much patience, too much suffering as if the loss of the breadwinner of the family wasn't enough. They have been offered small token amounts of money, which will never be a replacement for their losses, including pain and suffering. The longer a settlement is not reached, the more settlement the family will be entitled to. Since the voting has taken place, how many other tragedies and losses have you suffered,-whether it be a family member or friend? How many more losses will you suffer in the future if this branch is not set up to meet the people's needs? As a community, how long are we going to permit these losses to go on? Let us band together as one people and get the best possible services for Warm Springs. As a result of this breech of mandated law, the people decided a recall of council members was in order. The council recall petition is still being circulated for signature. By asking who is carrying a petition for your district, you concerned tribal members still have the opportunity to sign it. The recall petition Is still live and well! Don't think your signature is not important, because it is very important. If you read the Spilyay Tymoo, you will see that there are other tribal members concerned about our governing body and the manner in which it transacts business. For starters, this council has broken other laws the members have passed. Remember the $25,000 limitation vote? It basically says that any funds exceeding $25,000 will go to the people for a vote to approve or disapprove an xpenditure. This counil has gone over this limit several times without a vote of the people. When we voted on a limit to spending, it became law! There is also an issue of an officer of council over-riding a council decision. Where in any of our major documents does it say an officer of council can supersede their decision? If council is aware of this action, do they care? They should care because if something isn't done about it, this will set a precedent for future supercession by that officer to do the same thing again and again, at least while he is in office. Maybe it's a test case to see if it can be done. Remember people, it was your nomination and vote that put the council in office. It will take your signature and support to remove your representatives from office and to replace them with people who will work for you in accordance with the rules of the constitution. Many people have talked about forming an Ethics Committee. Maybe it's time they stopped talking about it, and just do it. This committee would look at, but not be limited to: moral principles and practices, social values and laws, conduct, decency, integrity. If there is enough support to form such a committee, it is entirely possible. Where would it fit in the organization chart? It would be tribal members at the top, ethics committee immediately below the members, then tribal council. It's something to think about, and talk about among yourselves and in general council meetings. If this council and future councils continue with the current unprolific way of doing business for the people, the people may have to structure a committee to oversee council (and management) activities. It is hoped that more tribal members will take part in discussionsmeetings regarding the budget for the year 2000. This money belongs to each and every tribal member, the members need to get to the meetings and question any item in the budget that they do not understand, or If members have complaints about services, this is the place to voice them. If you have a potential solution to a problem or issue, don't be afraid to offer it. This is one of the ways problems get solved. ' During the past several months, concern has been expressed regarding how we keep on funding enterprises that don't bring in profits. Other concerns are that we should use local expertise instead of outside consultants. We have people right here in the work force who live and or work here these are our experts. Let's use them instead. If an enterprise is running us in the red, close it down while looking for other ways to make money for the tribe. It's plain common sense, something that we seem to be lacking right now. Comments like this can come from someone who knows the value of a dollar and has had to "dig ditches" to get where he's at. You do not know the value of a dollar if you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth. What's this about an employee being removed from gaming, and not being allowed to come into the casino OR Kahneeta lodge? This is one of our own tribal members, and the person has rights. The individual is a shareholder in these enterprises, whose money is spent to build these enterprises, and to pay the employees, including the Gaming Commission. Also, the people are continually told the casino is making money. Where does this money go? When will we hear a report from the commission? This means all the commissioners, not just the chairman or the general manager. When will the people hear a report from Kahneeta lodge? Where is the "reciprocal agreement" between the casino and the lodge, if any , to keep a tribal member from the premises? Whenever anyone goes to a meeting with the commission, they are entitled to be treated with common decency and respect. Also, are internal and external audits done on our enterprise finances? If so, the people want to see the results and have them explained. What do the IGRA regulations say? These have never been explained, even generally, to our tribal members. What is the role of the State of Oregon in our gaming? Information, discussion, and answers, please, commissioners. Why do we have policies, missions, and goals? We need to be more realistic and practical. What ever happened to "common sense?" Are we so tied up in making our tribe and departments look good on paper, that we forget about real people, those who are on the receiving end of these policies? We break rules that we make ourselves. Who do they apply to? Do we pull them out of the hat only when they serve our own selfish needs or to exercise control over somebody? Haven't we gotten away yet from the outdated making -up-rulcs- as- we- go kind of thing? That kind of rule-making went out during the caveman age. We need a supermarket and more businesses in Warm Springs. We need a laundromat. Wc have people who hire their own relatives this is called nepotism. The organisation does not follow this policy, so it needs to be removed from the personnel manual and any other tribal manual, OR enforced. Most of the tribal members are related, either through ancestry or by marriage. Don't be using this policy to fit a particular situation or to thump somebody on the head because you don't like them personally. Also employees should be hired on their qualifications for the job, not because they are a relative. We need a new school so our kids can be more successful. The council needs to stay home and take care of business here first. Stop traveling so much. Is the council taking a 6 cut in budget like they have directed the rest of the organization to do? TRIBAL COUNCIL DOES NOT HAVE AN OPEN-DOOR POLICY FOR TRIBAL MEMBERS. There are no reports from tribal council to the people. Is it any wonder the people are suspicious? Does council have an unlimited budget for travel? On the millions of dollars that council used to "loan" to tribal members to start businesses, what were the conditions of those loans, if any? Are the loans repayable or were they an outright grant? Yes, the people want to know how their money was spent. Do these borrowers make reports back to council on how their business is doing? Vhat were the terms, if any, on the agreements? Have you seen the new policies regarding MICRO AND OTHER GRANTS? Better check into those policies because they affect everybody who received a "grant" since 1997. Also, some people have been on the waiting list for a grant for two years others come along and bump them or "take cuts" in line. Our people are not ignorant about grants and other stuff and compare notes. A conversation might go like this: "I applied for a grant over two years ago and haven't heard anything." The other person says, "I wonder why, because I applied in 1999 and got mine." Where is the fairness in this? Sounds like grants are given first, and policies are implemented after the fact.. What was your understanding of the conditions of the grant in 1997 or after, if you received one? How many people in the same household can receive a $50,000 grant? This is one of the many reasons council needs to talk to the people in general council meetings. This is the people's money. Word gets out in council meetings held in council chambers. Council gets first-hand information and lo and behold, who do you suppose gets grants? Could it be family and friends? Maybe. This is one of the reasons the people need resume's and council minutes communicated to them more timely. It is good that council agendas are printed in the local paper, but the people need more. Communication, interaction, transmission, contact, connection, talk, conversation, discussion from council and managers. Can it be any plainer than this? Save building costs by switching the casino and museum sites. What are we doing to make sure successors are in place? Managers are not indispensable. Let's not continue the "good ole' boys" scenario. That is old thinking. the millennium is about to set in and this is called the information age. If our role models which is council and management are abusing the system, how do they expect their successors to do a good job if they do not set good examples? Wc send our members away for treatment of alcohol or substance abuse. What kind of after-care program do we have? Nothing. They come back to the same unhealthy environment, same friends, and relapse back into their same abuse. That's money down the drain. Whose money? We should convert the community counseling department into a recovery house. We have all kinds of abuses going on like alcohol, substance, mental, emotional, physical, sexual, child, elder. Who is willing to go out into the field and help? There is no outreach from Human Services to help these people. Look into cutting budgets by dissolving positions that are not filled. We know there are positions that go unadvertised and are not filled sometimes for several years. This is money that could be used for other worthwhile purposes such as creating two or three or four entry level positions for tribal members that need jobs. Is the tribal attorneys' budget cut by 6? We have no reports from them as to how our millions of dollars are spent by them. Should we worry about the "A" Team? They know who they are, so do the people. There have been only TWO general council meetings held in the last nine or ten months on the budget issue. When district meetings are called, it segregates our people as a whole. At least for the purposes of discussing the 1999 budget, and the 2000 budget, let's all talk together as one people by having general council meetings instead. There were expulsions done for certain people on our reservation. Why were many of these "floaters" removed? They should be permanent since they were made to leave for a good reason. There have been alcoholic beverages paid for by the tribe with tribal members' money. This has been done by yes, your tribal council. When was this new policy adopted? What kind of role model and example is this for our younger generations to follow who will eventually become our leaders? We thought Warm Springs was a "dry" reservation. Our money is not endless. We have work to do to replenish what has been seemingly squandered. Also money that was appropriated for a specific purpose is used to replenish funds for another department or committee that over-spent its' budget. Why are some departments or committees held to staying within budget, while others can overspend and go to council and request more? What happens to the carry-overs, are they a "slush" fund for council? Council has discretionary power on carry-overleft-over money from the previous year's budget. Members want an accounting of where this discretionary money goes. We know where last year's carryover went. We want to know where the 1999 carryover money is going to go. Does the rest of the council know they have some of the governing body meeting out-of-town and off-reservation supposedly secretly, and making decisions away from the reservation? We thought our elected officials were supposed to bring items to the council table for discussion and decisions. It's something for the rest of the left-out councilmen to think about. Do you want decisions to be made by a few council members and appointed officers and brought to the table as a formality? You were put on council because your district counted on your leadership, not your follow-shin. Are you a leader or a follower? If you don't feel comfortable with a decision about to be made, or a trip being planned, say so and say why. We had hoped the issue of the Public Safely branch would be solved in-house. This is OUR problem. However, if necessary, wc may have to go public with it. The people are not the ones who made comments to the area newspapers. What happened to the promised raises for the patrolmen? We have lost several good patrolmen because of no raise, or even a cost-of-living increase. There was money appropna'ed for these raises, but where did it go? To Public Safety upper management? Did you know tribal employees are at least 16 below the cost of living? It seems all the money goes to the top, just like cream, which makes you FATTER and FATTER. Did you know the average income per tribal family is below the poverty level? That is why, when you go to the grocery store on payday or per capita day, you feel such a crunch. Many of us know the feeling because we have been there. When you go buy school clothes for your kids, it's that same crunch you feel when your children are not able to buy everything they need. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. How does this pertain to you? Here's how: For example, an employee who now earns $10,000 per year should be earning $1 1,600. An employee who now earns $15,000 per year should be earning $2,400 more per year or $17,400. An employee who now earns $20,000 per year should be earning $3,200 more per year or $23,200 per year. An employee earning $25,000 per year should be earning $4,000 more per year, or $29,000 per year. These additions to salary would bring the employee's salary up to the current cost of living as of 1998. This is a good topic for general council, if council decides to schedule any. Read your budget packet. Look at the organization charts. At the top of the chart is listed Tribal Members. This is you. You have more power than you think. Next, below Tribal Members, is the tribal council. Yes, you are above the tribal council in authority. Always keep this in your mind. It is the People who put representatives on council by voting for them. In the next election whether it be to replace current councilmen, or whether it is the council election in the year 2001, think before you nominate and vote: Who will represent the tribe to the best of their ability? When every council takes the oath of office, they swear to uphold the constitution and avow protection from enemies. In your mind, have they done this? Actually, when you think about it, who is the enemy? If you feel that the 2000 budget is not satisfactory, you have the right and responsibility to future generations to question it as tribal member shareholders. What does the BIA have to say about all this? We, as a tribe, are wards of the government and they are our trustee. The BIA, as sponsors of the1 Wheeler-Howard Act (Indian Reorganization Act) empowered the tribe to form its own constitution and by-laws. The BIA needs to be advising assisting this tribe through these rough times. Who is depending on whom ? As our trustee through the federal government, they have a responsibility to help us in our time of need. Don't get us wrong. We have heard comments about certain specific individuals and departmentsprograms who are doing an excellent job for the tribe. These are the folks that care enough about our people, enough to be to work on time, and to help in any way they can. Yes, among those who break policy, there are some employees who have a genuine caring to see that the tribal members receive the best possible service. Thanks to the tribal members who have encouraged and urged a continuance and a conclusion "to this issue. Finally, thank you to one of the four horsemen for providing information. From the spokesmen for the people who are Floyd Calica, Daisy Ike, Shirley Sanders, and Ginger Smith. Speaking for the People For Progress.