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About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (April 20, 2000)
2 April 20, 2000 warm Springs, Oregon spilyay tymoo Courtney completes FBI National Academy Program On Patrol- Warm Springs Cheif of Police, Donald Courtney Two hundred and sixty-eight law enforcement officers graduated March 24, 2000 from the FBI National Acad emy Program at D.A.R. Constitution lull in Washington, D.C. Among them was Warm Springs tribal member and Chief Of Police, Donald Courtney. The 200th Session of the National Acad emy consisted of men and women from 49 states, the District of Columbia, 22 international countries, three military organizations, and three Federal civil ian organizations. Internationally known for its aca demic excellence, the National Acad emy Program, held at the FBI Acad emy, offers 1 1 weeks of advanced in vestigative, management, and fitness training for selected officers having a proven record as a professioal within his or her agency. On the average, these officers have 18 years of law enforce ment experience, and usually return to their agencies to serve in executive level positions. Attorney General Janet Reno, Former DF.A Administrator Thomas A.Constantineand FBI Director Louis J. Freeh were principle speakers at the ceremony. Training for the program is pro vided by FBI Academy instructional staff, Special Agents, and other staff members holding advanced degrees, many of whom are recognized interna tionally in their field of expertise. Since 1 972, National Academy stu dents have been able to earn under graduate and graduate credits from the University of many courses offered. The graduating officers were repre sented by the class spokesperson, Lieu tenant Brian E. Lockerby, Great Falls, Montana, Police Department. A total of 33, 1 84 gradutaes now represent the FBI National Academy since it began in July 1935. Of this number, more than 20,400 are still active in law en forcement. Deadline by Don Courtney Assault sends one to Hospital: Details are still sketchy that sent Willard Poitra to the hospital fol lowing an assault early Saturday morning near his home. The case still under investi gation. Officers train ing: In most recent training, officers of the department attended several training sessions sponsored by the Victims of Crime Services program that will certainly improve services being provided by both departments. Thanks goes out to Marie and her program for providing these contin ued opportunities. Community Policing Update: Members of the Community Po licing Division continue to have community members evaluate ser vices following a reported burglary, theft, malicious mischief, or an auto theft case. Early indications still show about on 85-90 positive or favor able comments. Thanks again to those who have responded to our inquiries. Other activities have involved participation in the Warm Springs Elementary ScienceMath lamily night. Children learned about finger printing and photography. The county's vision goggles were also available for kids to experience the effects of intoxication. The teachers however had more interest in the goggles then the children. Work crew details are continuing throughout this month as Spring clean-up efforts continue. McGruff Speaks: Howdy folks, yes it's been quite a while since my last article I did, however, made an appearance most recently at our Early Childhood Edu cation Center's, Week of the Child celebration. Special thanks goes out to Sue Matters for our continued in vitation. Thanks also to Lt. Miller and his Community Policing Division for organizing and participating with my special little people both at ECE and the Elementary school. Speaking of the little people, with the new seat belt law in effect, please take special time to tend to the chil dren in making sure they are buckled properly. College scholarships are numerous aDoroachina fast A conservative estimate of col lege costs for a full-time student runs from $10,000-$30,000; high Cost colleges can run from $40,000-$ 1 00,000 ! Most parents and students think that scholarships are only for the students with excellent grades, low-income families, or the athletically inclined. A small example of the numerous scholarships avail able to students include: Handicapped Student Scholarships, Members of a Church Scholarships, Scholarships for "C" Students, Veteran Children's Scholarships, Scholarships for Mi norities and much, much more. Through the majority of scholar ships are from the Federal Govern ment and are merit andor need based, billions of dollars are available to students from private sector schol arships. Much of private sector fi nancial aid goes unused because the parents and students do not know how or where to apply. There are organizations that have spent hundreds of hours in research locating scholarship sources. Ihe U.S. Commission for Scholastic Assistance-College Bound is such an organization and supplies the public with over 700 different pri vate scholarship sources. The schol arship list include the scholarship names, addresses, application dead lines, summaries about the scholar ships and the amount the scholarship will pay your child. Many scholarships pay the entire tuition, others can be applied towards tuition, living expenses, andor other fees. Most scholarships can be used at junior colleges, career and voca tional schools, 4 year colleges, graduate schools, medical and law schools. For information on obtaining these scholarship lists, send a self-addressed, stamped business size, 10, envelope to: The U.S. Commission for Scholastic Assis tance, PO Box 668, O'Fallon, IL 62269. Computers offered to students The Office of Information Sys tems and Essential Education de partments developed a joint project to distribute refurbished computers to tribal member high school stu dents. In 1999 computers were re placed throughout the organization for Y2K readiness. There are ap proximately 200 computers available after the hardware needs of the tribal organization were met. Funds were raised for refurbishment, which in cluded installing software and cleaning hard drives. The software installed includes Windows 95 and Microsoft Office (Word, Excel & PowerPoint). Contributions to re furbish these computers were made by Human Services Branch, Infor mation Systems Branch, Warm Springs Forest Products, Warm Springs Power Enterprise and Indian Head Casino. Students will receive a computer, monitor, mouse and key board. There is not cost for the computer, however a printer and modem for Internet access are not Signup deadline extended The sign-up period for the 1999 Oilseeds program was scheduled to end March 31st, 2000. USDA has announced that they will extend the sign-up until April 24, 2000. Eligible oilseeds are Canola, Crambe, Flax seed, Mustard Seed, Rapeseed, Saf flower, Sunflower and Soybeans. If you produced an oilseed crop in 1 999 you could be eligible for this program. Please contact your local Farm Ser vice Agency Office for details at (541) 923-4358 extension 2. A fact sheet on this program is available at www.fsa.usda.gov or at the local FS A office. New hours announced Indian Head Casino will be open at 8:30 a.m. beginning Monday, May 1, 2000. Further information can be obtained by calling 553-6122. Dear Tribal Member Artist, Reminder! Deadline for Tribal Member Art Exhibit, This is to inform you that errors in the letter you received on the Tribal Member Art Exhibit. Please make note and change these dates. 1. The exhibit will open and the reception will be June 5, 2000 6 to 8 p.m. 2. The exhibit will run from June 5, 2000 through September 3, 2000. All entries will be committed for the entire exhibit time (no exceptions). 3. There were two different dates for the application deadline, please scratch both May 22 and May 26 in their places put May 12, 2000 5:00 p.m. May 1 1 and May 12 will be set aside for Tribal Artists to drop their entries off at The Museum at Warm Springs. We will also accept them anytime in May, before those dates. We apologize for any inconve nience this may have caused anyone and thank you for making note of these corrections. If you have any questions or need additional applications, call Jewell at The Museum 553-3331. In Memory of Donna Behrend The Spilyay Tymoo held a Memorial Open House to remember a member of the family who had passed on April 15, 1999. She will always be remembered by the staff for her dedication and joy of writing. Her humor and her smile are greatly missed by all who knew her. n - a Donna Jackson Behrend July 21, 1951-April 15, 1999 included and should be purchased by the household to maximize the com- '"SSre'juiremen.sareibai Tribal fortunes linked to salmon-past, present and future member, enrolled in hieh school. 7 household does not have a computer (running Windows 95 or newer), and recipient household agrees to keep computer for no less than 12 months. Distribution will begin with seniors, juniors and sophomores on April 26th and 27th at the Garment Factory from 2 to 6 p.m. Distribution to the freshmen class will be announced at a later date. Due to the number of students exceeding the number of computers available, a lottery will be held for the class in which computers run out. The student's parent or legal guardian "must" accompany the student to sign for and pick their computer from the Garment Factory building. Qualifying households who would like a refurbished Tribal computer should contact the ECC office at (54 1 ) 553-3240 to request a computer prior to April 26th. 7 - J . ! ,4 s-'. .:.fi mm$ Museum requesting artifacts The Museum At Warm Springs is considering the purchase of materi als for the permanent collections. The Museum is requesting artifacts, photographs and documents related to the members of The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs to be brought to the Museum. Every item will be tagged with the owner's information and an in-coming loan form com pleted so that people have a record of what they leave for consideration. The Museum will evaluate materials this summer for possible purchase. If you have any questions, call the Museum Curator, Eraina Palmer or Director Mary Ellen Conaway at (541)553-3331. III ; , - ' ' ' I , Resurrection-Restoring wild salmon & steelhead to the Snake River. Spilyay Tymoo Publisher: Managing Editor: ReporterPhotographer: ReporterPhotographer: ReporterPhotographer: Secretary: Sidney Miller Selena T. Boise Bob Medina Lenora Starr Taw James "TTFoltz 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 15 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 Annual Subscription Rates: Within U.S.-$ 15.00 Outside U.S. or 1st class in the U.S.-S25.00 Spilyay Tymoo 2000 This article was submitted by Terry Courtney. It is reprinted from the Salmon Wrapper and written by David Wise. "Nowadays, everybody seems to be born in the hospital," says Terry Courtney, who was born on the Warm Springs Reservation in Central Oregon in 1936. "I started off my life right beside a barn about 80 feet from a little creek where I grew up fishing all my life." When Courtney was born, the life of the Warm Springs Tribe was organized around fishing-especially fishing the once plentiful runs of wild salmon the Columbia and Snake rivers. But, like the salmon, Courtney and the Warm Springs Tribes have seen better days. Salmon have dwindled to a fraction of the runs he saw-and tribal customs tied to the salmon have struggled to survive as well. Dams built on the Columbia and Snake rivers have contributed to dramatic declines of Columbia basin salmon-and many of the tribes have seen their livelihood decline with them. Nearly 150 years ago, the Columbia Basin tribes signed an agreement with the U.S. Government that was designed to protect their way of life by protecting their rights to salmon. But, because there are so few salmon left to harvest, the tribes contend the treaty is being violated. Their claim, however, is falling on deaf ears. Meanwhile, fewer and fewer salmon return each year, and the Columbia Basin tribes lose more of their grasp on their traditional way of life. The Treaty In the early 1 800s, conflict arose around the Northwest when white settlers moved into the Pacific Northwest and forced Native Americans off of their land. For the Columbia Basin tribes whose lives were centered on the runs of salmon, dislocation away from the river was i threat to their survival. "Salmon was the backbone of our trade," says Courtney. "It was what ; we would establish as our monetary (system, and when the settlers and immigrants came into the area, they ; started wanting the best of the land, ' and there was a lot of conflict." As more and more settlers poured ; into the region, the Columbia River tribes were forced to make decisions about how to protect their way of .life. "All the Indians along the i Columbia River took a vote, and at first, a lot of them were irate and wanted to fight the settlers to the death, because it wasn't worth living without the river," says Courtney. But the tribal elders, who could see the numbers of Europeans settlers growing, decided on a compromise that they felt would guarantee the survival of their people. This meant protecting their right to salmon at all costs. The result was the 1855-56 agreement between the U.S. Government and four Columbia Basin Indian tribes-Warm Springs, Nez Perce, Umatilla and Yakama that guaranteed the Indians the right to fish the Columbia in perpetuity. In exchange for 1 0 million acres of land, the tribes received the "right of taking fish" at their usual and accustomed fishing sites. In practical terms, the treaty entitled the tribes to half of the harvestable surplus of fish on the Columbia River, and allowed the Indians to maintain the fishing sites Jiat they had used for generations. In the end, the Indians traded their and for the guarantee of salmon in perpetuity. "That agreement was designed to protect what kept our people alive," says Courtney. Salmon and Tribal Life Salmon was the fabric of life for the Columbia Basin tribes. Obviously, the fish was important for nutrition and physical survival. But, salmon also provided a commodity that could be traded for and used to acquire other goods. It was a social activity that brought different tribes together, and pushed different tribes apart. It had spiritual purpose. It was tradition. "We used everything of the salmon," he says, "we caught it, dried it, at it fresh. We at the meats, at the heads dried or cooked. Even the guts and entrails were taken and put into a huge pot and boiled, and that was fed to our dogs. Nothing went to waste." Every year while growing up, Courtney and his family would travel 120 miles from the Warm Springs reservation to Celilo Falls on the Columbia River. The Falls, historically the most popular tribal fishing spot on the Columbia, served as economic and social center and attracted many of the Northwest tribes from far away. For a three week period each fall, many of the tribes would catch enough salmon to feed them for an entire year. "For many of those in the tribe," says Courtney, "about 80 percent of their diet was salmon-related. During those three weeks, they would eat the salmon fresh and they would cut the salmon up and filet it, and dry it into strips for keeping for a long time." The annual gathering at Celilo Falls also brought three weeks of heavy trading and bartering. Trading was an important component in the lives of the Indians, who relied heavily on the goods that different tribes from around the Northwest would bring to the gathering. "It was a big trading center, what I would call one of the greatest malls in the Northwest at that time," recalls Courtney. "Most of the tribes would bring what they specialized in. The . tribes to the South brought deer and antlers and arrowheads. People from the coast brought in their shells and cedar baskets. Tribes from the interior of Canada brought wolf and moose and caribou. And salmon was always a high value." The Rise of the Dams As large dams were erected on the Columbia in the first half of the 20th century, runs of salmon began to decline. So too did tribal access to many of their usual and accustomed fishing spots. In 1957, the Dalles Dam was built on the lower Columbia River, only miles from Celilo Falls. Following the construction of this monstrous dam, Celilo Falls was buried under a reservoir, bringing an immediate end to the cultural, social and religious gatherings that had taken place there. This was only a shadow of what was to come. Between 1962 and 1975, four dams on the Lower Snake River-Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little Goose and Lower Granite-were also constructed. With the introduction of these four dams came dramatic declines of wild salmon. Since that time runs of wild Snake River salmon, which had been significant portion of the tribal fish caught on the Columbia, have declined by 90 percent. Columbia Basin tribal fisheries saw their lifeblood taken from them. Regardless of their guaranteed right to fish, the tribes had fewer and fewer salmon, and had fewer and fewer places to catch them. "Salmon was our backbone," says Courtney," Today, the fishery is almost gone. The water has changed completely." Last year's total run of salmon on the Columbia was the same number that would regularly come in a single day only 30 years ago, he said. The decline of salmon has left a deep mark on the tribal communities of the Columbia Basin. Courtney explains that since the salmon decline, salmon-related tribal jobs have dwindled. Unemployment levels on the reservation climb from 30 percent in the summer to as high as 70 percent in the winter. "Without the fish to help us offset the unemployment, our people don't have the capabilities or money to travel to get jobs off of the reservation. Basically, our people are left out of getting any kind of a good job." As unemployment has climbed, other problems on the reservation have intensified. Indian teenagers are dropping out of school. Families have trouble budgeting with their reduced incomes. Health problems on the reservation are increasing, with Continued on page 12