September 7, 2000
Warm Springs, Oregon
SPILYAYTYMOO
Meeting has good turn out Youth enjoy
HOW MUCH WOOD COULD
A WOODCHUCK CHUCK IF A
WOODCHUCK COULD CHUCK
WOOD? No special reason for this
tongue twister, just that it's a good
lead-in for talking about WSFPI. The
meeting went on Thursday night at
the longhouse and many issues were
discussed. We were glad to see so
many mill employees present and that
some of them expressed their con
cerns. Others chose to not speak be
cause of fear of repercussion. It was
a disappointment to see that espe
cially the GM and personnel manager
were absent, since many issues could
have been resolved by them on-the-spot.
It's unfortunate the chairman of
the WSFPI board was also absent.
There are many questions to be an
swered by the CFO, who was also
absent regarding the council meet
ing of August 21. Our trustee who is
the BI A was not notified of this meet
ing in 82 1 so that's why they weren't
present. Their presence was needed
because of discussion of the profit
and risk negotiable percentage rate.
The bottom line on the WSFPI situa
tion is that the mill workers need to
be listened to. They work there and
know what's going on. The GM, us
ing the pretense off down-sizing, is
actually REPLACING good tribal
member employees with people of his
own choosing. We would be better
off if our own tribal members (those
who REALLY CARE about the mill)
would take over management posi
tions. It may seem like a drastic ac
tion, but is probably necessary in or
der to save the mill and its assets. We
may need to shut down the mill and
start over. This is called CREATIVE
DESTUCTION. Get rid of the bad
apples since we now know who they
are. This would be good for us in the
long run. We would have to make
temporary sacrifices such as unem
ployment, but in the, the mill would
be run much better by people who
care about this valuable resource, in
stead of how much money they make
for themselves. Your just can t seem
to get a straight answer out of the
board. They reported they had bor
rowed $6 million, and after
Thursday's meeting said they had
gotten the authority to borrow it. Once
they do get this loan, would like to
see a good accounting of how it's
spent, including using the WSFPI
purchasing dept. if there is such a
thing. What do tribal members think
about a random audit? Maybe it
would be good for all our enterprises.
Think it over. What was used for col
lateral for the loan? The mill? Our
Timber? If we defaulted on the loan,
how do we pay back that amount of
money? These are some of the rea
sons ALL WSFPI management,
board, BIA, and tribal council all need
to sit down in the same meeting and
talk. The right hand needs to know
what the left had is doing. Our sug
gestion is that all of the above come
together with the people and answer
questions and communicate. Don't go
on annual leave or suddenly become
deathly ill because of a "hot" meet
ing coming up that you know you
should attend. Don't let cowardice
stand in the way. Stand up and an
swer questions-that's what you're
paid for. To sum up, if necessary the
people are ready to go to a referen
dum to help council make a decision
on the future of the mill. Until next
issue, signing off.
Daisy Ike, Shirley Sanders,
Ginger Smith
and Rita Squiemphen.
event
The Veteran's Corner
On Saturday, July 29lh Victims
of Crime Services sponsored an In
ner Tube Event for the Warm Springs
youth and their families. The youth
that attended not only had a blast In
ner Tubing, but also volunteered their
time and helped Victims of Crime
Services pick up garbage around
Elmer Quinn Park.
Victims of Crime Services
thought that having an Inner Tube
Event was a good way for the youth
to learn how to keep Shitike Creek
on inner tubes and getting their pic
ture taken. Later the youth all gath
ered up the inner tubes and received
free t-shirts and Popsicles from Vic
tims of Crime Services.
If you or someone you know is
interested in another fun filled Inner
Tube Event, please keep your eyes
open for next years scheduled event.
Victims of Crime Services looks for
ward to next years Inner Tube Event:
First, thank you to all the youth and
parents who participated, thanks to
the Chief of Police, Don Courtney and
his family, VOCS Manager Marie
Calica, Renee Silversmith Wewa,
Charlie Wewa, Toni Made, April
Hornbuckle, Les Schwab for the In
ner Tubes and Petals N Posey's for
the balloons. We not only appreciate
your help, but also all the hard work
you put into this years Inner Tube
Event. By helping these youth have a
good time without violence you are
helping reduce crime in our commu
nity. Thank you once again to all who
participated. We hope to see you next
year.
American Indian Medal of Honor
Winners
In the 20th century, five Ameri
can Indians have been among those
soldiers to be distinguished by receiv
ing the United States' highest mili
tary honor: the Medal of Honor.
Given for military heroism "above
and beyond the call of duty," these
warriors exhibited extraordinary
bravery in the face of the enemy and,
in two cases, made the ultimate sac
rifice for their country.
Jack C. Montgomery. A
Cherokee from Oklahoma, and a First
Lieutenant with the 45th Infantry Di
vision Thundcrbirds. On 22 February
1944, near Padiglione, Italy,
Montgomery's rifle platoon was un
der fire by three echelons of enemy
forces, when he single-handedly at-
with the 45th Infantry Division,
Childers received the Medal of I lonor
for heroic action in 1943 when, up
i
"Closed
The Boys and
Girls Club will
be closed
August 28-September 8
to prepare for the school year
and receive training.
ist 21st the Club will start
renewing cards for a fee of $10 for
the new year.
Any questions, call Frank at 553-2284
Augu
tacked all three positions, taking pris
oners in the process. As a result of
his courage, Montgomery's actions
demoralized the enemy and inspired
his men to defeat the Axis troops.
Ernest Childers. A Creek from
Oklahoma, and a First Lieutenant
against machine gun fire, he and eight
men charged the enemy. Although
suffering a broken foot in the assault,
Childers ordered covering fire and
advanced up the hill, single-handedly
killing two snipers, silencing two
machine gun nests, and capturing an
enemy mortar observer.
Van Barfoot. A Choctaw from
Mississippi, and a Second Lieutenant
in the Thundcrbirds. On 23 May
1944, during the breakout from Anzio
to Rome, Barfoot knocked out two
machine gun nests and captured 17
German soldiers. Later that same day,
he repelled a German tank assault, de
stroyed a Nazi fieldpiece and while
returning to camp carried two
wounded commanders to safety.
Mitchell Red Cloud Jr. A
Winnebago from Wisconsin, and a
Corporal in Company E., 19th Infan
try Regiment in Korea. On 5 Novem
ber 1950, Red Cloud was on a ridge
guarding his company command post
when he was surprised by Chinese
communist forces. He sounded the
alarm and stayed in his position fir
ing his automatic rifle and point-blank
to check the assault. This gave his
company time to consolidate their
defenses. After being severely
wounded by enemy fire, he refused
assistance and continued firing upon
the enemy until he was fatally
wounded. His heroic action prevented
the enemy from overrunning his
company's position and gained time
for evacuation of the wounded.
Charles George. A Cherokee
from North Carolina, and Private First
Class in Korea when he was killed on
30 November 1952. During battle,
George threw himself upon a grenade
and smothered it with his body. In
doing so, he sacrificed his own life
but saved the lives of his comrades.
For this brave and selfless act, George
was posthumously award the Medal
of Honor in 1954.
? August 1997
Native American Veterans
I J
A Ait
Happy Belated 4th
Birthday to our niece
Keyahnna Clement on
August 12th. Oh! and
cousin too. With lots of
hugs & Love,
Angie, Jarod, Brent &
Torey Thomas
Congratulations to proud
parents:
Phillip Florendo and Carolyn
Orrell of Warm Springs, OR. They
welcome a boy Kiley Joe Florendo,
born August 21, 2000 at 8:04 a.m.
Weighing in at 8 lbs 11.9 oz and
21" 12"
Kiley joins brothers Nicolas 1 1
years old and LaRonn age 9. Paternal
grandparents are James & Sylvie
Florendo of Eugene, OR; Eileen and
Evans Spino and JoAnn & Tommie
Smith of Warm Springs, OR.
Maternal grandparents are George
and Thclma Orrell of Madras, OR.
The Late Grace Jackson & Lewis
& Laura Orrell.
Great-Grandparents are Adeline
Miller of Warm Springs, OR and the
late James Sr. & Alice Florendo of
Warm Springs, OR. ;
Congratulations to proud
parents:
Vernon Eugien James Smith and
Hannah Mahellynn Crowe from
Warm Springs, OR 97761. They
welcome a son Jaron Eugien James
Smith born August 30, 2000 at 4:28
a.m. weight 7 lbs. 7 oz. 18" long.
Paternal grandparents are Vernon
Eugien Smith Sr. & Willette Payne;
Maternal grandparents are Laura L.
Crowe & Carlos A. Galvez all of
Warm Springs, OR.
Great-Grandparents are Laura Dick
Crow Stwyer.
Happy Birthday to my Big
Bro Brent
From your favorite lil
loving NaNa
Torey Thomas
Happy 1st Birthday
Damian Frank
Love always
Paula, Dan, Darrin,
Douglas & Nalani
Elementary School continued from page 5
grades seven and eight the dropout rate is drastic." Quaid
supports a plan, once the new elementary school is built, to
convert the old school into a middle school. This will allow Warm
Springs students the option of staying on the reservation
through grade eight.
The lack of Native American teachers is another concern. Smith
remains one of only two certified Native American staff at the
school. "The Warm Springs people have struggled to produce
their own teachers, and that's been a problem for a long, long
time," says Smith. "But now the tribes have a teacher education
partnership with Eastern Oregon State University. Right now
I've got a college student coming once a week, and next year
she'll do her practicum here. Another Warm Springs teacher
graduated from Arizona State last year, but I didn't have an
opening so she went to the middle school in Madras."
That Smith can casually mention she didn't have a job opening
last year indicates just how far Warm Springs has come. If
pressed to name the one thing most responsible for turning the
school around, Smith would say it's been her staff. Her staff
would say it's been the principal. Smith speaks for both sides
when she says, "If it weren't for the people here, willing to
sacrifice and to change the way they're doing things, to try
something new, we'd never be where we are." tl
:.,.::..,:..:V E:,, I .MM -
mm
Sum
Tribal member questions several concerns regarding management
...... . n r IJI -i-.-i
For Sale
1972 Che v. Suburban $1,500 or
OBO
Gary Villa Sr.
553-1792
Teen Boy's Grassdance outfit
Size Medium
Turquoise blue with red rag. frinee
$250. firm
Gary Villa Jr. 553-1792
To the editor.
When is the ST and his con
sultants going to allow our Tribal
Council representatives to respond to
all the questions that the Tribal Mem
bers have been asking? From what
happened to the small business grant
money, which Mitch Connally and
Economic Development refuses to
disclose, to why the Council won't
start another referendum to move the
casino out of KahNeeTa's over paid
managements reach. And after all
their promises, that all these new in
vestments, were going to save the
Tribes, and why they didn't. Why are
only the speculators, management
and consultants sitting pretty while
looking to slash just Indians? Why
won't they just tell the truth about
why this reservation is in a financial
tailspin? Is it just management's
greed and trying to show their White
counterparts how powerful they are,
at the expense of the Indians, and the
reservation? They're the only people
that our wise businessmen seem to
listen to. Won't any of the Council
ask the ST for permission to answer
the Tribal Members? After all, they
appointed him.
At the last Seekseekqua meet
ing, when asked about a new casino
the ST told everybody 'you guvs'
voted it down. Are the four who
claimed to be against the Madras site,
afraid to explain w hy they won't back
up the majority of the Tribes?
Last fall the S T stated ada
mantly, when asked, that Veterans
groups get no donations from Tribal
Council. That is. until they smelled
more monev. Then not to Ions aeo.
at KahNeeTa, they were welcoming
the VA home loan money with open
arms. At the same time council mem
bers were laughing, "here come the
baby killers dancing in". An expres
sion used by White hippies and
Apples, who didn't have the "guts"
to even try to prove to "themselves"
that they could do the same thing that
we, our fathers, uncles, and grandfa
thers did. Nor did they think about
all the wives, mothers, grandmothers
and sisters who didn't get paid for all
their volunteer work for the VFW. Or
did they and don't care?
After selling everybody out, do
these Wise leaders really believe, that
these people, who they want to be like
so much, would trust anyone who
would sellout the people who put
them there? I almost said their "own"
people. Sorry about that.
I see all these board members,
who are from Madras, pushing all the
business to Madras. Even certain
members of council putting them
selves on the KahNeeTa board. Are
they just getting a cut of their own
"separate enterprise" money? Maybe
KahNeeTa feels safer with a couple
of the Apple Dumplings of their own,
to get them what they want. Manage
ment sure doesn't want anybody start
ing any kind of business on the reser
vation, unless it is their own. Isn't our
Economic and Development Depart
ment getting paid enough to have had
something going by the year 2000.
Even with a'Phys. Ed. Degree some
thing should have been started.
Wasn't this ST in that department
before? Makes you wonder whose
future business and economic devel
opment they had in mind. What are
they going to pull next, Wait longer
and then say, "these Indians aren't
going to do anything with this area,
so lets bring in our speculator bud
dies to show them how to run a busi
ness." When I have said their White
Brothers and Sisters, I'm not refer
ring to the everyday non-Indian work
ers who are in the same predicament
as we are. I'm referring to the politi
cian type speculators that our "lead
ers" are trying to emulate.
Another Question, what hap
pened to all the applications that were
turned in for all those different board
positions? When someone asked, I've
heard they were told that they were
the only one to put in for that posi
tion, so they had to readvertise. I
know for a fact that there were more
applications. And I'm sure a lot more
people applied that I don't know
about. They were stamped into the
Tribal Council office, did someone
tell the council not to see any, or to
w ait for the people w ho are to inherit
these positions to apply, at their own
convenience. Is it really this Coun
cils true colors? If it is, they are re
ally getting to where they want to be,
real politicians w ith no conscience.
Now Voc. Rehab is expanding
to cover the surrounding towns. I was
told, at first, that I w as qualified, and
had a feasible idea, by the director.
Then a w eek later I w as told I w asn't
qualified. Was it because after she
told me that she was sick of w asting
money on training Indians and none
of them were working in the trade
they ere trained for. and I told her it
was Economic Developments fault
for keeping people from starting t
kinds of business on the reservation?
Our management is so arrogant
and out of touch with Indians that they
don't realize, the breaks that they
were "handed". The Indians whose
money that they use to pay their own
salary, don't count. Since this depart
ment finds a way to change its rules
all the time, why don't they use their
funds to retain the Tribal Members
that our own management is trying
to displace? From what I hear and see
and see there may be a lot, with man
agement putting a few selected Indi
ans, who think they want to be just
like these managers, in positions to
do a hatchet job on other Indians.
That's practically what the KahNeeTa
GM stated on KWSO a couple
months back. Ask the people that
work all departments, from what I
hear, people are afraid to even joke
around, for fear of retaliation. That's
how they always have and always will
succeed by keeping the Indians fight
ing among each other.
At the general council meeting
in Simnasho a few months ago, the
ST asked me in the parking lot to
come in, sit down to see what I
wanted, and see how they could help
me. As I said the. all I come back for,
w as to find out what happened to the
small business grant that even body
had to keep requalifying for over and
over. I found out later it was used to
cover funds lost in another nepotistic
management fiasco.
Not so long ago. a certain group
w as calling for a recall of Represen
tatives, not from their own district.
Since they claimed to be the spokes
persons of the People, and I knew all
the ins and out of this Organization. I
figured they would have started a
move to call for an audit of this
"gang" by now.
Who knows down the road this
"gang" will say "WE" are flat broke.
We have to sell "our" land. We will
get all of you a few thousand bucks,
that should last you a lifetime, since
you are so financially strapped for
money. Since one council person told
me that there was an old law that
said , once we elected them they had
the right to make all decisions for us.
That law should be changed, because
when that law was made, people
could trust their Representatives.
Finally, at the WSFPI General
Council on 8-31-00, where were the
perpetrators of what is happening to
the mill? By now everyone knows
that the council members that were
there, don't and can't control the
purse strings and the hiring of these
high priced speculators. When asked,
Zane stated that this GM doesn't re
port to them. So just who does he
answ er to? Didn't the ST and Apple
Gang find a consultant fast enough
to tell them how to answ er the people
complaints. Like I said, our manage
ment just keeps this Council around
as a formality, to rubber stamp their
deals w ith their speculators..
Because, if it wasn't for their
mismanagement, and their oown
greed, narrow mindedness, short
sightedness, nepotism, taking their
consultants word as the gospel, and
not giving the tribal membership and
credit for having a mind, I don't think
the Tribes would be in this situation.
I Ictor Moses
Tribal Member
i