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About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (March 22, 2001)
gR. COLL. 75 .S68 v. 26 no. 6 March 22, 2001 Spilyay tyioo. P.O. Box 870 Warm Springs, OR 97761 SliRIALSDI-IT. KNICillTMRRARY l2'm)NIVIJ.SITYOP()Ri;c;ON LUGIiNG. OR 97403 U.S. Postage Bulk Rate Permit No. 2 Warm Springs, OR 97761 35 cents Coyote News, est. 1976 News from the Warm Springs Indten Reservation March 22, 2001 Vol. 26, No. 6 Spilyay ymoo Nominees selected for tribal council Tribal Council nominees have been submitted for print. The fol lowing candidates were named from the three districts. Agency District has 17 nominees with two declining: Garland Brunoc, Harold Blackwolf, Ginger Smith, Bcrnice Mitchell, Tommy O. Kalama, Marcia Soliz, Zanc Jackson, Daisy Ike, Stanley "Buck" Smith Jr., Sid Miller, Grant Clements Sr., Frank Smith, Jeff Sanders Sr., Jeannie Thomas, Mary Ann Meanus, George Clements (declined) and Dalles Winishut Jr. (declined). Simnasho District has 14, one declining: Priscilla Frank, Barbara Jim, Ray Tsumpti, Ron Suppah, Kirby Heath, Jacob Frank (de clined), Marvin Meanus Sr., Floyd Calica, Ray "Captain" Moody, Olney Patt Jr., Earl Squiemphen, Charles "Jody" Calica, Sal Sahme, and Tony "Big Rat" Suppah. Seckseequa District has four nominees with two write-ins, Joe Moses, Brenda Scott, Martha Winishut, Victor Moses, Myra Johnson (write-in) and Carol Wewa (write-in). Spilyay to publish potential adoptee list Information regarding potential adopters will be published in the' Spilyay Tymoo on May 17. The information will be obtained from Vital Statistics and all potential adoptees will be treated equally. Those who would like to have a photograph appear with their information should contact the Spilyay no later than May 4. Statements regarding individuals may be submitted to the newspa per office as letters to the editor. Letters should not exceed 250 words. The election for adoptees into the tribes will be held May 22. Warm Springs Composite Products builds By Nat Shaw Tribal Relations It has been almost seven years since voters approved the referendum that created Warm Springs Compos ite Products (WSCP). In those seven years, there have been many changes, but one thing that hasn't changed is the exuberance and optimism of the people associated with WSCP. From the general manager to the person on the production floor with the least seniority, there is a pride that permeates the company, Warm Springs Composite Prod ucts employs 29 people with 24 tribal members, married-in or other Indians. The plant works two 10 hour shifts, four days a week. Alan Earnest, a long time employee of the Confederated Tribes, is the general manager. Jim Mehlberg is the plant manager, and Jake Coochise is the production manager as well as the personnel manager. Earnest's history with the Tribe began in 1974 when he went to work at the plywood mill. Earnest, along with Louie Tcewee Sr., Nina Danzuka and the late Harold Smith were in the first group of people hired at what is now Warm Springs Composite Products. Mehlberg moved to Warm Springs with his former wife, a tribal mem ber, after being honorably dis charged from the United States Army in 1992. The third member of the management team, Jake Coochise, is a tribal member, who graduated from Willamette Univer sity in 1997 with a degree in busi ness economics. There is a misconception that WSCP manufactures and markets doors. Jake Coochise says, "Vie are not a door company. We build the best rails and stiles in the fireproof door industry." Stiles and rails are the pieces that surround the door Candidates to speak Forums will be held from 7 to 9:30 p.m. March 28 at Agency Longhouse and March 29 at Simnasho Longhouse to hear Tribal Council Candidates address community questions. For more information or to submit questions (must be in by 5 p.m. March 27) con tact: Anita Jackson, ajacksonwstribcs.org or 553-3284; or Evalinc Patt, 553-3331 or 5605, evpattbendnet.com Sponsored by the Women's Resource Associa tion Warm Springs. The election is set for April 9. The Spilyay Tymoo is taking state ments and photos of candidates. Deadline is March 30. Due to the large selection of nominees and lim ited space, it is asked that the state ments be limited to three to five short paragraphs (400 words or less). core. In the early years WSCP did make a door core but found that al though it was a superior product, it was not cost effective to build. Since that time they have concentrated mainly on stiles and rails made of Tectonite TM. Tectonite TM is a proprietary formulation developed by Tectonics International, and li censed to WSCP. Warm Springs Composite Prod ucts pays a 7percent royalty to Tec tonics International for the use of their technology. The two largest manufacturers in the fireproof door industry are Georgia Pacific and Weyerhaeuser Company. Georgia Pacific controls about 70 percent of the market and is not a friendly competitor. To the contrary, Weyerhaeuser is much more friendly. In 2000, Weyerhaeuser, a Wisconsin based company, was WSCP's largest client, making up 36.4 percent of retail sales, followed by Buell Door Com pany of Texas (15.9 percent), Eggers of Wisconsin (14.3 percent), Algoma, of Wisconsin (13.7 per cent), and Leadcrflush of the United Kingdom (7.7 percent). Georgia Pacific's market share is attributed to their vast array of certified prod ucts. Seventy percent of the total market equates to about $35 million in sales annually. Sales for WSCP have steadily grown each year under the direction of Earnest. In 1998, a concerted ef fort was made to become a debt free company. That was accomplished and at the same time WSCP still had a net income of $140,000. Alan Ear nest commented, "In a time when many companies are downsizing, we are a stand alone, debt free, profit able, expanding enterprise with a great future." Continued en Page 5 Flutist's James Greeley touches others with music by Martha Laurence Spilyay Staff Talking with James Greeley is like listening to his music. The con versation is a spontaneous, laughing, lilting stream of consciousness. You are in the presence of someone at peace with himself. He exudes his love of life, and sense of purpose and identity. 1 Ie can be frustrating as he resists those chronological questions dear to reporters. His ideas flow like water tumbling over stones in a . stream. Or, he may respond with his other voice - the soaring, haunting, evocative notes of his flute. Four years ago, Greeley never thought those would become his voice. He planned to write - stories or poetry. But when he accepted a flute from his uncle, Charles Littleleaf, he found his life. He ad mits to initial frustration as his ef forts were rewarded only with unharmonious "cracks". He felt "no spiritual connection" to the instru ment. That came on the third day. , From that moment on,' he has been one, with the instrument - a caning that lea him most recently to the Smithsonian's National Mu seum of the American Indian, to participate in their "The Art of Storytelling" event which ran from Feb. 21 to 24. Previously, he performed in 1999 and 2000 at the IHS celebration of National American Indian and "WW" i i ' : ' 1 - I Jake Coochise is the third member i I 1 f I I 5 I it.,;, ! -'?Y:V t kJ ij U soul finding a voice James Greeley finds solace, and Alaska Native Heritage Month held in Rockville, MD and has been in vited to appear again this year. He also played at the Schmctzn Pow wow at Connecticut's Fox Woods Casino last September. He realized that his talent of the enterprise's management team. XI l'lioto by Mike Van Meier brings solace, through music. brought spiritual solace not only to himself but others when he was asked to participate in the funeral of a friend's grandfather. As he began an unrehearsed, spontaneous com position, he instinctively knew where it started, its middle, its end. a future Photo bv Manha LTrnce I Ic was overjoyed that his music was of comfort to mourners as they re leased the spirit of their loved one on the ethereal notes of his flute. His music continues to be un planned, neither written nor re hearsed - as spare and elemental as the poetry he once planned to write. Listen well, for you will never hear the same piece repeated. The music comes from his soul and the inspi ration of the moment. As a fellow artist once advised, "Don't play like anyone else. Play from your heart." As he reflects on the path to his calling, he cites a defining moment - a 1991 motorcycle accident. When he regained consciousness, he opened his eyes to three stars in the "belt" of the constellation Orion. Although certain he had been spared to do something specific with his life, Greeley didn't find the flute for six more years. However the mo ment he connected with it, he re called the stars and the certainty they had inspired. "Was I here to share music?" The answer to his own question was a resounding, "Yes." Greeley is proud of his heritage -Warm Springs, Wasco and Hopi. He has spent the majority of his 31 years in Warm Springs. He now resides in Vancouver but admits to becoming homesick for the reservation. "In the city, you're always a stranger. I have lifetime friends here." He identifies as strongly with his , mother's Hopi ties. He admires Hopi resistance to European assimi lation and feels a strong affinity to one of their legendary forefathers, the flutist Kokopelli, whose image is found in 3000 year old petroglyphs. Continued on Page 3 Council adopts plan for forest The Integrated Resources Man agement Plan for the Forested Area (IRMP I) became a permanent guide for forest management on the Warm Springs Reservation last week when Tribal Council adopted a resolution to amend Ordinance 74 and approve a newly revised plan that was devel oped by the Natural Resources and Forestry staffs. IRMP I was originally adopted as Ordinance 74 by a vote of Tribal Council in 1992. Their decision sup ported a staff recommendation to use a balanced management ap proach, which ensures adequate pro tection for natural resources while providing opportunities for compat ible use. The original plan was sched uled to expire on Dec. 21, 2001, prompting the technical team to work on the recently adopted revi sion. The revised IRMP became a per manent fixture on March 14 when Tribal Council approved Resolution 9987, which adopts the plan with out an expiration date. Adaptive management will con tinue to be incorporated through monitoring and review strategies that accommodate the need for pe riodic updates. The plan includes 18 issues that relate to specific resources including water, fish, wildlife, rare and cultur ally significant species, biological diversity, fire management, condi tional use areas, cultural resources, timber, economics, salvage logging, firewood, visual resources, transpor tation, forage, soil, recreation, en ergy and minerals. Centinned en Page 2