OR. COLL.
E
75
.S68
V. 26
no. 16
August 9, Jf7
P.O. Box 870
Warm Springs, OR 97761
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News from the Warm Springs Indian Reservation August 9, 2001 Vol. 26, No. 16
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Celebrating
the Feast
Tribal members gathered Sunday, July
29 at the He He Longhouse for the
annual Huckleberry Feast.
The early part of the day saw some
rain, but the showers had passed by
the afternoon.
The food preparers arrived at the
longhouse early, and the Washut
service started in mid-morning.
The Huckleberry Feast this year was
held a week or so earlier than usual,
because of the hot and dry weather that
the region had seen during the first part
of summer.
More photos, Page 10
Photo by Dava McMechan
It Jr A ' . I . .1
1
Youngsters experience culture at 4-H camp
By Daw McMechan
;
On a hillside above Shitike Creek a
dozen young people are practicing archery.
Nearby in the camp, some others are
working on beadwork with supervision
from a tribal elder. Still others are away
hiking through the woods.
The sweat lodges are very popular with
the young campers. At night they also like
hearing stories around the campfire, or
taking a night hike in the forest.
Hundreds of Warm Springs youths this
summer came to Peters Pasture for the 4
H Culture Enrichment Camp. The pas
ture is 28 miles west of Warm Springs,
along pristine Shitike Creek, in a secluded
part of the reservation, near Mt. Jefferson.
"The focus of the camp is on investi
gative learning, culture and languages,"
said Arlene Boileau, 4-H Culture Camp
director.
Boileau, who works with OSU Exten
sion, started the culture camp several years
ago, after having worked with other 4-H
camps in the region. She is very familiar
with the Peters Pasture area, as she grew
up there, and at the He He area.
This summer, the Warm Springs 4-H
Culture Camp has been host to over 300
local young people, grades K-9. The first
group of students at the camp were from
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Photo by Dave McMechan
Archery is among many activities at the 4-H camp being held this summer.
Ceremony backs
Moses as chief
More than 100 people last Friday attended the War Bonnet
Ceremony of Joe Moses, sworn in recendy as new Paiute chief
of the Seekseequa District.
During the event, many people - friends, relatives and rep
resentatives of other tribes - spoke in support for Moses.
The event also included a Washut service, feast and gift give
away. Theron Johnson presided over the War Bonnet Ceremony.
Moses was sub-chief of the late Paiute Chief Vernon Henry,
who passed away last month in a motor vehicle accident. The
week after the fatal wreck, Moses, elected earlier this year to a
fourth term on the Tribal Council, was sworn in as the new
chief.
The swearing-in was criticized by some Seekseequa District
members; however, there was no evidence of controversy at
last week's War Bonnet Ceremony.
Representatives of the Burns Paiute, Siletz, Grand Ronde
and tribes in Washington were on hand for the ceremony, ex
pressing their support Relatives of the late Vernon Henry and
of Moses said they were in support of Moses as new chief.
Tribal attorneys Dennis Karnopp and Jim Note boom spoke
of their respect for Moses, and the work he had done over the
years as a member of the Tribal Council.
The War Bonnet Ceremony was held at He He Ixinghouse,
starting at about 10 a.m., and lasting into the afternoon.
the Warm Springs Summer Academy,
grades K-4.
The young people in this group - about
250 students in all - came to the camp in
the day-time, and went back home in the
evening.
Then last week, approximately 75
youths, grades 2-5, spent seven days and
six nights at the camp. This week 30 stu
dents, grades 6-9, are at the camp, through
Saturday, Aug. 11.
The camp has an adult staff of 26
people, mamly volunteers . who enjoy the
camping experience. "We have some
young people who are too old to come as
campers, so they volunteer as CIT's,
Counselors in Training," said Boileau.
The camp adult staff includes two sweat
lodge leaders, Larson Kalama for the boys,
and Millie Colwash for the girls.
A registered nurse also is on hand, as
are two and sometimes three cooks. Tribal
members volunteer to provide cultural
education, history, training in crafts, ar
chery, and other activities. The tribes'
Forestry and Fire Management branches
help a great deal, Boileau said.
The camp has seven teepees, that are
set up amidst the numerous tents of the
young campers. Funding for the Warm
Springs 4-H Culture Enrichment Camp
comes from the tribes, OSU Extension,
and Johnson O'Malley, which is federal
education money that goes to K-12 tribal
members.
. Over the years, the culture camp has
seen a steady increase in its popularity.
When Boileau first started it a number of
years ago, the camp was held at Trout Lake.
Continued on Page 7
M Tribal staff
calls for cut
of $600,000
The Tribal Council in the near future
will begin work on the 2002 tribal gov
ernment budget, a task made difficult by
the need for a significant reduction in ex
penditures. A preliminary recommendation by the
tribal financial staff calls for a minimum
reduction of $600,000 from the current
year's budget.
Similar reductions can be expected over
the next five years, in order to bring the
budget in line with projected revenue, said
Charles Jackson, secretary-treasurer.
The decline in timber revenue - from
$12 million per year less than a decade ago,
to the present $4 million to $5 million - is
a main reason why the tribes are facing
budget restrictions, Jackson said. The vola
tile market for power has also been a fac
tor, he said.
The goal over the next five years is to
gradually bring the annual tribal govern
ment budget down to about $15 million,
from the present level of about $19 mil
lion. Last year in developing the 2001 bud
get, the Tribal Council also faced the need
to reduce the budget, so the upcoming
budget is the second in an annual series
expected to involve substantial reductions
in the base budget.
This year, the Council eliminated some
tribal government jobs that at the time
were vacant. In developing the 2002 bud
get, tribal officials again will be looking
closely at vacant positions, Jackson said.
A goal of the Tribal Council is to avoid
laying off any workers, he said. Local em
ployment already saw a serious setback
earlier this year, when the Warm Springs
Forest Products Industries mill went from
two shifts to one.
Continued on Page 3
Traditional
leave policy
considered
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Photo by Dave McMechan
Joe Moses was joined by family members: his wife, Doris Miller, and their granddaughter, Erica.
On the Tribal Council agenda this
month is a proposed policy that would
provide some tribal workers a leave of
absence from their employment for pur
poses of preparing for traditional events
and activities.
The proposed policy, currendy in draft
form, would apply to employees of tribal
government and tribal enterprises, includ
ing Kah-Nee-Ta High Desert Resort and
Casino, Forest Products Industries, Power
Enterprises and Composite Products.
The draft policy also indicates that em
ployees learning a traditional language
could take up to two hours per week paid
leave to attend a language class.
For employees of the tribal govern
ment, the proposed policy would incor
porate into the personnel manual an ad
ministrative policy that has been in prac
tice for some time, said Benson Heath,
personnel director. The proposed tradi
tional leave policy would, however, be new
for the enterprises.
Explaining the purpose of the proposed
policy, Heath said, "The Tribal Council
believes in cultural education, and the need
to retain our traditions and languages."
Tribal officials last summer began ex
ploring the idea of incorporating a tradi
tional leave policy into the personnel
manual The initiative for the project came
when elders at last year's Huckleberry
Feast mentioned the need for such a policy
to Charles Jackson, secretary-treasurer of
the Tribes.
Continued en Page )
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