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P.O. Box 870
Warm Springs, OR 97761
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Coyote News, est. 1976
U.S. Postage
Bulk Rate Permit No. 2
Warm Springs, OR 97761
35 cents
News from the Warm Springs Indian Reservation
Dec 13, 2001 Vol. 26, No. 25
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Photo by 0f Mcltochan
Many young tribal members enjoyed a visit from
Santa last week at the Community Wellness Center.
People sang carols in English and Indian languages.
The event was the annual tree-lighting ceremony.
Spirit of condor still alive
Police continue work
on burglary probe
By Stltna Boise
Spilyay Staff
In the months of November and
December there has been an increase
in the number of burglaries, and the
Warm Springs Police Department
continues to investigate.
There are individual suspects who
have been arrested for the burglaries,
and officers are gathering information
that may lead to an arrest of more
suspects.
During the holiday season, when
you or your neighbor- are' b'uFshop-'
ping, your homes become a target for
burglaries, unless precautions are
taken.
The community can be of assis
tance to the Police Department by
reporting any suspicious activity at a
neighbor's house, or if a person tries
to sell property that is possibly sto
len. The sooner you make that call the
sooner a burglar can be arrested.
If a person sells you an item that is
stolen, you as the new owner can be
charged with possession of stolen
property.
Items in the home should be
marked with a serial number, driver's
license number, social security num
ber, or easily remembered numbers
for easy identification if stolen items
were rec6vercdf Keep" awritren tog of
serial numbers identifying your prop
erty. Keep your home well lit at night.
Lock the doors.
Contact the police department and
your neighbor if you are going to be
away from home for a long period.
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Giant bird used
to inhabit the
Columbia Gorge
By Dai SUMfthan
Spilyay Staff j
For thousands of years the bird
lived along the river. Indian people
there would sec it perched in the al
der trees along the shore.
In flight the bird would soar to
great heights. It could spot its food -carrion
on the ground - from high
up in the air. I
The bird - called the California
condor, or to some the Thundcrbird
- used to live at the Columbia River
Gorge.
The condor disappeared from Or
egon and the Gorge several decades
ago. It was a large and powerful bird,
but sensitive and vulnerable to
changes in the environment
The condor lived at the Gorge for
thousands of years, but became ex
tinct there not too long after white
people arrived.
It is not clear when the last of the
condors in Oregon disappeared. Some
say they saw them in the Gorge area
as recently as the 1950s.
The condor is no longer there, but
memories of the bird still remain.
Some tribal elders remember stories
of the condor, Anc the image pf the :
bird appears on Indian bags and bas
kets, and in beadwork designs.
The bird was important spiritually
to Indian people who lived along the
river. Wasco Chief Nelson
Wallulatum talks of the significance
that the condor had for his tribe.
The condor, he says, was the
Thunderbird. Wasco people kept
young condors in their villages for
protection from thunderstorms, said
Chief Wallulatum.
The idea may have been that a
storm would not harm a village where
its own young - the baby condors -were
living. Or the storm may have
shown sympathy for a village where
the people were caring for young condors.
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when the Or
egon Zoo in
Portland an
nounced iis par
ticipation in the
U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Califor
nia condor resto
ration program.
The Oregon
Zoo will help in
the raising of
young condors
that Inter will be
released into the
wild on the
southern Cali
fornia coast and
at the Grand
Canyon.
This an
nouncement drew attention to
the fact that con
dors used to live
in Oregon at the
Columbia River
Photo by Dtvt McMachin Ciorgc.
Chief Wallulatum wears condor badge; bag features bird. Some people
then asked the question: Could the
condor be restored to its native habi
tat in the Columbia River Gorge? The
answer to this question seems to be,
Maybe, but it would take quite a few
years, if not decades.
When the Oregon Zoo announced
its participation in the California cony-dor
program, on hand for the event
were Chief Wallulatum; Patricia
Courtney Gold, who is a Wasco bas
ket artist; and Louis Pitt, director of
Government Affairs of the Confed
erated Tribes.
Asked recendy for his thoughts on
the subject, Pitt said that re-introduction
of the condor to its traditional
areas in Oregon would be a serious
challenge.
The condor, he said, relies on a
large expanse of territory for search
ing and scavenging of food.
The natural environment in Or
egon has been altered to the point
where it may no longer be able to sup
port a population of condors, said
Pitt. .;'
Continued on Page 12
The adult condor was the biggest
of all birds. It had a wingspan of nine
feet. Some Indian stories tell of the
condor flying away with a person.
Cyrus Katchia remembers a story
about a young boy who told a lie to
his grandfather. The condor carried
the child away to the south. The boy
did not return for 11 years. ,
'You learned not to tell a lie," said
Cy Katchia.
Condors were in the news recently
Photo by Tina Aguilar
Firefighters were able to use abandoned home for training purposes.
Fire department busy
with string of blazes
Lincoln's junior court introduced
By Tina Aguilar
Spilyay Staff
In the last two weeks Warm
Springs Fire and Safety has responded
to seven fires.
According to Fire Chief Danny
Martinez, last year there were three
to four structure fires all season long.
In the several fires that were re
sponded this winter, most were struc
tural. One is under investigation as
possible arson, as three fires were set
in this house in one day.
Fire Chief Danny Martinez then
received permission from the family
to burn this abandoned house because
it was hazardous.
The others were caused by: .
A stove fire where a pot of water
was left on the stove with nobody
home. This fire caused approximately
$2,500 worth of damage and sent two
people to the hospital for smoke in
halation. Leaving a pot of chili unsuper
vised, melting the pot, which started
the mobile home on fire. This was a
total loss leaving the owner mis
placed. One petKWWM ww f o tfc j
hospital for smoke inhalation.
Candles being used in this mo
bile home. The only accident re
ported was a firefighter stepping on a
nail that went completely through his
boot into his foot.
A chimney fire caused by a
plugged up chimney, which was
caused by burning pizza (cardboard)
containers. The family is back in the
residence.
Fire Chief Danny Martinez advises
never use wrapping paper or card
board in woodstoves. It is okay to
start a fire with newspaper but never
use the other to feed the fire. This
causes the chimney to clog leading to
a potential fire. He also stresses that
mobile (trailer) homes can burn
within minutes after it catches fire so
it is very important to be extra care
ful if you live in a mobile home.
The Fire & Safety department sent
the following information:
One in three accidental deaths are
caused by fire. But there are several
things that can be done to keep this
from happening in the community.
. : Continued en Page 12
This week we are featuring the two
tribal members who are the Junior
Court of the Lincoln's Birthday Pow
wow. The candidates are Jolene Ora
Charley and Ada Julia Polk. They are
selling Lincoln's Birthday Powwow
raffle tickets for $1 apiece, or six for
$5.
The powwow is Feb. 8, 9 and 10 at
the Simnasho Longhouse. For more
information, contact Trudee
Queaphama-Clements at 553-3274
(work) or 553-1245 (home), or Anna
Clements, 553-3290, Lincoln's Birth
day Powwow Committee for 2002-03.
Jolene Charley
My name is Jolene Ora Charley.
My mother and dad is Nikki and
Robert Charley Sr.
My grandmother is the late Jane
Whitefoot Charley and my grandpa
is Wesly Riggs Charley.
I am a Simnasho Warm Springs
Tribal Member and Sioux. I was born
here and grew up here on the rez. I
like to play basketball and football
and jump on my trampoline and play
music on my clarinet.
I like going to help mom at the
longhouse cutting fish and deer meat
and going fishing and hunting with
my dad and digging roots with my
family.
I'll be in the community selling
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Received on: 12-19-Bi
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Ada Julia Polk
raffle tickets. So with your help I can
be the next Junior Queen of the
Simnasho, Pow Wow. Thank you.
Ada Polk
Hi, my name is Ada Julia Polk, and
I am 8 years old.
I am the daughter of Angela Polk,
and granddaughter of Vicki Polk and
Great Grand daughter of the Late Ada
Walsey (Polk).
I am selling Raffle Tickets for
Lincoln's Pow-Wow which is the sec-
Jolene Ora Charley
ond weekend in February at
Simnasho, Oregon. My hobbies are
Indian Dancing, basketball,
cheerleading, and traveling to pow
wows. I will be going all over the com
munity to approach you and intro
duce myself to you so you will know
me by sight, to see if you'll be inter
ested in purchasing any tickets. The
tickets are $1 each or a book of 6 for
$5. Thank vou.