OR. COLL.
E
75
S68
no. 11 """" -
May 30.
P.O. Box 870
Warm Springs, OR 97761
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May 30, 2002 Vol. 27, No. 11
Coyote News, est. 1976
35 cents
M Spiiyay .lynrxx
Pi-Ume-Sha
celebration
starts June 28
In less than one month the Con
federated Tribes will celebrate Pi-Ume-Sha
Treaty Days, this year
marking its thirty-third anniversary.
Pi-Ume-Sha happens at the Warm
Springs Community Center grounds
Friday through Sunday, June 28-30.
Pi-Ume-Sha this year will have a
new contest, an Owl Dance contest,
sponsored by Yvonne and Charles
Nathan of Warm Springs. The prize
in this new contest will be $1,000.
In all, the three-day Pi-Ume-Sha
celebration pays between $16,000 and
$17,000 in dance-contest prize money,
in adult and children categories.
Thomas Morningowl, Umatilla,
will return this year as the Pi-Ume-Sha
Master of Ceremonies. "He is
well-versed in our traditions, our
tribes, and our treaty," said Louis
Katchia, secretary of the Pi-Ume-Sha
Committee.
For these reasons, said Katchia,
"we've turned to him for help, after
losing our long-time friend."
Atwai Nathan "Eight Ball" Jim, an
original Pi-Ume-Sha Committee
member, was the powwow MC for
many years, since the beginning of the
celebration, until his passing.
Bernice Mitchell and Silas Will
iams were also members of the origi
nal committee.
The other members of the origi
nal Pi-Ume-Sha -committee are atwai
Arthur Mitchell, who was chairman
for many years; atwai Prosanna Will
iams, atwai Sammy Colwash, atwai
Elizabeth Rhoan, atwai Jimmy Macy,
and atwai Ada Sooksoit.
"NTpw Timisinar to heln domestic violence victims
Construction of
$525,000 project
to begin in summer
By Dave McMechan
Spilyqy Tymoo stuff
The transitional housing project is
called The Circle of life, and the goal
is to break a violent and sometimes
deadly cycle.
Far too often on the reservation,
the victim of domestic violence has
nowhere else to go, so the person re
mains in the abusive relationship. A
main contributing factor to this prob
lem is lack of housing.
"One of the reasons why women
stay in violent relationships is the
housing shortage on the reservation,"
said Sarah Frank, victim's advocate
with the tribes' Victims of Crime
Services.
Toward resolving the problem, the
Victims of Crime Services has devel
oped The Circle of life project.
When built, The Circle of life will
consist of six buildings: five living
units constructed in a circle around
the central main office and commons
building.
The housing units will be available
to victims of domestic violence. This
new housing will provide victims
with a safe place to stay, and the
chance to start a new and better life
outside of the cycle of domestic vio
lence. The Circle of life housing will be
transitional, meaning that people will
live there only temporarily, until they
are on their feet and again able to
make it on their own.
The building site of The Circle of
Life is at Shitike Creek Road and
Hollywood Boulevard, where the
tribal advocate trailer is currently lo
Tribes
Close to 1,000 tribal member
voters went to the polls on the
gaming expansion question. More
than three-fourths cast their bal
lots in favor of building a new ca
sino at the Columbia River Gorge.
Of the 940 total votes cast, 720
votes - or nearly 76 percent of the
rw, m momhorc aro nraHnatinn this vflar from Madras Hiah School. Pictured above are some of the
VVCI uw II iuai 1 1 iwi i iwei w mi w y mvmmh .jj ... j . -
seniors who are graduating. For a list of this year's tribal member MHS
cated. The groundbreaking for the
new housing facility will likely be this
summer, said Marie Calica, director
of Victims of Crime Services.
The idea for The Circle of Life
project goes back about three years,
said Calica. The need for this kind of
housing facility was great then, and
is even greater now, she said.
An initial task in developing the
project was to secure the necessary
funding. For this, Calica approached
the federal Housing and Urban De
velopment (HUD) office in Seattle,
where she was told that a grant would
be the best way to proceed.
The grant application process was
extensive, requiring full documenta
tion of the need for the facility, and
details as to design and operation. The
Tribal Council also had to agree to
the idea, and had to contribute fund
ing. In the end, HUD provide a grant
in the amount of $350,000, the tribes
are contributing $125,000, and the
I lousing Authority is adding another
$50,000, for a total of $525,000. When
the facility is built, the I lousing Au
thority will also help with the main
tenance. The Circle of life facility will have
capacity for 40 occupants - includ
ing both adult victims and their chil
dren. The length of time that a person
can live there will be determined on
a casc-by-case basis. A person might
stay for a just a short time, or for over
a year, depending on the circum
stances. The point is to provide the
person with a safe place to live, ac
cess to education and job opportuni
ties, counseling and support.
To illustrate the problem that the
transitional housing will address: last
year, the Victims of Crime office pro
approve
total - were in favor of building a new
tribal casino at the Gorge. The no
votes totaled 210, or roughly 22 per
cent of the total. Ten ballots were
spoiled.
For the recent referendum, held
May 18, the turnout of voters was
strong. The total number of voters
Class of 2C02
D CMS ;
vided services to 199 clients. Mosdy,
these were women who had been
abused by their spouses.
The Victims of Crime office can
offer a person some temporary shel
ter away from the abusive household.
However, with the current resources
the options are very limited.
To victim might, for instance, live
Event celebrates traditional
Warm Springs Chief Delvls Heath
foreground.
Gorge casimio
. 1 . i 1 ! f J
was close to the number who partici
pated in the most recent Tribal Coun
cil election, early last year. In the
council election, 1,034 people voted.
By any measure, the support at the
polls for expansion of gaming to the
Gorge was overwhelming. More
people voted in favor of this referen-
graduates, see page 2.
for a time in temporary shelter off
the reservation. This involves
trauma in itself, because often the
victim has lived her whole life on
the reservation, said Gwen George,
services coordinator and victims
advocate.
See CIRCLE of LIFE on 10
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University of Oregon Library
Received on: 06-05-02
Spilyay tymoo.
4
4
speaks, as drummers listen in the
dum than voted in favor of the 1999
referendum regarding whether the
Confederated Tribes should continue
in the gaming business.
For the 1999 referendum, 696
people voted to continue with gam
ing, compared to 740 who voted in
favor of building a new casino at the
Gorge.
With tribal member approval of
the referendum, the next step in the
process is negotiation among tribal
leaders and Gov. Kitzhaber.
The negotiations will be toward de
velopment of a new gaming compact
between the state and the tribes.
Tribal property at the town of
Cascade Locks remains the preferred
site among tribal officials and many
other tribal members.
Cascade Locks, located less than an
hour from the Pordand metropolitan
area, is also the preferred site among
people who live in Hood River
County.
However, at the present time,
tribal leaders are continuing with
plans to develop the new casino at
tribal property near the town of
Hood River, about 20 minutes east
of Cascade Locks.
Gov. Kitzhaber has blocked the
tribes' plan to develop at Cascade
Locks, leaving Hood River as the
only option.
"Cascade Locks would be a win
win location for everyone, if the gov
ernor would allow that to occur," said
Rudy Clements, gaming spokesman
for the tribes.
Regarding the outcome of the May
18 referendum, Clements said the vote
reflected the wisdom of the people.
Through Indian Head Casino,
tribal members now have five years
of experience in the gaming business.
The May 18 vote was based on this
experience, and knowledge of what a
new casino could mean to the present
and future generations of the Confed
erated Tribes, said Clements.
"The best place to obtain new rev
enue is the Columbia Gorge," he said.
That area, he said, is part of the tribes'
ceded land, "and it has always pro
vided for us, since time immemorial.
Why not continue to use it to sur
vive?" homelands
At the Columbia River recendy,
tribal members gathered for drum
ming and singing of traditional In
dian songs. The cooks prepared the
celebration feast, while young
people were playing ball in a nearby
field.
There was a breeze blowing from
across the river, carrying with it the
sound of the Washut service. The
scene was dramatic. Members of the
Confederated Tribes were honoring
their return to the Columbia River,
where their ancestors lived for gen
erations from time immemorial.
The recent gathering happened
on Government Rock at Cascade
Locks. The Confederated Tribes
purchased this property a few years
ago.
The tribes also own a large par
cel of land near I lood River, about
20 miles to the east of Cascade
Locks.
Tribal members toured these
properties by bus following the cer
emonies and feast that happened
Saturday, May 18.
They also attended a reception
at a waterfront park, hosted by the
town of Cascade Ixcks, where resi
dents hope the Confederated Tribes
will build a new casino.
i