Image provided by: The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs; Warm Springs, OR
About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 5, 2002)
Spilyay Tymoo, Warm Tribal history portrayed in When the 1 '"J1! 1 1 i 111 ! ! " f" "1 same: Thev oave me an Indian By Tina Aguilar 'Spifyay Tymoo The Way It Was Long Ago, When the River Ran Wild. The indigenous people of this book were inhabitants of the Columbia River and were of the Columbia River Sahaptin and Eastern Kiksht Chinookan Stock. Many people wrote about our people from the view of looking into our way of life. In this case, this is a Native Ameri can, George Aguilar Sr., who is looking outside from the inside, and telling it the way it was: When The River Kan Wild. The peoples who dwelled on ;the Columbia River from The Dalles to the mouth of the Co lumbia River spoke the Chinookan language, inter mingled and intermarried from ; as far as the mid-Western states and to the Northwest coast, and they still do so to this day. Some of the religions, cus toms, dance and stories that are in this writing are no longer prac ticed. You will soon discover ! that some of these activities are recorded only in the ethnologi cal and anthropological reports. An example would be seen in the Christian mission works of ;the 1830-1850s. The shamanis- tic practices were a thorn in the ' flesh, polygamy, slavery, bride purchasing etc. The early reservation course of action of the Euro-Ameri "Healing Circle" veteran shares story of By Allen Gadberry, Vietnam Veteran (This is one of the testimonies heard 'at the 'Healing Circle" held at Hehe Longhouse in April 2002; Gadberry is the brother-in-law to Lucy Smith ; . It was a cool gray morning, , ; the sunrise soon to be. Trip flares are set off throughout the night. Then it happens. You hear some sporadic gunfire at another side of the perimeter that you can't see. Then it starts to intensify with the unmistakable crack of the enemy's gunfire. Your heart rate goes up, you wake up your buddy in the fox hole with you, and you wait and hope and pray that they don't at tack your side. Fear is starting to set in. Everyone is alert now. The smell of fear permeating over Advanced quilt classes set Eraina Palmer, owner of Quilts & More, will be giving two Advanced Star Quilt classes in September. The first classes .will be Wednesday, Sept 11, Thursday Sept. 12, and Friday Sept. 13 at the Plaza from 5 to 8 p.m. The second classes will be Thursday, Sept. 26, and Fri day Sept. 27 from 5 to 8 p.m. HovvlakTichum Virgilena "Nanci" Jay Wesley-Begay Virgilena "Nanci"Jay Walsey-Begay parents Rodger and Cecelia Walsey-Begay, of Celilo, Oregon in The Dalles, Oregon and passed away July 26, 2002. Walsey-Begay was Yakama, Navajo, Warm Springs, Shoshone-Bannock and Paiute tribes. Proceeding in death are her maternal grandpar ents Anita fTotus) and Richard Walscy Sr., grcat-grandparcnts Watson and Tillie Totus, James and Sr., Dorothy Lucas; and Maggie Jim, uncles Franklin Lee Walsey and Levi Walscy and aunt Virgilena Walsey. Survivors include her parents, brothers Dillon and Garrett Bcgay, paternal grandparents Roger and Lucille Begay of Celilo, Oregon, grcat-grandparcnts I loward Jim of Celilo, and Matilda Allen, Roberta Danzuka and Donna Kishwalk all of Yakima Valley; Geri Jim, Caroline Torres, Venus Strong and Delia Walscy of Warm Springs, uncles and aunts Ronnie and Edith Walscy, Reggie and Lourie Walsey, Jenny and Teddy Walsey Sr., Katrina and Jay Richard Walsey, Roxanne and Wilson Bcgay, Tina Allen, Donna Wesley, Lillian Walscy, Bobby Bcgay and Lucy Bcgay. Numerous other relatives also survive her. arc! of remembrance Our daughtersister will be greatly missed. Baby, you will be loved and remembered every day. You will be in our prayers. Thank you to nil of our families for their love and support. Thank you for being by our side. Rod, CcCe and the boyg Springs, Oregon S. U t.A'.A: -... . a-..,;.., 1 1 George W. can was extermination of the Treaty Indians way of life. They succeeded in obliterating some of the languages, particularly the lower Chinookan. Oral his tory was lost when the Indians took the names of the Ameri cans. An attempt to get back some of the oral history is made in the genealogical section of When the River Ran Wild. Eight years in the writing George Washington Aguilar Sr. spent the last eight years writ ing this book. He did bits and pieces as he researched and vis ited the museums in Warm Springs and The Dalles. He also went to Portland to visit the Or egon Historical Society and re trieved research there. As his grandchildren were attending school, some were cu rious about the family history, wanting to know about receiv ing Indian names and stories the ground from one foxhole to another. Then it starts again, it's still dark so that it just intensi fies the fear. The screaming of the incoming artillery is more than you can bear. Knowing the ope you don't hear will ,be the ,','pne to get you.' .'"'" "' ' ' As the shells land, there is a terrific explosion and the sound of the shrapnel whistling through the air trying to stick into your flesh. Sometimes it just slices you, other times it gashes you, like someone pushing a jagged piece of glass in your body. The pain is not sudden because the blunt blow to your body has numbed you. Soon though the pain starts like someone screw ing a corkscrew into your belly. The pain is different when a bullet punctures you. It's more and Saturday, Sept. 28 from 10 to 5 p.m. (if needed). Students will need to bring their own sew ing machine to class. A supply list will be given at registration. Both classes will cost $30 per person. Space is limited. Palmer would like to have other classes, such as baby board making and cmbroidry. was born July 26, 2002 to Gladys Walsey, Virgil Hunt September 5, 2002 " ... "' Tina AgullarSpllyay Aguilar, Sr. passed down through the years. This gave Aguilar the idea to write about the family history in tended for his grandchildren and relatives, which includes in-laws and anyone linked to the heri tage. He said that the primary function was to bring together his relatives, to make his people, the Eastern Kiksht Chinookan, aware of their past. The survival struggles and the unique way of keeping track of genealogical in formation of the past, the oral (word of mouth) history passed down throughout the genera tions. Aguilar said, "As years went by, I noticed the younger people were receiving the ancestral names, so out of curiosity I made an inquire about where the name had come from, what is the relevant information re garding that given name? The response all seemed to be the of a searing pain, like someone putting a hot steel rod into your guts. The fear, the stench of fresh blood being spilled out of a hu man body onto the ground. They are coming up, off to my right and how my left. It's getting lighter now, dawn is starting to come about. Now you see the buggers coming up the hill. We lay our line of gunfire on the ones across the hill, so that we can stop their reinforcements from coming to help them. There is the feeling of kill ing someone. It doesn't affect you until you are forced to do it in hand to hand at close quar ters. Then and only then do you really know the fear of all fears. Actually fighting for your life, not by shooting, but by actually f - 1 K-K ....,r . ' good; Citi F'if m O you nee4 R) work away the 8tr8.w;ra;C .yourself In our sooSiIbj; : . . ....,..' , . '. u t all the attractions.of this me junnesi iningirsm same: They gave me an Indian name, had a giveaway and had a dinner at the long house.' That was it, with answers like these it encouraged me to write the his tory of my family unit and their people." Aguilar was born on George Washington's birthday February 22 in The Dalles in a small apartment above the old JC Penny Department Store to par ents Evelyn (Polk) and Estanislau or Easton Aguilar. His father Easton was born in 1891 in Ma nila Philippines. He came to the United States in the early 1900's. An early photo indicates he served in World War I. He first married Adeline Brunoe, which produced four children, Aridonna, Theda, Raymond and Margie Aguilar. Theda is the only living child to day. George is the only child of his second marriage. During the Great Depression, Easton found em ployment with a bank in The Dalles. In the late spring of 1931, he drowned at the Cas cade Rapids while helping his father-in-law James Polk Jr. fish ing. His body was never recov ered from the river. His wife Evelyn passed on not long after he drowned. Hattie Polk, the grandmother, had to come to The Dalles to get guardianship of Aguilar. Aguilar was raised in the Wilford Canyon area on the Warm Springs Reservation, Vietnam touching them and they you. The smell of your enemy, the feel of his clothes and his skin as you try your darndest to kill him and he tries to kill you. The sweat because of the fear, the . heart pounding, the eyes-those ' little brown eyes, scared as hell; just as you are, knowing only one of us is going to survive this. The Grim Reaper has come to watch, to see whom he takes next. The smell, the feel of the flesh hot blood spilling out of his belly and punctured organs. The color is deep red, hot and sticky, with a smell that you never forget. Some of the fear is relieved that it wasn't me. Before the killing was far away and impersonal, just shooting somebody at a distance. Now it is a living soul, a human being. $3 ctaral mineral baths. Or spend the day exploring 7-.- ; . . . high desert oasis. Whatever you do, work will be your minu.. ; . HICH DESERT RESORT & CASINO 1-800-554-4SUN Warm Springs. Oregon River Ran Wild where he was raised in the tra- rwti ditional ways. Hattie had a hard time getting Aguilar enrolled when the tribes were reorga nized. The only piece of docu mentation was a baby record book that was in the government records for over a half century. This baby record book is stored in the Wasco Museum at The Dalles. Aguilar was enrolled in the Warm Springs Boarding School in 1937. At that time he spoke flu ent Klickitat Sahaptin with vari ous words of English and few words of Wasco. He states he spoke and understood enough English to get by, sometimes help ing other children who found it difficult to speak English. After going to Warm Springs Boarding School he went to Chemawa Indian School in Sa lem. He lasted seven months. During this period he enrolled in the Agriculture Department where he spent most of his time digging potatoes, picking apples and shoveling manure at the dairy and hog pens. During the early fall of 1949, he volunteered for the U.S. Army, He served boot camp at Fort Ord, Calif., then was sent overseas in the Ryukius Com mand (Okinawa) in the Far East Asia Theater. He was honorably discharged in December of 1952 after serving three and half years. He met his wife Ella Kurip, a full blood Ute from Fort Birthday I would like to holla at my ccllie Mack, Happy Birthday on Sept. 14. Happy birthday PO (MJ) 9-2. From the Dream Team - L.R., D.J. and C.J. Happy birthday CRJ, 9-4. LER 9 5. PO 9-2. Happy birthday to my big lil sister, Deanna Lynn 9-1. Lots of love, your big sister Gran and the rest of the Robinsons. Happy birthday to Chief Bullneck Heath, 9-26. Love, the Robinsons. Happy birthday, Chris Suppah, 9-4. Love, Gran. Happy birthday Berta (Puto) 9 28. Love, your sis Denise. From PO and the Dream Team, M.J., D.J., L.R., CJ. Happy birthday to half my dream team. Sept. 2, 4 and 5. Love ya, PO. Happy birthday to little Merlin Ernest Tom lil (I'udd), Aug. 31. Seven ' mm .V.V out the kicks and belt : 1 ' ) , ' v. PageS Duchesne, Utah, at the Tacoma Indian Hospital after he con tacted a service-connected dis ability. They married on Christ mas Day 1955 at the Indian Presbyterian Mission at Tacoma, Washington. They had four sons and one daughter. Today they live on the Warm Springs Res ervation with the remaining liv ing children and their families. During Aguilar's early years he has had occupations of tran sient field worker, deep-sea fish erman, and Indian traditional fisherman. In his latter years his occupations were timber faller, general construction trades, union affiliated carpenter, ser vice station retailer, auto me chanic, owner and dealer of black jack, construction man ager for the tribes, general build ing contractor and reforestation contractor. At his age of 72 years he can still keep up with the younger generation in the construction and reforestation projects where he is employed with the Shekinah Enterprises. After this book is finalized and published his desire is to enter the ministry of the Gospel. He has been working very close with Gerald Ramsey search ing for a publisher. He said Ramsey is doing all the footwork to make this a reality. They both believe the book will be pub lished in early winter, ideal tim ing because the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial will be celebrated. Wishes. . . years old. Love you and miss you. You're always in my prayers. Mom. Happy birthday little Merlin. Love, your brothers Douglas and Sundown. Happy birthday, Uncle Merlin. Love, your nephew Aidan Allen Jack son. Happy birthday Merlin Ernest Tom. We all love you. Mom, bros., newphew, grandma and pops. All you aunties and uncles and cousins. Happy birthday, Merlin. Love you, uncle. Love, your nephew Allen Aidan Jackson. Happy birthday, baby Merlin. We love you, Grandma Gina and Grandpa Tonlo, cousins Pudge and Celestine. Happy Birthday to our brother Larson Kalama Sr. August 15th and Happy 22nd Anniversary to my husband Easton, God bless you both always! Love your fam ily, Tina & kids .m. t mm m i H 1 '
