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
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out the kicks and belt : 1 ' )
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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
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