JR. COLL.
P.O. Box 870
Warm Snrirm OR 97761
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KNIGHT LIBRARY
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Warm Springs, OR 97761
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September 19, 2002 Vol. 27, No. 19
Coyote News, est. 1976
75
.S68
v. 27
LTptHber Q (7
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Vote is
good news
for 509-J
By Shannon Keaveny
Spilyay Tymoo
Jefferson County School District
509-J, like other school districts in the
state, received good news this week
when Measure 19 passed
Measure 19 provides school fund
ing from the state's "rainy day" fund.
Measure 19 passed with surprising
ease, by a margin of 62-to-38 percent.
The outcome means that 509-J will
avoid having to make an additional $1
million in budget cuts.
Measure 19 will provide $150 mil
lion from lottery proceeds to offset cuts
this school year.
The fund will begin accumulating
money in July of 2003, and will receive
19 percent of lottery proceeds.
Even with passage of Measure 19,
school districts this year still face cuts.
District 509-J is anticipating budget
cuts amounting to $309 per student this
year. If Measure 19 hadn't passed, the
amount of cuts at 509-J had the po
tential to almost double, to $539 per
student. With the voting day over, the
509-J school board plans to move for
ward and begin making decisions on
where the cuts will occur.
Some possibilities are a shorter
school year, cuts in building mainte
nance, and delays in construction
projects and the purchasing of new
school buses. A last resort, but still a
possibility, is the reduction of staff.
New theories
shed light on
tribal rock art
By Shannon Keaveny
Spilyay Tymoo
New discoveries and theories regard
ing the significance of rock art were
presented during a recent public forum,
The Shamans of Prehistory: New Perspec
tives on World Rock Art.
Speakers at the event, held Sept. 6
at Portland State University (PSU), in
cluded rock art specialists from around
the world. During the previous days,
the same rock art scholars met with
various tribal members of the Colum
bia River Basin.
Among those from Warm Springs
invited to the forum were Bridgettc
Whipple, Viola Kalama and Larry Dick.
The scholars sought insight from river
tribes in this area to help solve the
mystery surrounding petroglyphs and
pictographs in the Columbia Gorge.
Western scholars once thought of
rock art as primitive and rudimentary
depictions of hunting scenes.
The idea now widely accepted among
world renowned archaeologists is that
rock art was the practice of shamans
and highly spiritual people.
With a renewed academic zeal ar
chaeologists are reviewing the docu
mented reports from tribal members
between the years of 1890 to 1940.
They are also talking to tribal mem
bers who have knowledge that has been
passed down for generations..
Among the participants at the pub
lic presentation at PSU were Jean
Clottes, scientific advisor for the
French Ministry of Culture, famous for
his study of the 32,000-ycar-old paint
ings in Chauvct Cave in France; David
Whidey, an archaeologist and author of
"Art of the Shaman: Rock Art of Cali
fornia"; and James Keyser, a regional
archaeologist with the US. Forest Ser
vice and a Columbia River Basin rock
art specialist.
See ROCK ART on page 8
Council hears budget cut proposals
By Dave McMechan
Spilyay Tymoo
The decisions in developing the
tribal government budget for next
year will be difficult, with depart
ments facing at least a 5 percent re
duction from the current year bud
get. The following is one of many pos
sible examples of difficult funding
decisions facing Tribal Council, and
tribal members who participate in the
budget process:
Warm Springs Social Services pro
vides services to elders, as well as to
local youth. In the current year bud
get, Social Services was able to fund
travel for elders. This year the elders
visited Albuquerque.
If funding is provided for elders to
make a similar trip next year, then So
cial Services would have to eliminate
funding for local youth activities, said
Gayle Rodgers, Social Services direc
tor. Every facet of tribal government
- building maintenance, natural re
sources management, education and
cultural programs - is facing difficult
choices in meeting necessary reductions.
At the present time, said Secretary
Treasurer Charles Jackson, a 5-percent
cut would appear to be the minimum
that will be needed. The same may be
true the following year, he said.
The need for these reductions does
not come as a surprise. "Since the sum
mer of 1999," said Jackson, "I have
consistendy advised Tribal Council and
the tribal membership, during budget
meetings, about the steadily decreasing
revenue base. We have to begin imple
menting a phased, scaling down of
tribal governmental programs."
In response to the decline in rev
enue, tribal staff have applied for and
received hundreds of thousands of
dollars in new grant awards.
Nevertheless, "Until we see a sub-
Veterans-tribute
lit
: t
J
A
The Warm Springs community
last week paid tribute in many ways
to the victims of the terrorists at
tacks of September 11, 2001.
At High Lookee Lodge, for
instance, veterans of foreign wars
gathered for a memorial service.
This event included drumming
and singing of songs for those who
lost their lives.
There was a moment of silence,
followed by the playing of the Na
tional Anthem.
The" flag in front of the lodge
was lowered to half mast.
This event also provided the
occasion to mark the 50th anni
versary of the Elliot Palmer VFW
'.Post No. 4217 , -
Post Commander Kirby Heath
read the names of the original
founding members of the local
Post. Tony "Big Rat" Suppah, a
veteran of the Vietnam War, said
that while hundreds of tribal mem
bers have fought for the US., the
Indian people still face discrimina
tion by the government.
See page 2 for more on the local events
marking the September 1 1 tragedy.
Elliot Palmer VFW Post
Commander Kirby Heath salutes
the flag during a tribute, held at
High Lookee Lodge, in memory
of the victims of the September
11 terrorist attacks.
Diva McMachWSpUyay
Elementary test scores improve
Gains are despite
drop in attendance
By Dave McMechan
Spilyay Tymoo
During the last school year, Warm
Springs Elementary saw a drop in
the student attendance rate. At the
same time, though, students showed
improvement in meeting the state
benchmarks in reading and math.
"I credit my staff with helping the
students improve, even while atten
dance was low," said Principal Dawn
Smith. "And the students themselves
deserve credit: When they were here,
they came to learn."
Parents also deserve credit. For
example, said Smith, when students
were unable to attend school, par
ents were conscientious about pick
ing up homework for the kids.
The drop in the attendance rate
last school year at Warm Springs El
ementary' was fairly significant. In
previous years, the average rate of
attendance was about 92 percent.
Last school year, though, the rate
dropped to 87 percent.
More than usual, students missed
school because of illness. Also last
school year there were a number of
deaths in the families of some of
the students. "And there were more
families in transition," said Smith.
Nevertheless, the math and reading
benchmark test scores saw improve
ment over the previous school year.
Last year, 70 percent of the third
grade students who were tested met or
exceeded the statewide reading bench
mark. This was a 10-percent improve
ment over the third-graders the previ
ous year.
The fourth-grade test scores went
from 67 percent two years ago, to 62
percent last year, a decrease of 5 per
cent, but an improvement if you com
pare the "cohort group."
The cohort group is the same class
of students, as they move from one
grade to the next. In other words, the
third-graders of the 2001 school year
are the same students as the fourth
graders in the 2002 school year.
In this light, the 60-percent passing
rate for the third-graders in 2001 saw
a 2-percent improvement, as 62 per
cent of the fourth-graders met or ex
ceeded benchmarks in 2002.
The same is true in math testing. Two
school years ago, 48 percent of third
graders met or exceeded the bench
mark. This number improved to 63
percent in 2002, despite the lower at
tendance. Two school years ago, 64 percent
of fourth-graders met or exceeded the
benchmark. Last year, 50 percent ex
ceeded this standard.
We won 't be satisfied
until every student is meeting
the benchmarks."
Principal Dawn Smith
This would be a decrease, but if
you follow the cohort group there
is a 2-percent increase: From 48
percent of the third graders in 2001,
to 50 percent of the fourth-graders
in 2002.
Smith said that Warm Springs El
ementary School is doing at least as
much as, or more than any other
school in Oregon at educating young
Native American students. "You
won't find another school in the state
that is doing more than we are," she
said. "I've looked and I know."
While the improved test scores
are encouraging, "No one is satis
fied," said Smith. "We won't be sat
isfied until every student is meeting
the benchmarks."
In summarizing the data on the
test scores, Smith stated in a writ
ten report:
"Warm Springs Elementary stu
dent achievement in reading and
math appears to continue in an up
ward trend, despite the lowest at
tendance rate in nearly 30
ycarsduring 2001-2002."
stantial increase in gaming revenue, we
are going to have to carefully marshal
our resources," said Jackson. Mean
while, he said, "We'll have to be inno
vative and creative in continuing to in
crease grant revenue and seeking addi
tional contracting where appropriate."
The tribal government will have to
make cuts, said Jackson, "While at the
same time holding the federal govern
ment to its trust responsibility." And
while reducing tribal government ex
penditures, he said, "We somehow have
to find a way to increase employment
on the reservation."
See BUDGET on page 5
Arson
suspected
in house fire
Arson is suspected in a fire that de
stroyed a home last week at 1712 Fos
ter Street in the West Hills neighbor
hood. The Robinson family lost their home
and possessions in the blaze. Two ve
hicles that were in the driveway were
also destroyed.
The investigation is ongoing, accord
' ing to police. If someone is charged,
the offense could be prosecuted in fed
eral court. People were at home when
the fire broke out.
The fire was reported at 10 p.m. on
. Monday, Sept 9. A patrol officer was ,
on the scene within about two minutes,
and the first fire truck was there within
about seven minutes, the police report
says.
A second fire engine arrived within
about 17 minutes, the report says.
By the time the police officer was
on the scene, at 10:02 p.m., the resi
dence was reported to be fully engulfed
in flames.
The fire crews were on the scene
until 1 a.m. on Sept. 10.
Anyone with information about this
case should call the Warm Springs Po
lice Department at 553-3272. (A tetter
from the Robinson family appears on page 4.
A photograph of the destroyed home is on
page 5.)
School sports
a favorite
for Mariion
Editors note: This is the first in a se
ries of stories featuring tribal member youth
who are seniors at Madras High School
, ' " ' .
By Selena Boise
Spilyay Tymoo
High school senior Mariana Manion
will graduate with the class of 2003 at
the end of this school year. She will
miss her friends and the socials, but
she is looking forward to attending col
lege. She is planning on becoming a
physical therapist, or something in that
area.
Manion is of Wasco affiliation. She
is the daughter of Kelli Muskopf and
Edwin Manion. Her grandparents are
Rose Foster and Keith Foster, Urbana
and Ed Manion. She has one sister,
Kadic.
While in school, Mariana participates
in soccer, chccrleading and tennis. Af
ter school she enjoys more sports,
dance, drawing and hanging out with
her friends.
Her interest in sports has helped her
receive the sports state award,
chccrleading awards, and a P.E. award.
In school, Manion's favorite teacher
is Mr. Kcezle.
See MANION on page 2
Spilyay tyioo.