Page 8
Spilyqy Tymoo, Wrm Springs, Oregon
September 14, 2002
R
Tribal Elders from the
River Basin share
knowledge with world
By Shannon Keaveny
Spilyaj Tymoo
On an early September
morning near The Dalles
area, lower Columbia Pla
teau elders, who grew up on the
river with their families, boarded
a small, motorized boat.
The wind blew slightly, the sun
shone, and the water was placid
with a swift subtle current, the
most notable contrast to their
childhood, when Celilo Falls still
fell and water rushed and swirled
dangerously below the cliffs.
In that time, at this stunning
geographical place, paintings
above the rushing rapids could
be seen.
Jean Clottes, world rock art
specialist, concludes from his
global studies, "Where ever
there are natural geological mar
vels, you can be sure to find sto
ries about them."
What was perhaps, at one
time someone's story drawn on
the cliffs, became folk tales for
the following generations of
Tribal fifth graders adjust
By Shannon Keaveny
Spilyay Tymoo
Fifth graders at Jefferson
County Middle School are like
most kids on their first day of
school.
Students tout the newest
fashions, wear new tennis shoes,
and arrive at school with a
brand new backpack loaded
with school supplies.
In the classroom, they ea
gerly participate, raise their
hands, and shout answers to the
teacher.
Antsy from their summer va
cation, they spin rulers and tip
backwards on their chairs.
But, in many ways, this isn't
your typical class.
The unique thing about this
year's fifth graders is they are
all tribal members from Warm
Springs.
There arc three classes,
amounting to approximately
ninety students, which com
mute on the bus or in a car each
morning to Madras from the
reservation.
Its the first year at Jeffer
son County Middle School
where the students arc exclu
sively Native American.
The 509-J School District
decided to keep Warm Springs'
fifth grade class in Madras, a
circumstance due to lack of
facilities at the reservation
grade school and a delay on the
construction of the new Warm
Springs school.
The Madras school system
is one third Caucasian, one
third Hispanic and one third
Native American, containing
more racial diversity than in
most places in Oregon.
tnantsttc
ockArt
"It is my perspective that
rock art is associated with
specific places of vision quests,
rights of passage, and first kill
ceremonies.
Brigette Whipple
Cultural Resources
people living on or near the Co
lumbia river.
Dams along this stretch of
the Columbia River inundated
more than half of the known
rock art sites. Water monsters
over whirlpools, protecting the
fisherman, are now sites for only
the fish. Other pictographs at
higher altitudes still can be seen,
and their significance continues
to intrigue modern generations.
Among the elders on the boat
were Viola Kalama of Warm
Springs and James Selam of the
Yakama Indian Reservation.
Accompanying them were
Allowing the kids
to ease into
multicultural society
off the reservation
could be seen as a
good thing, and less
of an emotionally
traumatic experi
ence. Teacher Amanda
McDonnieal thinks
the situation is really
a fortunate fluke for
the kids.
"Being in their
own class for their
first year here, gives
them a chance to as
similate slowly. Even
though they are here because of
a lack facilities on the reserva
tion, I think it is a good position
for them to be in," she noted.
She explains her method to
ensure a comfort level is with
lots of "positive reinforce
ment." Her first assignment is for
each student to write one quar
ter of a page about the things
they arc excited and nervous
for at their new school.
She assures them that if they
are nervous it is o.k. They need
time to adjust, because it is new
and the school has 900 students
compared to the 200 students
at the reservation grade school,
she explains.
The most common concern
among students is the size of
the school and the amount of
students.
Jillisa Suppah, 5th grader
from Warm Springs, told Spilyay,
'I feel nervous because I might
get lost."
Even Mrs. McDonnieal ad
mits getting confused by the
maze of hallways on her first
Columbia
their
scholars.
their direct descendants and a
group of world-renowned rock
art specialists.
Some of the rock art special
ists included Dr. Jean Clottes,
the previous Director of Re
search for the 32,000 year old
Chauvet Cave and co-author of
"Shamans of Prehistory;" Dr.
David Lewis-Williams Director
of the Rock Art Research Insti
tute in Johannesburg, South
Africa and also co-author of
"Shamans of Prehistory;" Dr.
David Whitley, national rock art
specialist and author of "The art
of the Shaman: Rock Art of
California;" and Dr. James
Keyser, a Pacific Northwest
Archaeologist and lead organizer
of their exposition called "The
Ethnography of World Rock
Art".
The elders were invited to
share their knowledge of the
past. The group headed toward
Miller Island, east of the mouth
of the Deschutes River.
There, the specialists listened
and learned from what the el-
TOP: Warm Springs fifth graders giggle during
their first class of the new year. RIGHT:
Valdimire Jefferson and Tessa Picard diligently
work on their first writing assignment for the
new school year.
days of teaching.
Perry Kalama, also a 5th
grader from Warm Springs, was
just straight up concerned "he'd
get squashed."
Rhyam Smith expressed her
concern that "there's a lot more
kids and it's scary."
Other legitimate concerns
were that "at the new school we
only have three recesses" (ver
sus the previous four) said
Shawrcsa Bates.
Security also may be a little
tighter. "You have to have a pass
to go to the bathroom.", said
Kristi Olney.
"This school has better food.
You can dish up niore."said an
other student.
All the students admitted that
despite their trials and tribula
tions, they were confident they
would adjust to the changes and
in the long run, after one week,
4 '
Pictograph somewhere in the lower Columbia Plateau. Photo
image courtesy of The Museum at Warm Springs and
Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. Photo was taken by
James Henderson for a project funded by the National Park
Service and Meyer Memorial Trust.
ders had to say.
The pictographs viewed in
cluded stick figures with arced
rays over their heads. Elk, deer,
and bighorn sheep were painted
with arrows surrounding them.
Zig-zags and other geometrical
figures were portrayed.
Brigette Whipple, grand
daughter of Viola Kalama and
also invited on the excursion, ex
plained the significance of the
Columbia River Basin tribes
presence, "We were invited for
the purpose of giving a histori
cal tribal perspective on Colum
bia rock art."
Her grandmother, Viola
Kalama, who is 80, Whipple
noted, was raised on the river
in a traditional way. She is flu
ent in Wasco and Sahaptin and, .
as a child, she heard stories
about the paintings. She is
known for her rich sense of
heritage and culture.
to off-reservation
5
Shannon KeavenySpilyay
they liked Jefferson County
Middle School quite well.
Facilitating healthy change
Mrs McDonnieal has de
signed writing assignments,
team-building activities, and
trust-building activities to help
facilitate the adjustment period
and comfort levels of new stu
dents. "Write two things down," she
says in a playful way, "one that
is the truth and one that is a lie."
Afterwards students present
theii' two statements to the class
and they play a guessing game
of which is the lie and which is
the truth.
"This," she says "builds trust
among the students. They learn
that if they speak to the class,
they won't be laughed at."
" I want each student to be
successful," she explains.
'.
Kalama used this opportunity
to share her version of what the
rock art meansmeant to the
Wasco people with willing West
ern archaeologists.
To the Natives of the Co
lumbia area, rock depictions
were always seen as scenes of
cultural and spiritual impor
tance. Now, views like Whipple's,
instilled in her from the teach
ings of her grandma, have
gained international recognition.
Whipple relates, "It is my
perspective that rock art is as
sociated with specific places of
vision quests, rights of passage,
and first kill ceremonies. I think,
the pictographs in this area were
writtendrawn by medicine
people, holy people or people
performing rites of passage into
manhood or womanhood."
"For instance, if I became a
woman. I would learn to har
Shannon KeavenySpilyay
"I also believe in strong par
ent communication before
something negative occurs. If
that may happen, I want that re
lationship to be there on a posi
tive note first and find parents
are more eager to work with me
then."
McDonnieal sends a wel
come letter out to the parents
of each student encouraging
communication.
Teachers in Madras are faced
with understanding three differ
ent cultures.
The school district has rec
ognized this challenge and
makes efforts to educate new
teachers.
New teachers bus out to
Warm Springs and are given a
tour.
Teachers like Mrs.
McDonnieal attend cultural
events like pow wows,
vest my berries, collect my
roots, then, I may go out into
the wild by myself and write
my story. Those paintings on
the walls, could be my story."
But, she reiterates, "nobody
really knows."
In fact, among the scholars
visiting on that day, all believed
the same. Combining the world
knowledge of rock art, they
now assert rock art was the
practice of shamans.
In Portland at the public
presentation "Shamans of Pre
history: New Perspective on
World Rock Art," Whidey took
the time to explain, "Shamans
are people who speak with the
gods which is commonly asso
ciated with hunter-gatherer
peoples but has been docu
mented in most religions of
the world."
He explained that in a
trance-like state, hyperventila-
tion is often symptomatic.
When hyperventilating, vom
iting and bleeding from the
mouth can occur, as many ani
mals in rock art throughout the
world are displayed.
The animals, themselves,
may be the artist's spirit helper,
he said, explaining why many
depictions have both human and
animalistic qualities.
Whipple loosely defines her
impression of spirit helpers.
"A spirit helper may be the
animal that person most closely
relates to. Maybe a hunter's
spirit helper would be the deer."
Petroglyphs and pictographs
in the Columbia Plateau com- !
monly contain geometric sym
bols. World specialists theorize
that these designs are common
neuropsychological symptoms
experienced by all homo sapiens
in altered states.
Whitley explained seven com
mon visual patterns, including
zig-zags, grids, and dots, and pro
vided examples in rock art from
around the world.
symbols on the Columbia pla
teau aren't necessarily common
See ROCK ART on page 12
school
But, she says, " I learn the
most from my students."
Other efforts include two
Native American liaisons.
The liaisons offer a tribal
presence at the school in a posi
tion of authority. A familiar face
from home adds to students
comfort level.
Butch David, one of the two
Warm Springs liaisons, gave the
kids an introduction on their
first day of school.
"We're here to help you," he
assured, "Whatever your teach
ers can't answer we can."
Catching on quick, one child
raises his hand and asks, "Is it
o.k. to go see you if we have a
problem?"
David explains he has a ra
dio and can always be reached.
He will be roaming the hall
ways. He feels this year's class
exclusion is a good thing, one
that will allow Warm Springs
tribal kids to get used to the
middle school system before
they integrate with all the stu
dents next year.
David also explains he is
there to give the kids a sense of
accountability.
I le conveys comfort, but he
also knows their parents.
1 1c may question kids in the
hallway during class time.
Sometimes he tracks exces
sive absences and will make
home visits to find out why kids
aren't coming to school.
"The kids," he says, "who
come from good homes, adjust
better."
"The more Indians at this
school" David acknowledges,
"the more comfy kids are going
to feci. They need a familiar
face."