OR. COLL.
75
,S8
v. 8
no. 13
June 6,
803
P.O. Box 870
Warm Springs, OR 97761
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June 26, 2005 Vol 28, No. 13
Coyote News, est. 1976
Spilyay
Tymoi
Blessing opens grounds
Pi-Ume-Sha each year honors vet
erans. The first Pi-Ume-Sha Powwow
happened in 1969, at the height of the
Vietnam War.
This year the powwow again hon
ors all veterans, with special tribute to
the tribal women and men who were
in the recent Iraq War. The poster for
Pi-Ume-Sha 2003 includes a picture of
each of these young veterans.
Pi-Ume-Sha honors veterans, but
the powwow is also a celebration of
tribal sovereignty. The powwow each
year is held in late June. The Treaty of
1855 was signed June 25 of that year.
So this week marks the 134th year
of the signing of the treaty. Pi-Ume-Sha
this year is marking its 34th Anni
versary. Pi-Ume-Sha requires a lot of plan
ning and preparation, said Louise Jack
son, committee member. The effort
involves the cooperation of many
people.
Pi-Ume-Sha Committee Co-chairman
Isaac Mitchell estimated that 50
volunteers help in preparing for the
event. In addition to the volunteers, all
of the Warm Springs Utility Depart
ment, Police, and Fire and Safety are
involved, said Mitchell.
The preparation work at the Pi-Ume-Sha
grounds began on Monday
of this week, following the blessing.
The preparation work includes set
ting up the bleachers and the lights, the
MC booth, the vendor booths, the
parking area, the teepees, etc.
Council vacancy
meeting July 9
A meeting of the Simasho
District has been set for the
evening of Wednesday, July 9,
at the Simnasho Longhouse.
Dinner will be served at 6
p.m. and the meeting begins at
seven. A main purpose of the
meeting is to determine who will
fill the Simnasho District vacant
seat on Tribal Council.
The vacancy happened when
former Tribal Council chairman
Olney Patt Jr. accepted a job in
Pordand.
The Tribal Constitution gives
authority to Tribal Council to fill
positions that come open before
an election.
The district meeting will pro
vide a chance for district mem
bers to determine a nominee to
fill the vacancy.
Highway project to replace Shitike overflow bridge
Flan is to keep both
lanes of traffic open
By Dave McMechan
Spilyay Tymoo
Work is starting on a road project
that will replace the Shitike Creek over
flow bridge, which is structurally un
sound. Road crews will be at work into
August.
The $532,000 project is being
funded by the Oregon Department of
Transportation (ODOT).
ODOT intends to keep both high
way lanes of traffic open during the
bridge replacement work, said Glenn
Carpenter, general manager of Warm
Springs Construction.
The work will involve taking out the
Shitike Creek overflow bridge, located
in the area where the log trucks turn
off the highway toward the mill.
This is also the area of the intersec
tion of the highway and East Tenino
Road. The bridge project will include
widening the highway, and adding a turn
University of Oregon Lil
Received on: 07-83-83
Spilyay tymoo.
Dave McMechanSpllyay
Wilford "Wiggy" Sooksoit, Joe Henry and Leroy Bobb were at the Pi-Ume-Sha grounds on Monday of this week,
performing the blessing of the grounds. Wilbur Johnson (not pictured) was also among the drummers at the
ceremony. Following the blessing, crews began setting up bleachers, lights and booths.
Through the volunteer work, Pi- parking. The Pi-Ume-Sha Powwow has championship dancers and drum-Ume-Sha
remains a free event for visi- grown each year since it first started. mers jn the U.S. and Canada,
tors, with no charge for admission or The powwow draws some of the top u piUME-SIIA on page S
School district adds scholarship program
Students who keep their grades up
and prepare for college can receive
$4,400 per year through a new schol
arship program.
The freshmen class entering Madras
High School this year will be the first
graduating class to qualify for the new
program.
The program is called Gear Up.
Steve Rankin is the Gear Up facilita
tor for Jefferson County School Dis
trict 509-J.
He will be working with students
next school-year who are in the eighth
grade at the middle school, or in their
freshman year at the high school.
Rankin will advise students on how
they can qualify for the Gear Up schol
arship money. First, said Rankin, the
students have to make the necessary
grades, and also select the right courses
during high school.
5!
f
nil--
As the ODOT sign along the highway
will take about three months, and will
lane onto East Tenino, which leads to
south Warm Springs.
The overflow bridge will be replaced
by two 5-foot diameter culverts.
The ODOT contract for the project
n Library --"-"S?
The criteria for qualifying for the
Gear Up money are still being devel
oped. But the program will probably
be open to students who keep a mini
mum 2.0, said Rankin.
Another important part of qualify
ing, he said, is taking the necessary
courses. This includes at least three
years of high school math. The stu
dents must also complete two years of
a foreign language, as well as the nec
essary English, science and other core
courses.
Part of Rankin's job as facilitator
will be advising students on what they
need to do to prepare for college, and
thereby gain access to the Gear Up
scholarship money.
A main goal of the program, he said,
is to identify and help students who
have a strong potential of going to col
lege, but who may be at risk of miss-
"1 n-.,!; f
SHITIKE CREEK
OVERFLOW BRIDGE
JUNE -AUGUST 2003
COST: S 532.000
ACCORD CONSTRUCTION &
ENVIRONMENTAL. INC. .
Df vi McMactianSpilyiy
indicates, the overflow bridge project
cost about $532,000.
went to Accord Construction of Port
land. The company will be employing
sonic tribal members, said Carpenter.
Warm Springs Construction also has
the flagging contract for the job, he
'
. "
Jefferson County School Dis
trict 509- is one of 16 dis
tricts in the state that qualify
for use of the $6.25 million in
funding for Gear Up
scholarships.
ing the opportunity.
In the 509-J district, the rate at
which tribal member students attend
college is lower than the rate for the
other two main ethnic groups in the
district; so Gear Up will be especially
well suited for helping tribal member
middle and high school students, said
Rankin.
Some of the benefits of participat
ing in Gear Up include the following:
- Tutoring in math and English, and
mentoring to achieve sucess.
said.
The initial plans for the overflow
bridge replacement began about a year
ago. The project then went to bid in
March, and work began this week.
The overflow bridge is located
downstream from the Highway 26
Shitike Creek Bridge. In other recent
construction news:
Cutpus Bridge project
Plans are moving forward on the
Culpus Bridge replacement project.
Most recendy, the BI A released its find
ing of no significant (environmental)
impact for this project.
The document is available by con
tacting Gerald I lenrikson, BIA envi
ronmental coordinator, at 553-2421.
The Culpus Bridge project should
go out to bid this summer, and the ac
tual work should begin next spring.
Construction of the new bridge will
be timed to avoid any potential harm
to fish runs in the Warm Springs
River.
Indian
coalition
offers hope
By Dave McMechan
Spilyay Tymoo
Lucinda George and Debra Kalama
are working to bring hope and com
fort to Indian people who have suf
fered emotional and physical abuse.
Their work is broad in scope, and in
time will benefit all the Indian tribes
of Oregon.
They will also focus on urban areas
where many tribal members live.
George and Kalama work for the In
dian Country Coalition Against Domes
tic Violence and Sexual Assault
Their office is located on Fifth
Street in Madras. This is a central loca
tion in the state, and easily accessible
by all the tribes.
Kalama is the coalition outreach
coordinator, and George is the execu
tive director. Education is a key to suc
cess in stopping domestic violence and
sexual assault in Indian Country, said
George. "Domestic violence and sexual
assault are not part of Indian tradition,"
she said.
As an initial part of their work,
George and Kalama will be conduct
ing a survey across Oregon Indian
Country.
The survey will determine the re
sources that are available to the vic
tims, and areas where services to these
people need improvement.
See COALITION on page 6
- Assistance in planning high school
classes and staying on track.
- Test preparation for college en
trance exams.
- One on one, and family meetings
with the facilitator.
A total of $6.25 million has been
allocated statewide for Gear Up.
Jefferson County School District 509
J is one of 16 districts in the state that
qualify for use of the money for schol
arships. An orientation session on Gear Up
is set for 5:30 to 7 p.m., August 25, at
the middle school.
This will be for the students who
will be entering the eighth grade or their
freshman year, and the parents of the
students.
Anyone wishing more information
on Gear Up can contact Rankin at
475-6716.
Plans were not ready in time to meet
the fish window this year, so the work
will commence next year, said Carpen
ter. Construction of the new bridge, cost
estimate of $1.2 million, will be the fi
nal phase of the Webster Flat Road
project.
Funding for the new bridge comes
from the BIA. The new structure will
be located upstream from the existing
Culpus Bridge.
The existing bridge will not be re
moved, and instead will be designed for
use by pedestrians and bicyclists.
When the new bridge is finished,
Webster Mat Road will provide impor
tant new access to Kah-Nce-Ta High
Desert Resort and Casino.
The existing bridge, built in 1957, is
very narrow, and can accommodate
only a single lane of traffic. The pro
posed new bridge would have two
lanes, and would be at a slightly higher
elevation above the river, to reduce
damage during flooding.