Spilyay Tymoo, Warm Springs, Oregon
August 21, 2005
Coimimeraail code
By Shannon Ktavtny
Spilyay Tymoo
A local planning group is pre
paring a two-day workshop pro
moting a Uniform Commercial
Code (UCC) on the Warm
Springs Reservation for late
September or early October,
said Shawnele Shaw, community
advocate for the Warm Springs
Community Action Team.
Tribal Council will attend.
The workshop will allow
Tribal Council to address con
cerns about a UCC from the
community perspective.
The Council will assess inter
nal changes in other depart
ments on the reservation.
; For example, a UCC would
require changes in the Warm
Springs court system.
"The Council is taking a se
rious and responsible approach
Quilt classes teach skills
Eraina Palmer demonstrates
Museum internship
In its first year, the Mu
seum at Warm Springs
internship not only suc
ceeded but raised funds
to continue the pro
gram for the next 3
years.
Intern Levi Blackwolf is no
stranger to the museum.
It was his previous beadwork
and sewing exhibits at the Mu
seum at Warm Springs that led
Education Coordinator Rosalind
Sampson to ask Blackwolf to
be the museum's first intern this
summer.
"I used to come here and
exhibit my work and then an
swer questions the visitors would
have," says Blackwolf.
A Warm Springs native, 28
year-old Blackwolf spends the
school year in Vancouver, WA,
studying computer program-
New espresso hut opens
Customers can pick up a
steaming latte or ice-cold
espresso drink next time they are
pumping gas at the Texaco.
Last Thursday tribal member
Jodel Johnson opened a drive
thru espresso hut next to the gas
station on Highway 26.
"The location is a great stop
for a business," said Johnson.
At the hut's location, highway
drivers not only stop to get gas,
but use the rcstroom and get a
snack.
Johnson hopes to capitalize
on the traffic.
In addition to hot or cold
espresso drinks, Joe's Coffee
Corral will be serving jet teas,
Italian sodas, steamers, bagels,
muffins and English muffins. In
the next month or two, Johnson
hopes to offer daily lunch spe
cials. "We'd like to dp a soup and
"I think a UCC is an
exercise of our sover
eignty because legal
actions will be able to
take place on the
reservation in our
court system."
Shawnele Shaw
WSCAT .
to the viability of this idea," said
Shaw.
A UCC on the reservation
would promote economic devel
opment by creating a uniform
set of standards that would pro
vide outside lenders legal pro
tection. "UCC is the cornerstone for
business. Right now outside
home lenders are not lending to
Native Americans," said Bruce
Engel, from the Warm Springs
loan department.
how to cut fabric for a quillow.
( n
Levi Blackwolf on the museum grounds.
Behind him is the teepee he painted as
part of his internship.
ming at Clark Community Col-
sandwich special," said Johnson.
Even sooner, the hut will be
cooking Figaro pizzas to sell by
the slice in the gas station.
Johnson has wanted to open
an espresso hut on the reserva
tion for 5 or 6 years.
She first had the idea when
she was attending college in
Bend. Each day Johnson picked
up an espresso drink on her
early morning ride to class.
"I lived on espresso in col
lege," she said.
It was in this time she learned
to appreciate a good cup of
coffee.
At her own business, Johnson
pays special attention to the
freshness of the coffee, and
acknowledges that aroma is an
important part of the taste.
In her training classes, she
learned to use coffee grounds
right away and never steam milk
One advantage of a UCC
would be that tribal members
would be able to obtain loans to
purchase cars and homes easier.
Engel said there are off-reservation
government home loans
that offer interest rates below
five percent, the rate on the res
ervation, for low-income fami
lies. A UCC would open up the
reservation to more govern
ment low-income home loan
opportunities and save families
money, he explained.
"For example, on a $50,000
housing loan from the tribes, a
person pays about $268 per
month at a five percent interest
rate. With access to this particu
lar government program with an
interest rate at one percent,
about $100 a month could be
saved," said Engel.
Also, tribal entrepreneurs
could receive outside loans over
Eraina Palmer, owner of Quilts and More, is featuring a
series of late summer quilt making classes at her store.
Her store is located at the Plaza at Warm Springs.
"A lot of people inquire on how to make quilts. There is an
especially strong interest in young people," said Palmer.
Palmer's goal is to teach young people a skill she says they
will use all their lives.
"My payment is seeing their excitement when they finish a
quilt," she said.
Thirty years ago Palmer learned how to make quilts in class
with Eleanor Burns, author of "Quilt in a Day."
"After that I was hooked on quilting," she explained.
Owning a quilt store and teaching classes was the realiza
tion of a 25 year-old dream for Palmer.
Classes will include how to make quillows and various quilt
sewing styles, including the Irish Chain style, and Log Cabin
style.
For class times, see the calendar on page 2.
''To register, call 5534 460r '
offers colleagueship to youth
ii nt ttt i m frn liLrp fx Cf
lege.
In his spare
time, he is a tradi
tional artisan.
"I like beading
horses," Blackwolf
says.
His beaded
horses usually are
sewn onto pow
wow outfits or
used for
neckpieces. He
also dabbles in
painting and wood
carving. It's his creative
side and interest in
traditional crafts
that makes him a
perfect candidate
for the internship.
Now, as an in
tern, he provides
friendly greetings
to tour groups and guides them
higher than 160 degrees.
Johnson buys her coffee from
the Sun River Coffee Co. in
Bend.
"I have to pay a little more
but its worth it because the com
pany is located so close, the qual
ity is high, and the coffee is al
ways fresh," she says.
The time was right for
Johnson to start a new business
after recently being laid off at
the mill.
Without a job, Johnson felt
the pressure to start her busi
ness and received plenty of sup
port from her family. Her par
ents purchased the building and
her husb remodeled it. Now that
it's open, her daughter takes on
daily shifts.
"It's scary but I like being my
own boss," said Johnson.
The hut is open Mon.-Fri., 7
a.m. to 4 p.m.
gams
$200,000, the current tribal loan
limit
The code would open up the
community to basic services like
a bank too, said Shaw.
Community members could
have more services in the Warm
Springs community and limit
trips to Madras.
' According to Shaw, US Bank
has already expressed interest in
opening a branch on the reser
vation but backed out when rep
resentatives found out Warm
Springs did not have a UCC.
Outside businesses often re
quire a UCC before opening a
location on a reservation.
Currently, outside lenders
hesitate to invest in businesses
or homes on reservation lands
because they fear lack of legal
recourse on the reservation.
Sometimes limited waivers of
sovereignty are granted to out
side lenders, as in the case of a
for life
through the museum.
Blackwolf, although a tribal
member, claims he's learning
just like the tourists.
"I probably know about 70
percent of the information in
the museum and continue learn
ing more every time I give a
tour," he says.
Blackwolf 's continued inter
est in his own culture has been
sparked by the internship.
"I got a language dictionary
about all our traditional foods.
There are a lot of opportuni
ties to learn here," says
Blackwolf.
Recently the intern painted a
teepee on the museum's grounds
for the Huckleberry Harvest.
His enthusiasm and back
ground are just what museum
Director Carol Leone envi
sioned when she spearheaded
the internship program.
"The internship is designed to
Warm Springs receives
Ford Foundation grant
Due to the efforts of the
Warm Springs Community Ac
tion Team, the Ford Family
Foundation has chosen Warm
Springs to be the recipient of a
$10,000 grant for leadership
training
The foundation grants
money to rural communities that
have limited resources.
It focuses on the leadership
from a rural community's own
Radio language lessons to
be shorter, more Irequent
Beginning in September
radio language lessons will be
aired every hour.
"It will most likely be a phrase
or quick saying," said Tim
Finch, computer programmer at
the language center.
On the weekends longer les
momeetam
casino.
Since last April tribal attor
neys have been reviewing com
munity input, the impact on lo
cal businesses and the impact on
the tribes' sovereignty.
One major concern with
UCC is that the tribes' would
compromise their sovereignty
for commercial interests.
But Shaw sees a UCC on the
reservation as having the oppo
site effect.
"I think a UCC is an exercise
of our sovereignty because le
gal actions will be able to take
place on the reservation in our
court system. Instead of forc
ing us off the reservation into
another nation, we can have a
legitimate court on the reserva
tion," she said.
And Engel claims the reser
vation already does not have full
sovereignty. He used the afore
mentioned contract with the
New tribal substance abuse
center to open in Portland
Oregon Health and Science
University plans to open a new
center aimed at finding remedies
for the high levels of drug and
alcohol addiction among Native
Americans in the United States.
It will be funded by a $3 million
federal grant.
"One Sky Center" will look
at information from many drug
and alcohol treatment programs
working with Native Americans.
From this information, officials
will decide which method has
proven to be the most effective
for treating substance abuse.
The center will also continue
OHSU's efforts to recruit Na
tive Americans into existing
health programs. .. .. ... ,
The $3 million grant will be
treat the intern like a colleague
of the museum and stimulate
creativity in the museum. There
should be room for the intern
to bring in their cultural ideas,
while being exposed to other
cultures from around the
world," says Leone.
Leone modeled the intern
ship after her previous experi
ence with a Southwestern res
ervation museum.
"At my previous job, the in
ternship program was a really
positive experience for all of
us," says Leone.
Blackwolf says he'd like to
come back and work at the
museum after college.
This year the position was
funded by a grant.
But recently at the
museum's Huckleberry Har
vest, over $8,000 were raised
to fund the summer internship
for at least the next three years.
people and the abilities the
community has to offer.
A group is formed and the
community is allowed to ex
ecute their own project.
Although Warm Springs was
chosen, the foundation in
cluded Madras after acknowl
edging the need to enhance
opportunities as a joint com
munity between Warm Springs
and Madras.
sons for 15 to 20 minutes of
each Native language will be
aired. The language program
supports the new radio format.
"Shorter phrases will be easier
to pick up and remember, espe
cially if they arc useful and prac
tical," said Finch.
state and the casino as an ex
ample. Community supporters
have already said they would
like the Warm Springs UCC
implemented in parts, because
the code is so large.
Implementing the code in
parts over time would mini
mize changes in the commu
nity and allow tribal members
to adjust. Tribal attorneys
have already drafted a rough
version of a Warm Springs
UCC.
If a UCC is implemented,
Warm Springs Reservation will
be the first reservation to do
so in the state of Oregon.
Creating a UCC on reser
vations is a growing movement
in the United States. Reserva
tions with strong community
and financial planning have
benefited economically with a
UCC, said Shaw.
distributed over a period of 3
years to first establish the One
Sky Center and hire sufficient
staff.
OHSU's proposal was chosen
over 27 possible recipients that
tried to get funding from the
federal Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services Admin
istration. The university plans on build
ing the center in the South Wa
terfront district in Portland.
Drug and alcohol abuse is a
serious problem for Native
communities across the United
States. Alcohol rates afe six
times higher among Native
Americans than the US. aver
age, and drug abuse rates are at
least four times higher.
Club's future
at recreation
center discussed
The Warm Springs Boys and
Girls Club will stay under one
umbrella with the recreational
center at least for now, said
Austin Greene, director of the
Warm Springs Community
Wellness Center.
A meeting was held last week
at the recreational center to dis
cuss the future of the Boys and
Girls Club at the center. About
30 community members at
tended. Greene said the purpose of
the meeting was to hear the
community's input on whether
or not the center and club
should be merged.
Attendees also shared ideas
on improvements. A need for
more safety and cultural activi
ties were among the suggestions.
Also, eliminating fees for
youth participants was discussed.
Wild horse race
to gallop here
The Extreme Wild Horse
Race Challenge will be held Sat.,
Sept. 27 in Warm Springs.
The race is open to everyone,
but there is a 32 team limit.
Entries will be open Sept. 15
and Sept. 16 from 9 a.m. to 8
p.m.
Entry fees are $250 per team
plus a $25 administration fee for
each team.
Awards will be given for first
to third place. Awards include
the Top Mugger Award, Top
Rider Award, and Fast Time
Award. There is a $2,000 added
purse.
Some additional activities will
be the Youth Wild Colt Race
and Women's Calf Scramble for
cash.
For more information call
Sammy at (541) 553-1856 or
Alfrcdinc at (541) 553-0442.