OR. COLL.
E
7S
.S68
v. 28
no. 25
December
11, 2003
P.O. Box 870
University of Oregon Library
Received on: 12-16-03
Spilyay tymoo.
ymo
Coyote News, est. 1976
Pecember 11, 2003 Vol. 28, No. 25
U.S. Postage
Bulk Rate Permit No. 2
Warm Springs, OR 97761
50 cents
Census
entering
second phase
The Tribal Census Team reports
that they are moving into the second
phase of the Tribal Census, with a goal
of surveying 80 percent of local
households before the New Year, and
counting all residents by early 2004.
By the end of this week, approxi
mately 60 percent of local households
will be surveyed. Off-reservation tribal
members are also being contacted.
To help accomplish the targets, ma
jor employers on the reservation are
cooperating by scheduling interviews
with their member employees and resi
dent non-members.
Because of budget constraints, the
number of census enumerators, or
surveyors, will need to be reduced.
Currently, the enumerators are
Mayann Aguilar, Levi Bobb, Carla
Dean Caldera, Jose Calica, Marena
Florez, Hamilton Greeley, James
Greeley, Lonnie Jack, Gloria Mitchell,
Allen Mitchell, James Moran, Arlene
Wewa and Emily Yazzie.
The above people are the only au
thorized surveyors, along with Vital
Statistics staff.
Additional funding is being pursued
to allow completion of the process in
a timely manner.
The census team wishes to thank the
community, enterprises, agencies and
media for their continued support.
Please call Vital Statistics at 553-3252
... to arrangeiin.jnterview.
Tribes propose
virtual college
BEND, Ore. (AP) Indian tribes
are talking about creating a virtual col
lege that combines resources at reser
vations around the state.
The proposal, the nation's first, also
would allow reservation residents ac
cess to college courses at other schools.
Federal funding would help pay for
video or Web-based courses to link res
ervation classrooms or individual stu
dents. A main goal would be to train and
educate residents for reservation indus
tries, said Wendell Jim, general man
ager of education for the Confeder
ated Tribes of Warm Springs.
Tribal education officials say the next
step is approval from the nine tribal
councils in Oregon.
Some courses might be created spe
cifically to meet the needs of the res
ervations, including topics such as natu
ral resources or casino management,
said Clint Jacks, the Oregon State Uni
versity extension agent for Jefferson
County and Warm Springs.
Tribal experts could also teach
courses in native languages, forestry
and other topics that could be distrib
uted to other campuses.
Another focus likely would be ex
panding the remedial education pro
gram to help prepare students for de
gree programs.
"One of our experiences is that
folks need to increase their math and
writing skills to be successful in a
bachelor's or associate of arts program,"
Jacks said.
Although many reservations, includ
ing Warm Springs, already have some
local higher education programs, the
virtual college would expand education
options.
Many reservation residents can't
leave for school because they are al
ready working locally, Jim said.
Warm Springs, like some other res
ervations, is far from many college
campuses.
"We're trying to bring opportunity
here," he said. The program probably
would start as a two-year college and
be linked with four-vear institutions,
Oregonian series sparks a response
By D. "Bing" Bingham
Spilyay Tymoo
The recent series of Oregonian news
paper articles on Warm Springs was a
topic of discussion at the recent meet
ing of the Jefferson County School
District 509-J Board of Directors.
Urbana Ross, of the tribes' Educa
tion Committee, and Myra Johnson,
director of Culture and Heritage, gave
their input to the board.
Johnson reported that she had heard
Native kids in the high school were "re
ally unhappy about the Oregonian ar
ticles to the point where they were
cussing mad."
She counseled the school board to
"be aware and sensitive" to the feel
ings of young Native Americans dur
ing a difficult time.
"Those articles were written with
out the knowledge of our young
people," she said, "and so many times
we forget our young people."
Ross acknowledged the "sensitivity"
issue. "I'm asking the school principals
to be sensitive with our students and
communicate with the teachers about
the recent articles," she said.
"Give them a chance to talk about
the articles and the impact their having
on our students and the Warm Springs
community."
She explained later that she would
like to see students and parents re
warded for doing the right thing.
"If they are attending school and
doing the things they should be," she
says, "they're helping turn that belief
around that the Warm Springs com
munity is a dangerous place."
Urbana Ross brought up several
other points to the school board:
- She recommended a tribal repre
sentative be on the search committee
for the new superintendent.
"I think they need a Tribal Council
chairman as a representative from
Basketball team headed for Iowa
By D. "Bing" Bingham
Spilyay Tymoo
Jaylyn Suppah is excited and wor
ried about the upcoming invitational
Sacajawea Tournament.
She's excited because the team will
be facing some of the top players in
the nation, and there will be some
national level basketball talent scouts
looking for new blood.
She's worried because she's in
jured and might not get off the
bench.
"I don't know if I'm going to get
to play... that bums me out," she
says.
Jaylyn Suppah has a dream. She
wants to go pro: WomenTNadnar
Basketball Association.
"I'd have liked to be the first In
dian in the WNBA, but I hear there's
going to be an Indian in there pretty
soon," she says.
That's OK, second is fine. She just
wants to play pro ball.
She was ten years old when she
realized she was serious about bas
ketball. Her uncle started his team
and he was serious about his game.
"He was really serious about bas
ketball, so it made me serious about
it," she says.
Basketball runs in the family.
"My grandpa played basketball all
his life, all my aunts and uncles played
and all my cousins play... it's some
thing my family's done," she contin
ues," I don't think any of them have
ever set goals like I have... like I
wanna do."
And the Sacajawea Tournament
- in Souix City, Iowa, Dec. 17-21 -will
be a good place for Jaylin, and
other tribal members, Susan Ahem
and Carina "Spud" Miller, to test
themselves.
"This tournament is against some
of the best talent in the nation," says
girls basketball coach Bruce Reece,
"it's one of those invitational tour
naments that will let you know if
you're able to play with that kind of
talent or if you're just an average
ball club."
" ' ' """" "" ;
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Jaylyn Suppah
&ng BinghanVSpilyay
Reece isn't a betting man, but he
wouldn't be surprised if the Madras
High girls basketball team is better than
"just average."
"The talent is still here and the girls
know how to work hard and they know
how to play basketball," he says, "I ex
pect us to do very well."
Meanwhile the team members are
spending their extra time before the
tournament on brushing up their skills.
"I need to work on my ball han
dling," says Susan Ahem, "just touch
ing the basketball as much as I can."
And playing or not, Jaylyn Suppah
is ready to go. If she plays, she'll do
her best in front of the scouts. If
not, she'll find another way to stay
on the court, out in front of the
scouts and hard at it until she reaches
her dream.
Community mourns loss of girl
Cindy Gilbert
The Warm Springs community was
greatly saddened to learn of the death
of young tribal member Cindy Gilbert
Sohappy.
Ms. Gilbert Sohappy passed away
on Saturday, Dec. 6. She was 16 years
old.
Ms. Gilbert Sohappy was known for
her involvement in school activities,
includingjunior ROTC, basketball and
track.
Through her ROTC involvement,
Ms. Gilbert Sohappy took part in many
parades in the community. She
marched in the Veterans Day and Pi-Umc-Sha
parades.
At school she was a good student,
and loved by school staff and teach
ers. She worked with senior citizens.
She loved music, and spending time
with family and friends.
Ms. Gilbert Sohappy grew up in
warm springs, and attended local
schools.
Recently, she transferred to
Chemawa Indian School in Salem.
The cause of death of Ms. Gil
bert Sohappy is being investigated.
This week, services were being held
at the home of Lola Sohappy, grand
mother of Ms. Gilbert.
Warm Springs on that search so there
is tribal input."
- After the new superintendent is in
place, "What types of activities are
going to fall through the cracks for our
Native American students and the pro
gram provided to our students? I'm
concerned about that."
- Madras High is on the watch list
for high number of expulsions. Because
of the high number of native kids in
volved, she expressed her concern that
school authorities find themselves de
veloping a 'zero tolerance' level for
Warm Springs kids.
Please see SCHOOL on page 8
U.S. officials
drop out of
dam relicensing
BEND, Ore. (AP) U.S. Depart
ment of Interior officials have dropped
out of relicensing talks for the Pelton
Round Butte dam complex this year,
claiming the negotiations would take too
much time and too many resources,
according to public documents.
By failing to participate, the agency
risks losing a say in negotiations over
provisions for the new license for the
three-dam complex, wrote Julie Keil,
director of hydropower licensing for
Portland General Electric (PGE). .
PGE and the Confederated Tribes
of Warm Springs have applied to the
Federal Energy Regulatory "Commis
sion to operate the dams for the next
50 years.
Relicensing the dam provides a
unique opportunity for officials to re
store native fish runs in the Deschutes
watershed. Endangered steelhead and
chinook salmon are two species that
will benefit, according to biologists.
PGE and the Confederated Tribes
are trying to resolve controversy over
a variety of issues involved in the li
censing, including preserving water
quality; getting migratory fish above and
below the dams; conserving wildlife
habitat; and determining who will pay
for conservation efforts.
Interior officials wrote in a Nov. 14
letter that they had to devote the
months of November and December
to responding to a FERC environmen
tal study on the relicensing. The letter
said officials would resume negotiations
in 2004.
Interior Department officials, PGE
executives and others involved would
not comment because of a confidenti
ality agreement governing the negotia
tions. However, letters filed with the
energy commission are available to the
public. The Interior Department's let
ter states that officials will continue to
work internally to prepare for negotia
tions in January. But Kcil's letter said:
"Interior should have no expectation
that it will be possible to engage in fur
ther substantive settlement discussions
in 2004."
Night Out
is Thursday
The Warm Springs Alcohol Preven
tion Program, and the Youth Develop
ment and Recreation departments arc
proudly sponsoring the Third Annual
Christmas Indian Night C )ut. The event
is set for Thursday Dec. 11 at the
Agency Longhousc.
Dinner will be served at 6 p.m. and
the powwow and games to begin at 7
p.m. Random drawings throughout the
evening will be held for great gifts and
prizes. These Departments cordially in
vite community members to come and
participate, eat and dance during the
powwow.