Spilyqy Tymoo, Wgrro Springs, Oregon
September 16, 2004
Page 5
More letters to the editor
Be proud
To our people,
In our young years during the
1940s and '50s our mother
spoke in our language fluently,
but not to us children. She said
she was getting us ready for
sheapo world. Her choice.
Now that we've seen both
worlds we might have chosen to
learn our languages, but we did
participate in our longhouse cul
tures., We also learned that our an
cestors chose to adopt other
people, tanun people into our
tribe. So why is it that now our
own people choose to say ugly
things about who we are as In
dian people.
Whether we're Wasco, Paiute
or Sahaptin, we all live in the
same community, have prob
lems, we all see our children and
grandchildren grow up and try
our best to teach them good
values. Be proud of who we are.
Last, we are no better than
anyone else. Thank you.
Shirley Sanders.
A thank you
The family of Illon Gerralena
Wahsise (Kalama) would like to
express their thanks to all the
relatives, friends and others who
came together in our time of
need, to help send our mother
on her journey. We send our
gratitude to Mountain View
Hospital doctors, nurses and
visitors who went by and
showed their support for our
mother and mainly all the sup
port that was toward our sister
Roberta, for she was the main
one who stuck by our mother's
bedside up to her last breath.
Thanks goes out to all the fol
lowing: Bel-Air Funeral Home
, (Doug), Utilities, Tribal Council,
! the Credit Department, Warm
Springs Police for escort,
KWSO, Natural Resources,
officiators (Pat Tanewasha and
Norman Lucei), dressmakers
(Adeline Miller, Phyllis Strong
and Eileen Spino), dressers
(Margaret Boise and Mona
Starr), cooks (Janice Clements,
Millie Colwash and kitchen help
ers), gravediggers (David Lucei,
Edward Lucei, Berlyn Yazzie,
Lyman and Shawn Jim, Steve
Stewart), all the pallbearers and
volunteer pallbearers; the fol
lowing supporters and helpers:
Alveda and Elmer Charley, Jerri
Polk, Emily Yazzie, Rose Rud
der, Farrell Hance, Angie Tho
mas, Roberta Bruce, Sandra,
Andrea and Maria Moroyaqui,
Trisha, Judith, Eliza, Verleen,
Marissa Kalama, Tonya Tewee,
Sarah Belgard, Toni Marie,
Suzette Boise, Susie Briseno,
Janelle Tailfeathers, Krista
Rhoan, Grandpa Leslie and Star
Thomas, Edith Kalama, Alice
Wyena, especially the ones who
went out of their way to travel
here to Warm Springs to show
their respects, they are as fol
lows: Norma Williams, Arlene
George, Jason Sampson, Joyce
and Andrea Spino, Zena, Gerald
Dotch, who all traveled from the
Yakama Reservation area.
This was a totally new expe
rience and a huge step for the
four of us sisters and brothers.
We are at the early stages of
adulthood and we're also at a
very young age when we lost
our fathers Edwin Thomas Sr.
and Michael Wahsise. During
then, it was our mother and
older family who were respon
sible for handling the arrange
ments. If we may have by
passed anyone, not mentioned,
we apologize. Once again thank
you. Also hope to see you again
for the stonesettings, memorials,
which are being scheduled one
year from now, for our mother
and both of the fathers. Love
and sincerely, Vera Thomas
and family, Roberta Thomas
and family, Edwin Thomas
Jr. and Joseph Wahsise.
Burial
To my family, I am writing
this so I can let people know
why I wasn't at the burial of my
mother, Illon Wahsise (Kalama).
I got a lot of negative looks
from family members who
could've easily come ask me
why I wasn't there. I feel like
maybe it was meant to be that
way after I heard about the
things that went on at the cem
etery. I am so proud of my sis
ter Roberta for standing her
ground. We were hurt because of
a lot of negative statements made
because our decisions on ar
rangements that were made. Be
ing the oldest child I decided to
step down and let my sister do
the talking after we realized it
was getting late. My sister was
the only one who was able to
talk to her and get this kind of
information from her. Thank
you for your time, Vera Tho
mas. PS, my not being at the
burial was not intentional.
Forgiveness
A lot of people are afraid to
pray, because they know God
knows all - perceiving their
hearts with all their unconfessed
sins, (confessed sins are not re
membered by God) and shun
God. Recently, I had one of my
friends ask me, "Are you still
going to church?" I said, "Yes."
He said, "That still doesn't
change your past." I think he
wishes that were true, because
he hopes his excuse for reject
ing God's son as a sacrifice for
him will hold water. I said to my
family who was with me, "It
might never change my past, but
it does wonders for my future."
But most people think God
died and left them the judge.
God is the only judge, and
judge's decree is the only one
that counts in the courtroom. All
the other judgments in the
courtroom are mere opinions.
God decreed, "As far as the east
is from the west, so far has he
removed our transgressions
from us." (Psalms 103:12) The
East never meets the West, so
our sins will never be close to
us again.
I know that man has the hard
est time forgiving, and there are
those who know my past, and
don't forgive me and I never
wronged them personally. Then
the ones that I really did wrong,
come up and hug me and ex
press their love for me. Now
that is irony. But God forgave
me and forgots my past and has
a mansion in heaven waiting for
me. (John 14:2). Knowing this
allows me to forgive others.
God says perfect love casts
out all fear. (1" John 4:18). Fear
of the past is called "guilt." Fear
of the future is called "worry."
The blood of Jesus on the cross
casts out all fear of the past with
my sins into the "sea of forget
fulness." The resurrection of
Jesus after his three days in
hellG promoted to the right
hand of God J defending my
soul casts out all fear of the
future (of where I will spend life
eternal). Freed from the fear of
the past and future, letting me
live in the now (born again.)
Do you believe God will not
be offended, when you refuse
his best gift, his only begotten
Son? Your place to spend eter
nity depends on this gift. Why
take a chance? R.T. Thompson
see you grow up. Carla Rose, I
just want to thank you for all
of the love that you gave me.
You know we've been through
some bad times because of me,
but I'm here to tell you that I'm
sorry for all those times I made
you cry. We can't let all those
sad times and bad times sepa
rate us. I didn't forget you or
my daughter. I got too much
love for both of you.
Listen, Carla Rose, we've
been through good and bad
times together but together
we've managed to pull together
as one. No matter what. I'm
gone for now. Alicia, this is your
dad. Listen to me. Please for
give me for not being there for
you as you grew up. I'd like to
hear from you both. Here's my
address below, and please send
photos too, okay? No polaroids.
Rayfield Mitchell, No.
60839-065, US Penitentiary,
Leavenworth, PO Box 1000,
Leavenworth, KS 60048-1000.
Smokey
Thank you to all those who
attended Smokey Bears 60,h
birthday party. A special thank
you goes out to the following
individuals for making Smokey's
party happen: Gary Cooke, Ken
Lydy (who kept bringing me
items that I forgot to bring to
the Community Center and
moral support), Irwina Smith
for help in the organizing, shop
ping for food and general prep
of the event, Thomas Medina
and Adrian Tulce, who took care
of Smokey Bear and kept him
under control. Thanks guys, and
last but far from least, to Fire
and Safety personnel Michelle
Jensen, Erma Garcia, Earlcne
Tufti, Lisa Webb, Whitedcve
Cooper, Dana Smith, Blaine
Begay and Bobby Thurby for
the excellent job with decora
tions and cooking abilities.
To all these fine individuals
who donated their time and
abilities to help make the party
a success, a big thank you. Fire
Management.
Sorry
I'm writing this letter to let
Carla Rose Pedraza and my
daughter Alicia Pedraza know I
love them and that I'm always
thinking about them. Alicia, I'm
Isoriy I wasn't! there forvyoMo
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Kasheena Stevens likes school so much that
she wants to be a teacher when she grows up.
At school she likes spelling. She 's at a level
38 in spelling, meaning she spells at nearly a
fourth-grade level. Kasheena is 7 years old and
in the second grade at Warm Springs Elemen
tary School. .
"Like all of our student achievers, she
works hard at everything she does in school, "
said school principal Dawn Smith. "She
knows that being a good student is very
important. "
Kasheena dances at powwows, and this year
was on the Pi-Ume-Sha Junior Court. Her
parents are Lisa Webb and Orlando Stevens.
At home Kasheena likes to use the com
puter. At school, besides spelling, one of her
favorite things is recess.
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Letters to the editor
Letters to the editor can be spilyaytymoowstribes.ore.
sent to Spilyay Tymoo, P.O.
Box 870, Warm Springs,
97761. Or dropped off at
1100 Wasco St. E-mail is
Letters can be no longer
than 350 words in length, and
can contain no libel against any
person.
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