Image provided by: The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs; Warm Springs, OR
About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 20, 2005)
E Coosh EEWA: The wy it is Page 4 Spilyay Tymoo January 20, 2005 Meeting set to discuss lawsuit settlement By Selena Boise Management Successor Well, lately there is talk of the money acquired in the lawsuit that has been in the U.S. Court of Appeals for years. A meeting is scheduled for January 27 at the Agency Longhouse to dis cuss and hear the plans for this money. Now along with this large sum of money is the question arising to everybody, what will it be used for? There are rumors circulating all over the reserva tion, but we can never rely on rumors. These rumors become wishful thinking for many who repeat and circulate them far ther. I believe that the best thing to do is attend this meeting and listen and provide your own in put if you have any. It would certainly be better than repeat ing rumors that are circulating, because what you hear in the ru mors probably sounds better than the actual plan may be. Remember the rumors that go around in November when it's almost time for Christmas? People start guessing the bonus amounts and the day it will come out. I remember when Donna and Sid would have this little pool at the office, we would put a quarter in (it was something for the fun) and we would guess the amount and the date of distri bution. We didn't rake in the money by winning the pool, but we had fun. Then we would start a pool on another item in the works. Anyway, these rumors can be ' fun and wishful thinking at the same time, but I think that at tending the meeting will settle a lot of this talk about the tribes' intentions. So why not attend, listen, and provide any input you wish to contribute? It should be inter esting. One of the good rumors I heard about it was that it would help the senior citizens. That would be a good thing to have happen because the elders are important to us. Then it would be nice to see education and employment re ceive some assistance in there somewhere. Anyway, this would be the topic of discussion until the meeting is over, I think. There is always discussion about the casino in the Gorge. I haven't heard anything new about it lately. Valentine's Day So have you thought about those sweet nothings you may want to put in the Spilyay for your sweetheart? We are running the Valentines in the paper once again. So think about what you want to wish that special some one. Toe Ness There was this dumb guy learning how to fly a helicopter. He was up about 1,000 feet when suddenly down he came. The instructor asked him what happened and he said, "I got chilly up there so I shut off the fan." YIKES There was this other dumb guy who came from the city and was visiting on this farm for the first time in his life. "Oh, what a pretty cow," he said, "but why doesn't it have any horns?" "There could be several rea sons," replied the farmer. "Some cows don't have horns until later in life. Others have them re moved, while others are born without them. This one doesn't have horns because it's a horse." YIKES Spilyay Speaks Spirit of There was a semi-truck load of items donated on Dec. 23, 2004, to the community of Warm Springs through the All Nations Praise Chapel by Mr. Don Klein of the Fron tier Mission. For more than a year the All Nations Praise Chapel has been interested in this Mission because it serves Native American communi ties. We finally made contact with Don at the beginning of December and were not go ing to be added to their list until after the Christmas holi day. However, on Dec. 2, we got a call and were asked if we would be interested in a semi-truck load of Christmas items. On their way to Warm Springs, the truck pulled off to the side of the road and got stuck in the mud, where it sat for a few hours for Ira's Towing. The distribution served up to 93 families with food, cloth ing, everyday household items, Christmas ornaments and lights, even some nice Christ mas gifts. We had 18 volun teers who helped unload the semi and load families' vehicles. We do appreciate getting more donations in 2005 and will try to get the word out through the radio, newspaper, flyers and hope to reach families in need. We just want to write and let all who volunteered know how much we appreciated your help. The Frontier Mis sion distribution was hard Graduation We, the parents of the Ma dras High School Class of 2005, are in the process of planning the annual drug and alcohol free graduation party. This party is an outgrowth of Oregon's Project Graduation. Since its introduction to our community in 1984, a large percentage of MHS graduates have benefited. The purpose of this important event is to provide our seniors with a safe, memorable and fun graduation celebration that does not include drugs or alcohol. Over the last 20 years our community has been very gen erous in its financial support of parents' efforts to organize a party that all seniors will want to attend. We are very proud of this ongoing commitment to the graduating class of MHS. It Supreme Court justice fears chaos if tribe wins tax In trying to determine where the modern Indian reservation ends and where old-fashioned tax laws begin, a Supreme Court justice worried this month that a ruling in favor of an upstate New York tribe would create governmental chaos. The court heard arguments in the fight between the city of Sherrill, N.Y., over unpaid taxes on a gas station, convenience store and defunct T-shirt factory purchased by the New York Oneidas. The city foreclosed on the properties in 2000, and the tribe sued. A Supreme Court ruling could have far-reaching impli cations for tribes in New York and other states. In New York, more than 330,000 acres are now subject to Indian land claims, and Oneida tribes in Wisconsin and Ontario are joined in that dis pute. The Oneidas claim that be cause the Sherrill properties were once part of a vast the holidays Photo fiounty ot gaiah Punk Pastor Billy Joe Berry (right), Don Klein of Frontier Mission (center), and the truck driver (left) who arrived before Christmas with a large supply of gifts and holiday items. work, but it was a fun event. Thank you, Kimberly from OSU Extension, for the ad vice on the crushed cans. If any of you got crushed canned food, throw them away. We did try and toss any we saw but probably missed more than a few. Again, if you see a crushed canned food, throw it away. We want to be helpful to you and keep things as safe as possible. We also want to thank Myra Johnson and the Culture and Heritage Department for the support, Sarah Frank, Martha and Donesha Winishut of the Vic tims of Crime, Anthony Culps, Sr. and Jr., Leah Suppah, Reva Johnson and family, OSU Extension staff, Charley Wing, Nathan Berry, Lydell Adams and any of you who were there but not men tioned. We thank you. Hope you enjoyed yourselves and Happy New Year. Pastor Billy Joe Sr. and Wanda Berry, Simnasho Com munity Church. sends a message of support for a high standard of behavior and safety for everyone. Each year, efforts are made to partially finance the party through various fundraisers which include a homecoming barbecue, bottle drive, Trail blazer ticket raffle, and commu nity Bingo night. In order to fully finance the party we do need help and are asking you to be a part of this effort. Dona tions can be made in the form of cash, gifts, gift certificates or food for the party. Any dona tion will be greatly appreciated. For more information, call Cory or Lori Dejarnatt at 475-2102 or 475-2256. Thank you To the community of Warm Springs, we wish to express our deepest thanks to all those who 300,000-acre swath of their land, the land is no longer tax able by state and local officials. The tribe reacquired the prop erties in 1997. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the tribe, a ruling which the state claims will lead to "regulatory chaos" if allowed to stand. Justice Antonin Scalia voiced those concerns in questioning Oneidas lawyer Michael Smith. Letters of apologies I'd like to take the time to apologize to the Warm Springs community and the tribal courts for being under the influ ence of alcohol. It was a wrong choice I've made and I am very sorry for doing so. I take full responsibility for my ac tions, and am trying to get help for my problem. So once again, I am sorry and it will not happen again. Larissa Wallulatum. To whom it may concern in the community of Warm Springs, I'd like to apologize for my actions in 12-04. 1 made a bad decision and endangered myself and the people of the community. I would like to apologize to my wife most of all for what I did and won't do it again. Edward Lucei. Letters to the Editor helped during our loss. Special thanks go out to Flossie Wolfe, Bernice Mitchell, Taaw-Lee-Winch, Wilford Jim, all cooks and helpers. Again thanks for all the support. Our apologies go out to anyone we may have left out. Sincerely, the Florez family. Disappointed To the community: As a par ent and past Policy Council member, I can't tell you how important it is to get involved with your teachers and see what is going on. There are some changes happening again over there. Without sounding like I am the one beating a dead horse (someone else is), I am so dis appointed with decisions that have been made from those in upper management which do directly affect the children. It was brought to my attention that changes were going to be made back to the "old ways," which means you won't be "heard," low staff morale, threats and no stability. Get involved with your Head StartEarly Head Start Policy Council and talk with any one of the members. You have a right to help make decisions that directly affect your children. The teachers that have been there for years need your sup port as well as your kids who will be the ones left in the care of a place that will be run with out the caring and sensitivity of the needs for the kids. Some people want this program for control and will do as they please where the grant money is concerned. The HSEHS grant is supposed to be funded for those purposes only, not for anything else. Our Head Start Early Head Start program has been put in jeopardy of being lost in the past, we can't afford for this to happen again. We as a community need that program to promote the education for our children and get them ready for grade school. If these changes happen, we are allow ing that program to be put back at risk of losing again. The tribe as a whole can't afford that loss either. Sincerely, Monica Leonard. Casino I would like to share some of my personal concerns regard ing the negotiations process and our pursuit of an off reserva tion casino. The Oregonian pub lished an article a few weeks back that has confirmed my "What you're asking the court to do is sanction a very odd checkerboard system of juris diction... It would just create a chaotic situation in New York state if we say you have juris diction over any piece of land you buy," said Scalia. Sherrill's lawyer Ira Sacks said the tribe lost its claims to tribal land in the town through an 1838 treaty and 190 years of inattention. skepticism of the integrity of everyone involved in this multi million dollar endeavor (fiasco!). In a nutshell, this article stated that Oregon is considering ex panding its lottery by offering the very same slot machines that have made Native American casinos a profitable venture. Oregon's plan to enter into the gaming industry didn't occur overnight. It had to be under considerationdiscussion for quite some time. The state rep resentatives involved with nego tiating a new gaming compact certainly had firsthand knowl edge, as such the integrity and sincerity of a new gaming com pact with the state must be ques tioned. Which brings me to my next concern, the competency of our so-called team of tribal rep resentation, legal experts and consultants. Were they aware of any of the scenarios mentioned in The Oregonian? If so, why didn't they make mention of this fact during the tribal presenta tion at the Agency Longhouse? Each and every scenario iden tified by The Oregonian has the potential of becoming a reality, nullifying building off reserva tion, making it impractical, un profitable or too risky. Although the casino initiative was passed by referendum vote, that shouldn't supercede the primary function of our Tribal Council, to look out for the interests of our people. The cloak of confi dentiality must now be lifted to ensure that the precedent we'set for an off-reservation casino will be something we can be proud of for all gaming tribes of Or egon. The only thing that has ma terialized from our pursuit of building in Cascade Locks is a tremendous debt involved when we bought a worthless rock is land, real estate in Hood River and now the language of the new gaming compact. I can only hope that our Tribal Council Chairman will order a complete halt to the gaming compact ne gotiations until some clear, un- Happy birthday and other wishes... Happy 6th birthday to our son Johnny Tremayne Holliday Jr. We love you, from Mom and Dad. Happy birthday to my big brother JR Holliday. I love you, from Xariya McKenna Hollilday. Happy birthday Jr, from uncles Harlan and Walter. But Justice Stephen Breyer said prior Indian case law sug gested "the whole title doesn't just disappear simply with the passage of time." The National Congress of American Indians, representing more than 250 tribes, says the Spilyay Tymoo CCoyote News, Est. 1976) Publisher Emeritus: Sid Miller Editor: Dave McMechan Management Successor: Selena T. Boise Advertising Manager: Sam Howard Staff Writer: Brian Mortensen Media Advisor: Bill Rhoades Spilyay Tymoo is published bi-weekly by the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. Our offices are located in the white house at 1100 Wasco Street. Any written materials submit ted to Spilyay Tymoo should be addressed to: Spilyay Tymoo, P.O. Box 870, Warm Springs, OR 97761. Phone: (541) 553-1644 or 553-3274. FAX No. (541)553-3539. E-Mail: spilyaytymoowstribes.org. Annual Subscription rates: Within U.S.: $15.00. censored answers materialize and a public meeting is held with the voting membership. Again, I would like to remind the tribal membership, are the consultants involved with our pursuit of an off-reservation casino going to be held account able if this roller-coaster ride has any unexpected dips or turns? After all, this is a manda tory contract language outside of the Rez. Our Tribal Consti tution and By-Laws state that we operate under a co-operate structure, yet the tribal member ship has been kept in the blind purposely, a clear violation of our tribal member rights, I be lieve. Thank you. Randy Smith. Film series The Warm Springs OSU Ex tension Service has some inter esting activities coming up. Here are some examples. January 22: Storytime Cookin'. Curious George and the Pizza, for youth K-8th grade. 10 a.m. till noon at the OSU4-H Kitchen in the Education Building. Fifteen spots available. Call 553-3238 or 553-3535. January 24: Film series: The American Cowboys, a documen tary about Jackson Sundown, a Nez Perce, who was the first Native American to win the World Saddle Bronc Champion ship at the 1916 Pendleton Round-Up. George Fletcher, an African American, competed in the 1911 controversial Saddle Bronc finals for the World Title at the Pendleton Round-up. Sun down and Fletcher were two leg endary cowboys who broke the color barriers in the rodeo arena at the turn of the 20th Century. (45 minutes) Noon, 3:30 and 5:30 p.m. First floor training room of the Education Bldg. Hope to see you there. Minnie Yahtin. Thank you for writing to the Spilyay Tymoo. Please re member, letters should be 350 words or shorter in length. Thank you. Happy 6th birthday to my grandson Johnny Holliday. I love you, from Grandma Illona. Remember to bring your Valentines wishes to the Sbivav. and we '11 put them in the paper. case law clearly bars state and local governments from taxing Indi ans without specific federal leg islation passed by Congress. The case is City of Sherrill v. Oneida Indian Nation of New York, 03-855. (Story from the AP.)