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About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (May 26, 2005)
SCO OrColl E 75 ,S8 v. 30 no. 11 May 6, 005 University of Oregon Library Received oni 05-31-05 Spilyay tyioo. P.O. Box 870 Warm Springs, OR 97761 yvnuu ECRWSS Postal Patron U.S. Postage PRSRTSTD Warm Springs, OR 97761 Coyote News, est 1976 May 26, 2005 Vol. 30, No. 11 50 cents Spilyay Compact has to wait for trust decision By Dave McMechan Spilyay Tymoo Federal approval of die gaining com pact for Cascade Locks has to wait until die casino site is in federal trust. The process of putting the property into trust may take about a year. This was an unexpected develop ment, and a disappointing one for the tribes. But in the end the goal of build ing a casino at Cascade Locks can still be accomplished, said Ken Smith, who is working on the project. "It's a bump in the road, and we'll move on," he said. "I don't think it slows the process." There are two separate federal ap proval requirements that need to be met before the tribes can begin con struction of a casino at Cascade Locks. The federal government, through the Department of the Interior, has to approve the gaming compact negotiated between the tribes and the state. The department also has to approve the application to take the casino site into federal trust for the tribes. The assumption was that the tribes could go ahead with the approval pro cess for the gaming compact, which the state and the tribes finalized in April. I lowcver, because the planned site of the Bridge of the Gods Casino is not yet in trust, the Department of the Interior denied the application regard ing the gaming compact. The tribes and the state submitted the applicauon in early April, and the department had 45 days to make a decision. The 45-day timeline for the gaming compact is brief compared to the land-to-trust process, which may take 12 "If this is the way the policy is now, then we'll comply with it. But we were disap pointed because they've known what we were doing. " Ken Smith months. The trust process involves a full environmental impact study of the proposed development, which is a main reason why it takes longer. Smith said the tribes may wait until the trust process is nearly complete and then re-submit the application regard ing approval of the compact. Smith said he was disappointed be cause people from the Department of the Interior had known for some time that die tribes and the state were nego tiating toward the gaming compact. Only at the last minute did the de partment indicate that a new policy regarding gaming compact approval - requiring that the land already be in trust - would apply to the Cascade Locks proposal. The Department of the Interior may have felt this is a good time to review and change the process, as the department is receiving an increas ing number of applications from tribes in situations that are contro versial, such as tribes proposing to build across state lines. "If this is the way the policy is now, then we'll com ply with it," said Smith. "But we were disappointed because they've known what we were doing, and then they tell us at the eleventh hour, 'By the way, we changed our policy.'" i. (I n m rJ On graduation day for the Class of 2005, about 35 students from the reservation (some of them pictured above) will receive their diplomas from Madras High School. Graduation day, Friday, June 3, is a time for recognizing these students for their accomplishments, said Jo Ann Smith, Warm Springs Education Committee member. "I tell students that life is choices, and education should be a high priority because these are our future leaders," said Smith, who is a member of the curriculum council at the high school. Smith said the Education Committee wishes to thank the families of Dave McMechanSpiiyay the graduates, and the community for their support. For the graduates, she said, "I hope their success continues in the future. This is a beginning, not the end." Graduation on June 3 starts at 6:30 p.m. in the high school gynmasium. Immediately following graduation there will be a reception in the commons at the high school. (Families who wish to congratulate students who are graduating from college, or a school other than Madras High School, please bring the information by the Spilyay.) The Treaty of 1855 Terms were harsh but the tribes survived By Dave McMechan Spilyay Tymoo Like many things in this world the Treaty of 1855 has its good side and its bad side. The good side is important but the bad side is too large to ignore. For this reason people do not refer to the 1 50,h anniversary of the signing of the treaty as a celebration. Instead, Pi-Ume-Sha Treaty Days at the end of June are a celebration of sovereignty. There will be special events tliis year commemorating the signing of the treaty, but not necessarily celebrating it This approach is even more true of the events marking the bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The Lewis and Clark Expedition "was the beginning of the end of a way of life for us," said Louie Pitt, director of tribal government affairs. In a similar way the Treaty of 1855 required the tribes to relinquish their claim to the Ceded Lands. "The country embraced in the pur chase effected by this treaty contains about 1 1,000 square miles, the greater part of which is well adapted to graz ing, and much of it is good farming land," wrote Joel Palmer, superinten dent of Indian Affairs for Oregon in 1855. In a letter of that year Palmer also made the following statement regard ing the treaty: "The consideration to be paid these Indians is believed to be the lowest possible amount adequate to meet their necessities. . ." So dicre are serious reasons why the tribes would not consider all of the terms of the treaty something to cel ebrate. And yet there is a better side to the treaty. For instance, the treaty specifies that the tribes have die right to the usual and accustomed hunting, fishing and gathering areas of the Ceded Lands. Also, die treaty established the reser vation. On a larger scale the treaty is the document the tribes can use to easily demonstrate their inherent sovereignty. "Some tribes don't have treaties," said Pitt, "and they have to rely on the President to have a good heart or the courts to declare they have rights to land where they've been for thousands " The treaty is something we always need to hold at the forefront, as the main tool in holding the government accountable. " Louie Pitt of years. The treaty cuts through that." In negotiating with die tribes, the federal government approached them as equal sovereigns, said Pitt. So the treaty endures as tangible proof that the Confederated Tribes exist as its own nation. "Without the treaty I'd hate to think about how things would be," said Pitt. "We'd be just another minority trying to exert their rights. There would prob ably be no reservation. The treaty is something we always need to hold at the forefront, as the main tool in hold ing the government accountable." The reservation In reporting back to Washington, D.C in 1855, Joel Palmer describes the land reserved in the treaty for die tribes. The letter is interesting and reads as follows: The reservation contains about six hundred and twenty Jive square miles, more than half being rugged mountains, unsuited to cultivation. It lies immediately east of Mount Jefferson and is isolated Jrom any coun try likely ever to be occupied by white settlers, being bounded on the east by the DesChutes river which here runs be tween precipitous walls oj basaltic rock, on the west by the Cascade Mountains, on the north by the lofty range called Mutton Mountain, and on the south by one oj the main branches oj the DesChutes approachable at Jew points on account of the clijfs. The Indians seriously objected to this district on account of the small quan tity of agricultural land, many oj them being engaged in farming to a consider able extent... The reservation is well watered and timbered, and is well adapted to the growing oj stock... Knowing the tribes is a priority at Kah-Nee-Ta The people who work at Kah-Nec-Ta know the reservation and the tribes very well. This is true of the Indian and non-Indian employees alike. An important reason why diey know the reservation and the tribes is so they can answer questions from guests. It is also important to understand who you are working for. The way that many employees come to know the reservation is through a two-day orientation. The orientation is for new employees, and this year was also provided to people who were al ready working there. "We want the current staff to know the same information that is being taught to the new people," said Ina Ike, Kah-Nee-Ta administrative ser vices coordinator. Ike, Kah-Nee-Ta training manager John Inman and tribal member recruitment and development coordinator Arlissa Rhoan conduct die orientation sessions, which are on Wednesday and Thursday of each week. The directors of the various de- 's partments at the resort and casino were , the first to go through the new orienta tion. Going through the orientation the employees learn about the history of the tribes. This is done in part by visit ing the Museum at Warm Springs. There is also a new employee orien tation guidebook, put together by Inman. The book includes an histori cal timeline of the Confederated Tribes. There is also information on the cul ture of the tribes. Inman worked closely with the Cul ture and Heritage Department and the museum in developing the orientation book. Ike and others also give provide in formation by talking about tribal cul ture to the non-Indians. On the bus ride from the resort to the museum, for instance, she stopped and showed the people what wild celery looks like. They also discuss things such as Indian leg ends, coyote stories, the traditional lan guages, and the importance of water in the Indian culture. "The orientation is not necessarily to teach, but to involve the employee in the experience of working for the tribes," said Ike. Along with the culture and history, the orientation also provides informa tion on the current situation among the tribes. The employees tour some of the main areas of activity on the reserva tion. See KAH-NEE-TA o IS Suspect faces murder count Jesse Shawn Wewa has been charged with second degree mur der in the death of Charles Frances Lesarelley. Wewa is being held in Pordand, where the U.S. Attorney's Office is prosecuting the case in federal court. Wewa was arrested on the evening of April 29 at a residence on Seekseequa Road, after police received a report of a possible stabbing. Upon responding to the scene, officers discovered Charles Lesarelley, 46, deceased. He had been stabbed, according to police. Wewa was taken into custody, and was later arraigned in federal court on a count of second-degree murder. 1
