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OrColl
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75
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v. 30
no. 11
May 6,
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University of Oregon Library
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May 26, 2005 Vol. 30, No. 11
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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.
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