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About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 24, 2005)
SCO OrColl E 75 .S6B v. 3B no. November 24, 3 P.O. Box 870 Warm Springs, OR 97761 University of Ortgon Library Received oni 12-14-05 Spilyay tyioo. ! ECRWSS Postal Patron U.S. Postage PRSRTSTO Coyote News, est 1976 November 24, 2005 Vol. 30, No. m .tgs, OR 97761 50 cents Spflygy ymo Tribes comment on proposed gaming law By Dave McMcchan Spilyay Tymoo Tribal Council Chairman Ron Suppah testified recently in Washing ton, D.C before a I louse of Repre sentatives committee regarding a draft bill that could affect the tribes' gaming expansion plan. Suppah said the draft bill being cir culated by Rep. Richard Pombo, R-Ca-lif., could hurt the Confederated Tribes' chance of building a casino at Cascade Locks. Tribal leaders say, though, that the Cascade Locks proposal is unique among Indian gaming proposals, and for this reason should be exempt from 'fc( L J There are seven tribal members this year who are coaching either at Madras High School or Jefferson County Middle School. "It's the most I've seen since I've been here - the most Indian coaches I've seen in a school district," said Butch David, Warm Springs liaison at the middle school, who this year helped coached high school football. Lana Leonard, liaison at the high school, this year was head coach of a basketball team at the middle school. Luanne Foltz, who teaches seventh grade at the middle school, was head coach of a volleyball team and a basketball team at the middle school. Mackey Begay, who works at parol and probation in Warm Springs, this year coaches the freshman girls basketball team at the high Language gathering inspiring for teachers By Brian Mortensen Spilyay Tymoo While teachers of the Confederated Tribes' languages work to keep the spo ken word of their ancestors alive, they have an example from the other side of the world. Te Ripoway Higgins and Tonga Karena are members of the Maori tribe of New Zealand, and teachers of the Maori language at the Victoria Univer sity of Wellington. Before they visited Warm Springs Nov. 7, they were guest speakers at a language revitalization conference in Salem. Their visit coincided with the appear ance of an exhibit called "Toi Maori: The Eternal Thread," at the Hallie Ford Museum of Art on the Willamette University Campus in Salem. "The Eternal Thread," which in cludes the weaving of current Maori artists, will be at the Museum at Warm Springs beginning June 4. It is consid ered the most significant exhibit of Maori weaving to leave the country. Higgins, Head of the School of Maori Studies at the University of Wellington, said the circulation of ex the proposed bill. The Cascade Ixcks proposal, for instance, is endorsed by the state and the Confederated Tribes through a gaming compact. Congressman Greg Walden, of Oregon's Second Congressional District, is a supporter of the tribes in regard to the Pomlo bill. The local communities that would be impacted the casino -mainly Cascade Ixcks and I lixd River County - arc also largely in favor of the tribes' proposal. Strong local and state support put the Confederated Tribes in a unique situation with regard to any potential new legislation, tribal leaders say. hibits like "The Eternal Thread" have come along with the revitalization and mainstreaming of the Maori language in New Zealand. "The revitalization of our language also means the revitalization of our art - the performing arts and the material arts - and a huge renaissance that's been going through New Zealand," said Higgins. She said the hope is one day for all of New Zealand to be bilingual, in Maori and English. "We're making major inroads toward that," said Higgins. "These are some the reasons we came. Tonga and I have always been part of the language movement." Language teachers from several Northwest Indian tribes attended the revitalization conference, including the Umatilla, Grande Ronde, Makah in Washington, as well as Warm Springs. "I think we were brought here to give a historical account of how Maori people have pursued a pathway of their own language revitalization, and per haps to provide some examples that the tribal people of Oregon can follow" Higgins said. See LANGUAGE 12 Moreover, the tribes have already invested much time and resources into the gaming expansion plan. The tribes exerted this effort based on current fed eral law and regulation, said Chairman Suppah. If enacted, the Pombo bill "would unfairly terminate our tribes effort to pursue vitally necessary financial self sufficiency through a gaining facility on our aboriginal, treaty-reserved lands," Suppah said at a I louse hearing on the proposed legislation. Pombo, who chairs the I louse Re sources committee, has not formally submitted his bill, but said he hopes to j j ' school. Andy Leonard, sports athletic coordinator at the Warm Springs Recreation Department, this year is the head coach of the junior varsity baseball squad at Madras High School. Gorkey Mitchell, who works at Forestry in Warm Springs, is the junior varsity volleyball coach at the high school. T.J. Foltz was a coach of a traveling boys basketball team at the middle school. "The school district is doing a good job of keeping Warm Springs involved," said Butch David. Pictured, the school district coaches are Butch David, Luanne Foltz, T.J. Foltz, Mackey Begay, Lana Leonard and Andy Leonard (from . left; Gorkey Mitchell was not available for the picture). r W-lipir- P- P 4t-': , . 1 - vv i- Niyallee Cochran joins the circle dance at the Early Childhood Education Center powwow at the Agency Longhouse last Friday. tighten restrictions on off-reserva-ti n gambling - particularly for plans that cross state lines - and give lo cal communities more say in ap proval of casino projects. Pombo hopes to submit a bill by January, but is being deliberate be cause of the complexity of the is sue and concerns about Indian sov ereignty, said spokesman Brian Kennedy. "This affects different tribes in different states in different ways," Kennedy said. (I'irAI' helped with this story. See pag 1 6 for an esttmlal esxerpt of Chairman Suppah's testimony.) Dave McMschanSpilyay v " V ... . ... VV.; Dm WcMcnarv bfyy f 1 1 ;J Budget decision at hand Tribal Council this week was ex pected to make a final decision on the 2006 tribal budget. The final budget must be posted by the end of Novem ber, before going into effect Jan. 1. Council this week was scheduled to meet Monday through Wednesday on a variety of budget issues. Once these issues are discussed and resolved, a decision on the final budget will be at hand. The print schedule for the Spilyay Tymoo this week was moved up be cause of the holiday, so news and de tails on the final budget will be in the next papct Court addresses drug abuse By Brian Mortensen Spilyay Tymoo The Warm Springs tribal government's tolerance for metham phetamine abuse on the reservation has run out, a tribal judge said last week. Stiffer jail sentences, restrictions on work release programs, and proposed measures to protect children in homes affected by meth abuse are steps being taken by the Warm Springs tribal court and law enforcement, said Chief Judge Anita Jackson. She spoke during a presentation at the Conference on Methamphetamine Prevention at the Warm Springs Com munity Center Social Hall Nov. 14. Jackson said that through Oct. 6, the Tribal Court had overseen 186 crimi nal cases directly related to illegal drugs, including use, possession and sales of drugs or paraphernalia, as well as 28 juvenile cases for similar charges. The court also had 79 cases of neglected juveniles, and 10 civil cases filed against non-tribal members. "So that's a total of 303 cases that have been directly related to drugs, and most of those are methamphetamine," Jackson said. The Tribal Council has addressed the urgency of the problem by officially recognizing methamphetamine abuse as a top priority in a recent meeting, Jack son said. "This is going to be our No. 1 prior ity and we're going to do something to get this out of our community and to help our families and our people work through this," she said. Beyond the sheer numbers of criminal cases related to meth abuse is the devastating effect the drug has had on people who have appeared before her in court. See DRUG ABUSE on 12 Thanksgiving powwow at Simnasho The Simnasho community will host a Thanksgiving powwow this Friday and Saturday, Nov. 25-26, starting at 7 p.m. There will be contest dancing for youth 17 and under (three age groips in three categories), and youth team dancing (three to a team). Other dance specials will be announced. Drummers are asked to bring their own chairs. For information call Cap tain at 553-7014, or Carlos at 553 3513 or 553-0471.
