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75
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v. 31
* P.O. Box 870
Warm Springs, OR 97761
no. 1
January
5, 2006
University of Oregon Library
Received on: 01-13-06
Spilyay tymoo.
Coyote News, est. 1976
January 5, 2006
Vol. 31, No. 1
ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊM ÈÊÊÊÊÊÊÊBÈBÊÈÊÉÊÊÈU ÊÊÊÊKÊM
Tribes mourn passing of valued member
B y N at Shaw
Tribal delations
t
- -
T he C o n fed erated T ribes o f
Warm Springs lost a valued mem
ber o f tribal government with the
passing of Warren Rudy Clements.
Clements died Dec. 28 due to
com plications o f diabetes at St.
Charles Hospital in Bend.
Clements was born on the Warm
Springs Reservation on June 10,
1936. He was the oldest son of Bart
and Helen McCorkle Clements.
Clements’ Indian name was Sta-
xo-thali. The original Sta-xo-thali was
a treaty signer and C h ief o f the
Lower Deschutes Band, who was
killed in 1864 by Paulina’s band near
the crossing of the Crooked River,
about 12 miles Northeast of Camp
Maury. Clements was a direct de
scendant of Sta-xo-thali.
Clements was one of the Con
federated T ribes’ earliest college
graduates, earning his Bachelor of
Science degree in elementary edu
cation from Eastern Oregon College
in La Grande in 1962.
While attending college he served
on the student body council, lettered
in baseball four years, and lettered
two years in basketball. He was also
a cheerleader in high school and col
lege.
He w as an o u tstan d in g high
sch o o l ath lete at M adras H igh
School. As a youth he excelled as a
boxer, jockey, and bowler. He later
bowled in a semi-pro league and
competed around the Northwest.
His first job after graduating from
college was teaching at David Dou
g las H igh S ch o o l in P o rtlan d .
Clements also coached baseball and
basketball.
M ost o f his career was spent
working for Confederated Tribes of
Warm Springs. Plis understanding of
the political and governmental work
ings o f Indian Country made him a
valuable asset to the tribes.
His knowledge o f ancient Indian
customs, traditions, dances and In
dian lore, along with his entertaining
speaking style, made him a much in
demand speaker for a wide array of
audiences.
O ver the years Clem ents had
worked with various dance groups
to raise funds for the Lincoln’s Birth
day Day Powwow, held in Simnasho
every February.
He had recently worked with the
Quartz Creek Singers and Drum
mers.
He and his wife Anna were in
volved in helping make the Lincoln’s
Birthday Day Powwow a great suc
cess and had just recently, in the last
few y e ars, step p ed b ack to let
younger people carry the burden.
Over the years his groups have
performed for a multitude o f for
eign dignitaries, VIPs, corporations,
and governmental agencies.
In 1964, Clements became the
first director o f the new W arm
Springs C om m unity Center. He
coached baseball and boxing at that
Spilyay file photos
Rudy Clements often
represented the tribes at
events in the region such as
Eagle Watch (photo above),
and Lake Billy Chinook Day
(left).
time.
In 1968, he accepted the newly cre
ated position of Education Coordina
tor. He also served as Community Ac
tion Program Director, responsible for
Head Start, VISTA and Neighborhood
Youth Corps services.
In 1969, the Northwest Lab in Port
land hired Clements. Northwest Lab,
under the Department of Labor, con
ceptualized an innovative new program.
Clements was selected over 100 other
applicants.
He directed the pilot program called
“Northwest Area Manpower Institute
for Development of Staff.”
The program was a result-orientated
module, teaching outstanding people
from industry to become instructors.
After two and a half years of traveling
the United States, hiring the elite from
around the country, and working ex
tensively with the 25 states west of the
Mississippi River, Clements returned to
the Warm Springs reservation.
In the next 30-plus years Clements
worked as the tribes’ Municipal M an
ager, the manager of the Employee De
velopment Department, and the Direc
tor of Tribal Relations.
As Municipal Manager, Rudy was
in charge of education, law enforce
ment, legal aid, court and probate ad
ministration, community center, natu
ral resources, extension, fire and safety,
and employment training and adminis
tration.
Rudy planned and implemented the
statew ide B alance o f State Indian
CETA program.
The E m ployee D evelopm ent
Department was created in 1981 to
im prove the career developm ent
and job training opportunities pro
vided to tribal employees and man
agers.
Next, Clements was asked to start
up a new branch that would dispense
information to the tribal public as
well as the off-reservation public.
The Tribal Relations branch was
com prised o f KWSO radio, the
Spilyay Tymoo, the Print Shop and
Public Relations.
He served on numerous boards,
commissions, service groups and
various committees.
Six Oregon governors called on
him, appointing him to state boards.
Clements was particularly proud of
his role in assisting the state Legisla
ture in creating the Commission of
Indian Services.
Working at the grass roots level
with then-State Senator Vic Atiyeh,
Clements was instrumental in help
ing lay the foundation for a body
that has become a strong voice in
the Oregon Legislature for Native
Americans.
He also served on a number of
Tribal Council committees including
the land use committee. He also
served as the first chairman of the
board o f The M useum at Warm
Springs when the museum was in
its planning stages.
His passion for the last 10 years
was his involvement in gaming is
sues for the Confederated Tribes of
W arm Sprin gs. He w as on the
ground floor when the tribes entered
the gaming business. He served as
Chairman of the Indian Head Ca
sino Board o f Directors since its
inception.
Later, when the Indian Head Ca
sino merged with Kah-Nee-Ta, he
served as the C hairm an o f the
Board of Directors for Kah-Nee-
Ta High Desert Resort and Casino.
He has been working tirelessly to
help the tribes expand its gaming op
eratio n to the C o lum b ia R iver
Gorge. Shortly before his death,
Clements remarked that when the
doors to the new casino at Cascade
Locks were open, he would retire.
Rudy is survived by his wife of
47 y e a rs, A n n a Q u eah p am a
Clements. Also surviving is a grand
daughter Shayla Frank, and a great
gran d so n Ja k e Frank. B rothers
George Clements, Mike Clements
and Grant Clements also survive
him. Other survivors include numer
ous nieces and nephews. Clements’
parents and daughter Trudee Ann
Clements preceded him in death.
Clements practiced the Washat
Indian religion, as he learned it from
the Queahpama family. The three
sisters, Nettie, Matilda, and Sylvia,
were instrumental in his teaching.
C lem en ts w o rsh ip e d at the
Sim nasho Longhouse for m any
years.
All-star Indian basketball squad to visit Warm Springs
The Warm Springs Community Cen
ter this month will host a youth event
that will include an appearance by the
N ative A m erican Youth and Elders
Foundation All-Star Basketball Team.
Chance Rush, a DJ, will also be at
the event to provide music and act as
master o f ceremonies.
The gathering, on Monday, Jan. 16,
is sponsored by the marketing cam
paign, Verb: It’s W hat You Do, Native
Style.
The marketing campaign is coordi
n ated by the U.S. D ep artm en t o f
Health and Human Services’ Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention.
Verb motivates youth ages 9 to 13,
called “tweens,” to be active and have
fun trying new activities, stressing the
importance o f physical activity
The star attraction o f the Jan. 16
event at the Community Center will be
the Native American Youth and Elders
Foundation (NAYEF) All-Star Basket
b a ll T eam , h ead ed by N elso n
Hernandez.
The NAYEF All-Stars are touring the
country and holding basketball tourna
ments at Indian reservations through
out America.
The event is open to the public from
1 to 3 p.m.; and from 3 to 5 p.m. there
will be an autograph session and youth
clinic demonstrations.
Kids in attendance will receive Verb
t-shirt jerseys and mini basketballs.
For m ore in fo rm a tio n v is it
wwwcdc.gov/youthcampaign. The par
en t site can be fo un d at
www.VERBparents.com and for youth
information visit www.VERBnow.com.
A lso for m ore in fo rm atio n call
MaryAnn Gerst at (505) 822-1705.
Warm Springs, OR 97761
50 cents
The
top
news stories
of 2005
B y Dave M cM echan
Spilyay Tymoo
The past 12 months saw dramatic
developments — some positive, some
disappointing - in regard to the Con
federated Tribes’ gaming enterprise.
The tribal government budget pro
cess during 2005, meanwhile, resulted
in some substantial changes to the or
ganization.
Gaming and the' budget have been
among the top news stories for the past
few years, and the same was true in
2005. Many of the main headlines dur
ing the year had to do with the Gorge
casino plan, or the need to cut millions
o f dollars from the tribal organization
budget. This year the budget cuts re
sulted in some tribal member employ
ees having to transfer to different po
sitions within the organization.
The future of gaming, and the fi
nances o f the tribal organization, were
big news items during 2005, but there
were stories o f great human interest
that also happened on the reservation
during the course o f the year.
War hero
One of the most interesting stories
o f the year happened in August. It was
at that time that Chesley Yahtin finally
received war medals that he earned
while serving in the m ilitary during the
Korean War.
Yahtin, 74, received the K orean
Campaign Ribbon with five battle stars
and a Korean Defense Medal. He also
received certificates honoring his two
Purple Hearts, which he earned in two
incidents occurring less than six months
apart in 1950 and 1951.
“I guess you could say this is sort
of a relief,” he said. Yahtin was also
given an honorable discharge from the
U.S. Army, reversing a discharge he re
ceived shortly after being sent back to
the U.S. from Korea.
Yahtin began serving in the Korean
War when he was 19 years old. More
than 50 years later he finally received
the just recognition from the country
he served.
Compact with the state
The biggest event during the course
o f the year in regard to the tribes’ gam
ing enterprise was the signing o f the
compact. This happened in A pril at
Cascade Locks, and marked the end
o f years o f negotiation between the
Confederated Tribes and the state of
O regon. The com pact — signed by
Council Chairm an Ron Suppah and
Gov. Ted Kulongoski — provides the
necessary state approval for develop
m ent o f a tribal casino at Cascade
Locks on the Columbia River. How
ever, the state compact moved the ap
proval process to the federal level,
where the situation grew more compli
cated.
A month after the tribes and the
state endorsed the compact at Cascade
Locks, the tribes learned that federal
approval would have to wait until the
casino site is in federal trust, a process
that takes about 12 months. This was
an unexpected and disappointing devel
opment, but many remained optimis
tic: In the end the goal o f building a
casino at Cascade Locks can still be ac
complished, said Ken Smith, a gaming
repfesentative o f the tribes. “It’s a
bump in the road and w e’ll move on,”
he said.
So those are the top three stories
of the year in my opinion: the casino
developments, the budget, and Chesley
Yahtin receiving his war medals, not
necessarily in that order.