Image provided by: The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs; Warm Springs, OR
About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (March 2, 2006)
E Coosb EEWA: The wgy it is « ■ M B Budget cut closes C Shattered center civilization B y S e le n a B o is e M anagement successor The Central Oregon Commu nity College’s Warm Springs cen ter has been closed recendy due to bud get cuts that have been happening this year. This makes it harder for students who at tended this center for classes. For one thing it is hard to drive back and forth to Bend or Redmond every day. I think the drive itself is tir ing. I do the daily commute this term, and that is the hardest part for me. Just to get to Bend, it is an hour and a half on the road, not to mention the bottle-necked traffic through Redmond. I try to schedule my classes two days during the week, and it works out better for me that way, because I would only drive two days a week rather than four. I was lucky in the fall term that it was only two days a week. At the time gas prices were al most $3 a gallon. Spring term is coming up and the students who did utilize the Warm Springs center for their classes close to home are going to have to make that daily com mute to Bend or Redmond for at least 10 weeks. Better now than in the winter when we had that snow coming down. There are always online courses through COCC, but those seem to fill up fast. I hope to take two of my classes online just to save me the daily drive. That and the two days a week should fall into place spring term, I hope. I used to do online courses through University of Phoenix but that was not supported by the Education Department and my student loans ran out part way through and I came back to COCC. I know of another person who did complete an online edu cation, though she found it hard on her financially because she paid her own tuition. It is worth it if you can 'affo rd online school, because the scheduling is around your own daily sched ule. One difference in all this is that Cody Yeager will not be around Warm Springs anymore. I took a couple of her writing classes when I first started tak ing courses here. They were in teresting and fun, and that makes learning easier. So I am sure many of us will miss her presence in the Warm Springs COCC center. Maybe all this is temporary and everyone will have to make these adjustments for now until it is brought back to Warm Springs. Let’s hope so. Spiiysy Tym oo (C oyote News, Est. 1976) Publisher Emeritus: Sid Miller Editor: Dave McMechan Management Succes sor: Selena T. Boise Advertising Manager: Sam Howard Reporter: Brian Mortensen Media Advisor: Bill Rhoades Spilyay Tymoo is pub lished bi-weekly by the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. Spilyay Tymoo, RO. Box 870, Warm Springs, OR 97761. From out of the ghastly past voices cry out from the Ihda’max! The Wasco Kiksht word Ibda’max means all pro genitors from several genera tions past. Sapir Wishram Texts, 169. Where will all our children go? All the future children of the Warm Springs are on a crash course into extinction. This is brought on by the tribal enroll ment policy. Take a solemn look into about 75 years from now; there will be no one person eli gible for enrollment on the Warm Springs. The Kiksht people are already entangled in this warp. The remaining members of the once thriving Kiksht people stand in fear of what the future brings. They will never hear the roaring waters of the Iskulia’s fishing place, the Coyote stories will no longer be heard. In all probability the future children of the Kiksht will be asking, Did such a civilization ever exist? The people of the Kiksht Nation once stood tall, and ranged from the Wascopum to Í59 Page 4- Spilyay Tyrooo March 2, 2006 Letters to the Editor the central part of the now Washington state, but all is no more. We shared our food and our land and gave with an open heart. We wanted peace, and to trade, but we were torn apart. Our relations are scattered from reservation to reservation, and these relatives are all being pit ted against each other. We are no longer brothers. All this was because the White man wanted more land. The Whiteman tried to kill and break our old people’s spirit. They pol luted our waters and the Iganut (salmon) come in abundance no more. But those of us who still re main have held our heads up high, and the spirits of the el ders still flow through us as if they never died. These Elders will live on for ever and the Kiksht Chinookan is being reborn through our lan guage program and by the giv ing of the Indian Names from those bygone elders. If you listen close, you can hear the beating of the canoe paddles on the gunwales of the approaching visitors singing the ’ canoe songs of old. Look, and listen close, coy ote will put in the picture, the sound of the mighty Falls of Celilo, and the roaring of the Iskulia’s Fishing Place. However, these visions are never to be, when the sun finally sets in the big water the Maker of all mankind will come with a blast of the trumpet, and all those that have straight eyes without shame will be taken away on the pure white clouds. Axe! (Excerpt from my next book titled: The Shattered Civi lisation.) Easton and Tina invite all to their revival. George Aguilar Sr. Eagle Scout I had the honor and pleasure to attend Mitchell Alley’s Eagle Scout ceremony on Saturday, Jan. 21 at the Culver Christian Church. Naturally the main reason for the gathering was to recognize and honor Mitchell’s achieve ment. It was quite apparent how much had to occur for a young man to work, sacrifice and ulti mately gain the Eagle Scout sta tus. Great job, Mitchell! I really want you to know that a very moving and culturally bridging event was when Joe Tuckta performed with and for the group. He made the appear ance even though he was in mourning, and you could see the thought and honor exhibited by Mr. Tuckta as he committed the dance in honor of Rudy Clements. Mr. Joe Tuckta, thank you for taking the time to make M itchell’s achievem ent so memorable. I also left with a greater ap preciation of how our commu nities, though different, can come together for the better ment of all, especially the youth. Respectfully submitted, Jack E. Jones, sheriff. New post Friends and colleagues: This is to announce that I have joined the Rural Development Initia tives (RDI) staff, as of March 1, 2006. In leaving the tribes, I take a wealth of community develop ment experience, an M.B.A. and quite a few good war stories — I mean “learning lessons,” which many of you witnessed. My most memorable experiences were the opportunity to develop the Small Business Transition Plan and hear the voice of the people when we updated the Comprehensive Plan. I have every confidence that with your help and the leader ship of the 23rd Tribal Council, the goals of the people will be realized. I will continue to con tribute to our community goals in my new role to help rural communities thrive (not merely survive). RDI is an Oregon-based non profit organization. What drew me to RDI is their profession alism, innovation and the high value they place on people, both employees and those they serve. And, their virtual organization will allow me to work from home. Check them out at rdiinc.org. (I’m not on their website yet.) Yours respectfully, Jolene E. Atencio. New contact information: Rural Development Initia tives, Regional Coordinator for Central Oregon. Work email address: visit Rdiinc.org Personal em ail address: j eatencio@hotmail. com. Happy birthday and other wishes. I want to wish my daughter a Happy Birthday, Lauren. E ydie R enee S w ittier, My Happy Birthday to my sweet I wish the best fo r y o u r fu tu re very H appy S w eet 16 est Nana, Claire. I love you very feelin gs fo r y o u are unmistakable. to come & l do have confidence I love you so much. Love Birthday. I am prou d o f y o u fo r much and thank you for being My love f o r y o u is unconditional. y o u w ill succeed in life. Please do Grandpa Harry. trying to do y o u r best both at there for Dad. Hope you had Therefore that must mean were not let anybody tell u different. 1 H appy B irth d a y, N a N a hom e a n d in a tten d in g fun on your special day. Love, unseparatable. So with that will Love y o u today & always f o r L a u ren , fr o m J a n eish a and school. Thank y o u f o r a ll the your lil’ Nana, Rheianna. y o u be my Valentine. Love you, ever, Mom. Tajah Hintsala. good y o u have done, ju s t keep it H a p p y B ir t h d a y to o u r H a p p y B ir th d a y , N ie c e with hugs and kisses. V ictor up. I love y o u very much and w ill C la ir e - B e a r ! T ak e c a r e a l Smith Jr. Happy 13 th Birthday, Lauren. N a N a L a u r e n . Lots Sc lots alw ays be th ere f o r y o u . ju s t w a y s a n d k e e p up th e g o o d To m y fo u r k id s — V ic Love at first sight. I was there o f L o v e. A le x is , J a d e , Sc think o f the positive side o f life w o rk . S t u d y h a r d ! L o v e , to r L e e , F e l i c i t y D a w n , when you entered this world. B a b y g i r l T atu m . and don ’t let anything or anyone U n cle K an et. W a tk in s J . a n d M a r jo r ie You were surrounded by those H appy B irthday day discourage y o u in accomplishing S m ith - a h a p p y (b e la te d ) who love you with all of our Auntie Am & Uncle Dolan. y o u r dreams. Love, Dad. V a le n t in e s D a y . L o v e , hearts because you would not Love, Lauren, Alexis, Jade Happy Sweet 16 Birthday & Tatum. H appy b irth d a y to L isa D a d . wait another second. to our granddaughter, M arie Valentine. Birthday girl, Happy (belated) Valentines to You are so beautiful then and Happy Birthday March 3 to C larissa “C laire-B ear” I love y o u very much. I wish yo u a dear friend, Terrine Rabbie. more beautiful today. As you ourfavorite uncle Avery Ameri W olfe. Hope you had a the best, because y o u deserve the Your friend, Victor Smith. enter your teens, I’m praying can Horse. Lots o f love from all great and safe weekend, but best. Love, M-O-M. Happy (belated) Valentines you will make good decisions. had fun. We are very proud Happy birthday, M-O- Day to the Maxine S w ittierfam Learn to say “no” at the appro y o u r favorite nephews, Miah, Mark III, Donte, Joe and Matt. of you trying to do your M. We love you very very ily. Victor Smith Jr. priate times. Be helpful to your Happy birthday to our best. Just keep it up and very much. Happy Valen elders, respectful to your fam bro Avery American Horse, good things w ill tines Day too. Cause it’s ily and friends. Study hard. Go happen. Love and prayers you day. Love from your with lots of love from your H a p p y 13th B ir th d a y to to college. “Shoot for the bro’s and sisters. Love, AJ, alw ays, Grandpa and sons, T ristan Blackw olf, m y b e a u t i f u l d a u g h t e r , stars—-they are within reach.” I Grandma Tsumpti. Sonny, Mary Ann, Angie and Tyus A zariah and Jaden L a u r e n H o llid a y . love you, Baby, forever and Lillian. M ichael. ever. Love, Grandma Bunnie. Great boss was dedicated to helping B y N at Shaw Tribal Relations It has been a little over a two months since my boss left. It has been hard for me, and I’m sure, hard for his family and friends. There is an empty spot in the soul of the branch that he di rected for so many years. His wife Anna, his granddaughter Shayla and g^eat-grandson Jake will forever miss his wisdom and gentle touch. Warren R. was one of a kind. He gave me my Indian name, Howlock Howlock Whosat. He told me it meant holy holy old man. The problem was he always smiled when he said it, so I al ways suspected there must be a hidden meaning he wasn’t tell ing me about! He was a great jokester and always fun to be around. He and I worked together for over 15 years. I grew to respect his many abilities and talents, and above all appreciate his compas sion and love for his fellow man. He was first and foremost an Indian. He was proud of his Indianess. But, he always had time for anyone in need, whether it was a down and out tribal member, a young person seek ing career advice, or a college student who wanted to know more about Native Americans. Over the years I watched him help many, many people in so many ways. There was always someone in his office, sitting on his couch, asking for help with a pressing problem. As his nephew Rudy George told me during the funeral, “That couch was a therapeutic couch for you and me and a lot of other people.” Warren R. helped my wife with a career problem when she had nowhere else to turn. He did it with a single telephone call. Those were the kind of con nections he had. He agreed to take part in my daughter’s wed ding last summer, providing just the right touch to make her wed ding very special and memo rable for her and her husband. Warren R. was a giver. He al ways gave of himself and never expected anything in return. He loved people and had spe cial friendships that lasted a life time. They were the weak, the humble, the rich and the pow erful. His friendship knew no bounds. Final years’ work Warren R. was on a mission the last 10 years of his life. He was determined to make a dif ference for his people. He worked long hours, day and night, weekdays and weekends to see that a casino in the Co lumbia River Gorge became reality. He spent a great deal of time away from his family as he traveled to Portland, Salem, and other destinations, always work ing to further gaming goals. At the time he passed away, he was working feverishly on a tribal member employment plan for Kah-Nee-Ta High Desert Resort and Casino, of which he was chairman of the board. He was also knee-deep in trying to develop a sustainable tourism plan at Kah-Nee-Ta that cen tered on tribal members. He called his plan the Circle Plan, and he was determined to make it work. Rudy also worked diligently in the cultural arena, reading and collecting old books on Native people. He had a thirst for learning the old songs and legends. He held M atilda M itchell, Nettie Shawaway, Sylvia Wallulatum and Herb \ j friends Stwyer in the highest esteem for their help in teaching him about the Washat religion. Rudy was an avid student of American Indian history and military his tory. Many times when I was try ing to arrange a venue for off- reservation guests on weekends or holidays, Rudy would volun teer his services. He did so with out hesitation. He would talk about tribal government, Indian Country issues, tribal history, Indian religion, cultural and tra ditional issues, whatever the oc casion called for. He always left his audience smiting and glad they came to Warm Springs. As I think about Warren R. Clements, I am struck by how he flew under the radar, so to speak. He was a prominent player in tribal government. He had been in the organization long enough to know how to get things done, what to sweat, and what not to sweat. He had a dream of what he wanted for his tribal people. And had the Creator given him a tittle more time, he would have achieved it. As his legacy, I hope the people will not let his dream die. One of the things that set War ren R. apart from others is the fact that he was always looking out for the ‘good of the whole’, as he called it. Even if he wasn’t personally in favor of a particu lar endeavor, if it benefited the Tribe, as a whole, that was what he would work toward. Ponder ing having the casino on the res ervation or locating it at Cas cade Locks, he would say, “Which would you rather have... 100 percent of $10 mil lion or 85 percent of $200 mil lion.” As usual, he used plain com mon sense when thinking of the people’s future. The Referendum that ap proved a casino at Kah-Nee-Ta took place December 27, 1995. Warren R. passed away on De cember 28,2005. For more than 10 years he provided outstand ing leadership and service to the gaming effort of the Tribes. That’s what he’ll be best remem bered for, but he spent a life time trying to make a difference for the people of Warm Springs. Now he is gone. I will miss him, and forever be grateful for the time we worked together.
