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About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 14, 2006)
September 14-, 2 0 0 6 Spilyay Tym oo, Warm Springs, Oregon Page 10 Survey: pride in sovereignty, concern for tribal economy (Continued from page 1) Agreement continues in the way people see the tribes’ politi cal and economic situation. All three groups o f survey respondents view tribal gover nance unfavorably, with majori ties feeling that tribal adminis tration is inefficient, unfair, dif ficult to deal with, and employs procedures that are unclear and inconsistent. The three groups also over whelmingly feel that the eco nomic health o f the tribes is very poor. On the other hand, many re spondents express pride at be ing a member o f the Confeder ated Tribes o f Warm Springs. Members value their cultural traditions, languages, and lands. They envision a future for the reservation in which drug and alcohol abuse are minimal, fami lies are healthier, members have better access to education, hous ing, and healthcare, and a thriv ing economy offers employment opportunity to all. Survey answers and written comments from general mem bers repeatedly emphasized the desire to create a healthy future for their children. “Concerns about family were a big issue in the mail surveys,” Davis remarks. “The general m em bership wants a better economy, but they see it as a means to an end. What they re ally care about is forging the way toward a future free o f drug and alcohol abuse, with good schools and educational opportunities, good healthcare, and good jobs.” A question about allocations helps Davis make his point. When asked how they would like to see tribal resources allocated over the next five years, mem bers selected reduction o f drug and alcohol abuse, more reser vation jobs, and better schools and vocational training as their top three choices. A stronger economy, better healthcare, and a more effective government followed. The surveys show that tribal m em bers know they have a ways to go in reaching those goals. But they also show that the community is open to doing the necessary work. While mem bers were often very critical o f the present state o f affairs, they urged their leaders to shape up and take on the hard problems visible to all. “Some o f the survey results will look negative to people,” secretary-treasurer Calica says. “And to an extent they are negative, in that they show the need for improvement in our government and economy. But there’s a lot that’s positive, too— for example, the pride we feel in our identity and sovereignty as Warm Springs tribal mem bers, and the people’s openness to a wide variety o f develop ment projects. Another positive is that before you can fix a prob lem, you have to recognize that you have one. It takes courage for people to say that parts o f their community are broken. Now we have to accept the chal lenge and fix those broken parts. The survey results show that most o f us share a common vision for our people. The re sults offer specific recommen dations for the achievement o f that vision, and it is time for tribal leadership to heed that call.” Chart 7 Question: Does your primary allegiance lie with the CTWS as a whole or with a tribe, district, band, clan or some other subgroup within the community? 60%- 54% 48%.. 50% 44% 42% 40%- 30%- 20 % - 10 % Analysis of results: eco nomic situation, assets and choices Strong majorities o f all three survey groups view the eco nomic situation o f the tribes as poor, very poor, or in crisis. (See chart 1 on page one.) When asked who is respon sible for the tribes’ economic condition, most members point to Tribal Council and elected officials. Many also take respon sibility themselves, recognizing that they as a people have cho sen their leaders. Sixty-one per cent o f the membership thinks that its economic leaders are not doing a good job. Survey questions in this sec tion asked respondents to rank their priorities, assess their will ingness to accep t various changes in order to achieve those priorities, and rate their preferences for the kinds o f industries they would like to see on the reservation. Given 14 items to choose from, general membership cared m ost about increasing high school and college graduation rates, planning for future gen erations, and creating a variety o f good jobs on the reserva tion. Other top-ranking priorities among general members were strengthening tribal culture and sovereignty, long-term e c o nomic growth, more training and skills development, greater op portunity to shop on the reser vation, increased per capita, and greater overall tribal income. T able two lists the m em bership’s rankings and 56% 55% 0% Women Men Agency Simnasho Seekseequa Ages 56+ Age 45-54 Age 35-44 Age 18-34 □ With CTWS as a whole ■ With tribe, district or other subgroup Chart 8 Tribal Values and Vision 35% Culture/Tradition/Language Proud to be Native American/Tribal Member r .• ................. 33% ........... Treaty Rights/Sovereignty/Federally- Recognized Tribe 27% 17% Belonging/Place to Cali Home 1 1% Family/Chlldren/Eidere o% shows how they compare to those given by influential lead ers and tribal council. “The results on priorities are a little hard to read,” Davis says. “Several o f the choices reflect very similar goals, just phrased in different ways— for instance, increasing graduation rates has a lot in common with better skills and training development. The economic issues in particu lar are spread out in several cat egories, such as jobs, long-term growth, more shopping, and so on. “I f you lump those together, you have a very large group o f people saying they want a bet ter economy. But it’s also impor 5% 10 % 15% 20 % tant to see how focused the membership is on their families and kids. Warm Springs mem bers really want to improve edu cation, planning, and opportu nity for the future. They are in terested in the reservation’s long term prospects in many areas.” Survey results show that tribal members are willing to 25% 30% 35% 40% accep t changes in order to achieve their priorities. Relatively few people oppose indebtedness, the presence o f non-Indians, impact on social relations, or increasing traffic on the' reservation. (See chart 2 on page 14.) More controversial are envi ronmental deterioration and the depletion o f natural resources: over 40 percent o f members and influential leaders reject both options. All groups also ex pressed strong opposition to dis ruption o f cultural activities and reduction in sovereignty. Among the membership, the most popular forms o f eco nomic activity are sharing the history and culture o f the tribes with outsiders, additional manu facturing, new gaming facilities, and windmill farms for power generation. Members highly favor con version o f biomass from forests and new hotels with spas and golf courses. Table 3 lists these and other development options and shows how the rankings of influential leaders and Tribal Council compare with those o f the general membership. Unpacking the full signifi cance o f member opinions on development will take some time, but one important fact is already apparent. Davis remarks on “how few industry sectors are completely thumbs down for the tribal members. What we’re seeing in the less popular sec tors are high ‘neutrality ratings’ rather than strong oppositions. Tribal members are showing support for a wide variety o f possibilities.” As evidence o f their willing ness to support development, 67 percent o f members say they would approve a significant in vestment o f tribal funds in a large reservation project. An even greater majority o f 77 per cent say that establishing a fa mous, world-class tribal business on the reservation would signifi cantly increase their pride in the community. The survey asked questions about cultural considerations f ...... related to the tribes’ economic position. ” . ?. . v -. . • , r See SURVEY on 11 Authorized Dealer now in Madras Choose from a wide range o£ Appliances: Kenmore, Bosch, Maytag, Whirlpool, GE, Kitchen Aid, and much more. Refrigerators, Freezers, Dishwashers, Washers, ¥âm Springs, 0$ $7761 Dryers, Microwaves and more. mssmr Lawn & Garden: Craftsman and morel Lawn Tractors, Mowers, Weed Trimmers, Chainsaws, Pressure Washers and M ore.. . . 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