E Coosh EEWA: The way it is
Pgge 4-
Spilyay Tymoo Match 12, 2009
Letters to the Editor
At tourney
D ear Warm Springs community,
We recendy attended the Fu
ture All-Stars C o-Ed Youth Bas-
k e tb all T o u rn a m e n t a t th e
W arm S prings C o m m u n ity
Wellness Center.
We w ere sh o c k e d at th e
am ount o f negativity com ing
out o f the m ouths o f a lo t o f
the parents/audience being di
rected toward the referees and
participants (kids). Being an in
volved spectator is understand
able, but w hen a parent/specta
to r begins cussing and yelling
obscenities at the players (kids)
and the referees it crosses a line.
H ow is our future supposed
to stand up and be leaders when
they are getting this sort o f treat
m ent from m em bers/adults o f
their ow n com m unity (m ind
you, in a public setting)?
There is no need to mention
any names because you know
who you all are, and you should
be ashamed o f yourselves.
D oes it make you supposed
“grown-ups” feel good to make
children cry by your comments?
From w hat we saw, the children
w ere m o re re s p e c tfu l an d
“grow n u p ” than a lo t o f the
adults.
This was a basketball tourna
m ent and it was supposed to be
m eant for community children
to participate in and have fun.
I f you can’t be positive toward
something that is m eant to be
good, then you should go else
where or just stay hom e or bet
ter yet just be quiet.
F rom w hat we’ve seen and
heard from others this type o f
behavior is prevalent at nearly
all the basketball tournam ents
held here in W arm Springs. Just
think, we have people from all
over Indian country that travel
here for basketball tournaments.
Is all this negativity w hat we
w ant them to rem em ber Warm
Springs by? This is the type o f
thing that is wrong with our com
munity. O nce someone is doing
well for them selves, for their
family o r for the community,
people around here start calling
them down. Negativity is like a
cancer that plagues our commu
nity.
All we can say to those o f
you athletes and others trying to
do good for yourselves, family
a n d /o r the com m unity is to
keep your head up and keep up
the good work. W hat doesn’t kill
you only makes you stronger.
Pray for those w ho speak
only negative, because those are
the people w ho need the m ost
help.
To our community we need
to starting thinking/being more
positive. A lth o u g h th ere are
plenty o f good people here, it’s
too bad that they are not praised
and heard m ore often.
To those who chose to curse
at the children and referees at
the tournam ent, is it too much
to ask for you to apologize to
them?
I f we had a say, we would
like to request security or a po
lice patrol officer (like at Ma
dras H igh S chool basketball
games) inside the gymnasium
when there are activities going
on, to ensure that we all treat
each other with dignity, respect
and sportsmanship.
Anyone who chooses to yell
obscenities should be instantly
removed. This should be a pri
ority because kids, teenagers and
adults are all m em bers o f the
community and have a right to
feel safe in this public place.
We all have room to improve
as a p erso n , p a re n t an d roll
model. Sincerely,
M ichael and
(Twink) Leecy.
Yvette
Album party
D ear W arm Springs Police D e
partment:
I w ant to let you know that I
appreciate you guys going out
o f your way to secure the re
cent Bigg B album release party
at the Kah-Nee-Ta Resort with
your presence.
I understand som e o f you
w ere ex p ectin g a m ajor gun
shoot out to begin, which didn’t
happen, and I am glad every
o n e m ade it h o m e safe and
sound. Again, th an k you fo r
your presence at the show, and
we hope that we can come to
an agreem ent soon as to how
much security is actually needed
at p e rfo rm a n c e s su ch as
these.
Sacred G ro u n d E n tertain
m ent is a new company here in
town that is looking to cater to
the public’s entertainment needs,
O ur mission states:
“Sacred G round E ntertain
m ent is the platform for the in
d ig en o u s p eo p les o f N o rth
America to express themselves
via music, art, photography, writ
ing, and vocalism to emphasize
their traditional and urban cul
tures in an attem pt to empower
and inspire the next generation
o f Indigenous youth.” O ur slo
gan states:
“We are the Indigenous A rt
o f P op-C ulture.” O u r vision
states:
“T h ro u g h the purchase o f
art, our customers will gather a
new testam ent for positive, cre
ative, artistic, quality defining,
and unique urban expressions.”
O ur value statem ent is:
“We’d like to make a differ
ence in indigenous communities
across America by prom oting
com m unity education, health,
hip-hop, urban and cultural style,
creative and personal expres
sion, and drive an inspiration to
care for one’s self.”
We couldn’t help b ut notice
th e a m o u n t o f stereo ty p in g
some have placed upon the de
mographic we serve. A fter re
ceiv in g fe e d b a c k fro m o u r
attendees and expected attend
Spilyay Tym oo
(Coyote News, Est. 1976)
Publisher Emeritus: Sid Miller
Editor: Dave McMechan
Management Successor: Selena T. Boise
Advertising Manager: Sam Howard
Media Advisor: Bill Rhoades
Spilyay Tymoo is published bi-weekly by the Confeder
ated Tribes of Warm Springs.
Our offices are located in the white house at 1100 Wasco
Street.
Any written materials submitted to Spilyay Tymoo
should be addressed to:
Spilyay Tymoo, P.O. Box 870, Warm Springs, OR
97761.
Phone: (541) 553-1644 or 553-3274.
FAX No. (541)553-3539.
E-Mail: spilyay@wstribes.org.
ees, many were made to feel un
w elcom e at a show th at was
supposed to have been theirs,
an avenue for their entertain
m ent, expression and involve
ment.
We did n o t appreciate the
am o u n t o f interrogation th at
occurred throughout our audi
ence by som e o f th e W arm
Springs Police D epartm ent. I
can understand to a point, but
still o b je c t th a t e x ten siv e
search es c o n d u c te d at such
events are sometimes routine.
Also, the conveyance by some
to the Kah-Nee-Ta Resort that
our entertainment company had
full intentions to bring trouble
and militant young Native adults
is very prejudicial, stereotypical
and threatening to our already
struggling com m unity. Aside
from the statem ents used and
emphasized by our organization,
some in your departm ent have
made it a point to single out this
community’s youth by labeling
th e e n tire d em o g rap h ic as
troublesome.
I t sends a message to the
community that anyone who lis
tens to our type o f entertain
m en t is participating in gang
activity, drug abuse, thievery,
alcoholism, and challenging law
enforcement.
In our eyes, in the eyes o f
those who had intensions o f at
tending, and in those who did
attend, actions by some in the
departm ent were very wrong. It
is w rong to label such young
adults, according to uneducated
criteria, as “thugs.”
For me to use hip-hop enter
tain m en t as an avenue away
from the life I once lived, then
only to still be stereotyped by
some in the department, means
that youth in this community in
volved in even a positive and
expressive art still cannot live up
to the uneducated standard o f
w hat some think young Native
people are.
T h is p o p u la r c u ltu re w e
have accepted as an expressive
art fo rm has been know n to
save lives within underprivileged
neighborhoods across the nation.
There are eight elements within
the culture: DJ-ism, break-danc
ing, MC-ing, fashion, vocabu
lary, beat-m aking, poetry and
interaction.
This culture has allowed for
p erso n al expression th ro u g h
each o f its elements and for a
departm ent like yours to label
the culture as negative, while it
is still in its introduction stage in
this community, is prejudice.
Please consider opening your
m ind to a culture o ur youth and
young adults alike can utilize to
express themselves. Thank you
for your time. The community’s
best regards,
J. Greene, C E O /p resid en t
Sacred G round Entertainm ent.
Congrats, son
Congratulations to our son
Leighton Pennington.
Leighton has perform ed out
standing in high school basket
ball while attending Riverside
In d ia n S ch o o l a t A n ad ark a,
Okla.
In this year’s 2009 “O kla
h o m a T ip O f f M ag azin e,”
Leighton was rated no. 10 for
top scorers last year, averaging
17.3 p o in ts a game. Also, he
made H onorable Mention.
Leighton received recogni
tion for his awesome p erfo r
mance at the Little Axe Tourna
m ent, setting a 3-A state record
o f 43 points in a single game.
H e h ad a trip le -d o u b le and
Trip planned to tourney Down Under
My nam e is A m anda Jo
S q u iem p h en -Y azzie (also
known as Panda).
P m from W arm Springs,
and I am the d aughter o f
E dison Yazzie and Priscilla
Squiemphen-Yazzie.
I am 15 years old, almost
16, an d I am cu rren tly a
sophom ore at Madras High
School. I am a pretty good
student and my current goal
is to become an athletic di
re c to r... one day. I enjoy
playing basketball and volley
ball.
W ell... you are probably
wondering why P m sending
you a letter. You see, this
sum m er from July 19-31, I
am hoping to be in Australia,
where I have been invited to
play in th e A nnual D ow n
U nder H oops Classic Tour
nament,
This once-in-a-lifetime trip
is said to be one o f the best.
Moreover, I prom ise to you
that I will represent myself,
my family, my community,
my culture and m ost impor-
tandy my country with integ
rity, confidence an d g o o d
sportsmanship.
O n this unforgettable trip,
made the All-Tournament team.
Last b ut n o t least, the River
side Braves w on their district
tournam ent for the third year
in a ro w ... Way to go, guys! We
are so proud o f you, son. Two
thum bs up to you. We love you.
Mom, Dad, bro Leo,
Gramma D elcie, Grampa
Wolf, Uncle Lurch, Auntie
Ollie and kids, and the rest
of the family.
A thank you
Back on O ctober 31 around
5:45 a.m. there was a tragic loss
for our family. We lost our home
to a fire, and lost almost every
thing including all o f our mem o
ries. Yet, we are thankful that
no one was hurt.
Since then, we have gotten a
lot o f help from family, friends
and many others. A nd to these
people we would like to thank
you for all your help and sup
port:
Warm Springs Tribes, Warm
Springs Police, W arm Springs
Fire and Safety, K ah-N ee-T a
High D esert Resort & Casino,
A m erican R ed C ross, C ross
K eys S tatio n l W arm Springs
Utilities. Thank you also to:
Carlos Q uindon and Trenton
Calica; H arvey and Eliza Jim
and family, W olfman Suppah;
Jim m y and N eda Wesley and
family; Amelia and Allee Tewee;
R obert Sr. and Marella Sam and
family; G erald and N eda Tias
and family; Elsie Sam and fam
ily; R o sie J o h n s o n ; N an cy
Scabby Robe and family; Chuck
an d C arol D ick an d family;
Chester Van Pelt Jr. and family;
A urolyn P. and family; Pinky
and Kelly o f Chilkat Construc
tion.
I would like to thank the pool
players o f B en d , R ed m o n d ,
Prineville and th e players o f
W arm S prings th a t play fo r
Rialto Tavern. Thanks for the
Y akam as w ho cam e fo r th e
to u rn am en t an d fo r grandpa
Buford Johnson, w ho is there
for us. A special thank you to
Carla Bagley, Lynn Davis, Pat
Allen, Jan Six, and Leah for work
th ey d id o n th e ja c k p o t
fundraising tournament.
I plan to expand my horizon by
m eeting new people, m aking
new friends, learning new cul
tures, and im proving my self
esteem and confidence.
Pve been playing basketball
ever since I can rem ember and
would love to go D ow n U n
der and share this lifelong
memory with other people.
Your support and bless
ings will be with me forever.
Thank you, mates. Yours
truly, Panda Joe.
Thank you Earl and Shirley
T u fti an d fam ily, B ern ice
Courtney, Aurelia Stacona, Jery
and J a n B agley a n d fam ily;
Bonnie Baxter and Darin Fos
ter; Mavis Shaw; Gloria Brown
and fam ily; C ecilia B ru n o e,
Emm anuel G reene and family;
Celestine B runoe and family;
A ndrea Sohappy, Buddy and
Marla Hicks and family; Jacky
Simtustus, Melissa, Frank and
Shayla Smith, Rose Kirk, Brent
Sr. and Rosa Graybael and fam
ily; Jimmy Tohet Jr., Sharon and
Rayann Katchia; Carol Tewee;
Flood Johnson, Lorien Stacona
and family; Jayleen Main, Wesley
Teeman, Linda David and fam
ily; Mitchell W hitefoot, Jamey
a n d Ja s o n Sr. T o h e t, G ina;
T ru m a n
an d
A d rie n n e
Merriefield and Kurtis S.
To those w ho we forgot to
list, we are sorry. Thanks for all
the love, help and support that
each individual has given to our
family to get through all o f this.
roost— he tells the world each
day.
You hear his crowing far and
wide, before the break o f dawn.
H e guards the hens within his
flock, he knows what’s going on.
A nd if you take him from the
flock, no hen will take his place.
For hens can’t crow, it’s not their
job, and silence will they face.
In time the flock will all be
gone, no baby chicks to peep.
N o eggs are hatching in the
nests, much sadness does this
reap.
R eturn the ro o ster to the
flock, then hens will dance with
joy. T hey did n o t know how
m uch they’d m iss th eir little
rooster boy.
The Van Pelt family, Levi
Larry Van Pelt, Pearl Renee
Van Pelt, Charmaine Nina
Watts, Prenincia Jewell Van
Pelt, Jenni Lee Van Pelt,
P atrina I. Ha V., L atrell
Brent Van Pelt, G. and Eu
gene Melvin Bill.
Sorry
F ellow
frie n d s
an d
family,especially the kids that
love me, friends and family o f
atw ai T aw ny T o h e t-S m ith ,
H arv ey T o h e t-S m ith , atw ai
grandm a Iris K alam a Sm ith,
atw ai g ra n d m a In a C u lp u s
T ohet, m arried ins and outs
M iller, G ram ps, Ike, P icard,
Crane, G adsberry, Rodriguez,
M itch ell, B ru n o e , Jo h n s o n ,
M artin ez , S an d ers, S urface,
Trim ble, T hom pson, Boileau,
Polk, Clem ents, and adopted
family. S orry I possessed and
w as p o s s e s s e d by drugs.
By Emo.
Thanks
C h ie f o f Police, C arm en
Smith:
I w ant to thank the follow
ing Warm Springs Police D epart
m ent officers for their help with
th e eviction p ro cess o n the
N athan rental property at 4606
U p p e r D ry C reek R o ad o n
Wednesday and Thursday, Feb.
25-26.
Officers: Gilbert, McEwen,
O ’Reilly, Sm ith III, Tias and
White as well as others who were
at the site.
We are truly blessed to have
officers o f this caliber on our
local police force. The assigned
officers were courteous, profes
sional and respectful to b oth
parties in the court actions for
this eviction process.
■Those o fficers sh o w ed a
knowledge and respect for our
Indian heritage and sense o f
pride.
T hank you again for a job
‘W ell D one.”
A truly grateful tribal mem
ber, Norman A. Nathan.
N.D.D.H.D. Lisa Smith.
The rooster
Have you ever seen a rooster
strut? Q uite cocky you m ight
say— for he’s the ruler o f the
Thank y o u fo r writing to
the Spilyay.
The next deadline to sub
m it letters to the Spilyay
Tymoo is Friday, March 20.
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