Image provided by: Oregon Historical Society; Portland, OR
About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 3, 2009)
r “I E Coosh EE W A: The way it is Pgge 4 Spilyay Tymoo December 3, 2 0 0 9 Letters to the Editor A disturbing incident B y Duran Bobb Spilyay Tymoo Ricky G raybael was angry w hen I talked to him at the store... not at all frightened. A t 3:09 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 21, som eone shot at the hom e where he lives, a hom e that Ricky takes care o f for the B a p tist C h u rc h in W arm Springs. “T he bullet cam e ab o u t a fo o t fro m m y h ead w hile I slept,” Graybael said. Two females, ages 19 and 26, were arrested, along with one male, 25. Two suspects fled and have n o t been apprehended. There appears to be a gang re lationship between the shooters, although houses were targeted at random , accord Spilyay ing to authorities. Speaks P u b lic S afety B ran ch G e n e ra l M anager Jim Soules said that three houses in West Hills were sp ray ed w ith g u n fire. “ I t ’s frightening because there were children in those homes,” Soules said. “It could have been a ter rible tragedy.” Fortunately, there were no injuries. “O ther than the trauma o f having your house shot at in the middle o f the night, nobody was hurt,” Soules said. Anybody w ho may have wit nessed this senseless act is be ing encouraged to contact Det. Whitenburg at the police depart m ent, 553-1171. We should all do our part in keeping o u r reservation a safe place, where young people can learn ab o u t our culture, and where this type o f violence is never acceptable. December 16 In other chat on the reser v ation, D ecem b er 16 is just around the corner. Some people are overjoyed (both tribal m em bers and otherwise, I presume). Some people feel as if a wrong move is being made toward the econom ic future o f the reser vation. “We’re going to be in dire straights,” one concerned tribal member said. “This is something that we really don’t need.” “I think o f it this way,” an other tribal m em ber told me. “There are people on the reser vation that are really looking forward to D ecem ber 16. They need this to m ake Christm as happen. They’re in dire straights right now. T h e se fo lk s n e e d fo o d , clothes for their kids, gas in the car — n o t to m ention gifts for loved ones. It’s not only a luxury, but a necessity for them, and I feel bad fo r th e m ... so I ’m proud that our leaders are do ing this on behalf o f the less fortunate. T h o se p e o p le w h o d o n ’t n eed [D ecem ber 16] always have the option o f giving it back. O r pass it on to someone who really needs it. T hat’s how it’s done in our culture.” O n the outside o f the cor re c tio n a l facility in W arm Springs, you can smell Decem ber 16 in the air. I can take this as a rem inder to do unto others as I w ould like done to me. I know that I w ouldn’t like to have my house shot at in the middle o f the n ight... so I w on’t shoot at anybody else’s house, either. In fact, maybe I ’ll do something nice for my neighbor both today and on December 16. Budget process A fter attending the General Council meetings recently, there seems to be a lot o f people be ing targeted th ese days, so I thought I would provide some pointers for our leadership and our community to think about fo r o u r vital u n ificatio n -an d prosperousness. B udget processing: I f th e entire p o t o f money for the year in question were placed in front o f the tribal m em bership at a G eneral Council meeting to be gin moving money around as a co m m u n ity , T rib a l C o u n cil w ould n o t have to face such ridicule, as th e people w ould express th e im portance o f it going to certain departments and programs first hand and through a-group effort. Tribal committees: I f Tribal Council empow ered our com-: mittee m em bers m ore, then the comm ittee mem bers, who too are a voice for the people, would n o t be so frustrated w ith the behavior o f the organization, and could begin to be acknowl edged as the advisers to Tribal Council, as they are appointed to be by Tribal Council them selves. Tribal Council presentation: I f the organization’s leadership sat together as one and in front o f the attendees during General Council meetings, they wouldn’t look as though they were entirely separate entities, in turn, adding to m ore frustration to their al ready em o tio n al crow d, an d may even look m ore confident in their decisions. P ublic relations: I f Tribal C ouncil’s p ap er rep o rts were instead provided to the public via radio, Internet, and newspa per on a weekly basis, the orga nization w ould n o t only reduce p ap er consum ption, b u t also would increase the conspicuous ness o f the overall organization and allow for immediate com m ents directed toward the lead ership. T ribal m em b er em pow er m ent: I f m ore o f o u r leaders considered the economic devel opm ent ideas that sit within the grow ing “library” in H u m an Resources that was derived by the tribal members themselves, we may realize that there really is n o t so m uch need for con sultants in the first place as the library simply needs the market ing research behind them to dis cover their viability Collaborative efforts: I f we considered having two strategic public relations representatives from the community o f Warm Springs, our Tribal Council may begin to develop relationships with the surrounding communi ties and funding organizations as well as develop a m ore personal relationship with the community as the professionalism and duty w ithin such representatives is also to compliment the image o f the overall organization. Ju st my take and I thank you fo r y o u r tim e. Jefferson Greene. Under siege The non-tribal people have long held their meetings on how best to infiltrate, sabotage and control the tribal governm ent, tribal enterprises and tribal p ro grams. N o t all tribal m em ber man agers, directors an d pro g ram directors think “tribal m em ber preference.” A nd with the coop eration o f these tribal m em ber m a n a g e rs a n d m e m b e rs o f Tribal Council, the nonrindians have been successful in position ing themselves into key positions in order to shape the tribal struc ture into something that benefits the non-Indian. The tribal mem bership have been under siege, a persistent attack, since before opportunities became available to the tribal member. T he tribes need to adjust to the fact that tribally owned busi nesses that require extensive cus tom er service to function, trib ally ow ned businesses that re quire outside help to function will fail. These businesses have been set up to fail, at will. N on-Indians working for the tribes have brought with them the lust for power, control and w ealth, an d to w o rk fo r the tribes, you will need to climb aboard with them, and n o t the tribes; To do this, you are required to forgo your natural cultural heritage. To n o t climb aboard, non- tribal and tribal m em bers will n o t be allowed to work. Amos Switzler. Tears W hat are your tears that they should com e from happiness and joy, They seem to well up from the heart, these tears you do enjoy. B ut there are tears o f sad ness too, you sometimes have to bear. They also well up from the' heart. You wish they were n o t there. B u t tears o f sadness heal your heart w hen it has suffered pain. I t may take th em many years before you’re well again. So w hen your heart has suf fered pain and tears begin to flow, you need to let them do their job, then some relief you’ll know. Some calloused people w on’t agree. “G et over it,” they say. B ut do n o t listen to their words for ignorance is their way. Eino. A thank you I w o u ld like to th a n k Larry Dick, w ho led the First Kill Ceremony on Thanksgiv ing D ay for Ali Martinez. I appreciated w hat you have done for my son on this day. I would also like to thank ev eryone who attended the First Kill Ceremony. And thanks to A lbert Kalama Sr. for teach ing my son Ali to fish and hunt. A nd taking time to do w hat Ali loves to do. Again thank you. Love, Alex Martinez and Larry Dick. Angela Polk. Apologies I am sorry I broke tribal law on 8-1-09 by driving under the influence and reckless endanger ing. I apologize to the Warm Springs P.D. and the com m u nity, and to E.L. This will not happen again. Elliot Lawson. I am sorry I broke tribal law on O ct. 13 by driving under the influence; I apologize to every one. It w on’t happen again. Eric P.S. Thank you to the Pow wow Committee for the good powwow on Thanksgiving. We had a lot o f fun. Alexa, Aaliyah and Alex Martinez. tem pting to elude a police of ficer, driving undef the influ ence, reckless driving and get ting a liquor violation while un der age; I apologize to the citi zen s o f th e C o n fe d e ra te d Tribes. My actions were uncalled for. Chantel Clements. I apologize to the tribes. I have served my time and will pay my debt to the tribes. Cassie Wolfe. I am sorry I broke tribal law on S ep t 2 by operating a m otor vehicle in an inebriated condi tion. I have no excuse for my actions and I plan to use this as a step to life longevity. I apolo gize to m y b ro th e r. Dion Craig. I am sorry I broke tribal law on Oct. 8 by aiding and abetting an offender or concealing a fu gitive. I was doing good for a while now, but this is my mis take I m ade. T his will never h a p p e n ag ain . Trum an V. Merrifield. I am sorry I broke tribal law on O ctober 10 by fleeing or at- I am sorry I broke tribal law on July 11, 2009 by assault and battery. I t won’t happen again. L.H., I love you and I’m really sorry that it happened. I have learned by lesson. Winnie Jim. Minthorn. I am sorry I broke tribal law on M arch 11, 2009 by reck lessly endangering and discharge o f w eapons arid N D D H D . I apologize to C.C. and the 509-J school district. This w on’t hap pen again. Jerald Cook. I am sorry I broke tribal law on 10-9-09 by driving under the influence o f intoxicants. I am a grown wom an w ho should have known better. Happy birthday and other wishes... Happy birthday to our A u n t Blanche W. in White Swan. Best wishes. Love, all o f us, Nettie S., Thelma M ., Laura L , Gary A ., Bill-Man and Bert-Bert. H a p p y b irth d a y to o u r gram m as N ettie arid M ae D. H ope your days were good. We lo v e y o u b o th . L o v e, y o u r g ran d b ab ies lil G ary, lil E va Ione, Mahkiyah, Baby Tommy, Jessie, CeAsia. Toa’re very special to all the family. Happy birthday Rosaleen Yahtin. Big 10! Love, Uncle. Happy birthday, sis ter R osaleen. Your brother, Kanim III. H appy b irth d a y Rosaleen Yahtin. H ope you had a great one. A nd here’s to many, many more. I love you very much. From uncle “Mav.” H a p p y b irth d a y, Rosaleen Yahtin. Love, you r bro Samikan R ed Bear Allen. H appy birthday to my little sister Rosaleen Yahtin. Love, Shanelle. Happy birthday, Rosaleen Yahtin. Love, Grampa. R osie, yo u ’re v ery sp ecial to all o f us. Love, the Grama’s. A s p e c ia l h a p p y birthday to m y big nana Rosie. Love, Jazell. H appy b irth d a y , R o saleen Y ah tin . L ove, C a s h -P u p p y , S tev e Skittles, B ob and all the kittyes. n a p p y birthday Rosie. From uncle C arl Calvin Chalissa. Happy birthday to great- gramma Blanche Walsey- Williams in White Swan. We love you and hope your day was a bliss. Much love, from great-grandbabies lil Gary, lil Eva Ione, Mahkiyah, Baby Tommy, Jessie and CeAsia. H appy 21st birthday to our krazy nephew Curtis “Curtty” Dickson. We hope you had fun. We love you. Love, aunty Làura and uncle Al. Love, your neph’s Nick and Harley “Midjit” Kelly. H appy 2 t' birthday lil big bro Curtis “Dirty.” Can’t be lieve hòw old you’re getting. I love you, bro! Love, your sis La Votine, neph’s lil Gary, Tommy and nieces lil Eva Ione and Mahkiyah. Happy 25th birthday to my sis LaVonne “LaRoze.” Hope your day is special. I love ya. Much love, your baby bro Rydah D. Stwyer and you r niece C eAsia Stwyer. H a p p y 1st b irth d a y b aby nephew Tommy.' We love you lots. M uch love from aunties Brandi “B.J:”, Jamey and uncle Rydah D. Stwyer “Junior.” H appy birthday baby cu% Tommy Gemini EagleSpeaker. IRe / w j/oa. L iW , y o u r cwyyins C eA sia Stwyer and Jessie D. Stnyer-B. H appy birthday to my sister LaVonne. Love, your baby sis Brandi “B.J.” and your nephew Jessie D. Stwyer-B. Happy 2 5 “’ birthday to our mommi LaVonne. We love you. Love, your babies lil Gary, lil Eva, Mahkiyah, Tommy. H appy 7th b irth d ay lil Eva Ione. I hope you had a blast on your day. I love you my baby niece. Love, your uncle Rydah D. Stwyer and your cuz CeAsia Stwyer. H appy birthday lil Eva. We lo v e you. L o v e, y o u r krazy u n c le s B ig B ro ’z N ic k an d Harley “Midjit” Kelly. Happy 7tb birthday lil niece Eva lone M .L .C .K . Love y a ! Much love, your uncles Curttis and Theo ‘T .J.” H appy birthday to our g - m a B lan ch e W. a n d our aunts N e ttie an d T.Mae. L o ve, y o u r g ra n d k id s, n ie c e s and nephew s H appy 1st birthday to our LaVonne, D. Stwyer Junior, baby brother Tommy G.T. Brandi “B.J ”, Nick, Harley, EagleSpeaker. We love you, Martika. H appy 7th birthday to my an broth er. L o ve, y o u r b ig brothers Felix, lil Gary, lil gel baby girl E v a Io n e M.L. Wayne an d b ig sisters lil Chiquito-Katchia. I love you so v e ry m u c h . L o v e, y o u r Eva Ione and Mahkiyah. H a p p y b irth d a y to b ro Curttis A. Dickson. Love, your bros Rydah D. Stwyer “Junior,” Theo “T.J.” and sis Brandi “B.J.,” H appy 1st b irth d ay to m y Jamey “Jam mz.” D on’t forget lil Jessie D. Stwyer-B. and CeAsia baby boy Tommy Gemini T ho m as EagleSpeaker. I love you A. Stwyer. Happy birthday to my sisters m y b aby boy. L ove, y o u r Nettie and Thelma Mae. A l l the M omma. Happy 1“ birthday to our baby best. Loveyour sister Laura Leigh, Tommy G .T . and A l Kelly, Gary Bert-Bert, Bill- grandson EagleSpeaker. RV love and miss M an and Bobbie. H appy 25th birthday to our you, baby. Love, yo u r gramma daughter LaVonne Rosé B. Can’t Laura and grampa A l. H appy birth d ay, baby believe how old you’re getting. But hope your future is. bright. Tommy. We love you lots. Love, your m a Laura and pa Al, Love, your silly uncles Nick and baby bros Nick, Harley and and Harley “Midjit.” ‘M id jit” Mommie! Happy 7th birthday to our sis ter E va Ione. We love you lots. Love, your brothers lil Gary and Tommy Gemini, and sister Mahkiyah. H appy 7h birthday to our grandbaby lil Eva Ione M.L. Chiquito-K . We lo ve you baby. Love, yourg-m a Laura and §~Pa Al- Happy birthday my lil big niece Eva lone. We love you. Love, your auntie Brandi “B.J. ” and your lil cousin Jessie Stwyer-B. L I
