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Spilyay Tymoc
March 9, 2011
C oyote News, est. 1976
U.S. Postage
PRSRTSTD
Warm Springs, OR 97761
Voi. 36, No. 05
March - Wiyatppt - Winter-Anm
Counselor finds new hope, faith
B y D u ra n B o b b
Spilyay Tymoo
MSTCAffi
A t one time Michelle Wells-Elliott
wondered if she still had a soul left,
as a prisoner o f addiction.
“I was homeless,” she said. “It
was that bad. I was doing, a lot o f
jail time. I was running the streets.
I just didn’t care anymore.”
At the height o f her addiction,
Michelle lost her mother. “That’s
my biggest regret. I was in full
blown addiction while my mother
Was on her death bed.”
Guidance came to Michelle in the
fo rm o f a c o u rt o rd er, w h en
Heather Crow-Martinez was sent to
do an assessment on Michelle in jail.
“I remember people would see
m e back th e n ,” M ichelle said.
“They’d think— ‘O h, I can’t believe
this is what she has become. This is
where she’s at in her life.’”
Heather became Michelle’s m en
tor. “It was nice to just have sup
port. She had faith in me. She held
my hand from the beginning, and 1
never had that kind o f faith while I
was using.”
Michelle went to treatment at Vi
sions o f H ope in Redmond on Feb
ruary 14,2006. The program lasted
28 days, but the lessons for life con
tinue.
“I moved on to a half-way house.
I was scared, o f course. Being in
residential treatment is such a safe
haven. You’re surrounded by people
Branch Matthew
1200 SW Park Ave.
Portland OR 97205
Duran Bobb/Spilyay
Gaming update
Architect on board
N ’Chi Wanapam
Family ready for
second canoe season
March 26 dedication
planned at Indian Park
Michelle Wells-Elliott recently celebrated her fifth year in recovery.
Having earned her CADC1, she facilitates recovery classes in Madras.
striving for a comm on goal.”
In the days to come, Michelle found
a new goal, having realized that what
might have been considered a weak
ness in the past could be a strength for
tomorrow
“I started COCC in the summer o f
2008, majoring in addiction studies. It
was tough! I ’m not going to lie.”
In D ecem ber o f 2010, M ichelle
tested at the state level, to become a
certified drug and alcohol counselor.
“In order to earn your CADC1, you
need to complete a 250 question test.
T hat was hard to obtain.”
H er husband, Richard Elliott, and
50 cents
her three children Desirai, Tosha and
Richayla ignited new inspiration in
Michelle. “It’s amazing how much
support they were to me through
this time.”
Michelle knew that she was on
the road to being a better person.
“I was learning how to live a differ
ent way o f life, other than having
drugs to cope. I learned different
ways o f dealing with stress and ev
ery day living. I was getting myself
back. I was getting my family back.
I was stepping up.”
Please see COUNSELOR on 10
tice runs are from Pelton Park to In
dian Park.
There>are about 50 members o f the
N ’Chi Wanapam family. This includes
B y D ave M cM echan
the pullers and the ground crew.
Spilyay Tymoo
The family welcomes new members,
said G reene. “This is a com m unity
The N ’Chi Wanapam Canoe Family project, open to everyone,” he said.
“We’re recruiting pullers age 13 and
is preparing for its second season on
over,” he added. The N ’Chi Wanapam
the water.
The plan is to add a second canoe canoe has seating for 18 pullers. The
by the time o f the summer 2011 Tribal family currently has 25 pullets. Nine
Canoe Journey, said Jefferson Greene, teen made the journey last year to Neah
Bay.
N ’Chi Wanapam coordinator.
More pullers are needed as a backup
This year the Canoe Journey will be
the Paddle to Swinomish 2011. The crew for N ’Chi Wanapam, plus more
destination, the Swinomish Indian Res for the second canoe, he said.
- The Canoe Family is working with
ervation, is in northern Washington on
the master canoe carver o f the Tulalip
Skagit Bay.
The Paddle to Swinomish will be on the second canoe. This project needs
from July 25-31. The Warm Springs to go to Tribal Council for approval,
Canoe Family will probably begin the and then construction would take about
journey at Celilo Village, as they did last two months, said Greene.
The tribal canoe is funded by the
year with the Paddle to N eah Bay, said
C onfederated Tribes as part o f the
Greene.
The Canoe Family has planned a Museum at Warm Springs, carrying out
canoe dedication for Saturday, March ' the museum mission o f preserving and
26 at Indian Park. T here will be a sharing tribal heritage. Donations are
salmon bake and giveaway, and canoe also welcome.
• >
Besides the practice runs on Satur
heritage and cultural presentations.
Muckleshoot, Puyallup, Nisqually and days, the family members participate
Tulalip tribal members are expected to in tribal cultural activities throughout
the week. O n Sunday they hold Washat
attend.
The N ’Chi Wanapam family will be Service at the Agency Longhouse.
making practice runs on Saturdays un
Please see CANOE FAMILY on 8
til the Paddle toSwinom ish. The prac
Girls at State Tournament
B y D u ra n B o b b
Spilyay Tymoo
wording for minor changes to the co’m-
pact. Tribal Council will present the
m inor changes in the compact to the
After interviewing three firms, the governor, govemment-to-government.
Temporary Casino Planning Team has,
“So,this project is moving along at
tentatively hired the Worth G roup out 100 m iles p er h o u r,” Sehgal said.
o f Nevada as the architects for the “There is no time to waste, and there
temporary casino.
are a lot o f different moving parts in
The architectural firm, with offices volved.”
in Las Vegas, Reno and Denver, spe
Kah-Nee-Ta is working with three
cializes in Native American casinos. different banks to secure financing for
The Worth G roup have been in busi the project. The board will also meet
ness for over 20 years. “We’re in the with Warm Springs Tribal Credit.
process o f getting those contracts
Because the project is an expansion
done,” Deepak Sehgal, Chairman for o f Kah-Nee-Ta, moving the current
the K N T board o f directors, said.
casino to a temporary location along
The board will also meet with four Highway 26, the resort will secure its
general contractors for the project. own funding for the project.
“We have some names in that hat. We
“And this is a business enterprise,”
have also told them strictly, we want to Sehgal said. “So we are looking for sup
make sure tribal members are given the port on utilizing the BIRF (Business In
opportunity to bid on different parts vestment Revolving Fund) dollars that
o f the project.”
are available for business enterprise.”
Those bids might include grading,
The temporary casino is expected to
installing footings or building sidewalks bring 200 new jobs to the community
or landscaping, or other appropriate o f Warm Springs. “T here’s also the
parts o f the project, Sehgal said.
opportunity for tribal members to go
“We are trying to use tribal exper into business for themselves. There are
tise as much as possible. For example, empty spaces at the plaza. Someone
Travis Wells will be helping with the civil might think about a gas station or a
engineering. We’d like people to know convenience store.”
that We’re committed to the member
Tribal representatives will meet with
ship on this. We have the construction architects on Thufsday o f this week at
enterprise here, and I know Housing’s the proposed location for the tem po
c o n stru c tio n crew does w o rk o’n rary casino.
projects. In addition, there are local
“And itd o e sn ’t stop there,” Sehgal
contractors right here, so we’re going said. “We’re also planning a meeting
to try to use those folks as needed.”
for Simnasho in the near future. We
“We aim to d e sig n a n d b u ild want people to know that we’re being
unique places that speak to the hu very open about this project, moving
m an spirit,” a representative o f the the casino.
W orth G roup said. “We’re proud that
“I f anybody would like to have a
o u r p rojects create such a unique meeting with their family any time dur
sense o f place.”
ing the process, we’re even open to
The Kah-Nee-Ta board has hired .that. Just get a hold o f Harry Taylor,
Cultural Resources in Warm Springs to Scott Moses, J.P. Patt or myself and
conduct the cultural field surveys.
we’ll get together.”
Tribal attorneys are working on the
A
Courtesy o f MHS.
The Madras White Buffalo girls varsity basketball team—Valerie Smith, Norene Sampson, Inez Jones,
Joella Smith, Rosie Suppah, Raylene Jones, Coach Oster; Abby Scott, Cheyenne Wahnetah, Lucy
Suppah, Rachel Simmons, Misty Spino and Ashley Kaltsukis (from left)— are at the Oregon School
Activities Association (OSAA) 4A Girls Basketball State Tournament this week. They play Banks this
evening, Wednesday, March 9, at 6:30 in Gill Coliseum in Corvallis. Listen to KWSO 91.9 FM for live
coverage. With a victory, the White Buffalos would play the following evening at 6:30 against the winner of
the Brookings Harbor-Cascade game. The championship game is on Friday at 6:30.
Cascade Locks state compact officially approved
The Cascade Locks gaming compact
between the Confederated Tribes o f
Warm Springs and the state o f Oregon
beeame official on March 1. O n that
day, the notice o f approval o f the com
pact appeared in the Federal Register.
There will still need to be a “two-
part determination” befofe the critical
step is taken to bring the Cascade
Locks site into trust, after which the
gaming plan can move forward. The
two-part determination test o f the In
dian Gaming Regulatory A ct requires
a finding that the proposed gaming en
terprise is in the best interest o f the
tribes and its members, and does not
harm the neighboring communities.
Regarding the compact, the tribes
and the state submitted the document
to the D epartm ent o f the Interior for
approval in November o f last year. The
compact sets out terms o f agreement
between the tribes and the local com
munity o f Cascade Locks, regarding
law enforcement, fire protection, the
number o f slot machines, among other
issues.'
The compact is an updated version
o f one that the state and the tribes
negotiated in 2005, which the federal
governm ent rejected, because the land
was not yet in trust.
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