“I
E Coosh EEWA: The way it is
K-8
Pgge 4-
Spilyay Tymoo April 18, 2012
Letters to the Editor
By Duran Bobb
T h e p o ssib ility o f a new
school on-rez has stirred up
strong opinions.
O v er 20 years ago, C h ief
D elvis H e a th
first presented
Spilyay
th e id ea o f a
Speaks
new school to I___________
/
the 509-J D is
trict.
“I was told at that time that
Indians don’t pay taxes,” the
C h ie f said a t th e re c e n t
Simnasho D istrict Meeting.
Five years ago, Tribal Coun
cil set aside enough land for a
new school with room for ex
pansion.
T he previous referen d u m
that was passed on-rez was for
a new k-5 school. The tribes
would have spent up to $8 mil
lion, and the school district
w ould reim b u rse th ro u g h a
rental agreement. Voters didn’t
agree.
“N ow we owe this to the fu
ture generations,” Councilman
JP Patt said. “There are 5,000
registered voters in Jefferson
County. We have many voters
in Warm Springs... This will be
in your hands.”
I f passed, the new school
w o u ld be ready to o p en at
Greeley Heights by the fall o f
2013.
“We could have some say in
the curriculum that is taught,”
Patt said. “We could teach our
history, our language, anything
about our people other than just
Lewis and Clark encountering us
along the river..”
‘W e started working on this
agreement two years ago,” chief
operations officer Urbana Ross
said. “We to o k som e o f the
work that was laid out in 2009,
when we were going for a stimu
lus grant, which wasn’t approved.
Now we’re continuing with that...
I would like to see a school that
fits our community.”
Currently, there are 970 tribal
m em ber students w ithin the
509-J School District. Ninety-
seven are enrolled in kindergar
ten. There are 53 students ready
to graduate. However, oh av
erage, only 35 tribal members
will earn diplomas.
‘W e’re losing kids,” Ross said.
“T h ey d o n ’t w a n t to go to
school in Madras. It’s a choice
they make.”
A t the meeting, a main point
in favor o f the new school was
that some children wait for the
bus before dawn and get home
from school w hen it’s dark.
According to Ross, there are
some dollars identified for the
project, and a supplemental bud
get has passed a few weeks ago.
Michael Collins confirm ed
that the BIA has agreed to re
imburse the tribes over a period
o f time.
To our people
After two years o f service, I
have resigned from my position
as the Development Director at
the Museum A t Warm Springs,
a beauty and masterful presen
tation o f our ancestors. T he
museum itself has a wonderful
and unique history o f its own
as well, one to appreciate and
acknow ledge, and may soon
begin to thrive to even higher
greatness. It has the potential,
the opportunities are there, and
the support has been granted.
As individuals, we too are
unique, unique in many ways,
and connected spiritually in many
others. Everyday has a miracle,
n ot usually acknowledged for its
existence, and everyday has an
opportunity. It is up to us to
believe the miracle o f our ex
istence and reach for those op
portunities, for we are the ulti
m ate co n tro l o f o u r future.
O nce you begin believing that
your heights have been reached,
you begin to settle into ‘where
you are’ and the greatest poten
tial o f ‘who you are’ will remain
there as well. The opportunities
will pass us by and only the ob
vious miracles will be acknowl
edged.
Belief is a gift many o f us
do not tap into. We Can believe
in ourselves, projects, commu
nities, tribes, initiatives, peers,
and organizations. It is something
to be nurtured because w ithout
it, we are no longer living the
h eig h ts o f o u r lives o r th e
heights o f an organization per
se.
Proactivity is a word I’ve only
learned in the last 8 years, mean
ing “creating or controlling a situ
ation by causing something to,
happen rather than responding
to it after it has happened.’’ It is
a bold effort o f looking into the
future to create a b etter o u t
come. Yet, it can only be trig
gered by belief in ourselves to
control our future.
Organizations fall victim to
settling in to w here they are,
what they are, and who they are.
They become knowledgeable o f
their surrounding and only tell
the story o f how they got to that
particular point o f rest. Some
organizations take a bit bolder
move and copy a bit o f the in
terests o f other more proactive
organizations. T hen there’s the
highest o f proactive organiza
tions, believing in their future,
reaching for the possibilities, and
seeking the miracle o f being the
very best at what they do.
The best thing about us as
humans though, is that we are
equals; with a spirit to beheve,
an opportunity to grow, and a
possibility to pursue.
You must be done waiting for
others to offer an opportunity,
or else the possibilities will never
awaken. We are individually
unique with similar stories, but
our spirit is our very own. And
that spirit settles w hen we are
done pursuing, and done grow
ing
So pursue the opportunities,
seek the possibilities, and beheve
in the miracle o f each day for
tom orrow to gift you with en
lightenment.
Jefferson Greene
For the fish
To the Confederated Tribes o f
Warm Springs,
My name is Wesley Richard
Smith. I am a m em ber o f the
Native American Student Asso
ciation at Lane Community Col
lege in Eugene.
I would like to take this time
on b eh alf o f m yself and the
association to give thanks.
T he N ative American Stu
dent Association wishes to send
acknowledgments o f our grati
tude and respects to the Tribal
Council, Fish and Wildlife Com
mittee; as weh as the people o f
W arm Springs for your assis
tance.
We came to you with a dona
tion request for salmon to as
sist feeding the people who at
tended our Annual Lane Pow
wow in December 2011.
The Warm Springs tribes do
nated 200 pounds o f salmon to
our powwow, and the dinner was
remarkable and fulfilling to ah
the people w ho chose to eat.
O u r pow w ow w ouldn’t have
been the same w ithout our cul
tural sustenance o f the salmon
that was donated by the tribes
o f Warm Springs.
We have a strong belief in
our Native club, and participat
ing stu d e n t com m u n ities o f
Lane, to keep our event as tra
ditional as possible, ever remind
ing us o f the way our peoples
have always practiced this time
together in the past and present.
It made us proud to be able
to feed the people attending
some salmon, and having fed
the people for free has always
brought good energy and feel
ings inside o f our circle at the
powwow. We wouldn’t want our
powwow any other way.
T h erefo re we, th e N ative
American Student Association
o f Lane would like to send our
Publisher Emeritus: Sid Miller
Editor: Dave McMechan
Reporter: Duran Bobb
Advertising Director: Yvonne Iverson
Media Advisor: Bill Rhoades
Spilyay Tymoo is published bi-weekly by the Confeder
ated Tribes of Warm Springs. Our offices are located at
4174 Highway 3 in Warm Springs.
Any written materials submitted to Spilyay Tymoo
should be addressed to:
Spilyay Tymoo, P.O. Box 870, Warm Springs, OR
97761.
Phone:541-553-2210
Advertising: 541-553-2307 or 541-325-1089
E-Mail: dave.mcmechan@wstribes.org.
Annual Subscription rates: Within U.S.: $15.00.
Wesley Richard Smith
Sacred salmon
The Warm Springs National
Fish Hatchery was first proposed
to be b u ilt in 1956 b u t was
blocked till 1978.
The Tribal Council told the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
that they could not bring in other
salmon to start up the hatchery
brood stock. Only the original
salmon were used. The original
intent this hatchery was specifi
cally built only to m eet tribal
needs. It is n ot an experiment
station as it is now. O ur sacred
salmon are being handled, fins
removed, computer chips put in
their nose area. There is no re
spect for the salmon, there is no
h o n o rin g o f th e sp aw n in g
salmon. A bout one-third or less
salmón are allowed above the
hatchery, as they journey up to
spawn.
Where are the eels? The dolly
v ard en s? T h e Smie? T he
crawdads? I truly beheve that
the way this hatchery is now run
is the problem. W hat about the
tribal needs in Beaver Creek,
Mill Creek, Warm Springs River,
the Deschutes River? D o any o f
us care anym ore? A re the
salmon sacred or are they just
words?
Terry Courtney Jr.
Memories
A t the beginning o f my 32-
year career in the B ureau o f
Indian Affairs in the summer o f
1 9 5 0 ,1 was employed as a day
school teacher at the Cherry
Creek Day School on the Chey
enne River Sioux Reservation in
South Dakota. The school was
lo cated 110 m iles fro m the
A gency an d a b o u t 40 m iles
south o f Dupree, South Dakota.
O n the reservation lived a
community o f some 300 souls,
including one man who was at
w hat he called, “C u ster’s last
staff meeting at Little Big Horn,”
and a family o f six w ho were
survivors o f the Wounded Knee
Massacre. Sadly, this man and says, “Precious memories, how
his family died that winter from they finger...”
tuberculosis. Before their pass
Sincerely,
ing, they related their stories to
Doyce L. “Spec” Waldrip.
me, stories I have never forgot
ten. I worked at the Cheyenne
A gency before the M issouri
River dams were constructed,
and then I saw the devastation
they caused in the fives o f those
who lost the lowlands that were
so m uch a part o f their fives
when I moved to Fort Totten,
N orth Dakota.
Next, I moved to Seminole
Agency in Florida. Finally, I Saw
a parallel impact in another tribal
comm unity w hen I m oved to
Warm Springs Agency at a time
shortly after the Columbia River
dams wiped out the economy
and livelihood o f the Treaty
Fishing Tribes o f the Columbia
Basin.
Within three or four weeks
after my assignment as superin
tendent at Warm Springs, I was A p ril 18, 2012
called to a meeting, along with
On this day Harvey Jim ’s fam
tribal leaders, in Olympia, Wash., ily would like to wish him a very
to discuss treaty fishing issues Happy 69 th birthday, for you have
with representatives from Wash been very good fo r us and to us.
ington state and other interested Thank you. A l l our love,
Love U - Eli%a Brown Jim;
parties. I drove Chief N athan
H e a th ,
C h ie f
N e lso n Marella and Leonard, Terry and
W allulatum , O lney P a tt and fam ily; L eir and Pearl fam ily;
Charlie Jackson to the meeting. Marella Robert family; Chet and
As I had been taught by the boys; Lillie, Cowboy and Chato;
Lakota, you learn by listening. Tiger, Tates and family; Wolfman
So I drove and listened. D riv and family; Tracy, Kayla; Eli%a-
ing along the Columbia Gorge Rego family, your Shalissa.
Highway, we watched the Co
lum bia River flow over w hat
used to be the livelihood o f the
treaty tribes, and they discussed
the good times.
W hen we approached the
area where Cefilo Falls used to
be, they asked me to stop. We
got out o f the car and stood on
the edge o f the road, and they April 27, 2012
Love to you Harvey on
talked and for a time relived that
era when each o f them had lived our Tenth A nniversary.
there during the fish runs, and Thank you for being here
o f times w hen fife was good. for us and with us. Do take
E ach o f them told stories o f care of Conniger. My love,
your wife Eliza Brown Jim
sadness and laughter.
I w a tc h e d , liste n e d an d #77.
learned as they kidded each April 27, 2012
Love you, m y w if e a n d
other, and reminded each other
o f friends w ho had passed and family, on our Tenth An
days that will never return. They niversary. Thank you for
remembered, and today So do this 10 years. We will have
I
many more. Love to m y
Wishes...
Those opportunities to listen
to stories o f fives changed, and
to learn from them, stay with
me today. I am honored tovhave
been an observer and partici
pant in those events, and to be
able to share them with other
generations. As the old Spiritual
family o f 10 years, Harvey
M. Jim.
To Justice Allen, W ish
ing you the happiest birth
day. Love you with all my
heart, D ad Jarod.
Indian Business Talk
Good lessons as we go ka-chinging along
By Bruce Engle
Spilyay Tym oo
(Coyote News, Est. 1976)
gratitude to the people o f Warm
Springs for the assistance that
you have granted us with o f fish
for the powwow.
We also would like to thank
Joanne Smith and Wendell Jim
for transporting the fish here to
Eugene for our occasion. Thank
You.
Loan officer
W.S. Credit Enterprise
Think o f ka-chinging as put
ting money to use.
T hat usually involves money
changing hands— but not always.
P iggy b an k s a n d en v elo p es
might be exceptions.
My eyes m ight have gone ka-
ching w hen I got my first pay-
check for bucking bales— at a
penny a bale.
That was when you could buy
and send a penny postcard for
a penny and First Class mail was
three cents. D on’t ask how long
ago it was.
H ad I p ut some in a savings
account, the bank would have
gone ka-ching. The same would
have h ap p en ed if I had p u t
some o f that check in a 401-K.
We didn’t have those in the 50s.
W hen I spent it, which I did,
cash registers w ent ka-ching.
They were noisy in those days. .
T h e n , fro m so m e o f the
money I and others spent, the
business owners and their em
ployees got their chance .to save
and spend— more ka-chinging.
Parts o f two songs come to
mind-—Money makes the world
go round, world go round, world
go round. M oney m akes the
world go round— in the m ost
delightful way:
Earning it gives one a sense
o f accomplishment; spending it
wisely and saving some o f it can
give some satisfaction and feel
ings o f security.
Preparation and generational
thinking can make good things
happen and continue to happen.
I ’m talking here about par
ents raising kids to do well in
school, to be good workers, to the old ladies asking, “I s ____
be savvy spenders and savers doing well?” w hen they were
and, to grow up and raise a gossiping.
It was a standard question,
bunch o f savvy ka-chingers.
I have known successful ath maybe a religious question.
. One o f our Klamath Creation
letes to say “Preparation is ev
Stories
ends w ith the Creator
erything.” There are sequences
saying, “liv e well my people.”
to the process.
I sometimes w onder if our
O ne way is for parents to be
good workers and good money elders took that as both a wish
managers. T h a t’s teaching by for us and a challenge.
Preparing ourselves and the
example.
Asking kids, prom pting kids, children to meet the challenge
and pushing kids to do well in is doable. It’s w orth doing.
Why?
school helps them to be better
T he well prepared usually
prepared to do well financially
do well in fife. They tend to
and otherwise. And then...
Boy meets girl, they fall in becom e good people, accom
love— Kazam!— set up house plished w orkers, and builders
keepings-Ka-ching!— and start o f s tro n g fam ilies'. We see
making and raising a new crop them living long, satisfying and
productive fives.
o f ka-chingers.
And, they can help us when
T hat also helps to keep the
we grow old.
world go round.
I have a child’s mem ory o f