Image provided by: Oregon Historical Society; Portland, OR
About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (May 2, 2012)
Spilyay Tyro oc Branch Matthew 1200 SW Park Ave. Portland OR 97205 May 2 , 2012 Voi. 37, No. 9 May - Xawit’an - Spring - Wawaxam C oyote News, est, 1976 Drummers of the Columbia River treaty tribes conclude the dedication ceremony at the Dallesport Treaty Fishing Access Site. The treaty tribes, the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, the Corps of Engineers, BIA and other guests dedicated the site last week. The Dallesport site is the thirty-first in-lieu fishing site constructed by the Corps of Engineers at the Columbia. (More on 10.) Timber, mill issues on May agendas T h e C o n f e d e r a te d T rib e s o f Began in 1976 The N ational Indian Tim ber Symposium is the annual gathering of the Intertribal Timber Council. The council was established in 1976 in Warm Springs. The agenda for the upcoming five-day symposium includes a va riety o f timber-related topics: mill operation, huckleberry conditions and first foods, wild fire issues, tribal sovereignty in relation to federal regulation, among other topics. The council will tour the mill, the Simnasho fuels reduction project, and the fisheries facilities at Pelton- Round Butte. A pre-symposium workshop at the museum will cover traditional crafting from the Warm Springs perspective. The Intertribal Timber Council is the nationwide consortium of In dian tribes, Native Alaska corpora- tions, and individuals dedicated to improving the management of natu- U.S. Postage PRSRTSTD Warm Springs, OR 97761 50 cents Voters to decide school proposal 31st Access Site Warm Springs this h i o n m wilT lio s t the Thirty-Sixth Annual National Indian Timber Symposium. The symposium, including pre-sympo sium workshops, is set for Sunday- Thursday, May 13-17. Later in the month, Tribal Coun cil will meet to discuss specific is sues related to Warm Springs For est Products Industries and logging on the reservation. 3 ral reso u rces o f im p o rta n ce to N ative com m unities. O ver 60 tribes and Alaska Native corporations currently belong to the council. For the full agenda, go to itcnet.org B y D a ve M c M e c h a n Spilyay Tymoo or about the size of the Jefferson County Middle School (JCMS), i Two important local elections are coming up this month, on May 14 and 15. The tribal referendum on the Warm Springs school proposal is scheduled for Monday, May 14. The school district bond election is the following day, Tuesday, May 15. The tribal referendum is asking whether the tribes agree to fund half o f the construction cost of a new school in Warm Springs. The total cost of the school is estimated at $18-20 million, so the tribes would be agreeing to fund abotit $10 million. This would likely be done with a tribal bond, paid off over several years, such as 20 to 30 years. The tribes currently have about $1.1 million set aside as school capital. The school district bond pro posal calls for bonds' up to $26.7 million. Besides the approximately $10 million fof a Warm Springs school, the district bonds would also fund an auditorium and perform ing arts Center in Madras. The school district bond would also refurbish and replace athletic facilities at the high school. This would include a new football stadium and track. The rest o f the bond money would be used for various improvements at each of the dis trict, schools. The new Warm Springs school would be for grades k-8, replacing the existing k-5 school. The new school would be 80,000 square feet, The building site is on 20 acrés at East Tenino and Chukkar Road. The school would include ap proximately 26 classrooms, science, music and art rooms, computer lab, gymnasium, athletic fields, cafete ria, library, etc. While the school district and tribes would share construction costs, the, district would fund the operation of the school. All staff at the Warm Springs Elementary School would move to the new school, and another 12-14 staff would be needed. The tribes recently mailed an in formation sheet to members, ad dressing some common questions about the school proposal. For instance, if the bond and referendum both pass, the district and tribes would work with construc tion contractor on tribal hiring pref erence. With a k-8 school in Warm Springs, no buses would run from W arm Springs to the Jefferson County Middle School. If the school district bond passes and the tribal referendum does not, the school district would issue bonds minus the approximately $10 mil lion proposed for the school. Through Warm Springs Power & Water Enterprises, the tribes are one of the largest tax payers in the dis trict, as the Pelton-Round Butte fa cilities are located partly off-reser- vation, thé information states. The district receives federal impact-aid payments, making up for the non- taxed property o f the reservation. WSFPI Tribal Council m et in late April, deciding to focus during the upcoming May 30 meeting on the logging and mill situation on the reservation. WSFPI and N atural Resources reached a compromise for the current year on the allowable timber cut, but some questions remain pending. — by Dave McMechan Honor Seniors Day next Friday Honor Seniors Day is next Fri day, May 11. Some highlights will be the Early Childhood Education dancers, Spanish dancers from the high school, the afternoon games, and Elvis. The ECE dancers perform at 10 a.m ., follow ed by lunch. K en Billingsley, manager of Indian Head, will give a welcome at 1 p.m., fol lowed by the games. For more in formation, call the Senior D epart ment at 541-553-3313; or email: paiutewewa@yahoo.com A struggle with homelessness for ‘the poor ones’ B y D uran B o b b Spilyay Tymoo They move among us like spirits— seldom seen by those who choose not to look. Often, as one home less man puts it, they pray to God and wonder if He is listening. Whether they made the choice to live the homeless life or were forced into that lifestyle by circum stance, Neda Wesley says these are still people... with feelings. In Oregon, it is estimated that just over 11,600 individuals are home less. There are roughly 2,132 home less in Central Oregon. The exact count has not been yet been estab- Eshed for the reservation. In Indian, Neda said, they are known asyamvaima. The poor ones. “Though I realize that some of them have chosen their path in Efe, they’re human,” Neda says. “Most o f them have gone through very tough losses, and they have nobody to lean on.” One such individual is Kendrick Arthur. Occasionally, poEce are asked to check on Kendrick when he sleeps under the bridge. But Efe wasn’t always this way for him. “I used to cut wood and do tree thinning for my dad, Larry Arthur,” Kendrick said recently. “That way, I made some good money And then he passed away from a heart attack back in 1993. It was tough to handle.” , Today, Kendrick spends his days hitchhiking between Warm Springs and Madras. In town, there is a shel ter that serves meals on a regular basis. That’s where he eats. “So far as money goes,” he says, “I got people that help me out when they see me. When I can get back up towards West HiUs, I stay at my niece’s house. She has a big heart. Sometimes she’U give me some nice, clean clothes to wear. That makes me feel good, because it’s pretty rough out here.” Two weeks ago, Kendrick broke his knuckle when someone picked a fight with him. He was trans ported to the hospital. “People help when they can,” he says. “Iva Pennington and Neda bring down food and clothes. My walk. H e em pathizes w hat the homeless go through. “I don’t see how some people can do this every day,” Percy said. “From the time that I started out on the far end of West HiUs to the time that I crossed the bridge by Rainbow, it took me about four or five hours. Nobody would give me a ride.” Where the years went uuran BODD/spnya> Kendrick Arthur worked as a wood cutter and tree thinner. family wiU give me rides when they see the. I don’t drink every day. Sometimes I just hang out.” “I guess I’m the known chuck wagon o f the Bow,” Neda said with a laugh. “I grew up when people shared w ith one another. You wouldn’t beEeve how many home less people we have, how many just hang out and are looked down upon. I ’ve taken dow n a b u ck et o f luckamean and fed 17 people once. A nother time I went down with food and there were only three of them.” Percy Jack, a Simnasho resident, visited his sister in West HiEs last week. Having suffered a perma nent injury, Percy is now on disabE- ity and requires a cane to help him For Tillman HolEquaEa, the walk is aU day, almost every day. “Back in my day, I was a middle weight boxer,” Tillman remembers. “I used to win a lot o f fights. My father was Sims HoloquiUa. My mom was Joyce Quinn. I’m not sure where the years went, but today I’m an old man. I turned 65 back on December 11.” EarEer this year, TiEman feU and injured both of his legs. He uses, a walker and reEes on the kindness of the community. “I’E sit at the store and someone wiU buy me a burrito or a sandwich,” he says. “They know I’m an elder. I have to eat.” See HOMELESS on page 5
