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