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About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (May 16, 2012)
“I E Coosh EEWA: The way it is Dropping Out By Duran Bobb . (See page 12 fo r more on this year's statistics)} Spilyay Tymoo May 16, 2012 Letters to the Editor Water rights Last year, the dropout rate across O regon was at 3.3 per cent, or 5,782 students out o f 178,104. T h a t figure was dow n .1 p ercen t from the previous year. A t M adras C I High, the class Spilyay size w as 237 Speaks / s tu d e n ts fo r 1 2011. Tw o students received special ed diplomas. Thirty-one students received their fifth-year diplo mas. Fifty-seven percent o f all stu d en ts g rad u ated on tim e . A n d 69 s tu d e n ts dropped out. Gov. K itzhaber called the d ro p o u t rate unacceptable. “We m ust all w ork to deliver better results for O regon stu dents.” L an a L e o n a rd , 509-J school district liaison, said, “When my boys graduated, we looked at their grade school class pictures and they pointed out quite a few students that d id n ’t m ake it th r o u g h school.” M ary S an d o -E m h o o lah comm ents, “There can be a positive follow up for some that drop out. I know a few trib al m em b ers w ho have gone on to earn their G ED s, have finished college and live productive lives.” Liz Smith agreed. “As far as getting a job or getting into college, having a G E D has never held me back.” M artha Stewart attended M ad ras H ig h , fo r a few months before being expelled. F ro m th e re , she w e n t to boarding school and is today su ccessfu l in h e r field o f work. “My m om would liter ally threaten to send me back to M ad ras i f I d id n ’t straighten up,” Martha recalls. “I dropped out and w ent on to com m unity college,” Patu Pitt said. “I was camp ing by myself w hen I got a call telling me I had gradu ated. Now, I ’m really good at reading academic policies and requirements.” “I dro p p ed o u t o f high school and g o t my G E D ,” K evin H o w to p at said. “I w ent on to become educated in optical technology. I ’ve been working in this field for thirty years now.” A lot o f it has to do with parental support, Lana said. “I told my boys that I would love to see th e m at least graduate from high school. If they w en t to college, th a t would be great!” Page 4 Water, the essence o f tra dition and life! I made W arm Springs’ attaining local eco nomic growth a personal pri ority. H ow many times has the leadership o f this reser vation made these promises to the people with only mini mal or no results. Only when elected representatives elimi nate their personal ignorance o f o u r R eserv ed T reaty Rights, the d ream o f local econom ic developm ent will always remain a dream, and our children will suffer the dire consequences o f such poor leadership. Alcohol and drugs are only a symptom o f a society and people that have no hope o f the future. O ur leaders o f the past two de cades m ust make a personal comm itment to actually bring economic development to the people and start to implement our Senior Water Rights to re store the vision o f hope that enabled many o f them to at tain the econom ic stability th e ir lead e rs p ro v id e d to them. I will state once again that before any significant eco nomic developm ent can m a terialize, leaders m ust be un afraid to establish a list o f priorities and time-lines o f ac com plishm ent to restore a bright future to our children an d g ran d ch ild ren . I hâve learned th a t w ith o u t in fra structure there cannot be sig nificant econom ic develop ment. T hat is why we m ust be unafraid to exercise our Senior Water Rights to attain that economic independence. It is a well known fact that O regon has been very negli gent in its administration and oversight o f the D eschutes Watershed. It has and contin ues to issue “Ju n io r W ater Rights,” violating federal In dian law, and Western water law. It cannot effectively ad m in ister its ow n rules and regulations, let alone verify actual w ater diversions it has already ap p ro v ed . T h a t is why the M Carren A ct is so vital to the tribe. The M cCarren A ct has set legal precedence on w hen the federal governm ent will exert its trust responsibility to tribes. The case I believe originated o ut o f California and pertains to the state’s negligence o f the Senior Water Rights o f fed erally recognized tribes. Cali fornia continued to ignore the Reserved Rights o f treaties, so the federal governm ent in tervened on b eh alf o f the N ative A m ericans an d the Spilyay Tymoo (Coyote News, Est. 1976) 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 Con federated 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. violations o f a tribe’s “Senior Water Right.” O regon’s ne glect and disregard o f o u r Senior Water Right m irrors that o f the state negligence o f California, I believe. O ne does n ot have to pos sess a Masters Degree in E n vironmental Science to com prehend that O regon cannot neglect the legitimacy o f our Senior Water Rights. O ur an cestors were quite visionary w h en th ey n eg o tiated o u r treaty. T hey knew over a cen tury ago how im portant our R e serv ed R ig h t to w a te r would become, and how im portant it w ould be for our economic independence! T hat is why I continually question the sincerity o f the Water Quantification Agree m ent we signed with Oregon. I f tribal leaders actually con templated the malfeasance o f this docum ent we could ac tually utilize this failure o f the state to negotiate in good faith as required by federal Iridian law to attain the required in fra-structure needed for our ec o n o m ic sta b ility an d growth. The question that I would ask o f the O regon D ep art m ent o f Water Resources is this, “W hy is it that the only segm ent d f th e D ps chutes River th at experiences low stre a m flo w b o rd e f s o u r land?” Is it possible that the state’s contention is that we have adequate water supplies within our reservation, that there is no need for them to acknowledge our Senior Wa ter Rights in the Deschutes Basin! A gain I ask, W h en will Water Quality Standards be resolved and m et by O regon D ep artm en t o f W ater Re sources? T he cu rrent lan guage in the Water Quantifi cation A greement states that water quality standards will be resolved at a later time. Can o u r W ater B oard tell tribal m em bers why they continue to allow O regon to ignore the legitim ate fact th a t we are entitled to the sam e w ater quality as Junior Water Rights. A nother fact that I m ust share with our leaders, O ne doesn’t need a degree in fed eral Indian law to question perceived violations o f our “unique sovereign status.” An elected representative only needs to possess the desire to serve the people as best he or she can. I f that requires a little reading, picking up o f a dictionary, then so be it, after all my “oral tradition” advised me to educate myself so that our children would n o t have to experience hardship cre ated by our failure to “adapt to the environm ent.” Isn ’t that also one o f nature’s pri m ary laws o f survival? Are we n o t entitled to enjoy the sam e am en ities o f J u n io r Water Rights holders? Tharik you. R an d y Sm ith. Parenting Parents who abuse alcohol in front o f their children are co n sid ered n eg lectfu l and abusive, and this may lead to troubles for the children o f drinkers as they grow! Just as you inoculate your kids against illnesses like the measles, you can h elp im m u n iz e th e m against drug use by giving them the facts before they are in a risky situation. W hen kids don’t feel com fortable talking to parents, they are likely to seek answers e lsew h ere, ev en if th e ir sources are unreliable. Kids who aren’t properly inform ed are at greater risk o f engag ing in unsafe behaviors and experim enting w ith alcohol and drugs. Parents w ho are educated about the effects o f drug use and learn the facts can help correct any m iscon ceptions children may have. Make talking about drugs a part o f your general health and safety conversations with your child or children. Par ents are role models for their children, so your views on a lc o h o l a n d d ru g s can strongly influence the views o f your child. It is shown that parents w ho drink alcohol influence the way their chil dren view drinking as adoles cents. Em otional problems from seeing parents drink may in clude guilt, anxiety, em bar rassment, the inability to have close relationships, anger and depression. This can cause delinquent behavior, and the abuse o f drugs and alcohol later in the child’s life. Alco hol abuse can be hereditary, but it can also be related to environmental factors. C h ild h o o d is a tim e o f learning and discovery, so it’s im portant to encourage kids to ask questions, even ones that might be hard to answer. As m uch as parents may n ot like to think about it, the truth is that many kids and teens try alcohol and drugs. Lack o f co m m unication is likely to lead to adolescents who drink or indulge in heavy drinking. As a parent w ho is a re peat offender o f the above stated, I am n o t proud o f the my actions, and have great re m o rse fo r w h a t I h av e shown and p u t my children through. I can only hope that I can be a better role rriodel for my children from now on. Thank you for your time! S h ey le n e G re en e-B o ise Ranger district A- sincere thank you to the C o n fe d e ra te d T rib e s o f W arm Springs, the Confed erated Tribes o f Siletz Indi ans, and Confederated Tribes o f G rand Ronde for making our recent event such a suc cess. T he D etroit Ranger D is tr ic t re c e n tly h o s te d th e Fourth Bi-Annual American Indian Student Education E n hancem ent Day. T he ranger station hosted the event to ac knowledge the shared respon sibilities o f th e trib es and agency in prom oting a land ethic for today’s youth. The recent gathering was d esig n ed to in sp ire trib al youth to think about oppor tunities to pursue careers in n a tu ra l re so u rc e m an ag e ment. The event was attended by approximately 40 high school a n d jo b Corps students from Chemawa Indian School, the Siletz Valley E arly College A cadem y, W illam ina H igh School, C onnections A cad emy, Angell Jo b Corps, and Timberlake Job Corps. Tribal youth leaders and elders also participated in the event. A n in vocation was p ro vided by B ud Lane, Tribal Council V ice-Chairm an for the C onfederated Tribes o f Siletz Indians. Bud then spoke to the students, offering a tribal perspective on the role that Native peoples play in liv ing in balance with the natu ral world. H e emphasized the tribes’ interests in encourag ing American Indian youth to p u rsu e careers th a t allow them to care for the land in the traditions o f their elders. Studerits rotated between five career stations, which in cluded natural resources, ar chaeology and cultural re sources, recreation and wil derness m anagem ent, fo r estry, and fire management. Presenters described the roles and responsibilities re lated to their professions and highlighted the various types o f employment opportunities available with the agency and tribal governments, including seasonal and perm anent po sitions, co-op programs, in tern sh ips, and ap p ren tice ships. Students had a chance to sit inside the cab o f a fire engine, use forest m easure m en t equipm ent, and learn ab o u t traditional m aterials used in making baskets, cloth ing and tools. Participants later enjoyed a lu n ch sp o n so red by the C o n fe d e ra te d T rib e s o f W arm Springs, the Confed erated Tribes o f Siletz Indi ans, and the C onfederated Tribes o f G rand Ronde. T h ro u g h everyone’s ef forts, it is hoped that seeds o f appreciation for natural resources and the continua tion o f traditional practices used in caring for the land w ere planted w ith the stu dents, and that those seeds will continue to grow as they pursue various career paths. The Willarriette N ational Forest, D etroit Ranger D is trict extends special thanks to Wishes... ■ I would like to send this out to m y wife Perthina, who I love very much. And also to m y mother-in-law Rhoda and my sisters-in-law. Happy Mother’s Day to you all. the tribes for their help with this event. J e n n ife r V e le z , D e tro it Ranger D istrict, Willamette N ational Forest. Contest matter I paid a $25 fee to partici pate in Jefferso n C ounty’s 2012 “Movin’ M ountain Fit ness Challenge.” I am happy to say I lost a total o f 40.2 pounds, 16.80 inches total o ff my waist and hips. D e sp ite b ein g “T h e B iggest Loser” I was awarded third place. C arolyn H arvey de cided to award first place to a lady, based on the previous 2011 statistics. I f that we’re the case, they should have included last year’s stats in their rule pamphlet. I worked real hard by self discipline and m o tiv atio n since Jan. 13. I had the sup port from my boils, co-work- ers at the WS. Police D epart m ent, Dr. Creelman, W arm Springs Wellness C oordina tor, community members o f our tribe. A nd m ost o f all, my family. O n a positive note, I feel a lot healthier. It would be de ceiving if I didn’t say I felt so m e w h a t c h eated . My youngest daughter Daisy, who signed up for the challenge with m e as an individual for support was very upset after the banquet, insisting we con test the program. This is the first tim e I com pleted the entire p rogram , because I signed up as an individual. The previous years I signed up with a team, one by one our team members dropped out. I will continue my jour ney on becoming physically fit fo r m yself, fam ily, kids. Thank you! L ovie Ik e - Biggest Loser, W arm Springs Have a wonderful day. I wish you the best! From Juan aka Big-e. Happy Sixteenth Birthday, Sydney. We love you a lot! Al ways. Dove, Grandma Greta, Grandpa Ross, Auntie Jessie and you r uncles and cousins. M oving Mountains T h e w in n e rs o f th e 2012 M oving M ountains Challenge were announced at a luncheon held last Sat urday at Mexico City Res taurant for all participants. For all the participants that com pleted the chal lenge by having their final measurements done: A to tal o f 1,106 pounds were lost, 271.75 inches were lo s t on th e w aist, and 209.88 inches were lost on the hips. Moving M oun tains is a countywide chal lenge and a variety o f ac tivities and measurements w ere available in W arm S p rin g s an d M adras throughout the 16 weeks. L o cal W arm S prings participants finished in the to p th re e in th e T eam , M en’s arid W om en’s cat egories. T ana F ran k w ith h er Team H ardcore cam e in third place in the Women's team category losing a to ta l o f 222 p o u n d s , 10 inches o n the waist and 6 inches on the hips. Jason Smith placed sec- Yvonne Iverson/Spilyay Second place for Jason Smith. ond in the M en’s category losing a total o f 33.6 pounds, 9.5 in. on w aist, and 6.75 inches on hips for a 45.2 per cent overall change. LaVena Ike placed third in the W omen’s category, losing a total o f 40.2 pounds, 8.25 inches on w aist, and 8.25 inches o n w aist fo r a 41.4 percent overall change. Since the winners are decided by the overall percentage change, and not m ost pound or inches lost, the organizers created a m o st w eight lo s t1 bonus of $100, which Ike also won. i_ I Í 1
