“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.
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Advertising: 541-553-2307 or 541-325-1089
E-Mail: dave.mcmechan@wstribes.org.
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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.
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