Pgge 12
Spilygy Tymoo, Warm Springs, Oregon
Repainting piece of local history
By Duran B obb
S p ily a y T y m o o
L
L..
June 27, 2012
Questions and answers
about school referendum
By Duran Bobb
.
Spilyay Tymoo y
N o b o d y rem em bers, for
sure, how long the Warm
Springs sign has greeted visi
tors and rem inded tribal
members of their unique his
tory. Lamont Brown, 69, and
Marcia Soliz, 61, remember
seeing the letters on the hill
side back when they were in
school.
The best anybody can re
call is that the letters may
have been put in place by the
Conservation Corps Camp
crews. The letters have stood
tall over the community at
least for several decades.
“I remember those days
when people would help one
an o th er o u t,” Soliz said.
“People would give freely.
Everybody would contribute
to make our community a
better place.”
Soliz recently decided to
assemble a group of volun
teers to repaint the Warm
Springs sign. “It’s time to get
people involved and feel good
about our community again,”
she said.
Tribal Utilities supplied the
paintbrushes and supplies.
Soliz and Brown, along with
Joy Ramirez, Aspen Johnson,
Izzy Ramirez, Roy Spino and
Sariah Ramirez, were among
17 or so volunteers who sup-
pEed the elbow grease.
*
“This is good for me;’’
Lamont Brown (above) and crew repaint the Warm Springs logo rocks on the hillside
above town.
(< Right now, doing
this, I f e e l like I
have a good purpose
in this world. ”
Brown said. “I lost my wife
a whEe back. It was a bad
time. But I’ve found strength
through the Senior Program.
I wouldn’t know what I would
do without it today.”
Brown stays busy exercis
ing, attending meetings, and
finding ways to help out his
community.
“Right now, doing this, I
feel Eke I have a good pur-
Golf fundraiser at KNT
for MHS baseball team
T he Springers g olf
scramble fundraiser for
the Madras High School
baseball team is at Kah-
Nee-Ta on Saturday, July
7. This is a men’s, ladies’
and juniors’ tournament,
/ t
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Warm Springs July 4 Parade
“Vietnam, the 10,000 day war—
We honor our soldiers we forget no more. ”
9 a.m. - Parade line-up at Warm Springs Elemen
tary School. 10 a.m. - Judging begins.
11 a.m. - parade starts, ending at the ball fields.
Parade grand marshal, Janice Smith, U.S. Army.
V
pose in this world,” he said.
One possibiEty for the fu
ture of the landmark include
a reserv atio n boundary
around the current letters and
three teepees.
W eavers gathering in
A ugust at K ah-N ee-Ta
entry fee $50 per person.
Everyone is invited to
help the kids get to the
games.
T w o-person
scramble and barbecue.
Contact Tony Holliday,
541-980-9902.
g
Duran Bobb photos.
“A star-spangled Fourth in Warm Springs—Enjoy an old
fashioned family day with games and prizes."
■ 7
- V ’ < -r ! ' ■ IG iS .R
T h e C o n fed e rate d
Tribes of Warm Springs
and the Northwest Indian
C ollege w ill h o st the
Weavers Teaching Weav
ers gathering at Kah-Nee-
Ta on Thursday and Fri
day, August 16-17.
T he purpose o f this
event is to allow experi
enced N ative American
w eavers to te ac h and
learn from others in the
field.
Weaving teachers will
be from Warm Springs,
Puyallup, Id ah o , N eah
Bay and o th e r Pacific
Northwest communities.
Pre-registration is $75
before July 27, and $90
a fte r or at th e door.
Weaving kit fees are pay
able to individual teach
ers. K it fees are $10 to
$75 d epending on the
class. «
For more information;
contact Kelli Palmer at
541-325-6535; or E thel
Greene at 208-843-7409.
V endor tab les are
available for the gather
ing. O r send an email:
kabob76@hotmail.com
Earlier this week, tribal
leaders gave responses to a
list o f questions asked by
tribal members regarding the
details of the tribes’ contri
bution towards the proposed
new school. Anita Jackson,
who compEed the questions,
was present at Monday’s Gen
eral CouncE meeting.
Secretary-treasurer Jody
CaEca, chief operations of
ficer Urbana Ross, CouncE-
woman Lola Sohappy, and
Councilm en Scott Moses,
A ustin G reene, Reuben
Henry, Raymond Tsumpti,
C ouncil chairm an Buck
Sm ith and C hief Delvis
Heath were present at Mon
day night’s meeting, held at
the Agency Longhouse.
“Currently, the school dis
trict is holding the $10.7 mE-
Eon until the tribes pass the
referen d u m ,” Ross said.
“The Education Committee
has responded to a list of
questions that they’ve re
ceived, and copies of those
answers are avaEable.”
The present elementary
school on the reservation re
quires repairs which wEl cost
an estimated $1.7 million,
Ross said. The BIA in the
Washington, D.C office are
sending a team to the reser
vation to assess the needs of
the current buEding.
Funding options
“There are a lot of ques
tions about financing, and can
we afford it?” S-T CaEca said
of the proposed new school.
“If it is important to our
community to have this new
school for our chEdren, then
we’U find a way to get it fi
nanced,” he said.
CaEca went over several
options that have been pre
sented to Tribal Council.
Among those ideas are:
Diverting funds from eco
nomic development, financ
ing the entire $10.7 million of
the tribes’ contribution; use
tribal reserves to make the
contribution without financ
ing; or redirecting $13,5 nyl-
Eon in investment funds fol
lowing the refinancing of In
dian Head Casino.
Senior pension funds or
tribal member per capita pay
ments are not an option when
considering funding sources,
CaEca said.
Member comments
“ 1 have grandchildren;”
EEza Brown-Jim said, H got
out and voted, because our
chEdren need this school. We
can’t make it in Madras.
We’re the first Americans, and
last on the Est.”
“O ur people have been
m istreated by 509-J ever
since I was a kid,” G ene
Smith said. “In 57 years, it
hasn’t changed... It’s gotten
worse.”
“I f you go back to the
early 1980s, we asked 509-J
to help us out with a new
school,” Calica said. “ [A
member of the school board]
commented that taxpayers
were tired of carrying Indi
ans on their backs. CouncE
fought for our rights then.
There was a financial impact
study. Our chEdren are one-
third of the students in 509-
J, but our tribes are contrib
uting over half of the rev
enue to Jefferson County stu
dents.”
The decision to share the
cost of the new school was
made by Tribal CouncE upon
signing an agreement with
509-J.
Eventual plans may also
caE for pressuring the BIA to
restore the present elemen
tary school as a high school,
and eventually separating
from 509-J.
(N ote: T he G eneral C ouncil
meeting on Tuesday evening o f this
week was after the p r in t deadline fo r
this publication.)
Toy Sale & Swap
Friday, June 29 from 9 a .m .-12 p.m . at the
Community Wellness Center fro n t court-yard.
Call Carol to reserve your table, 541-553-3243.
‘
,»J . .
J
$ 1 ,0 0 0 SUMMER SIZZLES SLOT TOURNEY
Saturday, July 30th at 6pm, $ 2 0 Buy-in
COTTONWOOD RESTAURANT THURSDAY NIGHTS
Prime Rib Dinner Special, $ 1 7
SUMMER CHEVY
SONIC GIVEAWAY OR
TAKE $ 1 0 ,0 0 0
Friday, June 29th at midnight
Highway 26, Warm Springs I indianheadgaming.com I 541.460.7777
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