June 27, 2012
Spilyay Tymoo, Warm Springs, Oregon
Page 8
Author continues career with Master’s degree
B y Duran Bobb
“ The wisdom of
our ancestors is
always there,
and I try to
listen to that... ”
Spilyay Tymoo
E liz a b e th Woody rem em
bers an article that she read
some time back, in which the
BIA Superintendent was giv
ing a tour to governm ent of
ficials.
O ne o f the officials com
mented on the lives o f Indi
ans-—that it might be a good
idea to get some o f them off
o f the reservation to see how
the real world operated.
“T he one Indian turned
around and said, ‘See, sonny,
I ’ve m et your queen and I ’ve
clim bed the E iffel Tower.
N ow tell m e w here you’ve
been.’”
In 1990, Elizabeth won an
American Book Award for her
book H and Into Stone. A t the
time she was a professor o f
creative writing at the Insti
tute o f American Indian Arts
in Sante Fe, New Mexico.
But her story doesn’t end
there.
She is now on the board
o f directors for Soapstone, a
Willamette University Advi
sory Council for Native Pro
grams. She advises the E v
ergreen State College Native
Arts Council.
Duran Bobb/Spilyay
Elizabeth Woody recently earned Master’s degree.
She has worked as the di
re c to r o f th e In d ig e n o u s
L e a d e rsh ip P ro g ra m at
E cotrust o f Portland.
She is a k-12 program co
ordinator.
Last week, Woody gradu
ated with her Master o f Pub
lic Administration degree at
the Hatfield School o f G ov
ern m en t at P o rtlan d State
University.
Thèse are amazing accom
plishments, for a-former stu
dent who was expelled from
Madras High.
Luck and hard work
“Four weeks before gradu
ation, I was given the choice
o f e ith e r ap o lo g izin g fo r
something th a t! didn’t do, or
leaving,” Woody says. “So I
left.”
T hat year the 509-J super
in ten d en t com m ended the
principal o n having a student
like Elizabeth Woody. A t the
time, English teachers asked
her to submit entries into an
O reg o n w riter’s w orkshop
contest.
“I sat on the back porch
o f our H U D house in West
Hills and wrote some poetry,”
she said. “A nd that was right
before I g ot kicked o ut o f
school.”
Since th en , W oody has
w o rk ed h a rd to earn h e r
place. B u t every no w and
then luck plays a key role.
H e r firs t m a n u s c rip t,
H and into Stone, was stolen
from her car just before she
submitted it for publication.
“I w ent to give someone a
ride, and when I got back to
my vehicle I found my brief
case was gone,” she says.
Beading
class at
museum
“We scoured the neigh
b o r h o o d a n d lo o k e d in
dum psters. I was heartbro
ken! Things were tough, and
I was living in a single-oc
c u p a n c y d w e llin g a t th e
tim e.”
Shortly after, luck came.
“I got a call telling me that
som eone found my m anu
script in an empty lot,” Woody
said. “The police had p ut the
pages back to g e th e r, and
there was a big b oot print on
the fro n t... like the police
stamp o f approval.”
Woody says that’s just how
her life is...unusually amaz
ing.
E arning her MPA is just
another step towards reach
ing her goal. “I’ve learned
that there’s always going to be
people who don’t w ant you
to do w hat you’re doing-“ ',
w h e th e r th a t’s fam ily or
friends or your town or your
high school. B ut the wisdom
o f o u r ancestors is always
there, and I try to listen to
that, to guide me towards the
right thing to do. It’s not al
ways easy.”
E lizabeth W oody hasn’t
climbed the Eiffel Tower yet.
“B ut it’s on my list!”
T h e M useum at
Warm Springs is offer
ing a beadw ork class
for young adults. The
class will be for youth
ages 12-21, featuring
bead artist M ercedes
Miller. The classes will
be from 1-5 p.m. in the
museum lobby on July
10-13.
For registration call
R o salin d S am p so n ,
m u seu m E d u c a tio n
co o rd in a to r, at 541-
553-3331 ext. 407. O r
come by the museum
to sign up.
<
Baby board in unique category
“A ll baby b o a rd s are
unique,” Bobby Smith says,
“But this one is extra special.
It’s in a special category.”
Smith is talking about a
b aby b o a rd th a t T e rrry
Stradley made recently for a
friend w ho has a new-born.
E a rlie r th is year, th e
grandfather o f the child pre
sented Stradley with the fur
from a bobcat. She then used
some o f the fur to decorate
the board.
The cradle board also has
a rodeo them, beaded in black
and white. The father o f the
new-born, Spud Smith Jr., is
a wild horse racer.
S trad ley w o rk s as th e
weigh m aster at the W arm
Springs Forest Products In
dustries log scale station. She
does beadwork in her spare
time, and has entered items
in shows at the M useum at
W arm Springs.
She w o rk ed a b o u t tw o
m onths on the baby board
with the bobcat fur.
Hogan Riley Wason
W illiam W ason and
Effie Gofedlance o f Warm
Springs are pleased to an
nounce the birth o f their
d a u g h te r L o g an Riley
Wason, born on June 15,
2012.
Logan joins b ro th ers
Ivan and Pete, and sisters
Terry Stradley with board;
and detail of rodeo
beadwork.
,
'
'
J
Cherise, Kayla and Adison.
G ra n d p a re n t o n th e
fa th e r’s side is T eresa
Thom son o f Madras.
G ra n d p a re n ts on th e
m other’s side are Bruce and
B a rb a ra Jim o f W arm
Isaac Culps Jr., born on
June 12, 2012.
R o n n ie joins sisters
S parkles W illard and
Keisha Culps.
G ra n d p a re n t on the
fa th e r’s side is Jerom e
Springs.
Culps Sr. o f Madras.
Hila Danielle Caldera
A aron Ray Caldera and
N ak ia M arie C ald era o f
Warm Springs are pleased to
announce the birth o f their
d a u g h te r E lla D an ielle
Caldera, b o rn o n Ju n e 12,
2012.
E lla
jo in s
b ro th e r
K ristopher, and sister Anna
Marie.
G ra n d p a re n ts on th e
fa th e r’s side are R ebekah
Main and Raphael Caldera.
G ra n d p a re n t o n th e
m o th e r ’s side is R om an
Su'ppah.
Ronnie Isaac Culps Jr.
Ronnie Culps Sr. and Skyla
T hom pson o f Warm Springs
are pleased to announce the
b irth o f th eir son R onnie
G randparents on the
m other’s side are Corinna
Sohappy and Morris Holi
day, b o th o f W arm
Springs.
Koda Em m ett Boise
Young Phillip Boise and
Sasha Raelynn Caldera of
Warm Springs are pleased
to announce the birth o f
their son K oda E m m ett
Boise, b o rn on Ju n e 4,
2012.
G randparents on the
father’s side are atwai Leah
Boise and David Montiel-
Valdez o f Madras.
G randparents on the
m o th er’s side are Angel
W ells an d L aw rence
C ald era J r., o f W arm
Springs.
Memorials
To family, friends and rela
tives,
A memorial and grave
site services will be held on
June 30, 2012 starting at
7 a.m. at the Warm Springs
Shaker Church. The m e
morial and grave site ser
vices will be for:
Hucille “Huey” Williams,
guest speaker William Sam and
Jennifer Smith.
Nathan “Big N ” Williams,
guest speaker Tom Strong and
Bobbi Suppah.
Spencer W ard “M agoo”
Poitra, guest speaker Hevi
Herkshan and Heslee Poitra. .
(G u est speakers, please
Julian Silas Williams,
guest speakers J R Smith and contact the family if you can
n o t be there. Thank you.):
Geri Jim.
Bare with us in the small
Roberta Jean “B ir d ”
Bruce, guest speakers H any sp ace, as th e A gency
L o n g h o u se w as alread y
and Neda- Wesley.
booked.
Albert Comedown.
A fter the gravesite ser
vices, we will return to the
S h ak er C h u rc h fo r a
Shaker Song and to shake
hands.
A dinner will be served
by o u r h o n o re d c o o k s /
Ja n ic e C lem en ts, M illie
Colwash and their willing
assistants.
Giveaway to follow.
Respectfully,
W illiam s fam ilies,
Alberta Comedown and
fam ily, M aggie Silva
and children, Lester
Poitra and children.
Legal Aid Services of Oregon provides free assistance to low-income Oregonians in
many civil cases. Speak with an attorney during drop-in hours 1 to 4 p.m. on the first
Monday of the month at the Warm Springs Community Action Team building, 1136 Paiute
Ave, Warm Springs. Or call 385-6944.
,
Births
Furious TickBelly
Spino-Hucei
Erickson Lucei Sr. and
Crystal Spino o f W arm
Springs are pleased to an
nounce the birth o f their
so n F u rio u s T ickB elly
Spino-Lucei, born on June
18, 2012.
Furious joins bro th er
JR, and sister Raylyn.
G randparents on the
fa th e r’s side are D avid
L u cei o f M ad ras, an d
F lo ra F ra n k o f W arm
Springs. |
G randparents on the
m o th er’s side are T rudy
T h o m p so n o f C rescent
City, Calif.; and the late
■ Wesley Spino o f W arm
Springs.
by Dave McMechan
Warm Springs Fire
Management is wishing
everyone a fun and safe
Fourth of July next
Wednesday.
Fire Management re
minds young people:
Use firew orks out
doors only.
Always have water
handy (a garden hose or
bucket of water).
Only use fireworks as
intended. Don’t try to al
ter them or combine
them.
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