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About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 5, 2012)
Septem ber 5, 2012 Spilyay Tyrooo, Wgrm Springs, O regon P ggeS Sen. says Crooked River law would not drop reservoir level Shoulder Work Dave McMechan/Spilyay Construction finished up a second part of the Highway 26 work by Indian Head Casino. While this work was going on, workers from Natural Resources cleaned up the trees and bushes along the highway by the Museum at Warm Springs. (AP) - U.S. Sen. Je ff Merkley said legislation he is sponsoring that aims to divide the water from the Crooked River among stakeholders would not be expected to sig nificantly decrease the water level in Prineville Reservoir. T he bill, supported by C onfederated Tribes o f Warm Springs, would allocate more water for the city of Prineville, allow for a hydro electric project below the res ervoir, and guarantee water supplies for irrigators. Sen. Merkley spoke last week to more than 50 Crook County residents. Many of them were worried that the senator's bill would drain the popular boating and fishing lake. Besides the tribes, the bill has the support of environ mental groups, irrigators, the city of Prineville and Crook County officials. The bill is co-sponsored by Sen. Ron Wyden. The house in June passed a similar bill spon so red by Rep. G reg Walden. Merkley's bill calls for the Bureau of Reclamation, the tribes and the Oregon D e partment of Fish and Wild life to decide how much wa ter— and w hen— is sent downriver from the reservoir to benefit fish. It's in the best interests of water managers to keep the lake full, Merkley said. If the reservoir is drawn down one year to benefit fish there could be insufficient water for the fish the following year, he said. More News from I i ’3n Country ■■»■■■Mi ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■I Burial ground developed as historical park FAIRBANKS, Ind. (AP) - The whirring sound of saws filled the air, but underneath, one could hear the beating of a drum. M inim um -security o f fenders from the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility were cutting w ood, deep along the back roads of ru ral Fairbanks w here the Sullivan County American Indian Council Inc. has estab lished a heritage site now re ferred to as Waapaahsiki Siipiiwi. Hugh Oxendine, a mem ber o f the council and of Lumbee Indian ancestry him self, was out helping clear the wooded site, excited about future developments there which include a museum, council headquarters and youth cam pgrounds. The group hopes to have those up and ready by next spring. “T here’s a lot o f really neat things happening out here,” he said near the mulched trails leading toward an ancient mound. 1 ,5 0 0 y e a rs a g o Last April, archaeologists from Indiana University vis ited the mound in conjunc tion with the council, per forming a dig at the site now believed to have been a K ickapoo Indian burial ground in use 1,500 years ago. The archaeological team found nearly 600 artifacts while there last year. Sen. John Waterman, R- Shelburn, walked through the woods wearing bibbed over alls, as he has since the project got under way a year and a half ago. O f E uropean ancestry himself, Waterman said simi larities between thé spiritual traditions of Native Ameri cans and Christians seem quite apparent to him. In fact, during the tenure o f P resid en t T hom as Jefferso n , explorers Meriwether Lewis and Will iam Clark w ere com m is sioned to find evidence link ing Native Americans to the “Lost Tribe o f Israel,” he noted. Today, some evidence suggests a DNA link between Hebrews and Native Ameri cans, he said, expressing his appreciation for the stories and lore of both. Among the artifacts dis- covered at the site were a Colt revolver from 1860, deer antlers w ith carvings, and pottery which carbon-dated back 1,500 years. It’s believed the Kickapoo Indians built the m ound for ceremonial purposes, and other groups have used it since. “Long before Terre Haute was even a dream in someone’s head,” he said. In homage to those tradi tions, the 10-acre site is be ing worked into a historical park. Entering the camp site from the road, one ap proaches a hand-made over pass leading to the mound. T he trail is covered with woodchips, lined by railroad ties donated by Indiana Rail Road. And along the path, beneath a canopy of trees, the “7 Grandfather Teach ings” are carved' into signs: truth, humility, honesty, brav ery, respect, love and wisdom. Medicine Wheel But it isn’t until one gets to the giant mound that be comes visible the “Medicine Wheel” built by council vol unteers and inmates from the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility. The circle, 70 feet in diameter, contains a cross di viding it into four equal parts. “It’s basically a spiritual in strument to guide their lives,” Waterman said, explaining the symbolism o f seasons, ele ments and faith. “These old medicine people are very in teresting people.” Cerem onies have been conducted there recently and more are planned, he said. D uring “the g randfather drum” ceremony, the vibra tions of hundreds of drums lining the circle draws the at tention of eagles, he noted. “There were three eagles the last time we did it,” he said. Working on the grounds provides him a sense of calm he finds comparable to that During “the grandfather drum” ceremony, the vibra tions o f hundreds o f drums lining the circle draws the \ attention o f eagles... of leaving church. Similari ties abound between Judeo- Christian traditions and those of the Native Americans, he Said. Oxendine said his Lumbee ancestry com es from his father’s side of the family, stretching back to N o rth Carolina. Today, about 35,000 people belong to that tribe, he said. The owner of C herokee D evelopm ent Builders in Terre Haute has helped access equipment for the work being done at the site. “I’m kind of new to the group,” he said, explaining he’s been active less than two years. “I’m an infant in learn ing about my ancestry.” As a state senator, Waterman carried the Native American Commission bill through the Indiana Legisla ture, a feat he recalled taking three years to achieve. Now defunct from “politi cal issues,” he said it still ex ists at the state level and could prove valuable if prop erly used. To access health care per federal guidelines, members of Native Ameri can tribes must return to their reservation, he said, adding some 60,000 tribe members reside in Indiana. With a func- tio n in g N ative A m erican Commission, those individu als could establish health care facilities or programs here in Indiana, keeping those dollars local, he explained. In addition to money and jobs, history too is at stake. “Indiana means ‘Land of the Indians’,” he said, point ing out the educational ben efits of working to maintain that legacy. And for the last year-and- a-half, substantial work has been under way. The property was a thick tangle of woods last April as archaeologists dug into the mound. But with the help of inmates from the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility, more than 500 trees have been cleared, trails blazed, rails built and gates erected. Resulting firewood has been donated to area families in need. “It’s all volunteers and do nations. Where there’s a will, th ere’s a way,” W aterman said. “I f it w asn’t for the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility, this wouldn't have happened.” Facility personnel Jacquie Mize and Jeff Hancock had eight inmates on a recent Sun day, wearing safety equipment as they mowed, chopped and raked. With six to 10 inmates each weekend since last April, Hancock said the total work hours donated add up to 19,968. “T hey’ve cleared this woods by hand,” he said. Shovels, rakes and axes were the primary tools of' choice as men loaded dirt- in wheel barrows and rolled it away. “They really enjoy the hospi tality of the people coming out here,” he said. Council m em ber Susan BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The D epart m ent o f Justice has awarded more than $1 million to four Native American tribes in the D akotas to enhance sex offender registra tion and notification programs. The North Dakota congressional delega tion announced last week that the grants have been awarded to the Three Affiliated T ribes of F o rt Berthold, the Turtle M ountain Band o f Chippewa Indians, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and the Spirit Lake Sioux Tribe. The congressional delegates say in a news release that the tribes will use the money to help im plem ent and comply with the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act of 2006, which seeks to close gaps and loop holes in sex offender registration and notifi cation programs. Please support \ vertisers y o u see Spilyay - They give i the local community We Like What We Do & You Will Too • SALES & SERVICE • INSTALLATION SHEET METAL W ORK O M P E T IT I V C D f i ÌENCY 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 PaiuteAve, Warm Springs. Or call 385-6944 Monday through Thursday between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. (at lunch from noon-1 p.m.) Tribes get $1 million in DOJ grants Petoskey said funds raised at the ninth annual Pow Wow in Shakamak State Park will go toward Waapaahsiki Siipiiwi. The site’s name comes from the Miami Indians’ spell ing of what locals now call the “Wabash River,” she said, explaining the substitution of “p” for “b” revolves around pronunciation. Waterman said the annual pow w ow regularly draws more than 3,500 people into the state park. Aside from gate fees there, the event is free to the public and is scheduled for Sept. 15-16. Petoskey noted that the Sullivan County American Indiana Council Inc. is a 501(c)(3) organization and donations are tax deductible. W hile considerable progress has been made since last April, the group still has more work to do and hopes to have the museum and edu cational programming up by next April. In addition to 15 Native American vendors and visitors from the tri-state area, a family of Aztec heritage will perform “fire dancing.” “It’s just a wonderful fam ily event,” she said. , The council has leased the property now known as Waapaahsiki Siipiiwi from In d iana-A m erican Power since November 2007 and recently signed an extension g o o d th ro u g h 2022, she said, meaning future genera tions will be able to share in the culture o f those long past. 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