E Coosh EEWA: The way it is
Page 4
Spilyay Tymoo
September 16, 2015
Letters to the editor
New van for dialysis program
Dave McMechan/Spilyay
Dialysis van drivers Emerson Squiemphen and Kim LeClaire with new vehicle.
The Warm Springs Community Health
Program has a new van that will be used
for transporting dialysis patients. Soon to
be in service, the van will make the trips
for dialysis more comfortable for patients
W.S. Extension
Warm Springs OSU Ex-
tension Family and Commu-
nity Health has a fresh sup-
ply of Clear Gel for home
canners.
Clear Gel is used to
thicken jams and jellies to
your desired consistency, is
easier to work with than pec-
tin, and cheaper than liquid
and will be able to accommodate patients
who are wheelchair bound.
Dialysis helps keep your body in bal-
ance when kidneys are failing. The pro-
cess removes waste, salt and extra water.
pectin.
It is used for pie filling,
and can also be used to nicely
thicken gravy. One bag is $4.
Stop by the OSU Office in
the Education Building dur-
ing office hours 8 a.m. to 5
p.m. to purchase yours.
Our next Pie Filling class
is set for September 18 from
10 a.m. until noon. Ques-
tions? Call 541-553-3238.
Thanks a bunch.
Beth Ann Beamer, Warm
Springs OSU Extension
Recent news
To my dear people,
I am writing to share a few
observations I noticed since
coming out of my drunken
stupor. It’s only been a couple
years without any mind alter-
ing substances, and in this
time of healing, in mind,
body and spirit, I am coher-
ent as opposed to being inco-
herent. As I read the Council
minutes, there seemed to be
a lot of information but then
again nothing informational,
if that makes sense. And
when I read the voting tally,
there is always someone “out
of the room.” This doesn’t
make sense , for someone to
be out of the room when
there are important decisions
being made on our behalf.
It is even more careless to
go ahead with decisions with
even one single vote excus-
ing themselves. What hap-
pened to the get out and vote
campaign? Every vote counts,
even a “no” vote. I’m sorry
if this seems like I’m nit pick-
ing, but even nits make lice…
I am doing my best to not
get stuck in the past and place
blame on anyone for any ac-
tions already in place. I hear
our Council is refusing to
move on from certain lapses
in judgment and our neigh-
bors-un-neighborly-attitude
towards our financial future.
I wonder what makes this
decision to place a truck stop
in Madras more acceptable to
our closest neighboring com-
munity. Did we get their bless-
ings and go through all the
research it takes to make such
a brazen move? We have to
learn from past hurdles and
look at this venture from all
angles, weigh the pros and
cons.
I do have a nagging ques-
tion to present to the people.
Are we a democracy?
Webster’s definition, Govern-
ment by the people, exercised
directly or through elected
representatives. Or are we
ruled by decree—an authori-
tative order, decreed to ob-
tain, establish or decide by
decree. The past is the devil’s
playground, as is the social
media. I choose not to use
either of them.
La-Wat La-Wat
Davis Stwyer Sr.
October Feast
The Museum at War m
Springs will be holding its
Twentieth Annual benefit din-
ner, October Feast, on Sat-
urday, Oct. 10.
Everyone is invited to en-
joy a festive evening, while
helping support museum pro-
grams.
The October Feast was
formerly known as the mu-
seum Huckleberry Harvest.
The evening will begin with
a reception, silent auction and
hors d’oeuvres. The silent
auction will be filled with
unique art.
Tribal member artists will
demonstrate their art, and
attendees will get a chance to
see how items are made, and
ask the artists questions.
Next will be a gourmet
buffet, which promises to be
a savory feast. The highlight
of the evening is the popular
oral auction.
To register please call 541-
553-3331; or register online
at:
museumatwarmsprings.com
COCC hall
The Warm Springs com-
munity is invited to the Resi-
dence Hall open house and
ribbon cutting at the Central
Oregon Community College
campus in Bend.
The open house and rib-
bon cutting will be from 3:30-
5:30 p.m. For information call
541-383-7700.
At High Lookee
Saint Charles Hospice has
been offering a free monthly
program for anyone who has
lost a loved one and would
like support in understanding
their grief.
Soup for the Soul will be
held once a month on a
Thursday at High Lookee
Lodge in Warm Springs.
A free lunch is provided
and all who have experienced
loss are welcome. The last
Soup for the Soul session is
this Thursday, Sept. 17 from
noon until 1:30.
Thank you for writing
to the Spilyay Tymoo!
A look back—110 years ago on the reservation...
(The following is an excerpt
from a lengthy article written in
1905 by then-Warm Springs
Agency clerk W. H. Bishop.
This except—written 100 years
ago, or some 60 years after the
Treaty of 1855—is reprinted
here for purposes of historical in-
terest. )
This reservation, named
from its principal river, was
set apart by treaty made in
1855, with the various tribes
of Indians living in Northern
Oregon, between the Cas-
cades and Blue Mountains,
which treaty gives the present
boundaries, no sale of any
part of the reservation ever
having been made.
Among the tribes men-
tioned in the treaty we find
the “Tiah” (later written
Tygh), who lived on and gave
their name to the river some
distance north of the reser-
vation—the “Wyam” living
near the mouth of the Des
Chutes and the Tenino living
about The Dalles.
These were all bands of the
Walla Walla tribe, and are now,
in a general way, called the
“Warm Springs,” and occupy
the northern part of the res-
ervation. There were also sev-
eral bands of Wascos, which
still retain their tribal name
and generally occupy the ter-
ritory adjacent to the agency.
Later a few Paiutes settled on
the reservation, and occupy
a tract in the southern part.
These Indians have two
standing grievances, originat-
ing at this time—the north-
ern boundary and the fisher-
ies. The treaty gave the Indi-
ans two years in which to ac-
cept this reservation or to
choose another. The head
men came out in 1857 to in-
spect this reservation, but
after going all over it were for
various reasons dissatisfied.
At length, returning home-
ward, they had passed off the
reservation and were at the
foot of Mutton Mountains,
where they stopped and held
a long council and finally pro-
posed to accept it if a due
east and west line run through
where they then stood were
made the northern boundary.
The government, however,
did not recognize this agree-
ment, but established the line
on the crest of the hill, as
called for in the treaty. This
has caused much ill feeling on
the part of the Indians.
The other grievance refers
to the Columbia river salmon
fisheries. By the terms of the
treaty of 1855, the Indians
were granted the exclusive
privilege of fishing in streams
that run through or border
the reservation, and in all
other streams, this right in
common with citizens of the
United States, which, in plain
words, gave them the right to
catching salmon anywhere in
the Columbia river.
In 1865, J.W. Huntington
came out as a commissioner
from the United States Gov-
ernment, and proposed a
supplemental treaty, restrict-
ing the Indians from leaving
the reservation without a pass
from the agent, to which they
agreed. By one section of this
supplemental treaty they
Spilyay Tymoo
(Coyote News, Est. 1976)
Publisher Emeritus: Sid Miller
Multi Media Specialist: Alyssa Macy
Managing Editor: Dave McMechan
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 489, Warm Springs, OR
97761.
Phone: 541-553-2210 or 541-771-7521
E-Mail: david.mcmechan@wstribes.org.
Annual Subscription rates: Within U.S.: $20.00
1930s era
photo of a
Civilian
Conservation
Corps camp
on the the
reservation.
From the
National
Archives
collection in
Seattle, as
provided by
the Warm
Springs
Forestry
Department.
agreed to relinquish their fish-
ing rights on the Columbia,
and they claim that this sec-
tion was never mentioned to
them, and that they signed the
treaty entirely ignorant that
they were giving up a valu-
able concession. We may add
that several of the early In-
dian agents severely criticized
Mr. Huntington for the part
he acted in this matter….
_____
This reservation is better
adapted to stock growing that
general farming, being bro-
ken and rocky but well wa-
tered. There are, however,
various small tracts, especially
along the water courses, well
adapted to farming, and on
such considerable land is be-
ing worked.
Nearly all the adult Indi-
ans are living on and working
their allotments to some ex-
tent, and a number of them
are quite extensively engaged
in farming and stock grow-
ing. The past year there were
raised 5,000 bushels of
wheat, 3,200 bushels of oats,
2,000 bushels of barley, be-
sides smaller quantities of
other grains and vegetables,
and about 1,500 of hay cut.
There are about 1,500
head of cattle owned by In-
dians, 200 hogs and 5,600
horses, most of the latter
being, of course, worthless
cayuses….
_____
Justice on the reservation
is administered by a Court of
Indian Offenses, consisting
of three Indians of good
character and judgment, be-
fore whom all cases, both civil
and criminal, come. The su-
perintendent in charge has a
veto over all their acts, but is
seldom used.
In civil cases, whenever
possible, the Court acts more
as a Board of Arbitration,
and by good counsel brings
the opponents to some com-
mon ground on which both
are willing to settle. If it is
impossible to bring about a
settlement, the Court renders
its decision, which is done by
each member expressing his
opinion in open court, and if
two are agreed, their decision
stands as the judgment of the
court.
In criminal cases the pen-
alty is usually a fine, which
may be paid by a term in the
agency jail at the rate of a
dollar a day of confinement
or $1.50 per day of confine-
ment with labor. The culprit
usually chooses to pay his fine
in cash, if there is any pos-
sible chance for him to get it.
The Court has yet to learn
to distinguish between de-
grees of guilt. We have known
it to fine a man $25 for bring-
ing whisky on the reservation
and giving it to another, and
then fine the other man $25
also for drinking it....
(Note, federal courts have
since found the “treaty of 1865”
void.)