E Coosh EEWA: The way it is
Page 4
Spilyay Tymoo January 20, 2016
Letters to the editor
Many memories
Introducing lacrosse
Spilyay photo.
Lacrosse camp at Recreation.
On behalf of the
Warm Springs Community
Center Recreation Depart-
ment we would like to
thank the following people
and departments for par-
ticipating in the success of
the free lacrosse camp.
First and foremost Rick
Roy out of Burns. Rick is
with the Oregon Native
Youth Lacrosse. He has
helped start a successful
program with the Umatilla
and Burns Paiute tribes,
and in the near future here
in the Warm Springs com-
munity.
We did this clinic to in-
troduce the game of la-
crosse to the youth, to open
more doors for our
children’s future, and to
have new experiences and
challenges in this sport.
Lacrosse is a Native
American sport, and we
have so many natural ath-
letes. I believe this would
be a great sport to have
here.
Thank you Mike
Holyan of the youth
wellness program. Thank
you for your hard work
and dedication.
Thank you to Scott
Kalama with Tobacco Pre-
vention, Mykee Martinez,
At High Lookee
We at High Lookee Lodge
would like to take this time
to thank everyone who came
to the lodge and picked up
stars from our Star Giving
Tree. And thank you for all
the donations we received for
our residents.
They all had a good Christ-
mas, and it’s always a good
feeling to see our residents
happy.
We enjoyed being able to
spend time with them on
Christmas. It was awesome to
see the smiles on their faces.
We would like to thank
Alyssa Macy, Caroline Cruz
and the Warm Springs Li-
brary staff. Thank you Power
and Water Enterprises,
Charles Jackson, Anita Jack-
son, Kahseuss Jackson, Mary
Sando-Emhoola, Emhoola
Leighton Pennington,
LeiRon Picard, and Andy
Leonard with the Adoles-
cence Aftercare Program,
who provided the t-shirts.
Thank you Terry
Lomax with the k-8 Acad-
emy; Jefferson Greene and
his son Koa, who gave the
opening prayers and songs.
Thank you to the Museum
at Warm Springs gift shop
for their much appreciated
donations.
To the parents, grand-
parents and guardians,
thank you for allowing
your child, or children to
participate in the lacrosse
camp. Without the youth
this camp wouldn’t be pos-
sible.
I hope with having this
lacrosse program we as a
department and commu-
nity can open more doors
for our children’s future in
sports, education, and in
everyday life. Please look
forward to seeing more la-
crosse activities with us.
Lastly, thank you to the
Recreation staff: Carol
Sahme, Satch Miller, Ange
Bellanger, Naomi Brisbois,
Noreen Sampson and Aus-
tin Greene.
Tatum Kalama, Youth
Activities Coordinator.
Trucking. Thank you Brenda
and Charlie Strom, Chips
Kalama and Whitney Jackson,
Sarah Frank, Sara Ike,
Suyenn and Rickey Walker,
Myrna Heath, Jaime and Ja-
son Tohet, Teni Merchant,
Susan G., Ollie Smith, Sylvia
Ike, Lori Switzler and Rosie
Tom.
Thank you Mavis and Tif-
fany Shaw, and also the Early
Childhood Education center
kids for coming and singing
Christmas songs.
Thank you Fire Manage-
ment for our Christmas trees.
And thank you to our High
Lookee Lodge staff. Every
single one of you did your
part, and I appreciate you
guys so much.
And last but not least, our
lil’ elves that helped hand out
presents on Christmas. Thank
you!
High Lookee Lodge.
Spilyay Tymoo
(Coyote News, Est. 1976)
Publisher Emeritus in Memorium: Sid Miller
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
I missed hearing from
atwai Sid Miller this past
Christmas. I always looked
forward to his horse-themed
card and familiar handwrit-
ing arriving in my Portland
mailbox every year, even
though it was a reminder of
my own failings as a friend
and correspondent.
My former boss was so
good about staying in touch
during the many years since
I’d had the honor of writing
and photographing for
Spilyay Tymoo in the late ‘70s.
By the time I heard about
his passing on Facebook (the
modern equivalent of
Macy’s door, at least for far-
away folks), Sid had already
gone back to the earth on his
beloved ranch.
But I mourned in my own
way, and found comfort in
reading about his rich life in
the Dec. 9 edition of Spilyay.
I never expected but was in-
credibly touched to see my
name in that Howlak
Tichum as one of “Sidney’s
Angels,” as we were once
known.
Those three years on
Spilyay were some of the
most memorable of my life.
I’ll always be thankful to Sid
for letting this unknown kid
from Boston share her dark-
room skills with the Tribes’
brand-new biweekly.
When I started reporting,
he allowed me great freedom
to get acquainted with his
people and community on
my own terms. But he also
had to wrangle me on a regu-
lar basis, pulling back on the
reins and saying “Cynthia,
you’re getting ahead of your-
self,” which was my sign to
stop prancing and showing
off. I learned a bit of hu-
mility from Sid.
He was also my coach in
how to reconcile the modern
and the traditional in Warm
Springs culture, something
he’d done well in his own life.
Sid was a good example
of someone who had used
the government’s relocation
program to learn a trade in
an urban area, but doing it
on his own terms and bring-
ing his skills back to the res-
ervation.
After being tasked with
starting a community news-
paper, he gently walked the
fine line between tribal over-
sight and freedom of the
press, sometimes serving as
a
burr
under
the
administration’s saddle. I
imitated him in that, too!
There were also plenty of
moments of comic relief,
some not funny till years later.
The other “angels” and I
dreaded Fridays when it was
time to drive the newspaper
layouts to Prineville for print-
ing. Who would be the one
this week to have to ride
along with the speed demon
as he steered the tribal gas-
guzzler along 54 icy miles of
Highway 26? My knuckles
have never been whiter.
“Where’s Sid?” was a com-
mon daily refrain in the
Spilyay office in the old girls’
dor m. The myster y was
solved when one of us would
go down to the administra-
tion building to run an errand
or do an interview, and there
we’d find Sid making his
rounds, flirting with every
possible female employee.
Toe Ness!!
It was one of Sid’s con-
victions that any woman he
liked would be much happier
as “Mrs. Miller.” We would
all roll our eyes, but years later
Sid enjoyed a small victory
when I met a man named
John Miller and married him.
Forever after, Sid got a kick
out of calling me “Mrs.
Miller.” Yikes!
Sid was gracious when it
came time for me to leave
Spilyay and pursue my other
dreams (Faces of a Reservation
being one of them). We’d
had a good run—three years
of relentless deadlines, deci-
sions, and, yes, disagree-
ments—but Sid had the en-
ergy to keep it up for many
more years.
Long after I’d disappeared
into the Willamette Valley to
start my own Miller family,
Sid finally retired to the
Tenino Valley to “horse
around.” In his Christmas
cards he would tell me about
the latest fence he’d built or
the addition of another
grandchild to the family.
I saw him only a few
times—at my house, at a pow-
wow or feast or two, and
lastly at the dedication of the
new media center in 2009. I
always hoped to see Sid one
more time, maybe in his natu-
ral ranch habitat, but it didn’t
happen. And Christmas was
sadder this year because of
that.
Good healing wishes to
Sid’s family, and a happy and
prosperous 2016 to the
whole Warm Springs commu-
nity. Let’s stay in touch.
Cynthia Stowell
c.d.stowell@gmail.com
Heart Smart
The Heart Smart Dinner
is coming up at the Agency
Longhouse in February.
The dinner is sponsored
by the Diabetes Awareness
and Support Group, pre-
Happy birthday shout-out to Mersayus Hart, who
turned 11 this month. We love you ver y much 'Bug-
Bug'! Forever and ever! Always, always! Love, your
grandpa Darren, grandmas Mel and Lela, your
sisters, brother and auntie Dee!
Happy birthday
Amadeo Tewee! He
turned 3 this month.
We love you lots and
lots! More than lupatots!
Love, your grandpa
Darren, grandmas Mel
and Lela, your sisters
Adilia, Bug , K-bear,
LeAndra and your
auntie Dee!
sented by the IHS Warm
Springs Model Diabetes Pro-
gram, and the Senior Pro-
gram.
The Heart Smart Dinner
will be from 4-7 p.m. on Feb-
ruary 24. If you would like
more information on the
Heart Smart Dinner, or the
monthly Diabetes Support
Group dinners, call Jeri
Kollen, certified diabetes edu-
cator, 541-553-2478; or
email:
jeri.kollen@ihs.gov
Elder birthdays
The Senior Wellness Pro-
gram wishes a Happy Birth-
day to these elders with Janu-
ary birthdays:
Laura Grabner, Iva
McKinley Meanus, Robert
Sam Sr., Marcus Sooksoit,
Gilbert Kalama, Daniel
Macy Jr., Delphine Scott,
George Danzuka Jr., Patricia
Gold, Yvonne Tapedo, Carol
Cochran, Alfred Bagley,
Grant Clements Sr.,
Raymond Tsumpti Sr., Janis
Gunshow,
Cleta
Quieahpama.
Donald Wright, Dennis
Leonard, Michael Clements,
Elveta Steward, Bryon
Kalama, Antoinette Lillie,
Melissa Charley, Levi Bobb,
Lucille Geary, Deliah
Suppah, Brenda Scott,
Nor ma Heath, Gloria
Warner, Teresa VanPelt,
Rosetta Fuentes.
Donald Winishut, Keith
Charley Sr., William Kalama,
Anita Jackson, William
Stacona, Barbara Poncho,
Coleen Johnson, Venita
Adams, Franklin Switzler,
Emma Smith, and Earlynne
Squiemphen.
To Miss Warm
Springs 2016
Congratulations to the
new Miss War m Springs,
Keeyana Yellowman, to her
parents Merle Kirk and
Virgil Yellowman, and to her
grandma
Mildred
Queampts.
Thanks you to Shirley
Heath. I get Spilyay over
here in Eugene and was re-
ally pleased to see Keeyana
on the front page in her tra-
ditional dress and patlapah,
and drumming a song of
her own making in
Ishishkeen. Cool!
I’m sure she will go far in
her further studies in linguis-
tics, and in being a great rep-
resentative of the Warm
Springs Tribes and of tribes
in general.
Also, Congratulations to
Arlene Boileau on her retire-
ment, from ‘the woman in
blue,’ from long ago with
atwai Nettie.
Best wishes,
Gail Campbell
Casket business would help membership, tribal organization
At tribal Utilities are cas-
kets that the tribes have pur-
chased, and are available for
sale to tribal members.
The Omak caskets are
lined with Pendleton mate-
rial, and cost $1,000. We
have been buying them from
Dale Palmateer for a few
years.
A second group of cas-
kets are purchased from the
Yakama Warriors Society,
made by veterans. These are
lined with Indian-designed
fleece, and sell for $550.
Another option are cas-
kets made by Utilities with
no lining. These sell for $750.
Utilities staff can not con-
tinuously make these caskets.
In order for Utilities to
make them, the department
would have to pay overtime
for the workers who make
them. Currently, the Utilities
staff has been reduced over
the years from 90-plus work-
ers to about 35. And fund-
ing is not available for over-
time.
Adult tribal members re-
ceive $2,200 for funeral
grants. This covers, for ex-
ample, the outer box at $204;
a casket if purchased from
Vital Stats at $550-$1,000,
with the difference being paid
to the funeral home.
Presently, if using Autumn
Funeral Home in Redmond,
the basic fee will be $1,325.
This does not include the
marker, death certificate and
memory books.
If planning to use the Bel
Air Funeral Home in Madras,
the basic fee is approximately
$1,500.
We would like to know if
a tribal member is interested
in starting a casket making
business. We could check into
possibly working with the
Community Action Team, or
even Ventures, to see if there
is a possibility of starting a
new local business.
This would help the tribe
out tremendously. When we
order caskets from Omak, the
order takes approximately
two to three months, when we
order eight at a time.
When ordering the
Yakama caskets, this takes
approximately two to three
weeks for the eight.