E Coosh EEWA: The way it is
Page 4
Spilyay Tymoo
March 16, 2016
Letters to the editor
Our tomorrows
Our beloved Creator has
opened the door to better
tomorrows. In all the turmoil
this last term, the people
were kept hostage and tor-
mented all due to leadership
pride of a few.
We, as a tribe, need to see
and expect better tomor-
rows. This election is so im-
portant, when you cast your
vote to the new Council, or
for the secretarial ballot for
the constitutional amend-
ments, remember and be
aware of the power and
strength of that vote and the
multi-generational impact it
has.
Remember the hopes and
dreams our past elders had
for us, today and their
dreams of better tomorrows.
Let us learn from the last
30 years of voting for people
based on blood, educa-
tion, popularity, and being
fooled by someone who
made you feel important un-
til they got your vote and you
became a stranger again.
Let us learn from all
those travel checks that took
food away from our elders
and children, and took
away jobs from families who
struggle with poverty.
Let us learn from politics
and how politics has no place
in our tribal nation—it’s a
poison like that of a rattle
snake and it slithers amongst
our people through gossip
and manipulation that causes
such an imbalance that the
bad keep getting away with
the bad.
Our way of life, our obli-
gation to our beloved Creator
and to our peoples can
change the scope of our fu-
ture.
Our young people, you
have amazed me in your vot-
ing strength to bring our con-
stitution to be updated. You
are our voting majority, you
are now the spine of our
people. You are the hopes
and dreams of our elders
long gone. That is how our
Creator intended and how
beautiful that is.
The path to create a lead-
ership that works in har-
mony is the key to better
tomorrows. The right de-
meanor and spiritual focus is
critical. If we vote in people
who are selfish, self-centered,
and spoiled we will continue
on this destructive path.
If we vote in more people
like our chairman and our
vice-chair, we will witness
such a burst of growth, we
will be set on a more hopeful
path. It will take time be-
cause it took 30 years to cre-
ate this mess, but keep faith,
there will be better tomor-
rows.
I feel it is important to
endorse those you believe
have such a demeanor, so I
will pass on these endorse-
ments:
Agency District: E. Aus-
tin Greene Jr., John Katchia,
Dan Martinez, Jason Smith,
Susan Guerin, Anita Jackson
and Glendon Smith.
Simnasho District: Evaline
Patt, Charles ‘Jody’ Calica,
Sylvester Sahme, Ron
Suppah, Emerson Squiem-
phen, and Orthelia Patt.
Seekseekqua District:
Bridgett McConville, Wendel
Jim, Lee Tom and Vesta
Johnson.
My father and ma used to
always say, “There was a time
when our Indian people al-
ways did what was right for
the tribe. Then the out-siders
came and brought politics.
Now to do the right thing is
often hard for those who got
so used to doing the wrong
at the cost of the peoples
future. One day, our Creator
will have enough of the evil
of politics and a new genera-
tion will be born who will get
us back on course.”
I see that today, and I pray
our young people will em-
brace the responsibility placed
upon them by our beloved
Creator.
Atawishamash, Leona
A. Ike-Smith (my grand-
mother was Agency District,
my
grandfather
was
Simnasho District, my family
owned land in Seekseekqua
District).
Seniors Day
The Twenty-Sixth Annual
Honor Seniors Day will be
May 13 at the Agency
Longhouse. Honor Seniors
Day is heralded as one of the
first Honor Seniors days in
the Pacific Northwest.
The idea originated with a
small group of local tribal
elders who wanted an event
especially for the elders.
Through the years this event
has grown to a major com-
munity event.
The average attendance
has been from 700 to 1,200
elders and locals attending
the daylong event. The
Honor Day is a full day of
events dedicated to honoring
seniors.
The event will showcase
the local area, such as Kah-
Nee-Ta High Desert Resort
and Spa, the Museum at
Warm Springs, Indian Head
Casino. And of course we get
to brag about our other en-
terprises, not to forget the
businesses in Warm Springs,
Madras, Redmond and Bend
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
who have supported our
event through the years.
A shuttle service is pro-
vided to all points of inter-
est, as a courtesy during the
event.
The Honor Seniors Day
Committee is requesting a fi-
nancial and logo item dona-
tion for our event. Any vol-
unteers you can provide will
be greatly appreciated.
For additional information
contact the Warm Springs
Senior Wellness Program,
541-553-3313 or 553-3520.
Sincerely,
Honor Seniors Day
Committee
For the kids
To all my tribal members in
the Warm Springs commu-
nity,
A recent phone conversa-
tion with my son caught my
attention by surprise when he
explained to me that he
needed to be picked up from
his skateboarding session just
to go to the restroom. When
I asked if there were
restrooms at the skate park,
he stated there were but they
were unavailable for use. To
put it in his exact words, he
referred to them as “rez bath-
rooms.” It was not a positive
response to say the least.
It makes me really said to
hear that something as simple
as an available toilet is out of
the reach to those practicing
a positive and healthy hobby/
sport such as skateboarding.
I sat down with two other
Warm Springs tribal mem-
bers (Mattie Spino and Kathy
Danzuka) to brainstor m
ideas to throw out there about
this simple problem. Mattie
brought up the vandalism is-
sue, which brings out the first
idea of utilizing the tribal in-
mates to tent to those
restrooms on a weekly basis.
Kathy thought of the idea
that this could be a commu-
nity service project. I myself
was wondering who is directly
in charge of those restrooms,
and if there is a budget issue.
Is there money that could be
raised to fix this?
As incarcerated parents,
Higher Education achievement
My name is Linda
Meanus. I am an elder
and tribal member of the
Confederated Tribes of
the Warm Springs.
Two of the main rea-
sons I moved to Portland
were for cancer treat-
ment, and I was also
searching for opportuni-
ties to further my educa-
tion.
Since coming to Port-
land State University, I
have been working to-
wards earning my Bach-
elor of Arts in Liberal
Arts. My minor is in Na-
tive American Studies,
also under the new name
of Indigenous Nations
Studies.
I will graduate in
Spring 2016. Before
coming to Portland State
I attended Bacone Junior
College in Muskogee,
Oklahoma.
Then in 1970 I earned
a Secretarial Certificate in
Office Procedures in San
Jose, Calif.
After moving to
Warm Springs I began
work at the tribal
prosecutor’s office, and
was also employed with
Workforce.
I realized I wanted to
increase my earnings, and
in 1998 I moved to Bend
to attend Central Oregon
Community College to
learn computer skills.
After working as an
office manager there, I
learned even more ad-
ministrative skills and
QuickBooks from Heald
College Business Admin-
we see things from a differ-
ent perspective. There is ex-
treme importance to having
healthy and positive activity
widely available to our chil-
dren. We need to focus on
these little things that help
magnify the important things
such as having fun in a com-
fortable and healthy way. We
need to encourage having fun
that does not include drugs
or alcohol.
istration School, where I
graduated with an Associate’s
Degree in Business Adminis-
tration in 2010.
From that point I was
even more motivated to fur-
ther my education. I had
enough credits to transfer to
Portland State University and
was accepted!
As a first generation stu-
dent I am grateful to TRIO,
and my advisors Rosalyn Tay-
lor and others who have
greatly supported and guided
me. They gave me the confi-
dence to go through this jour-
ney.
They have helped me find
opportunities for attending
the classes I needed to meet
my goals, and to get where I
am today. I could not
have done it without all
of these wonderful
people helping me along.
I am very excited,
and look forward to
graduation so I can be-
gin using all of these
experiences and new
skills on my pathway to
success.
I am deeply grateful,
appreciative and thank-
ful to TRIO for always
being available and en-
couraging me to con-
tinue and successfully
meet my educational,
professional and per-
sonal goals.
Thank you so much.
Linda Meanus
Sincerely, Susee Davis,
Kathy Danzuka and Mattie
Spino.
Financial skills
Found
A hearing aid was found
recently near the Kah-Nee-Ta
Golf Course. For informa-
tion contact Scott Kalama at
Community Counseling, 541-
553-3205.
The next Financial
Skills for Families series
will begin on April 2. If
you plan to open an IDA
Savings for home pur-
chase, business, educa-
tion, employment or
home renovation, you
need to take this course.
Call 541-553-3148 to
sign up.
From the Warm Springs Library
Local author featured in Community Read
The Thirteenth Annual
Jefferson County Commu-
nity Read is featuring the
book, Shaped by the Land, Sto-
ries of the rural American West
as told in the Dusty Dog Cafe.
The book is by local au-
thor, D. ‘Bing’ Bingham. The
audience will enjoy hearing
entertaining tales as they
might be told in a cafe where
the locals hang out in any
farming or ranching commu-
nity.
Throughout March and
April, Bingham will be giving
presentations about his book
at Warm Springs, Madras
and at Crooked River Ranch.
Students’ photo project
Students from War m
Springs Academy K-8,
Ashwood School, Jefferson
County Middle School and
Madras High School are par-
ticipating in a student photog-
raphy project, using digital
cameras on loan from The
Let’s Talk Diversity Coalition.
Students are reading sto-
ries from the book, and mak-
ing a connection to a story
that relates how they are
shaped by the land, their com-
munity, culture or family.
The author has been read-
ing selected stories to students,
as well as discussing the key
points of good photography.
Students will be showing
their photography at the Art
Adventure Gallery in the
month of April.
Opening night at the gal-
lery is set for Thursday, April
7, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Stu-
dents and families are encour-
aged to attend.
Books may be purchased
for $12 at the Warm Springs
Library, Jefferson County Li-
brary, Art Adventure Gallery,
the Jefferson County Cham-
ber of Commerce, Madison
Coffee House, the Let’s Talk
Diversity Coalition office,
and at any of the community
read events listed below.
The book is also available
for checkout at the Warm
Springs Library and the
Jefferson County Library.
Author presentations
The author will be at the
Art Adventure Gallery on
Thursday, April 7, from 5:30-
7 p.m. This opening night
event will feature photo-
graphs by the author and the
students who are participat-
ing in the community read
photo project. Snacks and
punch will be served.
The author will be at the
Warm Springs Library on
Friday, April 15 at 5:30 p.m.
All are welcome to enjoy an
author presentation about
Shaped by the Land.
Here are some other au-
thor presentation dates:
Monday, March 14, 10:30
a.m., at the Crooked River
Ranch Learn and Share meet-
ing. This will be held in the
CRR Senior Center.
Saturday, April 16, at the
Jefferson County Commu-
nity Read, from 7-8 p.m.
There will be desserts and
no-host adult beverages.
This will be at the Jefferson
County Library Rodriguez
Annex.
Many thanks to the spon-
sors of the Jefferson County
Community Read: Jefferson
County Library District,
Adele and Sumner Rodriguez
Fund of the Oregon Com-
munity Foundation, Jefferson
County Cultural Coalition,
Mountain Photo and Graph-
ics, and the Let’s Talk Diver-
sity Coalition.