Spilyay Tymoo
Coyote News, est. 1976
February 15, 2017 - Vol. 42, No. 4
February – A’A’mi-Ushatch – Winter - Anm
Travel Channel features traditional foods
T ribal Councilwoman Brigette
McConville and family last sum-
mer hosted the crew from the
Travel Channel’s Bazaar Foods
with Andrew Zimmern.
The Bazaar Foods crew filmed
Brigette, and daughters Annalise
and Rosebud, with Mr. Zimmern
at the Columbia River, and then
with Brigette and family at her
house in Seekseequa.
The segment at the residence
featured a meal of many traditional
foods, hosted in the longhouse at
Brigette’s house. The Travel Chan-
nel premiered this episode last
week.
Bazaar Foods, in its tenth sea-
son, features Zimmern traveling to
communities around the world
sampling the interesting and some-
times bazaar foods of the local
people, who demonstrate how the
Courtesy McConville family
Andrew Zimmern of the Travel Channel’s Bazaar Foods and Tribal
Councilwoman Brigette McConville at the Columbia River with salmon.
foods are traditionally prepared.
The premise of the episode
that premiered last week was to
Vets housing matter
at Tribal Council
Any tribal member veteran who
is homeless, or at risk of becom-
ing homeless, could qualify for
housing assistance.
The veteran can qualify if he
or she, out of necessity, is living
with family members. And the as-
sistance, through housing vouch-
ers, can help the veteran’s family
as well. The housing options are
not limited to just the reservation.
The voucher program is a co-
operative program among the
Warm Springs Housing Author-
ity, Housing and Urban Develop-
ment, and the Veterans Adminis-
tration.
HUD and VA representatives
joined Warm Springs Housing this
week in presenting details of the
program to Tribal Council, who are
very supportive.
Basic points: A veteran quali-
fies if he or she qualifies for Vet-
erans Administration benefits.
Warm Springs is the only tribe
in the state, one of 26 in the na-
tion, to offer this service available.
And it is new program:
So far, Warm Springs Housing
has helped two veterans to find
homes.
Yet there is funding available to
help up to 20 veterans and their
families, said Matt O’Leary, from
the Bend office of the Veterans
Administration Supportive Hous-
ing program.
It is important for the tribes to
utilize this program as much as
possible, in order to help ensure
that it continues in the future.
Anyone wanting more informa-
tion on this program, call Jonathan
Smith at the Warm Springs Hous-
ing Authority, 541-553-3250.
follow the Lewis and Clark Trail,
finding the interesting foods along
the way.
They traveled along the Co-
lumbia, stopped in Warm
Springs, then went on to the
Oregon Coast. The central fea-
ture of the episode was the seg-
ment with Councilwoman
McConville and family.
At the river, the foods they
sampled were fresh caught
salmon, including roe cooked on
coals, salmon head, eyes, dried
salmon, etc. They also tried the
lamprey eels.
During this segment,
Zimmern comments on some
of the history of the river: How
the tribes were removed from
the Columbia to the reservation,
how the hydro dams changed the
river, and how the eels are now
a species of concern.
(See BAZAAR FOODS on 8)
Interesting business
idea for tribes, KNT
Tribal Council this week
heard a proposal that could
bring several thousand people
to Kah-Nee-Ta for a trade fair.
According to the group’s re-
port, each guest would spend
about $600 during the week-
end. So the revenue involved
is an estimated $300,000.
The gathering could happen
in Kah-Nee-Ta’s off-season,
such as in October, helping the
resort to turn its finances
around. Individual tribal mem-
bers could also find some eco-
nomic opportunities during the
weekend.
The presentation at Tribal
Council was made by High
Times magazine and partners in
the project, called the Cannabis
Cup.
The High Times Cannabis
Cup is the world’s leading trade
show of its kind. The show has
been happening since the 1980s.
This year there are Cannabis
Cups coming up in Las Vegas,
and in Southern and Northern
California. Sameen Ahmad of
High Times invited any inter-
ested Council members, or oth-
ers, to attend one of the shows,
so they can see the type of event
she is taking about.
At Council a number of
tribal members spoke in favor
of the idea. And the Tribal
Council is interested in learning
more about the opportunity.
Council appointed Council-
woman Carina Miller to work
with the Cannabis Cup organiz-
ers in developing a more detailed
proposal for further Council re-
view.
Lincoln’s turns 40
PO Box 489
Warm Springs, OR 97761
ECR WSS
Postal Patron
U.S. Postage
PRSRT STD
Warm Springs, OR 97761
Tribes visit
with Rep.
Walden
Tribal member health care,
funding issues with the BIA, natu-
ral resources, and the tribal cannabis
project were among topics tribal
officials talked about last week
with Congressman Greg Walden.
The Congressman, Republican
from Hood River, represents
Oregon’s Second Congressional
District. The district, one of the
largest in the nation, includes the
eastern two-thirds of the state.
The future of the Affordable
Care Act—in particular in regard
to tribal members—was the first
topic up for discussion last week
with the tribal officials.
Tribal Managed Care director
Mike Collins said the tribes would
best be served if the Indian Health
Care Improvement Act were to
continue into the future.
The Indian Health Care Im-
provement Act is currently included
as part of the Affordable Care Act
(ACA).
Separating the Indian Health
Care portion from the ACA may
be an approach the tribes could
support, Mr. Collins said.
The future of the ACA is cur-
rently not clear, as there have been
suggestions to repeal and replace
the law.
Between 80 and 90 percent of
Warm Springs reservation residents
are covered by the Medicaid Ex-
pansion aspect of the ACA, Mr.
Collins said.
Removing this coverage would
obviously have a major impact on
the tribes.
Rep. Walden said he is in favor
of protecting the Indian Health
Care Improvement Act.
He has also proposed legislation
that would maintain the ACA’s cov-
erage guarantee for people with
pre-existing conditions. And he sup-
ports the ACA’s ban on lifetime
coverage limits, and the provision
that allows a young person to stay
on the parent’s policy until the child
is 26.
Warm Springs Jail
Jayson Smith
photos/Spilyay
L incoln’s this year marked the Fortieth Anniversary of
the
powwow. Hosted by the Simnasho community and the Powwow
Committee, the weekend featured traditional dance competitions
and specials, tribal drums, Grand Entries, a One-Man Hand
Drum contest, and vendors. (Look for results in the next Spilyay
Tymoo; more Jayson Smith powwow photos on 8.)
The tribes met with Congress-
man Walden, and his policy advi-
sor and Central Oregon office di-
rector Nick Strader, in the Council
chambers last Thursday, February
9.
Following the health care discus-
sion, Public Safety General Man-
ager Stan Suenaga discussed an is-
sue concerning the BIA: The Warm
Springs jail, built in the mid 1980s,
is years past its projected lifespan,
Suenaga said.
As a BIA facility, the agency has
responsibility for the condition of
the jail. Currently, there are basic
safety and livability issues at the jail
that need to be addressed, with the
best solution being the construction
of a new facility.
(See CONGRESSMAN on 3)