Spilyay Tymoo, Warm Springs, Oregon
October 11, 2017
Page 3
Long-standing matter of jail condition
A new Warm Springs Jail
and police-dispatch building
is a priority project for the
tribes, law enforcement, and
for the BIA.
This project has, in fact,
been a long-standing prior-
ity. For some time now Tribal
Councilman
Raymond
Tsumpti has voiced concern
about the condition of the
jail, advocating for action on
the project.
The jail is several years
past its projected life expect-
ancy, Councilman Tsumpti
says. The facility was built
in 1985 with a projected use-
ful life of 25 years, or until
2010.
The jail and police-dis-
patch building is BIA-owned,
operated by the tribes
through the Public Safety
Branch. Warm Springs BIA
Agency Superintendent Lori
Anderson is working on how
to fund an updated tribal jail
and police-dispatch.
The BIA itself is facing a
possible 12-percent budget
reduction in the coming year.
But a possible funding
source is the U.S. Depart-
ment of Justice, through the
Dave McMechan/Spilyay
The wall of the entrance way to the police department and
jail (above); and over the front door of the facility (below).
BIA Office of Justice Ser-
vices, Ms. Anderson said.
Even in a best case sce-
nario, though, the process
could take two or more
years, starting with a feasi-
bility study, funding process,
planning, and so forth.
Meanwhile, the situation
in the jail at times becomes
unacceptable. An example:
Last winter the back-up gen-
erator went out leaving no
power during an outage.
There were no lights and no
heat. The inmates had to
move for temporary incar-
ceration at the Jefferson
County Jail.
The county sheriff ’s of-
fice was very cooperative,
but this and similar issues
with the jail can be costly to
Public Safety and the tribes.
Another example: There
is no tribal juvenile detention
facility. Instead, tribal police
transport juveniles to
Norcor at The Dalles. Driv-
ing back and forth from The
Dalles takes away from the
officers’ time on the reser-
vation, and leads to unavoid-
able overtime costs.
In the end the safety and
well-being of the corrections
officers and the inmates will
require some action. “What
we really need is a new build-
ing,” said Public Safety Gen-
eral Manager Stan Suenaga.
The existing facility, he
said, “absolutely needs work.
The infrastructure in the
building is wearing out.”
Up until now and for the
time being, though, the BIA
budget has allowed only for
reactive, “band-aid” fixes to
the problems.
Music at
arts festival
Musicians from Con-
federated Tribes per-
formed at the Fifth An-
nual Jim Pepper Native
Arts Festival.
The festival, at the
Parkrose High School
campus in Portland, is a
Native arts benefit event.
On hand from Warm
Springs were Brutus ‘Bigg
B’ Baez (MC), Foster
Kalama, Jericho and
Colton Trimble (flutes);
The Flying Eagle Band
with Kenman Miller; Blue
Flamez with Scott
Kalama, Levi Kalmaa and
Andy Fuentes; Quiltman,
Milton and T. Sahme.
James Greeley, 2017
nominee for two Native
American Music Awards,
perfor med with Blue
Flamez, a 2016 NAMA
winner last year.
The festival is in
memory of Native jazz
saxophonist Jim Pepper, a
pioneer in Native jazz fu-
sion. This year festival
founder Sean Cruz, and
environmental activist,
author and executive di-
rector of Honor the Earth
Winona LaDuke were on
hand for the Jim Pepper
Native Arts Festival.
Land buy-back
program gearing up
A large part of the
Cobell lawsuit settlement
went to a tribal land con-
solidation, or land buy-
back program. On the
Warm Springs Reserva-
tion this effort will be co-
ordinated by Randy
Scott.
Mr. Scott has been the
tribal land services ad-
ministrator in the plan-
ning department, but is in
the process of transfer-
ring to program coordi-
nator of the War m
Springs land buy back
program. His office will
be at the Media Center.
The Cobell settlement
was for $3.7 billion, di-
vided among tribes across
the country. Of that to-
tal, close to $2 billion
went to the land buy-
back program, which
each tribe administers for
its own reservation.
The purpose of the
buy-back program is to
reduce fractionated inter-
ests. On the War m
Springs Reservation, this
would apply to fraction-
ated interests in allot-
ments. As Mr. Scott ex-
plains:
The allottee process
began 50 or 60 years ago.
Originally, an allotment
would likely be given to
a single individual. Over
the succeeding genera-
tions, though, the heirs’
interest in the allotment
became fractionated.
It is not uncommon
for a person to have a
very small percentage in-
terest in a particular al-
lotment, in common with
several relatives. This ef-
fectively precludes de-
velopment, productive
use or sale of the prop-
erty in question, because
everyone with an interest
would have to agree to
the use.
The land buy-back
program would give fair
market value to each in-
dividual who has an in-
terest in an allotment,
plus $75. The $75 is an
added incentive for
people to participate in
the program.
The other reason to
participate is that it is in
the best interest of the
tribe. A goal of the buy-
back program is for the
Confederated Tribes to
reacquire the controlling
interest in allotted prop-
erties. This would allow
for a tribal determination
as to its best use.
Each person with an
interest in an allotment
has the option participate
in the program and sell
to the tribe, to sell to an-
other allottee, or to take
no action.
Community outreach
events on the buy-back
program are coming up
soon, Mr. Scott said.
Still time to vote for
Greeley for NAMA
Photos courtesy KWSO
Foster Kalama (above center) with Colton and Jericho Trimble perform at the
festival; and below, James Greeley, Scott ‘Blue Flamez’ Kalama and Andy Fuentes.
The Native American
Music Awards are this Satur-
day, October 14 at Niagra
Falls, New York.
James Greeley of Warm
Springs is nominated in two
categories at the Seventeenth
Annual Native American
Music Awards.
Mr. Greeley is a nominee
in the Artist of the Year cat-
egory, and Best Traditional
Recording. He is nominated
for his album Before America.
You can vote to help de-
termine the winners. Go to:
nativeamericanmusic
awards.com
Memorial ~ Stone Setting
William Kanim Smith Sr. ~ 1945-2016
A Memorial and Stone
Setting for William
Kanim Smith Sr. will be
at the Agency Longhouse
on Saturday, November
4, scheduled by wife/
widow Leona A. Ike-
Smith. Mr. Smith was
great grandson of Tulalip
Treaty Chief Pat Kanam
(namesake).
The Stone Setting will
be at 8 a.m. at the
Agency Cemetery, Ike
plot. Officiator is JoDe
Goudy. Following the
Stone Setting, return to
the Agency Longhouse.
One seven to follow (call
for drummers. Giveaway
and meal. The cooks are
Andrea White, Allison
Mitchell, Bernavene
Aguirre and Davida Boyd.