Spilyay Tymoo Coyote News, est. 1976 March 28, 2018 - Vol. 43, No. 7 March – Wiyalppt – Spring - Wawaxam PO Box 489 Warm Springs, OR 97761 ECR WSS Postal Patron U.S. Postage PRSRT STD Warm Springs, OR 97761 Now serving at the Plateau Travel Plaza The Confederated Tribes and In- dian Head Casino hosted the soft opening of the Plateau Travel Plaza last week. There was an opening for tribal members, and then the Travel Plaza opened to the public. The Grand Opening is set for Friday, April 6. This will feature many special events, from 10 a.m. until early afternoon. The Plateau opening was a wel- come and exciting day for the many who attended. “I’m especially encouraged by the staffing,” said Mavis Shaw, Gaming Commission vice chairwoman. “We have many tribal members on the staff.” The food was very good as well, Mrs. Shaw said. “I think this will be great—I’ve already heard many nice comments,” she said. The diesel and gas prices are very competitive, drawing many custom- ers; as have the gaming room, res- taurant and store. Long-haul trucks were already stopping there on the opening day. Tribal members receive a 5-cent fuel reduction at the Plateau. There could also be in-store dis- counts for members, as a system to accomplish this is being worked out, said Eric Angel, Travel Plaza gen- eral manager. Soon there will be the large sign at the entranceway along the high- way, as the details have been worked out with ODOT, Mrs. Shaw said. Cheryl Taylor photo Tribal Council Chairman Austin Greene (above, center) addresses the opening gathering, as Desirae Wallace, shift supervisor, holds the ribbon before the opening. Some of the features: Fuel dis- counts and reward points. Conve- nient location at 215 Cherry Lane, Jefferson County Industrial Park. Self and full service fuel stations. Seventy truck spots in a secure lot. Laundry and shower facilities. Home-style sit-down dining, and grand & go selections. Fresh hot coffee, and more. And at left, new signage along Highway 26 announces the Travel Plaza is now open. Members receive Cobell land buy-back offers Landowners from the Confederated Tribes of War m Springs are seeing nearly $3.7 million in offers for their fractional land inter- ests on the reservation. The offers from the Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations went out to 677 in- dividuals, according to the lat- est data. Participation in the buy- back is entirely voluntary. Inter- ested sellers have until April 24 to accept. The buy-back program is an opportunity for landowners to consider fair market value offers for their interests in fractionated land. The program is part of the Cobell settlement, which set aside nearly $2 billion—of the $3.4 bil- lion total settlement—for tribes to acquire fractionated interests on reservations in Indian Country. The goal is to remedy the frac- tionation problem, stemming from the previous policy of al- lotments. Through fractionation, parcels become owned by a growing num- ber of individuals, rendering them unproductive. The buy-back, administered by the Department of the Interiors in cooperations with tribes, is in- tended to help promote tribal self-determination. This could be accomplished as the tribal entity acquires the fractionated interests, and can then determine the best use of the property. Meanwhile, the War m Springs Buy-Back program has a new outreach specialist on board (see page 4 for details). Academy students illustrate new book of Ichishkín T he introduction to the new book—Conversation in Ichishkín— makes the observation: “Today, in 2018, there are only 22 language speakers of Warm Springs Ichishkín. By picking up this book and flipping through to view the beautiful artworks and lan- guage in written form, you are help- ing to build awareness of the dire need to save our languages for gen- erations to come.” Conversations in Ichishkín— dedicated to all who want to learn the language—was published this month, during March Literacy Night at the Warm Springs Acad- emy. The book is a project of fourth-graders and their teachers at the Academy, and the Warm Springs Culture and Heritage De- partment. Students in three fourth-grade In the process the fourth-grad- ers learned the phrases—their meaning and pronunciation: ‘My name is_____’ (‘Inmí wanícht násh wá_____’) … ‘Who are you?’ (‘Shin nam wa?’) … ‘Where are you? I am at Warm Springs.’ (Mná nam wa? ínash wa Warm Springspa.’) And the conversations con- tinue: ‘Mish nam wa? Ínash wa Níix…’ ‘Mná nam wáta?’… . (See Ichishkín on 5) classes—Ms. Bluebird, Mrs. Nelle and Mr. Marren’s classes—did all of the artwork for the book. Arlita Rhoan, Suzie Slockish and Jefferson Greene translated the phrases into the Native language. Warm Springs Academy fourth- graders with their copies of Conversation in Ichishkín: Ashlyn Wolfe, Jayda Allen, Peyton Frank, Wallace Herkshan and Daniel Jackson (back row l- r); Yamilie Adams, Roxy Crowe- Wallulatum Irenecia Smith- Queahpama (back row l-r). Pageant for Lil’ Miss Warm Springs Warm Springs Recreation is get- ting ready for the 2018 Lil’ Miss Warm Springs Pageant, coming up in April. Meanwhile, Recreation is hosting the Lil’ Miss Warm Springs programs on Wednesday evenings at the Com- munity Center Social Hall. “The girls are really making progress,” said Nor Sampson, of Warm Springs Recreation. They’re learning traditions of the tribes, and cultural and unwritten laws. They made tule mats a two weeks ago, and last week learned to make Wing dresses. The program starts at 5:45 on Wednesdays, and is open to the pub- lic. Parents often take part, and are encouraged to attend. The Lil’ Miss Warm Springs Pag- eant categories are: Lil’ Miss Warm Springs, 9-11 years of age. Junior Miss Warm Springs, 12-14 years of age. Senior Miss Warm Springs, 15-17 years of age. The 2018 Lil’ Miss War m Springs Pageant will be on Wednes- day evening, April 25 at the Warm Springs Community Center Social Hall. The current Lil’ Miss Warm Springs are Lil’ Miss Warm Springs Kiahna Allen, Junior Lil’ Miss Warm Springs Gigi David, and Senior Lil’ Miss Warm Springs Coreena Stwyer.