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About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 5, 2018)
Spilyay Tymoo, Warm Springs, Oregon December 5, 2018 Fish platform decision draws opposition The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs—and other treaty tribes of the region—oppose a state decision regarding a fishing platform at Willamette Falls. The Yakama Nation and Con- federated Tribes of Umatilla join Warm Springs in opposing the state approval of the Grand Ronde fish- ing platform at the falls. The Grand Ronde have no treaty fishing rights. Yet, “Every time they gain back some sort of recognition—like getting permis- sion from the state for this plat- form—it creates a reality that they have certain rights,” said Louie Pitt, Warm Springs’ director of Gov- ernmental Affairs. Earlier this fall Oregon Depart- ment of State Lands director Vicki Walker approved the Grand Ronde plan to build the scaffold, made of metal and concrete. The state gave the approval without consultation with the Con- federated Tribes of Warm Springs. In a letter to the state, Warm Springs tribal attorney John Ogan wrote: “The Warm Springs Tribes are extremely disappointed by the con- duct of the state for their inexpli- cable departure from government- to-government consultation proce- dures.” After the treaty tribes voiced their opposition, the state recon- sidered the decision; and then in late November re-affirmed the ap- proval. A native perspective on climate change Jeremy FiveCrows, a spokesman for the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, remembers fish- ermen pulling sockeye from the Columbia River—fish that were infested with a strange white fun- gus. As he walked the banks of the river in 2015 near Celilo, the banks were choked with dead sockeye. “We would see whole schools con- gregating in cold-water refuge ar- eas,” Mr. FiveCrows said. “But they were trapped there.” It’s not just the fish, either. First foods—vital resources the tribes of the Pacific Northwest have relied upon for centuries—have been changing as well. Root harvests come earlier. The elevations at which huckleberries grow has been climbing. “We’ve been witnessing climate change effects a lot longer than most people have been aware,” Jer- emy says. “Being so connected to the land, it’s made us much more aware of the changes that have been invisible to a lot of people.” Indigenous knowledge systems can play a role in advancing un- derstanding of climate change, and in developing more comprehensive climate adaptation strategies. This knowledge is valuable in part be- cause a focus is on understanding relationships of interdependency, relying on multi-generational knowledge of ecosystem phenol- ogy—the study of cyclic and sea- sonal natural phenomena—and ecological shifts. Indigenous adaptation planning, including considerations of issues such as flooding and water rights, benefits from a greater focus on participatory planning in natural re- source management. This planning incorporates lo- cal knowledge and values from conception through implementa- tion in ways that ensure the pro- tection of indigenous knowledges, and indigenous peoples’ rights not to share sensitive information. In this way, traditional ways of know- ing are contributing to sustainable land management practices under changing environmental conditions. The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, through the Natu- ral Resources Branch, has com- pleted many Report critical of federal prosecution rate In 2017 the U.S. Department of Justice declined to prosecute more than a third of cases re- ferred to them in Indian Country. A recent report reveals that U.S. attorneys’ offices left 37 percent of referred cases from Indian Country unprosecuted in 2017. Federal crime data has long suggested that Indian reservations have higher rates of violent crime than the national average, espe- cially when it comes to violence against women. Of the cases that went unpros- ecuted, over a quarter were alle- gations of sexual assault against children and adults. Page 7 Tribal housing at river going forward The tribal housing project at the Columbia River has re- sumed. The decision by the federal government comes after more than a year of delay. The obligation to build the housing dates back more than 80 years, when tribal housing was flooded by dams on the Columbia. The Oregon and Washing- ton Congressional delegation sponsored the bill that would provide the funding for the housing. This was done with support from the Confeder- ated Tribes of Warm Springs, Yakama Nation, Umatilla and Nez Perce. The Columbia River Inter- Tribal Fish Commission has been another advocate. With the funding in place, the Corps of Engineers can plan the housing construction. At that point funding would be needed for the actual construc- tion. Meanwhile, a separate bill is proposed that would fix the ex- isting 31 fishing sites on the Columbia. The sites are main- tained and operated by the Co- lumbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, which took on the task because no one else was doing it. The fish commission largely focuses on salmon res- toration and managing tribal fishing on the Columbia River. The money to maintain the sites is quickly running out be- cause it was created with esti- mates that undercounted how many people would use the sites. The Columbia River In-Lieu and Treaty Fishing Access Sites Improvement Act would allow the U.S. Bureau of Indian Af- fairs to evaluate what improve- ments are needed at the sites and how much money it would take to bring them up to a safe, sanitary standard. The bill has already passed out of the Senate and is with the House, awaiting a vote. From there, it would go to Presi- dent Trump for approval. Native woman missing in Wash. after going to casino two months ago Rosenda Strong, a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reserva- tion, has been missing for al- most two months in Washing- ton state. Strong, a 31-year-old mother of four, went to the Legends Casino on the Yakama Nation on October 2. She hasn’t been seen by family since. “Bring her home! That’s all anybody ever wants,” Roxanne White, an advocate for miss- ing and murdered Native women and girls, said at a prayer walk and vigil for Strong on the reservation. A new law in Washington re- quires the state to identify Na- tive women who have gone missing. A report is due June 1, 2019, in hopes of address- ing what advocates have called an epidemic. A Year in Review ~ 2018 ~ “You have to have a positive mind set and a good heart to ac- complish that,” said Scott Kalama at Prevention. January T he year began with the crown- ing of Miss War m Springs 2018 Thyreicia Stimtustus. The Miss Warm Springs Pag- eant was a part of Thyreicia’s busy schedule. She goes to college in Bend two days a week, studying to become a professional helicop- ter pilot, and was working in Prineville on the other weekdays. The tribal royalty part of her new position—skill at horseback riding, for instance—will be famil- iar to Reicia: She was the 2017 Miss Lincoln’s Birthday Powwow Queen, and the 2014 Miss Pi- Ume-Sha Princess. Thyreicia is a 2017 graduate of Madras High School. Thyreicia now goes to Central Oregon Com- munity College, where she studies in the COCC Aviation program, focusing on commercial helicop- ter piloting. Thyreicia became the Forty- Second Miss Warm Springs. As an ambassador of the Confeder- ated Tribes, she represents Warm Springs at powwows and other community events. In other news from January 2018: The New Year saw job fairs hosted by the Plateau Travel Plaza and Indian Head Casino. Jobs are available at the casino, and soon will be open at the Travel Plaza, set to open in early spring. Elsewhere this month: The school district 509-J is en- A remote camera set up in the forest and monitored by the tribal Branch of Natural Resources shows two wolves on the Warm Springs Reser vation. This is the first time multiple wolves have been confirmed in the northern portion of the Oregon Cascade Mountains, since the ani- Jayson Smith photo/Spilyay Miss Warm Springs 2018 Thyreicia Simtustus is given the crown by Miss Warm Springs 2017 Katrina Blackwolf. gaging Warm Springs families in developing Impact Aid Indian Policies and Procedures. The district conducted a survey about the draft policies and procedures. Results were shared in early Janu- ary with the Warm Springs com- munity. And this: Tribal Council began the year with enterprise updates—including the latest on Kah-Nee-Ta Resort. Elsewhere: One of the memorable activi- ties at the Winter Prevention Camp was the building of a natu- ral fire, using only sticks and a bow strung with parachute chord. From Warm Springs, Silas Howtopat was able to get the fire going. mals returned in the late 2000s. Confirmation of multiple wolves together is significant. There have been many reported sightings over the years of single wolves in the region. A single wolf traveling alone could indicate the animal is moving through the area, looking for a more permanent ter- ritory. More than one wolf—a pair or pack—could indicate the animals are living in the region more per- manently, and possibly breeding,.
