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About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 19, 2018)
Spilyay Tymoo, Warm Springs, Oregon December 19, 2018 Page 5 The Middle Oregon Treaty of 1855 by Jim Zeender Senior Registrar, National Archives Exhibits Office That the exclusive right of tak- ing fish in the streams running through and bordering said reser- vation is hereby secured to said Indians; and at all other usual and accustomed stations, in common with citizens, of the United States, and of erecting suitable houses for curing the same; also the privilege of hunting , gathering r oots and berries, and pasturing their stock on unclaimed lands, in common with citizens, is secured to them. — Middle Oregon Treaty signed at Wasco, near the Dalles of the Columbia River, June 25, 1855 F or thousands of years, Native peoples of various tribes resided in what, in the 1850s, was known as the Oregon Territory. Their cultures were closely tied to the land, its waters, and the many forms of life it supported. In 1846 the Oregon Treaty, signed by the United States and the United Kingdom, settled the northwest border between the United States and Canada. More importantly, it set the stage for thousands of American settlers to swarm over what had been Indian lands. In 1853, Joel Palmer, the Bu- reau of Indian Affairs Superin- tendent for the Oregon Territory, negotiated a series of treaties with the tribes of the northwest to obtain much of their land and force them on to reservations. Under the provisions of the 1855 Middle Oregon Treaty, the tribes ceded 10 million acres to the Ruling puts Indian health law in question A federal judge who invalidated the Indian Child Welfare Act is- sued another controversial ruling that could devastate tribal nations. In a 55-page decision issued on Friday, Judge Reed O’Connor de- clared the entirety of the Afford- able Care Act to be unconstitu- tional. The law, enacted in 2010, in- cludes a permanent reauthoriza- tion of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act; so now the IHCIA has been thrown into an legal gray area. And just like the ICWA ruling, O’Connor did not attempt to de- termine whether he could save the IHCIA, which updates key pro- grams at the Indian Health Ser- vice, or other provisions of Obamacare that benefit Indian Country. Except for one sentence about tribal citizens who are exempt from the law’s health care insur- ance mandate, the decision did not address the federal government’s trust and treaty responsibilities. “American Indians and Alaska Natives have specific health cov- erage benefits and protections in the Health Insurance Market- place,” the IHS noted in a post on Facebook, reminding tribal citi- zens of the ability to choose to enroll in a health care plan. “Members of federally recog- nized tribes and ANCSA share- holders can enroll in a plan year- round, but this is still a good time to think about your health care needs,” the post continued, link- ing to an explanation of Obamacare’s Indian Country pro- visions. Unlike the ICWA decision, though, O’Connor did not impose an injunction that might otherwise suspend the Affordable Care Act so the law—including the IHCIA—remains in force. Califor- nia Attorney General Xavier Becerra is vowing to ensure it stays that way. Courtesy National Archives One of the Treaty signing pages. United States, and 578,000 acres were reserved for what became the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation. The Columbia River soon be- came a major east-west route for settlers and others traveling to the Pacific Northwest region. The land reserved at Warm Springs was a remote corner of the territory. One Wasco elder told Palmer, “The place you have mentioned, I have not seen. There [are] no Indians or Whites there yet, and that is the reason I say I know nothing about that country. If there were Whites and Indians there then I would think it was a good country.” --------------------------------------- In January of this year, we re- ceived a loan request from the Museum at Warm Springs to fea- ture the original 1855 Middle Or- egon Treaty in October 2018 as part of their Memor y of the Land exhibition. In her request, the museum’s former executive direc- tor, Carol Leone, wrote: “The Museum at Warm Springs exists as an answer to a question that has troubled Native Americans in general, and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs in particu- lar, for most of the past century. Can this nation’s indigenous peoples take meaningful steps on their own initiative, under their own control to halt the erosion of their tradi- tions, the dispersal of their sacred artifacts, and the loss of their very identify as a culture. After 25 years, the answer this question is, decid- edly, yes.” In the months that followed, many emails and multiple phone calls were necessary to explain NARA’s loan requirements and to work out logistical details for trans- port, installation, and security. See TREATY on page 8 May the good cheer last throughout the year! ~ Travis Bobb Ball fields (Continued from page 1) The soccer and softball fields together create the multi-pur- pose sports fields. There will be new fencing for backstops, fence lines and out- fields. The ballfields will have new restrooms, and a food con- cession building. Outfields will be grass. There will be walkways, players fabric shelters, and park furniture to include picnic tables and picnic shelters, plus players benches with backrest. Courtesy Bruce Irwin/CTWS Schematic drawing of the ball fiend project.
