Spilyay Tymoo
February 27, 2019 - Vol. 43, No. 5
Coyote News, est. 1976
Wiyak’ik’ila – Winter - Anm
PO Box 489
Warm Springs, OR 97761
ECR WSS
Postal Patron
U.S. Postage
PRSRT STD
Warm Springs, OR 97761
Members speak in favor of state carbon legislation
T he Confederated Tribes are
familiar with state efforts to
limit green house gas emissions.
The state of California en-
acted a carbon-reduction law
some years ago, and the Con-
federated Tribes now partici-
pate in the program.
The tribes manage areas of
the reservation forest to en-
hance carbon reduction in the
atmosphere. This serves as an
offset for a California company
that exceeds that state’s limit on
the amount of the emissions.
The tribes are compensated
for this effort, a successful ven-
ture, and one of the more im-
portant financially in recent
years to the tribes.
The Oregon legislature is
considering a similar law, called
House Bill 2020. In the past
the tribes have advocated for
such legislation. Regarding the
latest bill, individual tribal mem-
bers have so far commented
in favor.
In Central Oregon there will
be a chance to comment to
lawmakers on the proposal.
Tribal youth among first to testify at hearing
A t 11 years of age, Kiahna
Allen already has a good idea
of what she would like to do in
the future.
Kiahna listens to and learns
from the elders she knows in
the community. They have
taught her the primary impor-
tance of water.
Kiahna also has a gift for
public speaking. She would like
to put the two things together
and become an environmental
lawyer, specializing in water law.
This is a well-thought and
long-term goal for a sixth-
grader at the Warm Springs
Academy.
Kiahna also plays basketball
for sport but her real interest is
in political and legal advocacy.
Her brother Kiellan, 10, is
kind of the opposite: He ex-
The Oregon Joint Carbon Reduc-
tion Committee will hold a public
meeting on HB 2020 this Satur-
Courtesy Lorien Stacona
Kiahna Allen speaks at the state hearing on the carbon bill.
cels at sports, especially basketball,
but doesn’t find the politics as in-
teresting.
Leaders in the community of-
ten take Kiahna to public events—
the Treaty Conference, for in-
stance—where she participates in
the discourse.
Most recently, Tribal Council-
woman Carina Miller traveled with
Kiahna to a session of the Oregon
legislature, where the Joint Carbon
Reduction Committee was taking
testimony on House Bill 2020.
day, March 2 in Bend at the Cen-
tral Oregon Community College
campus, Cascade Hall room 246-
248.
House Bill 2020 has many
strong advocates among Oregon
Kiahna was on the first
panel to testify. She spoke
of her elders’ teachings
on the importance of a
healthy environment.
“We already see the ef-
fects of global warming
on our roots, berries and
salmon,” Kiahna said.
The state’s decision re-
garding HB 2020, she
said, will certainly affect
her own and future gen-
erations.
Kiahna is the daugh-
ter of Lorien Stacona,
Health and Human Ser-
vices tribal targeted case
manager; and Gordon
Scott, liaison with the
Oregon Health Sciences
University.
Dave McMechan
residents and lawmakers. There
is also significant opposition, so
the fate of the bill is unclear.
March vote on proposed automatic enrollment adjustment
The membership on March 15
will decide a tribal Constitutional
question regarding the standard for
automatic enrollment in the Con-
federated Tribes of Warm Springs.
Some tribal history helps inform
the question, as the matter is traced
back more than 80 years, to the
tribal Constitution of 1938.
The 1938 constitution states that
a person could be automatically en-
rolled in the Confederated Tribes
if the person had one-quarter In-
dian blood.
The tribes in 1966 amended this
provision to say that a person could
be automatically enrolled if the
person had one-quarter blood of
the Confederated Tribes of Warm
Springs.
By resolution in 1975 the Tribal
Council established the baseline
for determining blood quantum.
The baseline was the 1940 tribal
census.
This meant that the quantum
of Indian blood, regardless of
tribal ancestry, of a person on the
1940 census is considered Con-
federated Tribes of Warm Springs
blood.
A descendant of a person
whose name is on the census could
then count all of that ancestor’s
Indian blood as Confederated
Tribes blood, for purposes of
determining automatic enroll-
ment of the descendant.
By resolution in 2008 Tribal
Council updated the baseline to
the 1960 census, with the same
effect: The quantum of Indian
blood of a person on the 1960
census is considered Confeder-
ated Tribes blood. And descen-
dants look to that to determine
their own quantum of Confed-
erated Tribes blood.
On April 25, 2016 the
Twenty-Sixth Tribal Council by
resolution again voted to update
the baseline, to the 1980 census.
Four days later this resolution was
subject to a referendum challenge
by three Council members: The
constitution provides for a refer-
endum challenge to a resolution
by two or more Council mem-
bers.
And this brings us to the March
15 referendum. Tribal attorney
Howard Arnett gives a good ex-
planation of the referendum
question: You can see his expla-
nation on YouTube. Search:
“1980 census baseline informa-
tion for 2019 tribal referendum.”
The ballot
The March 15 referendum
asks:
“Should Resolution 12,157 de-
termining the blood quantum for
the purpose of automatic enroll-
ment be approved?”
Resolution 12,157 is the April,
2016 resolution, suggesting the
baseline be adjusted to the 1980
census.
The automatic enrollment pro-
cess is one of two ways a person
may be enrolled in the Confeder-
ated Tribes.
See REFERENDUM on 8
Jayson Smith/Spilyay
Toboggan time (above) arrived in Warm Springs with the
powerful winter storm; while BIA Roads (right) helped keep
the vehicles moving.
The weather this week closed schools and the tribal
organization. The snow was heavy, causing at least some
damage, as one resident’s hay barn roof collapsed.
On the bright side, the reservation and the region needed
the snow. Earlier in February, the reservation had been at
75 percent of normal snowpack, according to monitoring by
the Branch of Natural Resources.
Courtesy Edward Heath Photography