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Spilyay Tymoo, Warm Springs, Oregon
Geo Visions provides unique service
W arm Springs Geo Vi-
sions provides a unique ser-
vice in the region, and is a
growing enterprise of the
Confederated Tribes. Geo
Visions works for the pro-
tection and preservation of
cultural resources of the
tribes.
Projects of the enter-
prise include archaeological
research at specific sensitive
sites, with oral history re-
search and indigenous
knowledge to give the tribal
context to each site.
Many of the projects are
within the Ceded Lands of
the Confederated Tribes.
The Ceded Lands are
large—roughly 11 million
square miles, ranging from
near the Idaho border to the
Cascades.
These are traditional
lands of the tribes, in part
ceded by the Treaty of
1855. The tribes kept the
right to use areas of the
Ceded Lands that are the
usual and accustomed
places of tribal generations,
from time immemorial.
Clearly, there are count-
less cultural and historical
sites of the tribes within the
Ceded Lands. Geo Visions
works to ensure the protec-
tion and preservation of
these significant sites.
Some of the main Geo
Visions clients are the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers,
Portland General Electric,
the Bonneville Power Ad-
ministration, the Bureau of
Land Management and U.S.
Forest Service.
These agencies are re-
sponsible for the security of
tribal cultural sites within
their jurisdictions. Geo Vi-
sions helps provide this en-
vironmental compliance
service.
The Ceded Lands are
large, yet Geo Visions fore-
sees a chance for expansion
beyond this boundary.
For example, the solar
industry is growing in the
Northwest, and this requires
environmental compliance
ser vices, said Angelina
Howell, Geo Visions direc-
tor.
Her vision for the enter-
prise is as a full environmen-
tal compliance service. A
step toward expansion in
services, and in the service
area, could be to open a
Dave McMechan/Spilyay
At the recent open house, Museum at Warm Springs Education director Tamera
Moody and museum development director Angela Smith talk with Alex Atkins of Geo
Visions. They were discussing the archaeological artifacts display, plus partnership
opprortunities between the museum at Geo Visions.
Geo Visions office in Port-
land, Ms. Howell said.
All of the large clients,
plus potential new ones, are
headquartered in Portland,
and a Geo Visions office
there would facilitate enter-
prise growth, Howell said.
She looks to the Chero-
kee Nation as a model: The
Cherokee environmental
services enterprise is very
large, generating multi-mil-
lions of dollars in revenue.
Geo Visions is not close
to that size, yet the poten-
tial is there to follow the
Cherokee model, Ms.
Howell said.
This would go toward an-
other goal of Geo Visions:
To increase job opportuni-
ties for tribal members, es-
pecially young people inter-
ested in the field. Archae-
olog y can involve field
work, ideal for people who
want to be out of an office;
plus work in developing
analysis and reports.
Geo Visions is a division
of Warm Springs Ventures,
the economic development
enterprise of the tribes. For
now Geo Visions has five
employees. Working with
Ms. Howell are:
Larry Squiemphen, Geo
Visions GIS manager and
oral history coordinator,
who has been there since the
enterprise began 15 years
ago.
Lindon Hylton, primary
investigator and lead ar-
chaeologist.
Alex Atkins, lead crew
chief and archaeologist.
October 23, 2019
A good year for
the roots and berries
Laurie Danzuka of
Warm Springs Ventures
gave a First Foods pre-
sentation at the recent
Geo Visions open house.
Laurie is a First Foods
gatherer
for
the
Simnasho district.
Her display included a
kupn, handed down
from generations that will
in time be handed down
in turn, Ms. Danzuka
said. “Kathleen Heath
handed this down to me
and my sister,” Laurie
said of the kupn.
She gathered roots and
huckleberries this year
with Nola Queahpama,
Suzie Slockish, friends
and family. “We had a
good year for the roots
and berries,” Laurie said.
Her presentation in-
cluded wapus baskets.
When out gathering, “The
Courtesy Laurie Danzuka/Ventures
Nola Queahpama this
summer with roots.
goal is always to have a
full wapus,” Laurie says.
Like the kupn and
wapus, the knowledge of
the First Foods is handed
down from generation to
generation, she says.
Examples of more recent kinds of artificats.
And Brandon Gilliland, jun-
ior archaeologist
Geo Visions hosted an
open house last week at their
office, housed with Ventures
at the industrial park.
On hand were the stu-
dents from the War m
Springs Bridges program.
They were specially invited
to give them an idea of the
work involved in the archae-
ology field.
At the open house Alex
Atkins had a display of ar-
row heads and tools of ob-
sidian and a substance
called cryptocrystalline sili-
cate, or CCS, a material also
used for making tools and
arrowheads.
Interestingly, obsidian ar-
tifacts can be analyzed to
deter mine exactly where
they originated. An artifact
found in Washington, for
instance, can be traced to an
obsidian source hundreds of
miles away, Mr. Atkins ex-
plained.
Haunted Warewhouse
Warm Springs Fire Man-
agement will host the
Haunted
Warehouse
Wednesday and Thursday,
October 30-31, at the For-
estry warehouse.
Proceeds from the
Haunted Warehouse will
help cover travel expenses
for Albert Charlie and Rylan
Davis.
For 13 and over the
Haunted Warehouse is $5;
and 12 and younger, $3.
Any questions call 541-
460-0675.
On the Council agenda
The following are some of
the items coming up on the
Tribal Council agenda for the
rest of October (subject to
change at Council discretion):
The students from Warm Springs Bridges visited the Geo
Visions open house.
Monday, October 28
9 a.m.: BIA Superinten-
dent transition discussion
with Bryan Mercier of the
BIA.
10: Traditional leave dis-
cussion with Cheryl Tom,
Human Resources director.
11: Tri-County Major In-
cident memorandum of un-
derstanding with Carmen
Smith, Public Safety general
manager.
1:30 p.m.: Willamette Val-
ley
operations
and
mainteance environmental
impact statement discussion,
downtown fish passage, at
the request of Ron Suppah.
2:30:
September
financials with Alfred
Estimo andDennis Johnson,
Finance.
3:30: Warm Springs Ven-
tures board of directors up-
date.
Tuesday, October 29
9 a.m.: Secretary-Trea-
surer and chief operations
officer discussion.
10: Tribal Council Proc-
lamation and Priorities.
1:30 p.m.: U.S. Highway
26 safety corridor update
with the Oregon Depart-
ment of Transportation.
2:30: Draft resolutions
with Michele Stacona.
Items for further consid-
eration:
Annual consultation with
the U.S. Attorney, District of
Oregon.
Meeting with president
of Southern Oregon Uni-
versity.
Livestock code revisions.
Warm Springs Commu-
nity Action Team vital tribal
economies.
Willamette Falls Legacy
project.
Appeals court judges.
School notes...
The Madras High School
boys soccer team hosts
Molalla this Wednesday
evening at 5.
Before the game will be
the Senior Night presenta-
tions.
Meanwhile the girls soc-
cer team travels to Molalla.
At the Academy
It’s community engage-
ment night this Wednesday at
the Warm Springs Academy.
Dinner is at 5:30.