Spilyay Tymoo, Warm Springs, Oregon
October 23, 2019
October is Domestic
Violence Awareness
Month.
Helping raise awareness
the Warm Springs
Victims of Crime
Services office hosted a
Walk for Awareness.
If you would like to talk
with an advocate, feel
free to call VOCS at
541-553-2293.
Page 7
Water work continues
Warm Springs Public
Utilities this week began
work on the Agency do-
mestic water system.
Utilities is working
with the contractor
Gelco to finish the re-
placement and upgrade
of the pressure reducing
valves.
The work is expected
to be complete this
week.
Utilities intends to
have the reservoirs filled,
so as to minimize poten-
tial water outages.
Please be aware that
some users may experi-
ence outages for short
Sandra Danzuka photos
‘Essential Understandings’ looks at Language
The Warm Springs Edu-
cation Branch this year de-
veloped the document that
will guide the teaching of the
tribal curriculum in the pub-
lic schools of the region.
The curriculum is sched-
uled for implementation in
the school district in the fall
of 2020.
Education developed the
Warm Springs document
with its Culture and Heritage
Department, elders, and
state and other tribal part-
ners.
The document is Essential
Understandings of Oregon Na-
tive Americans—Tribal History,
Shared History. This is the
introductory document
that will lead to the curricu-
lum to be taught in the pub-
lic schools, in response to
state and federal education
laws.
Essential Understanding 7
is Language. Here is the
text Essential Understand-
ing—Language:
Tribal languages have en-
dured direct attack, and al-
though some were not able
to survive, many have en-
dured.
Languages connect tribal
people to place, and main-
tain connections to ances-
tors. Language remains a
direct conduit to important
aspects of traditional tribal
life.
Language carries more
than words; it carries
worldviews and ways of be-
ing. Each tribe has their
own district language(s),
which include varied dialects.
Background
Tribal languages have
been and continue to be at-
tacked through direct gov-
ernmental policies and strat-
egies, including tactics of
assimilation, boarding
schools, forced religions,
and settler colonialism.
While some languages are
sleeping, many languages are
thriving, and more continue
to be revitalized in the
hands of tribal members
who work diligently to re-
tain one of our most impor-
tant cultural connections.
Because of disease,
boarding schools, forced as-
similation and other de-
structive efforts, Oregon
indigenous languages are in
various states of revitaliza-
tion.
The Native American
Languages Act of 1990
was enacted by Congress to
declare that the cultures
and languages of Native
Americans is unique, and
the United States has the
responsibility to act together
with Native Americans to
ensure the survival of these
unique cultures and lan-
guages. It also accorded a
special status to Native
Americans, a status that rec-
ognizes distinct cultural and
political rights, including the
right to continue separate
identities.
The act states, “It is the
policy of the United States
to preserve, protect and
promote the rights of free-
dom of Native Americans
to use, practice and develop
Native American lan-
guages.”
Senate Bill 690 (2001) di-
rected the Teacher Stan-
dards and Practices Com-
mission (TSPC) to establish
an American Indian Lan-
guages teaching license.
Each American Indian tribe
may develop a written and
oral test that applicants must
successfully complete in or-
der to determine their quali-
fications to teach the tribe’s
Native language.
This allows a holder of
such a license to teach in a
school district, public char-
ter school, education service
Native Helpline awarded $2.7 million to expand services
The U.S. Department of
Justice has awarded the
StrongHearts Native Help-
line two grants from the
Office of Victims of
Crime.
The total of the two
grants is almost $2.77 mil-
lion. The funding will help
StrongHearts to enhance
domestic violence and
sexual assault response ser-
vices.
About StrongHearts
Native Helpline
Created by and built to
serve tribal communities
across the U.S., the
StrongHearts Native Help-
line is a culturally-appropri-
ate, anonymous, confiden-
tial and no-cost service,
dedicated to serving Native
American survivors of do-
mestic violence and dating
violence, along with their
concerned family members
and friends.
By dialing 1-844-7NA-
TIVE (1-844-762-8483),
callers can connect one-on-
one with knowledgeable
StrongHearts advocates
who can provide immediate
support and a connection to
Native resources, enabling
survivors to find safety and
live lives free of abuse.
StrongHearts is available
daily from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Pacific Time.
Callers reaching out af-
ter hours may connect with
the National Domestic Vio-
and a referral to a Native
and Tribal service provider
if needed.
lence Hotline, 1-800-799-
SAFE by selecting option 1.
Also see:
www.strongheartshelpline.
org.
StrongHearts will use the
recent $2.7 million-plus in
grants to extend the
helpline’s operating hours to
24 hours a day, develop ad-
vocacy training and services
to assist survivors of sexual
violence, as well as imple-
ment digital chat services to
help increase accessibility
and address caller safety.
Launch dates for the
digital chat service and 24-
7 operating hours will be re-
leased at a later time.
“Considering Native
women are 2.5 times more
likely to be raped or be a
victim of sexual assault than
other
groups,
the
StrongHearts
Native
Helpline serves as a poten-
tial lifeline for survivors of
these crimes,” said Lori
Jump, Assistant Director for
StrongHearts.
“We also know in remote
areas, some victims may not
have phone service or may
fear their abusive partner
overhearing them in an at-
tempt to call, so providing a
digital chat service option is
crucial for increasing access
for everyone in our commu-
nities.”
American Indians and
Alaska Natives suffer from
the highest rates of violence
in the U.S., according to the
National Institute of Justice.
In March 2017, the
StrongHearts
Native
Helpline began providing
callers culturally-based sup-
port for domestic violence
and dating violence, along
with a connection to Native
resources.
Grounded in an under-
standing of Native cultures,
tribal sovereignty and tradi-
tions, Native advocates are
specially trained to provide
callers with emotional sup-
port, crisis intervention, per-
sonalized safety planning,
district, community college
or state university.
SB 690 prohibits the
TSPC from requiring an
applicant to hold a teacher
education academic degree,
complete a specific amount
of education, or complete
a teacher program to re-
ceive an American Indian
Languages teaching license.
However, the measure
requires that a holder of
the new license employed
by a school district, public
charter, or education ser-
vice district participate in
a technical assistance pro-
gram with an experienced
teacher.
An estimated 25 to 35
Native languages have been
spoken in Oregon, though
only nine are spoken flu-
ently today.
Native Americans con-
sider the loss of languages
to be an urgent program,
and have taken steps to
record, catalog and develop
teaching curricula and train-
ing for Native languages.
periods of time while the
pressure reducing valve
work progresses.
If the situation calls
for it, the Water division
of Utilities will issue a
boil water notice in com-
pliance with EPA re-
quirements.
If you have any ques-
tions or concerns, please
direct those to the Pub-
lic Utilities Department at
541-553-3246.
Rez Fest
in Nov.
The Rez Fest music
festival is coming to
Warm Springs in No-
vember.
A number of
bands—Damage
Overdose of War m
Springs, Ethnic de Gen-
eration of Arizona,
and Bloodline of New
Mexico, for instance—
will perform.
The concert will be
on November 2,
starting at 5:30 p.m. at
the War m Springs
Community Center
Social Hall. This is a
drug- and alcohol-free
event.
All ages $10 at the
door.
Wellbriety Celebrat-
ing Families Parent
class is Mondays and
Wednedsay, 1 to 4 p.m.
in the Wellbriety room at
Behavioral Health. For
information call Sarah
at 541-553-3205.
Read the Spilyay
Tymoo online at
www.wsnews.org