Spilyay Tymoo
January 1, 2020 - Vol. 44, No. 1
Coyote News, est. 1976
Wiyak’ik’ila – Winter - Anm
Year of a Census on the reservation
A goal of the Warm Springs
2020 Census organizers is to get an
accurate count of the people living
on the reservation. The Census
determines the allocation of close
to $700 billion in federal funds—
distribution based on the population
of the particular place.
According to one estimate: For
each person not counted who
should be counted, some $3,000 in
federal support for services is lost.
And reservations see an average
estimated undercount of almost 5
percent.
According to a report released
last week: Native Americans are
the most undercounted group on
the U.S. Census. “This means they
get significantly less of much
needed funding from crucial fed-
eral programs—for improvements
to reservation infrastructure and
health care, for instance—even the
loss of political representation.”
The group organizing the tribes’
participation in the 2020 Census is
the Warm Springs Census Complete
Count Committee. They are still
recruiting people to help with the
count. The work hours are flexible
and the pay is competitive. For in-
formation call 855-JOB-2020
(855-562-2020).
The Census is a series of ques-
tions such as your age and date of
birth, your race, and sex. There are
questions about the number of
people in the household, and the
relationship to the person answer-
ing the Census question. Another
question is whether this a house
or apartment or mobile home?
Census Day 2020 is April 1.
Regarding the funding deter-
mined by the Census results:
The information guides the
distribution of funds for trans-
portation, housing, emergency
response, social services and
more.
The Census happens once ev-
ery ten years, a requirement of
the United States Constitution.
Confidentiality is ensured: Federal
law does not allow the Census
Bureau to share private informa-
tion with anyone.
Your answers can only be used
to produce statistics and data that
is then used by others.
2020 Changing Exhibits at the museum
J anuary at the Museum
at Warm Springs brings the
Twenty-Seventh Annual
Youth Art Exhibit. “Each year
we celebrate the creativity
and talents of our tribal
youth,” said Natalie Kirk,
museum curator and exhib-
its coordinator.
About the upcoming show,
opening on January 23, Mr.
Kirk says, “Discover master-
pieces created by the hearts
of our youth of War m
Springs, and see first-hand
how art can positively affect
our community and young
minds. The exhibition will
cherish the vibrant creativity
unlocked by local tribal
youth.”
This Youth Art Show will
close with the Young At Art
Fair, March 24-26. The
youth show is just the first of
the new Changing Exhibits
coming up at the Museum at
Warm Springs in 2020.
Then the spring exhibit—
from April through early
June—will bring Sacred Re-
lations: The Art of Ellen
Taylor. Ms. Taylor is a mem-
ber of the Cayuse-Umatilla-
Walla Walla Confederated
Courtesy
An example of artwork by Ellen Taylor.
Tribes of Umatilla.
She began painting while in
grade school, in time becoming an
accomplished contemporary artist.
She approaches bold and large
themes, saying her art “comes
from visions, feelings, life ex-
periences, death, turmoil, new
birth, illness, relationships and
the history of life.”
Ellen is known for the in-
novative ways that her ideas are
realized on canvas, with each
piece coming from a different
place of the heart, yet woven
together in perfect harmony.
Her art has been described as
“Picasso meets Native Ameri-
can contemporary art in Andy
Warhol’s living root…”
Ms. Taylor says, “The per-
fect balance comes from find-
ing the time to create, articu-
late and harmonize these ideas
onto canvas in an otherwise
busy life.” Her innovation is
phenomenal, and the way her
ideas hit the canvas are like no
other, Natalie said.
Then in June 2020 the Mu-
seum at Warm Springs will
honor a long-standing and
proud tradition among the
tribes: Wild-land firefighters.
The show is called Into the Fray:
Native American Wild-Land
Firefighters of Warm Springs
and Beyond. The museum de-
scription of this exhibit ex-
plains:
See ART SHOWS on 5
State MMIP team to meet with community
The team working on the
state Missing and Murdered
Indigenous People initiative
will meet with the Warm
Springs tribal community in
January.
The state legislature in 2019
created with the MMIP task
force, providing resources to
help address one of the most
serious problems among
tribes. Terri Davie of the
Oregon State Police is leading
the team.
She and Mitch Sparks, of
the Oregon Legislative
Commission on Indian
Services, met this past fall with
Tribal Council.
Council welcomed the
team, inviting them to hold a
community meeting in Warm
Springs. The date for the
meeting is January 28, location
to be determined.
The MMIP team also met
last month with members of
the Umatilla Tribes, hearing
the tribal perspective on the
problem epidemic.
A concern voiced by
Umatilla members, Ms. Davie
said, is that there is not
sufficient communication
between law enforcement and
family and friends of victims
of serious crime, such as
kidnapping and murder.
Having full information
about the victim can be critical
in determining what happened.
Police may consider a case
one of suicide or an accident,
for instance; while knowing
more about the person could
lead to a different conclusion.
“People felt that a chance to
share more information with
police—the life back-story of
the victim—is very important,”
Ms. Davie said.
Pre-judging a victim because
of the person’s lifestyle choice
or choices—called victim
blaming—was another concern,
she said.
The Oregon MMIP law—
introduced as HB 2625, and
signed last fall by Gov.
Brown—commissions a
report on the incidence in the
state Oregon of missing and
murdered indigenous people;
and reasons why this specific
group is being targeted.
Loop holes in jurisdiction
are seen as a barrier to
combating the crisis.
Federal law agencies are
taking action as well. The
MMIP initiatives are in part
a response to the Missing and
Murdered
Indigenous
Women, MMIW, movement.
Dave McMechan
PO Box 489
Warm Springs, OR 97761
ECR WSS
Postal Patron
U.S. Postage
PRSRT STD
Warm Springs, OR 97761
Pageant seeking
2020 Miss
Warm Springs
candidates
The tribes are now taking ap-
plications for Miss Warm Springs
2020.
Miss Warm Springs serves as
a cultural ambassador for the Con-
federated Tribes, and as a role
model for the community.
Applicants must be 18 to 24
years old at the time of the pag-
eant. Contestants can not have
been married or co-habitated, or
have dependents. The pageant is
open to young women who are
tribal members.
Applications, and details of
additional requirements, are avail-
able online at:
warmsprings-nsn.gov/pro-
gram/miss-warm-springs/
The tribes will be taking appli-
cations through February 28.
The Miss Warm Springs tradi-
tion started in 1955, during the
100 Year Anniversary of the
Treaty of 1855. Atwai Kathleen
Heath was selected in that capac-
ity, and is considered the first Miss
Warm Springs.
It was in 1969 when the tribes
held the first Miss Warm Springs
Pageant. In that year atwai Dor-
othy ‘Pebbles’ George was selected
as Miss Warm Springs. Since then,
the pageant has been held annu-
ally with few exceptions.
To the present year 40 women
have ser ved as Miss War m
Springs, including the current title-
holder, Charisse Heath.
As the tribes’ cultural ambas-
sador, Miss Warm Springs speaks
at public functions in the com-
munity, regionally and nationally.
Additionally, Miss War m
Springs attends local events such
the Lincoln’s Birthday and Pi-
Ume-Sha powwows, and pow-
wows throughout the region, as
time allows.
Miss War m Springs meets
guests at Museum at War m
Springs functions, tribal enter-
prise gatherings, and regional
and national conferences.
Nearly all titleholders compete
annually in the Miss Indian
World Pageant.
The Miss Warm Springs events
provide the titleholder with the op-
portunity to craft her own experi-
ences: This is especially relevant
for those young women who are
in college, and pursuing specific
career objectives.
Interested candidates and title-
holders are expected to have a
strong cultural understanding of
the tribes, including:
Tribal history, and traditional
foods and food ceremonies. She
is invited to share her own per-
spective on tribal ceremonies.
In most cases Miss Warm
Springs must be a resident of
the reservation. Exceptions are
made for candidates who are
attending school off the reser-
vation.