E Coosh EEWA: The way it is
Page 4
Spilyay Tymoo February 26, 2020
Letters to the editor
Chemawa school this month turns 140
From time
immemorial
The Bering Strait water-
way divides the USSR from
Alaska. It is over 60 miles
in width (mileage scale) and
connects multiple seas and
oceans together. The water
flow is severely powerful,
turbulent and dangerous,
sometimes with ice flows.
As late as the year of
1741 a sea captain observed
Eskimos crossing the 60-plus
mile waterway on their kay-
aks. Eskimos still live and
hunt subsistence as they did
forever in both Alaska and
Siberia USSR. It would be
virtually impossible for a
land-slope bridge to span
such a huge waterway which
connects many seas and
oceans together.
In the year of 1590 a
Spanish priest Jose de Costa
surmised: To form a notion
of from scanty evidence that
Indians are here from Asia.
Others have since jumped
on the bandwagon all bent
on proving that priest’s no-
tion.
For many years it was
widely believed that this had
been scientifically proven
because a scraper made of
bone was found in Canada
in 1966, and it was believed
to be America’s oldest arti-
fact, said to be 27,000 years
old. But it turned out to be
only 1,350 years old, a gross
error of over 25,000 years.
There are fictitious stories
out there designed to dis-
prove that Indians are not
Native inhabitants of the
Americas.
America has wildlife
found not found any place
else, such as buffalo, Rocky
Mountain elk, puma. Also
of misinformation is the In-
dian pony mustang. It is in
stone petroglyphs : An In-
dian on horseback, which
predates the landing of the
Spanish by 500 years or
longer.
Many Indian elders be-
lieve Creator put Indians and
Eskimos on the North and
South Americas, and all other
races of people on their dif-
ferent continents, which
some refer to as the ‘Old
World,’ and they call the
Americas the ‘New World.’
But it is not the New World
at all: It is and always was
the homeland of the Indians
and Eskimo inhabitants of
the Americas since time im-
memorial.
Awe-Na
Anthony Littleleaf
Kick Butts
Warm Springs Prevention
is hosting Kick Butts Day,
bringing awareness to the
dangers of cigarettes, on the
Saturday morning of March
21.
The activities will be at
Elmer Quinn Park. There
will be a skateboarding com-
petition, and 3-on-3 tourna-
ment for students in grades
k-12. Vendors are welcome.
If you have any ques-
tions, call Prevention at
541-615-0036.
For MHS
eighth graders
The Madras High School
eight-grade family night is
coming up on the Wednes-
day evening of of March 11,
from 5:30 to 7. Dinner will
be served.
The families will learn ev-
erything they need to know
about Madras High School,
including athletics and activi-
ties.
Birth
Branson Nick Scott
Gordon Scott and Lorien
Stacona of Warm Springs
are pleased to announce the
birth of their son Branson
Nick Scott, born on Febru-
ary 16, 2020.
Branson joins brother
Kiellan All, 11; and sister
Kiahna Allen, 12.
Kiara Melissa Tall Bull
Russell Tall Bull and
Nicole Andy-Knight of
Warm Springs are pleased to
announce the birth of their
daughter Kiara Melissa Tall
Bull, born on February 6,
2020.
Grandparent on the
father’s side is Deborah Joy
Gorge of Warm Springs.
Grandparents on the
mother’s side are Vanessa
Knight-Crane of War m
Springs, and Travis Andy of
Yakima.
Lil’ Miss
classes
War m Springs Recre-
ation is now hosting classes
for the 2020 Lil’ Miss
War m Springs Pageant.
The classes are Tuesdays at
5:30 p.m. at the Community
Center Social Hall.
There are three divisions
for the Lil’ Miss War m
Springs Pageant—not to be
confused with the Miss
War m Springs Pageant,
which is for girls 18 to 24.
The Lil’ Miss divisions are:
Senior Miss War m
Springs, ages 15-17. Junior
Miss Warm Springs, 12-14
years. And Lil’ Miss Warm
Springs, ages 9 to 11.
Spilyay Tymoo
(Coyote News, Est. 1976)
Publisher Emeritus in Memorium: Sid Miller
Editor: Dave McMechan
Spilyay Tymoo is published bi-weekly by the
Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. Our of-
fices are located at 4174 Highway 3 in Warm
Springs.
Any written materials submitted to Spilyay Tymoo
should be addressed to:
Spilyay Tymoo, P.O. Box 489, Warm Springs, OR
97761.
Phone: 541-553-2210 or 541-771-7521
E-Mail: david.mcmechan@wstribes.org.
Annual Subscription rates: Within U.S.: $20.00
All ages are welcome to
participate in the Tuesday
classes with Recreation (par-
ents need to be present). The
goal of the classes and Lil’
Miss Pageant are:
To support traditional
values and teachings of the
Confederated Tribes of
Warm Springs; and to pro-
vide an opportunity to all
people to participate and
learn. For more informa-
tion call 5143-553-3243.
Contestants
The Miss Warm Springs
Committee invites young
women to the 2020 Miss
Warm Springs Pageant.
The committee is accept-
ing contestant applications
through February. This
website includes details on
eligibility, and a applicant for
downloading:
warmsprings-nsn.gov/
program/miss-war m-
springs/
Miss Warm Springs must
be 18 to 24 years old at the
time of the pageant.
Cascades East Tran-
sit has Saturday ser-
vice on their Commu-
nity
Connector
routes,
including
Wa r m Sp r i n g s - M a -
d r a s , R o u t e 2 0 . To
see the schedule go
cascadeeasttransit.
com
Or see kwso.org
O
ne-hundred and
forty years ago this week
the Chemawa Indian
School welcomed its
first students.
Over the years, many
people from War m
Springs have attended
and graduated from
Chemawa.
This past weekend
the students and staff
hosted a powwow to
commemorate the One-
Hundred and Forty
Year Anniversary of the
school.
Chemawa, in Salem,
was the second Indian
school to open in the
U.S.; and Chemawa now
is the oldest continu-
ously operating Indian
school in the U.S.
Named after the
Chemawa band of the
Kalapuya people of the
Willamette Valley, the
school opened on Feb-
ruary 25, 1880 as an el-
ementary school.
Grades were added,
and Chemawa became a
fully accredited high
school in 1927, when
lower grades were
dropped. The school
Courtesy Chemawa
The school today; and below, historic photo of
boys at Chemawa.
now ser ves students in
grades 9 through 12.
At its peak of enroll-
ment in 1926, it had 1,000
students.
New buildings were con-
structed in the 1970s on a
campus near the original
one, where at one time 70
buildings stood, including
barns and other buildings
related to the agricultural
programs.
Confluence welcoming field school applications
For generations our
region’s origin story has been
“Lewis and Clark discovered
this place and the pioneers
settled it.”
At Confluence, we work
to replace this over-simpli-
fied and incorrect narrative.
We work to replace the nar-
rative with a realistic view of
history that includes the
voices of Indigenous cul-
tures that still call this place
home.
The Confluence Field
School is an immersive op-
portunity for teachers and
education leaders to learn
more about the storied land-
scape of the Columbia River
system through Indigenous
voices.
These summer journeys
include guided visits to Na-
tive sites of cultural and
environmental significance
with tribal cultural leaders
and thinkers, to hear per-
sonal insights into the Na-
tive traditions and history
of the Columbia River sys-
tem.
Participants come away
with a richer understanding
of tribal sovereignty, cultural
traditions and heritage, resil-
ience, and the value of reci-
procity.
By joining us on this jour-
ney, you can also help carry
this work forward. Educators
who have joined us in the past
repeatedly express how
unique and powerful these
experiences are for personal
and professional develop-
ment.
Confluence
field
school - Mid-Columbia
- June 26-28
Travel from the gateway
of the Columbia River
Gorge to the High Desert of
Courtesy Confluence Project
Powwow, the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs.
Central Oregon.
This trip begins with a
morning talk and a tradi-
tional ecological knowledge
hike at the Sandy River
delta.
Then we travel to the
Warm Springs Reservation
to celebrate Pi-Ume-Sha
Treaty Days with featured
speakers and a salmon din-
ner.
We end with a visit to
Celilo Park near The Dalles.
Professional develop-
ment for teachers: 14 hours.
Submit your application at
confluenceproject.org
Confluence
Field
School - Lower Colum-
bia - July 11-12
This trip begins at the
Confluence Land Bridge at
Fort Vancouver, with a dis-
cussion with members of
the Cowlitz Indian Tribe.
Then we travel to Bay
Center, Washington as
guests of the Chinook In-
dian Nation for a traditional
salmon bake, conversation,
drum and song.
The following morning
includes a visit to Cape Dis-
appointment and the
Confluence art landscapes
by Maya Lin to experience
where Lewis and Clark first
saw the Pacific Ocean in Chi-
nook homelands.
Professional develop-
ment for teachers: 7 hours.
Submit
at
confluenceproject.org
About the program
The Confluence Field
Schools are open to educa-
tors of all kinds, including
classroom teachers, princi-
pals, heads of school, district
administrators, school board
members, and educators
with nonprofit organizations
that work with schools and
students.
Ideally, our cohort will in-
clude a blend of travelers
with varied educational roles,
geographic and cultural di-
versity, and subject area fo-
cuses.
We strongly welcome
tribal members and educa-
tors who serve Native stu-
dents.
We invite groups of as
many as three people from
one school, district, or orga-
nization to apply.
Confluence Field Schools
are free of charge thanks to
generous grants from the
Emily Gottfried Fund at
OJCF, and Meyer Memorial
Trust.
Confluence will cover
speakers’ and park fees, se-
lect meals, and supplies. Par-
ticipants or their employers
must pay their own travel
costs, including lodging, mile-
age and some meals.
Carpooling options are avail-
able.
Teachers will receive pro-
fessional development cer-
tificates. In your application,
please specify what impact
you expect this experience
will have on your work and
on students.
Participants must submit
their application by April 13.
The final list of participants
will be shared by May 1.
For more information
contact Confluence Program
manager Courtney Yilk or
call 360-693-0123.