Page 6
Spilyay Tymoo, Warm Springs, Oregon
Ken Smith ~ 1935-2020
(From page 1)
In 1959, Ken gradu-
ated from the University
of Oregon with a BS in
Business. He was the
second Native American
to graduate from the
University of Oregon.
Ken and Sybil
Cowapoo married in
1959, and would later
welcome a son Greg and
daughter Michele into
the world.
Ken went to work for
the Confederated Tribes
of Warm Springs. With
the passing of general
manager Vernon Jack-
son, Ken became the
tribes’ general manager
in 1969.
In Ken’s first tenure
as General Manager,
much was accomplished.
Kah-Nee-Tah Lodge
was constructed, and
Warm Springs Power
Enterprise was built—
the first federally li-
censed hydro project on
an Indian reservation.
This historic event oc-
curred when the
McQuinn Strip was of-
ficially returned to the
Confederated Tribes in
1972, ending 100 years
of litigation.
In the 1970s, Ken
was named one of the
five outstanding young
men of Oregon by the
Oregon Jaycees. He was
named to the board of
directors of the Port-
land Branch of the Fed-
eral Reserve Bank of
San Francisco, and was
a member of the Or-
egon Board of Educa-
tion.
In January, 1981, he
married Jeanie Thomp-
son, a lady he initially
met when the tribe hired
her travel agency.
Jeanies’s daughters,
Debra and Becky, joined
the family.
In 1981, the newly
elected president of the
United States, President
Ronald Reagan, asked
Ken to serve as the As-
sistant Secretary of the
Interior for Indian Af-
fairs. As Assistant Secre-
tary, Ken controlled a
budget of one billion
dollars, oversaw a workforce
of 16,000, dealt with 300
tribes in the lower 48 states,
and provided services to 190
Alaskan Native Organiza-
tions. He administered
52,000,000 acres of trust
land for tribes and Indian
people.
President and publisher of
Indian Country Today Tim
Giago once wrote, “Ken
Smith was the best Assistant
Secretary Indian tribes have
ever had.”
In February of 1989, at
the urging of Confederated
Tribes’ Secretary Treasurer
Larry Calica, Ken returned
to Warm Springs to pick up
the reins of tribal govern-
ment.
In preparing to step
down, Mr. Calica devised a
plan for reorganizing the
tribal organization. An impor-
tant consideration in Smith’s
strategy was a new business
to Warm Springs. He joined
with Tribal Council in imple-
menting a drug and alcohol
program for all employees,
which included random test-
ing. He also initiated a
smoke-free work place
policy.
By the end of 1994, the
face of the Warm Springs
community had changed for-
ever. First came the $5 mil-
lion Early Childhood Educa-
tion Center, followed by the
$7.6 million Museum at
Warm Springs, and the $5
million dollar Health and
Wellness Center. Each facil-
ity embraced a vital need for
the Warm Springs commu-
nity.
Another momentous
change, during Ken’s second
tenure as general manager,
was the turn-around at
Warm Springs Forest Prod-
ucts Industries.
Other income-producing
ventures were the Warm
Springs Plaza shopping cen-
ter and Indian Head Casino.
In 1984, Ken received the
Jay Silverheels Achievement
Award for Leadership in
Managing Indian Resources
and Steadfast Commitment
to the Economic and Social
Betterment of American In-
dian Communities.
Ken served on numerous
boards, including US West
Communications, US Bank,
the World Forestry Coun-
cil, and Futures for Chil-
dren. He served on the
boards of three distin-
guished museums: The
High Desert Museum in
Bend, the Museum at
Warm Springs, and the
Smithsonian in Washing-
ton, D.C.
Ken also served on the
Board of Trustees for
the Oregon State Univer-
sity Foundation, the Or-
egon Historical Society
and the Oregon Heart
Association.
In 2017, Mr. Smith
was honored by Madras
Union High School as
one of its Distinguished
Alumni. In 2019 the Uni-
versity of Oregon in-
cluded him in their ‘Top
100 Ducks Who Made a
Difference’ from 1919
to present.
Saying that Ken Smith
has made an impact on
the Confederated Tribes
of Warm Springs is an
understatement. Like
Vernon Jackson before
him, Ken leaves a legacy
that future tribal leaders
will find challenging to
match.
In retirement, Ken
and wife Jeanie, and dog
Bennie, traveled exten-
sively, spent winters in
Palm Springs, and main-
tained homes in Portland
and Warm Springs.
Ken Smith passed
away peacefully, sur-
rounded by family, on
May 13 at his home. He
is survived by his daugh-
ter Michele Hensel
(Kendal); daughters
Becky Rae Olson
Schroeder (David), and
Debra Olson Daniels;
and eight siblings. He was
preceded in death by his
wife Jeanie, and son
Greg.
In lieu of flowers, the
family is requesting con-
tributions be made to the
Museum at War m
Springs, PO Box 909,
Warm Springs, Oregon
97761.
A Celebration of Life
will be held at a future
date, due to the Covid-
19 virus.
May 20, 2020
Museum remains closed
D
ue to the Covid-19
pandemic, the Museum at
War m Springs has been
closed to the public since
March 18. The museum’s
staff is on administrative
leave through May 29.
A partial re-opening of
the museum is yet to be de-
termined. An update will be
posted in June.
During the public closure,
the entire building has con-
tinued to be kept cleaned
and sanitized.
“We will use guidelines
from the American Alliance
of Museums and the Cen-
ters for Disease Control and
Prevention, which prioritize
health and safety measures
that we will undertake as we
plan for the museum’s re-
opening,” said museum di-
rector Elizabeth A. Woody.
“In the meantime I want to
thank the public for their pa-
tience and understanding
during this difficult time.”
“Our Museum is more
Courtesy MAWS
Museum at Warm Springs lobby.
than a building,” Ms. Woody
said. “It represents decades
of dedication to the preser-
vation of the history, culture
and heritage of the Confed-
erated Tribes of War m
Springs. We look forward to
welcoming visitors back to
the Museum soon.”
In the event individuals
require an emergency sale in
the museum’s gift shop, such
as ceremonial purchases,
please call Elizabeth at 541-
553-3331 ext. 401. For more
information and updates, visit
the website:
museumatwarmsprings.org
And the museum’s
Facebook page.
Schoolie Flat Boil water notice
As of earlier this week, the
Schoolie Flat Boil Water no-
tice was still in effect:
Loss of pressure -
Schoolie Flat system:
This notice applies to
all residences and busi-
nesses in the Schoolie
Flat area.
Boil your water for three
minutes before using: Bring
tap water to a rolling boil,
boil for three minutes, and
cool before using. Or use
bottled water certified for
sale by the Oregon Depart-
ment of Health. Boiled or
bottled water should be used
for drinking, making ice,
washing dishes, brushing
teeth, and preparing food.
This applies until further
notice—Listen to KWSO
91.9 for updates.
What happened: The
Schoolie Flats water distri-
bution system lost pressure
due to excessive use of the
potable water supply for live-
stock purposes. This hap-
pened in early May.
This has been an on-go-
ing issue for the Schoolie
Flats water system—One
that we have tried to miti-
gate in the past by inform-
ing residents in that area to
only use the potable water
supply for human consump-
tion only.
With the small reservoir,
it is already difficult to main-
tain an adequate supply for
domestic use. The excessive
use for livestock water sur-
passed the system’s ability to
maintain an adequate sup-
ply, causing a significant loss
of pressure.
When water mains lose
pressure, it increases the
chance that untreated water
and harmful microbes can
enter your water.
Har mful microbes in
drinking water can cause di-
arrhea, cramps, nausea,
headaches, or other symp-
toms; and may pose a spe-
cial risk for infants, some
elderly, and people with se-
verely compromised im-
mune systems. However,
these symptoms are not just
caused juts by the by mi-
crobes in drinking water: If
you experience any of these
symptoms and they persist,
you should seek medical ad-
vice.
What is being done:
The Branch of Public Utili-
ties water crew is running
the booster pumps 24-7 to
bring the reservoir levels
back up to safe levels. On
Monday afternoon of this
week the anticipation was
the return of adequate
pressures within the next
couple of days, at which
time the BacT samples will
be drawn and sent off to
be tested.
Once the BacT samples
meet the EPA require-
ments the Boil Water No-
tice will be lifted. For more
information please contact
Chico Holliday, Branch of
Public Utilities, Water and
Wastewater division, 541-
553-3246.
Prisoner early release
Around Indian Country
Sioux checkpoints attempt to protect tribes
Sioux tribes in South
Dakota have refused to re-
move coronavirus check-
points they set up on roads
which pass through their
land.
The checkpoints are in
response to a number of
Covid-19 cases that have
happened on the Sioux res-
ervation lands, and the rela-
tive lack of health care to
address the matter.
Meanwhile the governor
of South Dakota has stated
to the Sioux leaders that in
the state’s the checkpoints
were illegal.
But the Sioux say they
are the only way of making
sure the virus does not en-
ter their reservations.
Their limited healthcare
facilities would not be able
to cope with an outbreak,
they have said.
The checkpoints have
meant that outside people
are only allowed to enter the
PORTLAND — A judge last week said he would
grant early release to a federal inmate who is eight
months away from completing his 10-year sentence
for sexually abusing five girls, because of the man’s
unusual vulnerability to contracting the coronavirus.
Harry Hintsala is 70, has kidney disease and must
use a wheelchair, defense lawyer Stephen Sady said.
He’s being held at the Lompoc federal prison in Cali-
fornia, where 105 inmates have tested positive and
two have died, Sady added.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Barr opposed any
early release, as did the guardian of one of the vic-
tims.
Navajo Covid-19 pandemic
Courtesy
Oglasa Sious Tribe reservation checkpoint.
reservations for essential
business, if they have not
travelled from a Covid-19
hotspot. Visitors must also
complete a health question-
naire before doing so.
Gov. Noem of South
Dakota is threatening to
take the two tribes—the
Oglala Sioux and the Chey-
enne River Sioux tribes—to
federal court if they do not
comply.
The chairman of the
Cheyenne River Sioux tribe,
Harold Frazier, issued a
statement in response to the
governor, saying: “We will
not apologise for being an
island of safety in a sea of
uncertainty and death.
“You continuing to inter-
fere in our efforts to do
what science and facts dic-
tate seriously undermine
our ability to protect every-
one on the reservation,” he
added. The situation facing
the Sioux is not unusual
across some parts of In-
dian, where the reservation
populations can be under-
served by health care.
The Navajo Department of Health in coordina-
tion with the Navajo Epidemiology Center and the
Navajo Area Indian Health Service, has reported
more than 3,000 cases of Covid-19 for the Navajo
Nation; and more than 100 deaths as result.
“We’ve lost more than 100 lives to this virus and
we offer our condolences to all of the families who
are grieving,” said Navajo Nation President Jonathan
Nez. “And I want you to know that we’re working
around the clock to fight Covid-19.”
The Nez-Lizer Administration is also stepping up
its efforts to ensure that items donated to the Na-
vajo Nation reach the most in need as quickly as
possible. Since the Nez-Lizer Administration began
food, water, and supply distributions, more than 4,300
families have received essential items to help them
stay home and stay safe.