Spilyay Tymoo, Warm Springs, Oregon
January 27, 2021
Howlak Tichum
Neda Neva Brown Wesley - Wila-ii-ii ~ July 18, 1938 - December 23, 2020
Neda was at home sur-
rounded by her family, as she
had requested for her final jour-
ney. Neda had an honorable
life of love of her language,
children, adventure, and her
Louis L’amour book collection.
She was one of the last flu-
ent speakers of the Ichiishkin
language, as an instructor and
for her important role as an
‘Echo’ in the medicine society
ceremonies.
As a child, Neda and her late
sister Charlotte Shike were se-
lected to learn to operate a sew-
ing machine. A few months
later, they made over a dozen
quilts to gift the Elders in the
Simnasho community. Her
skills advanced to the master
level as a seamstress for tradi-
tional regalia and as a bead
worker, too.
Her fine
beadwork was entered in nu-
merous county fairs for ongo-
ing awards for decades.
As the wife of a Treaty fish-
erman, she prepared all the tra-
ditional foods for the annual
First Salmon Feast Ceremony at
Cascade Locks, Oregon. Her
late husband Harold Greene
was appointed by the Tribal
Council to fish at each of the
22 tribal ceded fishing sites, to
reinforce tribal fishing rights.
We saw her patch huge fish
nets and do major repairs to the
boats. The business required
both Neda and Harold to work
closely with the tribal attorneys
as the law enforcement were
constantly involved. Addition-
ally, Neda was knowledgeable
about tribal lands as a member
of the Tribal Council executive
Land Use Committee as well as
the Elections Committee.
Neda responded to the City
of Cascade Locks call for the
name for the main street, for
which she provided the name,
‘Wanapine Street’, which trans-
lates as ‘by the river.’ She al-
ways taught us to be proud of
“N’Chi-Wana”, Our Big River.
Neda was the 2017 ECE
Headstart Elder of the Year
The majority of Neda’s career
was for the Tribe’s Housing En-
terprise as a Client Manager, who
was well-known for regular home
visits with clients.
More recently, Neda was an
instructor for a variety of classes
at the Museum at Warm Springs,
and individual home-based classes
for beadwork, yarn bag knitting,
campfire cooking classes, and ad-
vanced classes.
Neda touched many lives when
she taught traditional food prepa-
ration; when she collected coats
and blankets and prepared food
for those in need; when she served
as a Chaperone for the Tygh Val-
ley All Indian Rodeo Queen and
Court; when she worked for sev-
eral summers as an instructor for
the Culture Camp at the mountains;
when she continued the Wesley
family tradition to set up four te-
pees at the Pendleton Round-Up
Tepee Village; when she sponsored
the annual Horse Race competi-
tion in memory of her late daugh-
ter Eliza Greene-Redhouse; when
she cooked at the traditional
Salmon Bake area for large con-
ventions at Kah-Nee-Ta; when she
coordinated traditional fashion
shows for large conventions at
Kah-Nee-Ta; and when she sup-
ported her late son Roger Stwyer
Sr. and son Wendell Stwyer-Greene
for their participation in rodeos in
the saddle bronc events and sup-
port for her late daughter Eliza
Greene-Redhouse at rodeos
throughout the country for her
participation in the horse races
and as a trick rider.
In dedication to her late
brothers who served in the
military—the late Lawrence
Brown, World War II veteran
and the late Curtis Brown, Ko-
rean War veteran—Neda was
an active member of the Vet-
erans of Foreign Wars for over
50 years.
She conducted ongoing
fundraising activities for dona-
tions to the Veterans families
to assist with the funeral ex-
penses. The existing veterans
in service for our country were
also in her heart for fundraising
so that they could have a laptop
computer to communicate with
their family.
Neda was known for coor-
dinating an annual Healing Con-
ference along with her two rela-
tives, atwai Hilda Culpus and
her cousin Charlotte Herkshan.
This was an annual event in
which they strived to help fami-
lies and children to process
grief. They included fun ac-
tivities, such as painting rocks
for each person to place on the
grave in remembrance.
Neda is preceded by her late
husband, Columbia River fish-
erman, Tribal Utilities mainte-
nance manager Jimmy Wesley
Sr.; her brothers Lawrence
Brown, Curtis Brown, Lamont
Brown, and her sisters Char-
lotte Shike and Gloria Brown;
her daughters Eliza Greene-
Redhouse and Melissa Wesley;
and her sons Roger Stwyer Sr.,
Arnold Stwyer Jr., Jimmy
Wesley Jr. Her survivors are
her sister Eliza Brown Jim, and
her daughters Aurolyn Stwyer
and Jamey Wesley, and her sons
Henry Stwyer, Davis Stwyer,
Wendell Stwyer-Greene. She
has numerous cousins, nieces
and nephews, grandchildren,
and a few great grandchildren.
Restoring Native presence at Metro waterfront
The Portland Metropolitan
Area—Metro—just awarded a
grant to plan for a Center for Tribal
Nations on property of the Oregon
Museum of Science and Industry.
Metro awarded the $750,000
grant to OMSI and the City of
Portland.
The grant will support strategic
planning and engagement efforts
for the Center for Tribal Nations,
and a waterfront education park at
the OMSI District.
The Columbia River Inter-Tribal
Fish Commission and the Affiliated
Tribes of Northwest Indians will
lead the visioning process with
tribes, tribal and inter-tribal organi-
zations, and Indigenous community
members. For background:
Last October, the Portland
Metro Council proclaimed the sec-
ond Monday in October as Indig-
enous People’s Day across greater
Portland.
The Metro resolution recognized
that this region “is built upon the
ancestral homelands, villages and
traditional use areas of the Indig-
enous People and tribes who have
been caretakers of these lands we
cherish since time immemorial.”
Metro then awarded the
$750,000to the city OMSI, who are
engaging a broad coalition of part-
ners to explore development of the
Center for Tribal Nations and a wa-
terfront education park.
The project seeks to leverage the
redevelopment of the OMSI prop-
erty to model a new partnership be-
tween OMSI, tribal and inter-tribal
people need
‘ Native
to be present, ac-
knowledged, visible
and provided space.
’
organizations, the greater Portland
Native American community and
the City of Portland to restore the
Native community’s presence on
the Willamette.
Metro said, “The United States
has a history of violence against
Indigenous People, including ter-
mination and assimilation policies,
broken treaties and relocation—
wrongs that have taken place in
Oregon and across the country.”
Metro Councilor Bob Stacey
said, “The grant is part of Metro’s
efforts to acknowledge that his-
tory. We recognize the fact that In-
digenous People have made, and
continue to make, immense con-
tributions and innovations to the
arts, education, health, economic
development, environmental stew-
ardship and civic community that
make greater Portland a better
place to live and work.
“The grant will help project
partners create access and oppor-
tunity for the greater Portland
Native American community
through this project.”
The planning grant will allow the
project partners to engage tribes,
tribal organizations and the Native
American community to identify
and begin planning for a broad
range of uses on the site.
The award is part of Metro’s
2040 planning and development
grants program, which supports
regional and local planning, eco-
nomic development and commu-
nity stabilization, and equitable
development projects throughout
the region. The grant program is
funded by Metro’s Construction
Excise Tax.
The Center and waterfront edu-
cation park seek to meaningfully
restore Native peoples’ connection
to the Willamette River in the Port-
land area.
The Center and adjacent park
will be part of an integrated pack-
age of redevelopment that will in-
clude riverfront restoration, and
office and community gathering
spaces for Native people and tribal
and intertribal organizations who
live, work or visit in the Portland
metropolitan region.
“This effort—this type of part-
nership and this type of visibility—
is something that tribes and the
Native communities have been
wanting for decades,” said Laura
John, Tribal Relations director for
City of Portland.
“It shows a turn of the times
that Native people need to be
present, acknowledged, visible and
provided space. Having that space
will help to accomplish the City of
Portland’s vision as it works to-
wards making the city a desirable
destination for Native people—
whether they’re coming to visit or
they’re coming to live and work
here.”
Page 5
Water reservoirs serving Agency area
are low, boil water at Wolfe Piont
Reser voirs ser ving the
Agency Water area are at criti-
cal levels. This is due to equip-
ment failure at the water treat-
ment plant.
Parts have been ordered for
repairs: In the meantime, only
one pump and motor were sup-
plying water to the entire
Agency Water wystem. This
includes:
Kah-nee-ta, Wolfe Point,
Sunnyside, Upper Dry Creek,
the industrial park, Miller
Heights, Campus Area, West
Hills, Tenino Valley, Tenino
Apartments, Elliott Heights,
Senior Housing, Trailer Courts,
Greeley Heights, and the High-
way 26 corridor.
Contingency plans continue
to be made to address the on-
going water outage at the Kah-
Nee-Ta Hamlets due to two line
breaks near the Warm Springs
River.
Temporary showers set up at
the Kah-nee-Ta Village are avail-
able. Wolfe Point residents re-
main on a boil water notice due
to loss of water pressure a
week ago.
Vaccines for educators and staff;
childcare providers and staff
Teachers and school staff are
now eligble for the Covid-19 vac-
cine. This includes the staff of
k-12, and early childhood educa-
tors and staff; and childcare pro-
viders and staff.
This is through the state of
Oregon vaccination program, as
administered through the Oregon
Health Authority. For educators
and staff on the reservation, call
the Jefferson County Covid-19 Vac-
cine Information Line, 541-475-
4456.
Or contact the school district.
For educators, also see the website:
PublicHealthInformation@public
healtyh.jeffco.net
If you are an employer of
childcare workers, or an in
home-provider, your county or
other local vaccine partner will
reach out to you to provide you
with information to schedule a
vaccine for yourself and for
your employees.
CRITFC hiring
The Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission is
looking to hire a Genomics Laboratory Specialist. Loca-
tion: Hagerman, Idaho.
Starting salary range: $53,529 to $70,490. Closing date:
February 28. Employment application and full job an-
nouncement located at www.critfc.org