Spílya Táimu
Coyote News, est. 1976
October 5, 2022 - Vol. 47, No. 20
October – Anwicht’ash – Fall - Tiyam
PO Box 489
Warm Springs, OR 97761
ECR WSS
Postal Patron
U.S. Postage
PRSRT STD
Warm Springs, OR 97761
The Wasco Chief Alfred ‘JR’ Smith passes
Wasco Chief Alfred ‘JR’
Smith passed away on Septem-
ber 26. Chief Smith took of-
fice in November 2012, serv-
ing almost 10 years as Chief
and on Tribal Council.
Chief Smith was born in
Warm Springs in 1940 to par-
ents Lucinda (Scott) and Alfred
Smith Sr. He grew up at
Sidwalter. The family lived by
ranching and farming, raising
wheat and hay, in a time when
they used horses for plowing
and harvesting. They hunted
for food and fished.
Growing up, Chief Smith
attended the boarding school in
Warm Springs. Later, he at-
District budget
meetings in
October
The district meetings on the pro-
posed 2023 tribal budget are com-
ing up in October. The meetings
are as follows, with dinner at 6 p.m.
and meetings at 7:
Monday, October 17: Agency
District budget meeting at the
Agency Longhouse.
Tuesday,
October
18:
Seekseequa District budget
meeting at the Seekseequa Fire
Hall.
Wednesday, October 19:
Simnasho District budget meet-
ing at the Simnasho Longhouse.
Meanwhile, the following are
some of the other items coming
up on the Tribal Council agenda
during the month of October
(subject to change and addition
at Council discretion):
Monday, October 10 – Enter-
prise quarterly updates.
9 a.m.: Warm Springs Power
and Water Enterprises with Cathy
Ely.
9:30: Warm Springs Composite
Products with Jake Coochise.
10: Telecom with Tim York.
10:30: Credit Enterprise with
Lori Fuentes.
11: Warm Springs Ventures with
Jim Souers.
11:30: The Housing Authority
with Danielle Wood.
1:30 p.m.: The Timber LLC with
Brian Pater.
2: The Museum at War m
Springs with Elizabeth Woody.
2:30: High Lookee Lodge with
Lonnie Parsons.
3: Indian Head Casino and Pla-
teau Travel Plaza with Margie
Tuckta and Tim Hogencamp.
3:30: Tribal Gaming Regulatory
Authority.
Monday, October 17
9 a.m.: Secretary-Treasurer up-
date with Robert Brunoe.
10: The November agenda and
review minutes with the S-T.
11: Draft resolutions.
1:30 p.m.: Federal and state leg-
islative update calls.
Please see AGENDA continues on 7
tended high school at Madras Union
High. After graduating Chief
Smith joined the U.S. Army, be-
coming an Airborne Ranger, study-
ing in the field of communication
and cryptology, the science of de-
coding encrypted messages.
He became a radar operator,
then served as guard to the base
paymaster: In those years the mili-
tary personnel were paid in cash,
so the payroll office would have
hundreds of thousands of dollars
on hand, requiring strict protection.
Later in his military career,
Chief Smith was stationed in the
Dominican Republic, not far from
Cuba, during the era of the Cuban
Missile Crisis. He served as body-
guard to the base commander.
The Army asked him in 1965
to extend his commission, which
he declined; instead, after honor-
able discharge, he returned to the
reservation, joining his brother
Russell in the family logging busi-
ness, the first on the reservation.
He later attended Tacoma
Technical Vocational Institute, now
the Bates Technical College, where
Chief Smith studied diesel me-
chanics. Returning again to the res-
ervation, he continued with the
logging business. He did this full-
time for 38 years, until 2012, when
he was chosen as Wasco Chief.
At the time the Wasco Chief-
tainship had been vacant for two
Chief Smith
in 2012
takes the
Oath of
Office,
joining the
Tribal
Council as
Wasco Chief.
and a half years. The previous
Chief, Nelson Wallulatum, a rela-
tive of Chief Smith, had passed in
2010, following his Chieftainship
of 51 years.
The two-and-a-half year va-
cancy meant for Tribal Council
that the Agency District was one
voice short of the four pro-
vided in the tribal Constitution
and Bylaws. To resolve the
matter the Wasco people de-
cided to vote on the question.
Please see CHIEF SMITH on 10
National award for tribes’ Language program
T
he Language teachers
of the Confederated Tribes
are leaders in the field of lan-
guage preservation and cul-
ture-based teachings. The
tribes’ Language program is a
key part of Culture and Heri-
tage and the Education
Branch; and is praised by col-
leagues and organizations
across Indian Country.
The National Indian Edu-
cation Association—the
NIEA—this week is present-
ing the Language teachers with
the 2022 NIEA William
Demmert Cultural Freedom
Award. The NIEA letter of
award explains:
“Your program is a testament
to the strength of our tribal
community leaders by showing
both humility and passion for
this work in giving our Native
students access to culture, lan-
guage, history and the education
they need.”
The NIEA will present the
award at the Fifty-Third Annual
NIEA Convention and Trade
Show in Oklahoma City. The
award is an honor and tribute
to the program teachers, said
Valerie Switzler, Education gen-
D.McMechan/Spílya
The Culture and Heritage language teachers with a Warm Springs Academy language class.
eral manager.
Next week the Papalaxsimisha
team will host the NIEA Commu-
nity Report Back Dinner and Pre-
sentations on Tuesday, October 11
(location at this time to be deter-
mined). Dinner will be at 5:30 p.m.
and presentations from 6 to 7:30.
Papalaxsimisha invites the com-
munity to attend and enjoy the Re-
port Back Apprecation Dinner and
Presentations.
The NIEA conference theme
this year is Education Sovereignty—
Our Choice. Details about the Con-
federated Tribes Language program
will be featured during the awards
ceremony and on the NIEA
website. The Language program
of the Confederated Tribes
teaches young tribal members
the three languages of the
tribes—Ichishkiin (War m
Springs), Was’qu (Kisht) and
Numu (Paiute)—at all grade lev-
els in the school district (more on
the Language program on 6).
Register to vote by October 18 for November election
The deadline to register to
vote in the November 8 elec-
tion is October 18. You can reg-
ister at the website:
oregonvotes.gov/register
Another online option is at
jeffco.net
Or stop by the Jefferson
County Clerk’s office in Madras;
or for residents of Wasco
County, the Wasco County
Clerk’s office is on Washington
Street in The Dalles: For help,
their phone number is 541-506-
2530.
Another option is to stop by
the Three Warriors Market in
Simnasho. The market has
available registration cards that
you can fill out and mail in.
If you have changed your
name, moved or recently been
released from incarceration, you
may need to update your voter
registration information online
before October 18. For informa-
tion see the website:
Oregonvotes.gov/MyVote
Some other dates coming up
in advance of the November 8
election:
October 10: Out of state, per-
manent traveler ballots will be
mailed.
October 19: Mass ballots mail-
ing date, and open drop sites.
This year, you may hear about
a new law that applies the ‘post-
mark rule’ in Oregon. The post-
mark rule allows ballots post-
marked on or before Election Day
to count, even if they are received
up to seven days after Election
Day.
The new rule may delay the
results of close races because it
will take a few days for all the votes
to be counted. Only votes cast on
time are counted.
Local, state and federal ques-
tions will be decided in the No-
vember election. One ballot ques-
tion will determine a Jefferson
County Commission position. The
candidates are Mae Huston, in-
cumbent, challenged by Mark
Wunsch.
The Madras Aquatic Center
Recreation District has a bond levy
measure on the ballot. The MAC
is supported by property taxes
within the district:
Passage of the MAC levy
would maintain their efforts to
continue programs and services.
The district could maintain at least
its current hours of operation, and
may expand them.
If the levy fails the MAC would
have to reduce staffing by 50 per-
cent, and reduce its operations sig-
nificantly. Passage of th Aquatic
Center property tax levy would not
affect reservation land.
For the state Representative
election, the reservation is now
part of Oregon State Representa-
tive District 57.
Please see NOVEMBER 8 on 10