E Coosh EEWA: The way it is
Letters to the editor
Wasco Sub-Chieftainship ceremony
Courtesy Smith Family
Photograph from the Wasco Sub-Chieftainship
Ceremony, HeHe Longhouse 2016.
The Agency District Rep-
resentatives of the Twenty-
Ninth Tribal Council—Chair-
man Jonathan Smith, Alvis
Smith III, and Jim Manion—
have called a public meeting
on Thursday, October 20 at
the Agency Longhouse to dis-
cuss the Wasco Chieftainship.
On October 4 the family
of atwai Chief Alfred Smith
Jr. met with Councilmen Alvis
Smith III and Jim Manion to
discuss Alfred’s successor,
who is Wissie Smith,
Xupthwit, and the next steps
for Wissie to fill the Wasco
Chief position.
The Agency representa-
tives and the Smith family
agreed that the Smith family
will attend the public meeting.
The family will show the com-
munity how Wissie was se-
lected as Alfred Smith’s suc-
cessor. This occurred at the
HeHe Longhouse on August
27, 2016 in accordance with
Section 3, Term of Office of
Article 4 of the Constitu-
tional and Bylaws, quoted
here:
“Section 3. Term of Of-
fice – Members of the Coun-
cil shall be elected for terms
of three years except that the
chiefs shall serve for life, and
their successors shall be se-
lected in accordance with
tribal custom.”
Chief Alfred Smith Jr. and
family held a Wasco Sub-
Chief ceremony and did pro-
vide public notice to the com-
munity in the Spilyay Tymoo
dated, August 17, 2016 Vol.
41, No. 17 edition, which was
a public event, held at a pub-
lic forum, the HeHe
Longhouse.
The family of atwai Chief
Smith would like share pic-
tures of the Chieftainship
ceremony and explain what
occurred, and share who at-
tended.
On August 27, 2016,
Chief Smith and the family
requested that drummers
and dancers attend the cer-
emony to sing One Seven of
Washut, and perform Wasco
dancing and singing.
Chiefs from the river also
attended the ceremony.
Atwai Chief Johnny Jackson
attended the ceremony and
spoke about being a Chief,
and about the history on the
river. Chief Wilbur Slockish
also attended and shared his
knowledge of being a Chief
and history.
Sub-Chief for Seek-
seequa District Gordon
Scott also attended the cer-
emony. Although not in at-
tendance, Paiute Chief Joe
Moses acknowledged the
Wasco Chief ceremony by
sending a Pendleton blanket
to Wissie Smith that was
hand-delivered by his son to
the HeHe Longhouse.
During the ceremony, the
floor was opened up for
anyone to speak, and people
from other families and
friends did express their sup-
port and appreciation to
Alfred and Wissie for hold-
ing a ceremony for the
Wasco Chieftainship.
Chief Smith and family
did provide a meal during the
ceremony for all those in
attendance. At the conclu-
sion of the ceremony, the
Smith family provided a
Giveaway, and recognized
and acknowleged the Chiefs,
drummers, speakers, cooks,
and every who attended, in
appreciation for attending
and partcipating throughout
the ceremony.
Thank you, Xupthwit -
Wissie Smith and Family.
Fire discussion at Tygh Valley
Page 4 Spílya Táimu
October 19, 2022
Tribes join centennial celebration of Arch Bridge over Willamette
Crowds gathered ear-
lier this month to celebrate
the One-Hundredth An-
niversary of the Arch
Bridge. The bridge
crosses the Willamette
River between Oregon
City and West Linn.
The event included del-
egations from tribes
that have ancestral con-
nections to the falls seen
from atop the bridge span.
Leaders of the Con-
federated Tribes of
War m Springs, the
Yakama Nation, and the
Grand Ronde were on
hand for the celebration.
The day—Saturday, Oc-
tober 1—shut down the
bridge for several hours.
Arch Bridge was origi-
nally built to replace an
old suspension bridge con-
structed over the river in
1888. Work on the cur-
rent 360-foot bridge
started in 1920, and was
completed in December
Social Security
Amid record high infla-
tion, Social Security benefi-
ciaries will get an 8.7 percent
increase to their benefits in
2023, the highest increase in
40 years. The Social Security
Administration announced
the change last week: The
increase will result in a ben-
efit increase of more than
$140 per month on average
starting in January.
The average Social Secu-
rity retiree benefit will in-
crease $146 per month, to
$1,827 in 2023, from $1,681
in 2022.
The Senior Citizens
League, a nonpartisan senior
group, had estimated last
month that the COLA could
be 8.7 percent next year.
The confirmed 8.7 per-
cent bump to benefits tops
the 5.9 percent increase ben-
eficiaries saw in 2022, which
at the time was the highest in
four decades.
The last time the cost-of-
living adjustment was higher
was in 1981, when the in-
crease was 11.2 percent.
If you would like more
information, you can talk
with
Rose
‘Mushy’
Alarcon. Her office is at the
Family Resource Center.
Email:
rose.alarcon@wstribes.org
Or call Jackie at 541-553-
4955.
Young traditional
dancers of the Little
Swans group were
part of a delegation
sent by the
Confederated Tribes
and Bands of the
Yakama Nation.
Daryl Robbins
1922.
The centennial event was
hosted by the City of Or-
egon City, the City of West
Linn, and the Oregon De-
partment of Transportation.
On hand was the Willamette
Falls Tr ust, a nonprofit
working toward inter-tribal
cooperation at the falls. The
centenial event included
speeches about the bridge
history and significance;
art installations and histori-
cal reenactments, as well
as food, live music and edu-
cational opportunities.
The tribal leaders who
attended took part in a wel-
come ceremony and an ex-
change of gifts with the
two cities.
different this is when apply-
ing for Parts A and B Hos-
pital and Medical coverages
for those turning 65 and
older. Do not confuse the
two.
works by Carlee Wilson, Chi-
nook; and poetry by Ed
Edmo, Shoshone-Bannock.
The journal launch event
will include refreshments and
a panel discussion with sev-
eral of the authors and Edi-
tor Lily Hart, sharing about
the pieces and the experience
of working together. Journal
sales will be available.
Confluence project.
Little Swan dancers, Wilson Wewa of the
Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, and Gerard
Rodriguez of Willamette Falls Trust stand in front
of falls on the Arch Bridge between Oregon City
and West Linn, during a One-Hundredth
Anniversary commemoration.
Voices of the River
We are getting ready to
celebrate the launch of the
Voices of the River Journal.
This is an accessible publi-
cation of stories, research
papers, poetry and art that
elevate Indigenous perspec-
tives in our understanding of
our region and our nation.
The Voices of the River
Journal will launch at 6 p.m.
on on Friday, November 18
at the Oregon Historical So-
ciety, 1200 SW Park Ave.,
Portland.
Th 28-page journal is sup-
ported by a generous grant
from the National Endow-
ment for the Humanities. It
features first-person narra-
tives by the following indi-
viduals:
Linda Meanus, War m
Springs/Celilo; and Con-
fluence founding board
chair Antone Minthorn,
Umatilla; with accompanying
art by Tommy Greyeyes,
Navajo. Others are Rachel
Cushman, Chinook; and
Chance White Eyes, Oneida;
Sean Smith, Chinook; and
Emily Washines,Yakama.
The journal also includes
For pets of the reservation
Dear Warm Springs tribal
community,
I thought I would
check in with you and give
you an update about our
pet food bank. We are
regrouping, and hoping
to be able to accept more
families soon.
As an all-volunteer
nonprofit, we are trans-
porting and distributing
over 10,000 pounds of
dog food and 1,500
pounds of cat food. We
are serving more than
300 families, and as of
this last month we ran out
of food.
My hope is that we
will find a viable food
distributor and partner
that allows us to accept
more families again. My
hope is that by the first
of the year we can find
an additional partner to
transport and donate
more food for our pet
food bank.
The good news is that
we do text every person
on our list the day before
to remind them so all
families get reminders.
We are also working
on putting together two
more spay and neuter
clinics that will either be
at the Agency fire station
or at Three Rivers Hu-
mane Society.
Just wanted to give
you a brief update.
Hope to see you soon!
With gratitude,
Kelly Peterson ,
Fences for Fido.
Medicare - Plan C
Dear tribal members,
Join your fire re-
sponse and land man-
agement neighbors to
talk about how we’re
adapting to wildfire in
Wasco County, and learn
how you can be more
prepared by building an
emergency ‘go bag.’
There will be free go
bags to the first 30 at-
tendees.
The meeting will from
4 to 6 p.m. on Saturday,
October 22 at the Barlow
Gate Grange. The loca-
tion is 56960 Wamic Mar-
ket Road, Tygh Valley.
All are welcome!
Spilyay Tymoo
(Coyote News, Est. 1976)
Spilyay Tymoo, P.O. Box 489, Warm Springs, OR
Phone: 541-553-2210 or 541-771-7521
E-Mail: david.mcmechan@wstribes.org
From Managed Care: Part
C open season enrollment for
the Medicare Advantage Plan
is from the present through
December 7, for changes in
2023.
This has nothing to do with
Medicare Parts A and B. This
is Part C only, to apply or
change whatever plan you
decide to choose.
This is an individual choice
if you are satisfied with your
current Part C plan you do
nothing. Otherwise you can
change to a different plan.
You will receive letters in
the mail, see advertisements
on television, or even receive
phone calls regarding plans
that will suit you, supposedly.
Some plans are Humania,
Cigna, Aetna, United Health-
care, and PacificSource just
to name a few. If you are on
OHP-Oregon Health Plan
you do nothing.
The other open season is
A Happy Warm Springs Trick-or-Treat greeting from Travis Bobb.