Spilyay Tymoo, Warm Springs, Oregon May 3, 2023 Page 3 Warm Springs, regional events marking day of recognition The Warm Springs coalition, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives, this Saturday, May 6 will hosting the Say Their Relay Mara- thon. The relay-marathon will begin at 7 a.m. at the Warm Springs Rodeo Grounds, and conclude at the Simnasho Longhouse. A meal will follow. Twelve teams had signed up as of earlier this week, with more expected, said Reina Estimo, event coordinator. For the marathon-relay, there will be both walking and running categories. Talk with Reina Estimo or Raylene Thomas for more in- formation. Or email: mmirwarmsprings@gmail For the May 6 marathon-relay, there will be nine course legs and eight exchanges along the 26-mile course, in honor of missing and murdered Indigenous relatives. The War m Springs MMIR event is part of the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. The recognition day is May 5, and events are planned across the region, the nation and Canada on and around that date. The Day of Recognition began in 2017: Lawmakers in Montana at the time decalred the recogntion day in response to the murder of Hanna Harris on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation. Her birth- day was 5. The recogntion is also calls at- tention to the overall crisis level of missing and murdered Indig- enous people across Indian Coun- try. As the initiave began some years ago, the focus was on Miss- ing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, as abductions and murders of the Native women and girls has truly been appalling: The murder rate is ten times higher than the national average for Na- tive women living on reservations, and is the third leading cause of death for Native women, accord- ing to the Centers for Disease Con- trol. Since the inception of the move- ment, more grassroots efforts—like the Warm Springs MMIR—have grown, as Indigenous families, ad- vocates and Indigenous nations con- tinue to call attention to the violence, and bring about a response to the crisis. Besides the May 6 War m Springs MMIR marathon-relay, some other events around the Northwest include: This Thursday and Friday, May 4-5 in Toppenish, Washington, the Yakama Nation Behavioral Health Victim Resource Program will have an MMIP Symposium and aware- ness walk. The symposium takes place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 4 at Legends Casino, 580 Fort Road. Kelly Jackson will be the keynote speaker. Registration begins at 8 a.m. General admission tickets to the symposium are free and available online. Events continue May 5 at the Leg- ends Casino, beginning at 8:30 a.m. An awareness walk will take place at 11 a.m. that day. Check the VRP REDgalia Facebook page for updates. Contact Crystal Esquivel at 509-502-4082 or: Crystal_Esquivel@Yakama.com for more information. There is also a related exhibit at Community Covid-19 update - the Yakama Nation Museum at the Yakama Nation Cultural Center. Elsewhere: On May 6 in Seattle, the third annual Missing, Murdered Indig- enous Women, People and Fami- lies March and Gathering for Healing and Justice will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Meet at Westlake Park, 401 Pine St., at 10 a.m. The march begins there at 11 a.m. and ends at the Seattle Center Amphitheater, 305 Harrison St. There will be speakers and other activities there from noon to 4 p.m. All impacted family members are invited to participate, so par- ticipants may highlight and uplift their stories, and the stories of their loved ones, said founder and ex- ecutive director Roxanne White. Family members and friends of MMIWP who plan to attend are asked to visit the event page at: bit.ly/MMIWP-Families-May6 And click ‘going’ or email or message, if you have a question, to Ms. White at email: roxanne@mmiwpfamilies.org Participants are asked to wear red, and Roxanne encourages any- one to bring drums, rattles, songs, banners and prayers. In The Dalles this Friday, May 5 the Columbia River Round Dance in honor of Missing and Murdered Indigenous people will be from 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Wahtonka Community School, 3601 W. 10th St. The first 150 people at this free community awareness and healing event will receive a t-shirt designed by Speakthunder Art. There will be tables with Native businesses and artists, and members of the Iksiks Washanahl’a (the Little Swans) dance group will perform. The group performs dances and shares stories that have been handed down from generation to Summaries of Tribal Council (The following are summaries of Tribal Council proceedings of ear- lier this year.) Chart (above) showing the Covid-19 incidence among the tribal community during the course of the past few years, data provided by the tribe’s Response Team; and below, a one-year graph of case incidence in the community. generation, celebrating and pre- serving the culture of the Yakama Nation. Speakers, singers and drum- mers are also part of the event. Those attending are encouraged to bring photos to honor their loved ones. Email cherkshan@critfc.org for more information. An update earlier this month said seven teams were registered, including one running in honor of Mavis May Anne Kirk and Lisa Pearl Briseno. Ms. Kirk died in 2009 after she was allegedly run over deliberately, but the driver was never charged. Ms. Briseno, who is a relative of Ms. Kirk, has been missing since late August 1997. She was last seen in Portland. February 6 The meeting was called to order by Chairman Jonathan W. Smith Sr. Roll call: Lincoln Jay Suppah, James ‘Jim’ Manion, Rosa Graybael, Carlos Calica, Alvis Smith III, Chief Jo- seph Moses, Vice Chair man Raymond ‘Captain’ Moody. Minnie Yahtin, Recorder. · Bureau of Indian Affairs up- date with Brenda Bremner. · Bureau of Trust Funds admin- istration update with Kevin Moore. · BIA Realty items with Greta White Elk. · Lincoln’s Birthday Powwow funding request: Motion by Jim approving a donation of $7,500 using funds from Health and Human Ser- vices program. Second by Jay. Question: Jim/yes, Jay/yes, Alvis/yes, Carlos/yes, Rosa/ yes, 5/0/0, Chairman not vot- ing. Motion carried. · Covid update – Caroline Cruz, Health and Human Ser vices, Nancy Seyler, Public Safety, and Katie Russell, Community Health. · Federal and state legislative update call. · Tribal attorneys update: Execu- tive session, 2:40-4:05 p.m. · Second tribal attorney update session: Executive session, 4:05- 5:14 p.m. Motion by Alvis approving at- torney to prepare a resolution ad- dressing signing of non-disclosure agreements in the Columbia River Treaty. Second by Jay. Question: Joe/yes, Jay/yes, Alvis/yes, Carlos/ yes, Captain/yes, 5/0/0, Chairman not voting. Motion carried. Motion by Jay approving attor- ney to file an amicus brief in McCormack v. Settler in the Oregon Supreme Court. Second by Alvis. Question: Joe/yes, Jay/yes, Alvis/ yes, Carlos/yes, Captain/yes, 5/0/ 0, Chairman not voting. Motion In some U.S. coun- ties composed primarily of Native American lands, murder rates of Native American women are up to 10 times higher than the national average for all races. Indigenous women are seven times more likely than other women to be victims of a homicide. Murder is the third leading cause of death for Native American women. carried. Motion by Alvis approving a let- ter be sent to Coby Howell, U.S. Department of Justice, asking to file an amicus brief in McCormack v. Settler. Second by Jay. Joe/yes, Jay/yes, Alvis/yes, Carlos/yes, Cap- tain/yes, 5/0/0, Chairman not vot- ing. Motion carried. Motion by Alvis approving Brent to draft a letter to Curt Melcher, ODFW, regarding the recent Or- egon fish passage rule revisions. Sec- ond by Jay. Joe/yes, Jay/yes, Alvis/ yes, Carlos/yes, Captain/yes, 5/0/ 0, Chairman not voting. Motion carried. Motion by Alvis to adjourn at 5:20 p.m. February 7 The meeting was called to order by Chairman Jonathan W. Smith Sr. Roll call: James ‘Jim’ Manion, Chief Joseph Moses, Lincoln Jay Suppah, Vice Chairman Raymond ‘Captain’ Moody, Carlos Calica, Alvis Smith III, Rosa Graybael. Minnie Yahtin, Recorder. Summaries continue on 9