Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current, May 03, 2023, Page 3, Image 3

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    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