Spilyay Tymoo
Coyote News, est. 1976
Wasco
Chieftainship
discussion
on May 22
An Agency District meeting is set
for Monday evening, May 22, to
discuss the Chieftainship selection
process. The meeting will be at the
Agency Longhouse, dinner at 6 p.m.
and the meeting at 7. The meeting
is to move the process forward in
choosing the next Chief of the
Wasco Tribe on Tribal Council.
The Chieftainship has been va-
cant September 26 of 2022, follow-
ing the passing of the late Wasco
Chief Alfred ‘JR’ Smith, who had
served as Chief for 10 years, since
2012. A point of discussion now is
the process for naming a new Wasco
Chief to the Tribal Council, a life-
time position on Council.
In November of 2012, the late
Chief Smith took office following
an election process, after which the
Tribal Council recognized the elec-
tion results and confirmed Chief
Smith to Council. Chief Smith did
not believe the election was appro-
priate or necessary, saying the elec-
tion was not a “customary” process,
as required in the tribal Council.
A similar issue is being discussed
regarding the current Chieftainship
vacancy, and may be a point of dis-
cussion during the May 22 Agency
District meeting.
May 17, 2023 - Vol. 48, No. 10
May – Xawit’an – Spring - Wawaxam
PO Box 489
Warm Springs, OR 97761
ECR WSS
Postal Patron
U.S. Postage
PRSRT STD
Warm Springs, OR 97761
Honoring the 2023 Senior of the Year
An eventful and historic life
it has been and continues to be
after these 93 years: Veteran, au-
thor and tribal historian, George
Aguilar Sr. is the 2023 Elder of
the Year of the Confederated
Tribes. Mr. Aguilar received the
honor at the Seniors Day this
month celebration at the
Longhouse.
Among his many accomplish-
ments and projects over these
nine decades, Mr. Aguilar re-
searched and wrote the cel-
ebrated W hen the River Ran
Wild! Indian Traditions of the
Mid-Columbia and the Warm
Springs Reservation, winner of
the Oregon Book Award for
D.McMechan/Spilyay
Winona Strong presents George Aguilar as Senior of the Year.
Creative Nonfiction.
Winona Strong and Eliza Brown
Jim presented Mr. Aguilar with the
Senior of the Year vest. They then
presented veterans Rain Circle, U.S.
Army, and Austin Smith Jr., Ma-
rines, with blankets in appreciation
of their years of service.
The 2023 Senior Day was once
again well attended, following an hia-
tus of four years because of the
pandemic. On hand this year were
the many guests from around the
region, the cooks and drummers,
guest speakers, the Early Childhood
Education Center Dancers, many
volunteers, the salmon bake, give-
aways, raffles and more.
Councilman Wilson Wewa Sr.
was organizer and master of cer-
emonies. Everyone agreed it was
great to be back at the gathering,
the first Warm Springs Seniors Day
since the spring of 2019.
More Seniors Day on 9
MMIR Awareness
KWSO photos
Pelton-Round
Butte earns
low-impact
certification
The Pelton Round Butte hydro-
power project on the Deschutes
River was recertified recently by
the Low Impact Hydro Institute,
affirming the Confederated Tribes
and partner PGE’s commitment to
responsible practices that reduce
the project’s environmental impact.
The certification, issued through
2035, means that the Pelton Round
Butte facility meets criteria for
natural resource protection in mul-
tiple categories. The categories in-
clude water quality protection, up-
stream and downstream fish pas-
sage, cultural and historic resource
protection, and recreational re-
sources.
While there are around 2,500
hydropower dams in the U.S., only
about 200 have earned the Low
Impact Hydro Institute, or LIHI
distinction.
The Pelton-Round Butte hydro
facilities were completed in 1964.
During more recent years, the
tribes have acquired part owner-
ship in the dams, with a commit-
ment to restoring anadramous fish
runs above the facilities. Mean-
while, PGE is working to decarbon-
ize and integrate more renewable re-
sources: Emissions-free hydropower
continues to play a critical role in pro-
viding reliable power to meet its cus-
tomer demand, PGE said.
Among participants at the MMIR Marathon were Jennifer Clements
and Angelo Medina (above); and Lynnelle Danzuka (right).
The Warm Springs Missing
and Murdered Indigenous Na-
tives Awareness Marathon saw
great support from 17 teams
and 118 participants, plus the
many spectators along the 20-
plus mile course.
“We had a great turnout
and great day,” said Reina
Estimo, one of the event or-
ganizers.
Reina noted that among the
marathon runners was Mona
Cochran, who is in her 70s and ran
nearly all of the course, before
handing off to her teammate. An-
thony Caldera ran the whole race
on his own.
The marathon this year also in-
cluded some teams that were made
up mostly of young people, show-
ing the awareness effort is work-
ing.
MMIR continues on 9
Probate judge urges community to avoid backlog
Roberta Armstrong serves
the Tribal Court as the Probate
Judge. She was appointed to the
position last year and re-ap-
pointed this year by Tribal
Council.
Judg e Ar mstrong has
worked with the tribes for
many years, having first come
here as a legal intern in 2007
to help the membership with
the writing of wills and trusts.
And for the past 15 years she
has been an attorney.
Judge Armstrong is urging
community members to help
avoid adding to the already ex-
isting backlog of Probate
cases.
“We have 590 backlogged
cases,” she says, “and I’m stress-
ing the importance of utilizing
the tools available to the com-
munity to expedite the probate
process.”
One such tool available to the
Tribal Probate Judge
Roberta Armstrong
public is NativeProbate.org, a
website designed to assist Indian
families in handling their loved
ones’ probate on their own.
The website provides general in-
formation on Probate; and court-
approved forms can be found on
the site. Additionally, the Native
Probate court offers a court facili-
tator, who can be reached at 541-
615-1815 to request a Probate
packet. (Essential to note: the facili-
tator cannot provide legal advice.)
As the newly re-appointed Pro-
bate Judge for the Warm Springs
community, Judge Armstrong en-
courages attorneys and advocates
to assist in filing Probate matters
to address the large backlog of
pending cases. “By working to-
gether, we can help families navi-
gate the process more efficiently
and effectively,” she says.
In response to an article in the
May 2 Spilyay, outlining the Pro-
bate process, Judge Armstrong ac-
knowledges the changes that have
been made to streamline the pro-
cess.
These changes include virtual
hearings and fewer required hear-
ings. However, the Judge also
emphasizes that community mem-
bers must still be proactive in pro-
viding necessary information and
documentation to avoid delays.
She urges community members
to be aware of the process’s re-
quirements, including filling out
forms regarding the estate’s assets,
the will, and bank information.
Additionally, all vehicles belonging
to the deceased must be parked
until Probate is complete, and the
home must be safely kept until the
Probate is closed.
In
conclusion,
Judge
Armstrong encourages community
members to utilize the resources
available to them, and familiarize
themselves with the Probate pro-
cess requirements, in order to
avoid adding to the backlog of
cases.
As all Probate hearings are cur-
rently done virtually, community
members can participate in the
process from the comfort of their
own homes.
“By working together, the com-
munity can ensure a smooth and
efficient Probate process for all
involved,” the Judge said.