E Coosh EEWA: The way it is
Letters to the editor
Academy
career day
Hello All,
We are planning for the
Middle School Career Day
coming up in March 21. Ca-
reer Day this year will focus
on careers in the sciences,
since it will take place during
the week of our middle
school Science Fair and Fam-
ily Science Night.
We are in the process of
inviting guest professionals
who work in science-based
careers to come and speak to
students. If you or someone
you know might be interested
in being a guest speaker to
share about your career, and
the training related to the role,
please let me know and I
would be happy to reach out.
Thank you,
Gena Bennett, assistant
principal, War m Springs
Academy.
gbennett@509j.net
Head Start
Graduation
The Warm Springs Head
Start and families are hold-
ing a 2024 graduation
fundraiser, from now
through the spring. Head
Start parents are funding rais-
ing to cover costs of the 2024
Head Start Graduation in
June. The fundraiser is accept-
ing bottles and cans with the
drop-off location at the Early
Childhood Education Center
front office. Please pre-bag all
donated cans and bottles.
Drop-off times are Monday
through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4
p.m. Please, be considerate of
the ECE staff and their time.
State monies
There are many Warm
Springs tribal members who
may have monies with the
state of Oregon. In order to
find whether you have some
of these funds available, you
must go to the internet.
Then key in ‘State of Or-
egon unclaimed property.’
Then key in your name,
and do the search, which
should bring up the informa-
tion.
You must have an email,
so the state can email you
with any further request for
information.
Snow removal
Tribal Public Utilities is
providing free snow removal
services from now through
April 15. In responding to
requests for service, Utilities
will follow these priorities:
People with medical condi-
tions or disabilities; elders,
and other tribal members.
The Utilities office can be
reached at 541-553-3246; or
the on-call number is 541-
777-1335. Some background
on the service:
Utilities has purchased a
couple of truck-mounted
snow plows for snow removal
of private driveways for resi-
dences of the reservation.
Utilities employees will plow
the rural areas in the higher
elevations first when the
snow level reaches 6 inches
or greater, and as needed.
Utilities staff must maintain
the tribal organization prior-
ity.
Under severe weather
conditions, Utilities will not be
plowing due to the high risk
to employee safety. Home-
owner requirements and re-
sponsibilities:
Please ensure access: Utili-
ties will not open gates to
plow. The driveway and turn-
around spot must be clear of
any obstructions. Utilities
employees will only provide
a single for vehicle and turn-
around, if possible.
Please be mindful that
Utilities staff must provide
and take care of their nor-
mal daily duties to ensure
operations of the tribal or-
ganization. Your patience and
understanding are greatly ap-
preciated as always. Be safe
and stay warm!
Chico Holliday, Utilities
general manager.
Miss Warm
Springs Pageant
The Miss Warm Springs
Pageant committee has re-
scheduled the pageant for
Friday, March 22.
Elders movies
The Warm Springs Se-
niors program is hosting the
Elders Movie Night on the
first and third Tuesdays of
each month. The Seniors
program provides the trans-
portation.
We will be doing our el-
ders movie nights the first
and third Tuesday of the
month. And the movie we
will be watching will depend
on what is coming out. So
we will work on getting the
information out as soon as
we have a solid confirma-
tion on what movies we
will be seeing during that
week.
Museum
closure
The Thirtieth Annual
Warm Springs Tribal Mem-
ber and Youth Exhibit has
closed. The museum was
planning to keep the exhibit
on display through early
March. Instead, though, the
installation of the heating,
ventilation and air condition-
ing system is taking a little
longer than originally
thought.
And due to the ongoing
HVAC installation process,
the museum management
decided to close the exhibit
and return the artworks to
the artists.
Page 4 Spilyay Tymoo February 21, 2024
The museum holding the
artworks for such an ex-
tended period beyond March
6 is too long for any artist.
We are grateful to have the
agreement for the first-time
extension.
The museum’s staff is
working during the closure
so War m Springs Tribal
members who need ceremo-
nial items from the museum
Gift Shop during the public
closure will be able to pur-
chase them as needed.
I am very pleased to re-
port that although the instal-
lation is not going as quickly
as we originally hoped, it is
going extremely well. We are
looking forward to having a
brand new system soon.
Major funders of the
HVAC system include the
U.S. Congress through the
National Park Service, the
Roundhouse Foundation,
the Ford Family Foundation,
Portland General Electric
Foundation, the Spirit
Mountain Community Fund
and the Oregon Cultural
Trust.
Elizabeth Woody, mu-
seum executive director.
Lifeguarding
Lifeguard classes are com-
ing up in March at the Ma-
dras Aquatic Center. These
are ideal for young people
who may be looking for a job
after school. And the MAC
needs lifeguards! The classes
are coming up Tuesdays and
Thursdays from 4 to 8 p.m.;
and Saturdays 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
between the dates of March
5-16. For more information
see the website:
macrecdistrict.com
Community
notes...
Movin’ Mountains
The Movin’ Mountains
Slimdown Challenge 2024
registration is coming up this
week. Registration will be
from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. this
Thursday and Friday, Febru-
ar y 22-23 at the War m
Springs Community Center.
Registration will also be avail-
able the same time and dates
above; plus from 10 a.m. to
3 p.m. on Saturday, February
24 at the Jefferson County
Public Health office, 500 NE
A Street, Madras. There is a
$25 entry fee per person, pay-
ment due at registration. Par-
ticipants must be 18 or over
to take part in the challenge.
For more information call
541-475-4456.
Birth
Rishaan Evander Thomas
Ryan Thomas and
Shaylene Craig of Warm
Springs are pleased to an-
nounce the birth of their son
Rishaan Evander Thomas,
born on February 4, 2024.
Rishaan joins brother
Ryan Jr., 1, and Riyah, 14.
Grandparents on the
father’s side are Everette
Windyboy of Warm Springs,
and the late Sharold Thomas.
Grandparents on the
mother’s side are Joel
Queahpama Craig of Warm
Springs, and Kathy Smith of
Madras.
LaDonna Squiemphen.
Discussion: Is Tribal
Council in support of mov-
ing forward with updating the
Rules of Court? Jim/yes,
Joe/yes, Captain/yes, Jay/
yes, Carlos/yes, Rosa/yes,
Wilson/yes.
· Public Safety update with
Nancy Seyler, Dennis White
III and Scott Spaulding. With
no further discussion the
meeting adjourned at 12:51
p.m.
Powwow
(from page 1)
Junior Boys’ Tradi-
tional: Chaytun Littleleaf,
Aaron Thompson and
Daman Danzuka.
Teen Girls’ Fancy-
Jingle: Kayliani Estimo.
Skye Victorino and Jodee
Jackson.
Teen Girls’ Traditional:
Annie Payre, Kahmussa
Green and Minnie Yahtin-
Cloud.
Teen Boys’ Fancy-
Grass: Julian Stwyer.
Women’s Fancy: Persia
Sloan, Jolene Greene and
Brittney Craig.
Women’s Jingle: Keely
Littleleaf, Sarah Dowty and
Betty Stephens.
Women’s Traditional:
Summary of
Suzanne Slockish, Katrina
Tribal Council
Miller and Celeste Nunes.
Men’s Grass: Garrison
February 6, 2024
Johnson, Cecil Jackson Sr.
The meeting was called to and Wilbur Oatman.
order at 9:12 a.m. by Chair-
Men’s Traditoinal:
man Jonathan W. Smith Sr. Owen Danzuka Jr., and
Roll call: Lincoln Jay Suppah, Quindon Calica.
James ‘Jim’ Manion, Vice
Senior Women 55 and
Chairman Raymond ‘Cap- up: Audrey Olney, Anna
tain’ Moody, Rosa Graybael, Williams and Marge
Carlos Calica, Wilson Wewa Kalama.
Jr., Chief Joseph Moses.
Senior Men 55 and up:
Minnie Yahtin, Recorder.
Randy Boise Sr.
· Warm Springs Housing
Authority update with
Drums. North Hill of
Danielle Wood, Brevin Pendleton. Umatilla Inter-
Holliday, Alfred Estimo Jr. tribal, Mission. Vandal Na-
and Joel Holliday.
tion, Moscow, Idaho. Beaver
· Tribal Court update with Creek, Yakama. Quartz
Gayleen
Adams
and Creek, Simnasho.
PSU to dramatically increase the diversity of its Ph.D. programs
Portland State University
is planning to greatly increase
the diversity of students in its
Ph.D. programs.
PSU is one of 10 institu-
tions, and the only one in the
Pacific Northwest, selected to
participate in the Sloan Cen-
ters for Systemic Change ini-
tiative, providing funding for
February 27 - March 26
the program.
The goal is to remove bar-
riers such as the funding and
academic support, which will
then lead to overall improved
student outcomes, and ulti-
mately create educational en-
vironments that are more ef-
fective and equitable for all.
Over the course of the
Howlak Tichum ~
Virginia Beavert ~
Tuxámshish
Beloved Yakama lin-
guist, educator and elder
Virginia Beavert has died
at age 102.
Ms. Beavert, Indian
name
Tuxámshish,
Beavert celebrated her
102nd birthday in No-
vember. An author and a
World War II veteran, Vir-
ginia dedicated her life to
the revitalization and pres-
ervation of the Yakama
language, Ichishkíin, also
referred to as Sahaptin.
It’s spoken by the Yakama
and Warm springs, among
the Northwest tribes.
Virginia was the co-au-
thor with Sharon Hargus,
a linguistics professor at
the University of Wash-
ington, of the Ichishkíin
Sínwit Yakama/Yakima
Sahaptin Dictionar y ,
which is the first modern
published dictionary of the
Sahaptin dialect.
In 2022 she attended a
gathering in her honor at the
Yakama Nation Museum to
celebrate her 101st birthday
and sign copies of Anakú
Iwachá: Yakama Legends and
Stories, an expanded collection
of foundational Yakama sto-
ries she edited with Michelle
Jacob and Joana Jansen.
It’s the second edition of
Anakú Iwachá, The Way It
Was, an important educational
and cultural resource pub-
lished in 1974.
Born on November 30,
1921, Beavert grew up in a
traditional Indigenous home,
next two years, PSU will use
a $250,000 seed grant to re-
cruit, retain and invest in in-
dividual ‘Sloan Scholar’
scholarships for eligible In-
digenous and other diversity
eligible students to partici-
pate in doctoral programs.
In addition to diversify-
ing programs, PSU hopes the
grant will help bring systemic
change by working toward
equitable representation, sup-
porting student success, and
working to meet the needs of
all students.
Leadership believes this
could become a model for
other minority-serving insti-
tutions to follow.
learning and speaking tribal
dialects and languages, includ-
ing Ichishkíin, Nez Perce,
Umatilla and Klikatat, ac-
cording to her book, The Gift
of
Knowledge/Ttnúwit
Átawish Nch’inch’imamí: Re-
flections on Sahaptin Ways.
Heritage University in
Toppenish, where Beavert
was revered, also supports
the revitalization of the
Ichishkíin language.
Faculty member Gregory
Sutterlict was a student of
Beavert, and teaches
Ichishkíin to Heritage stu-
dents and community mem-
bers alike. He also takes
teaches children throughout
the Lower Yakima Valley.
Her students teach
Ichishkíin classes at Heritage,
Wapato School District,
Toppenish School District,
Mt. Adams School District
and the University of Or-
egon. Ichishkíin is also being
shared and taught on social
media and YouTube videos,
among other modern options
for learning and preserv-
ing the language.
Beavert taught and
mentored at the Univer-
sity of Oregon’s North-
west Indian Language In-
stitute. She was the Dis-
tinguished Elder Educa-
tor in its Sapsik’walá
Teacher Education Pro-
gram and was the
university’s oldest-ever
graduate when she earned
a doctorate in linguistics
from the university at age
90.
Ichishkíin is an endan-
gered language, with
fewer than 150 people
speaking it fluently, ac-
cording to the University
of Oregon, though there
are more people who can
communicate to some
degree. And many people
use the language in greet-
ings, introductions and
more at events and on
social media.
May Virginia rest in
peace.