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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 15, 2001)
f Smoke Signals SEPTEMBER 15, 2001 03 lm if m mm E By Chris Mercier Men like Elmer Tom come along once in a great while and endeavor, deliberately or not, to greatness. Lives are changed, deeds recorded, and the world pretty consis tently becomes a lesser place once they've passed on. But the fact is I don't think Elmer Tom (1902-1999) ever really left. Certainly enough evidence exists to sug gest that the man could have been nothing other than a horse in his previous life, meaning that in the present surely he must be steadily galloping over the plains some- X" S. x 1 f d. J " A (Vstf J : " . V fx. ' Legend Grand Ronde Tribal member - the late Elmer Tom was a legend in rodeo arenas across the north west and made his name and living entertaining crowds like no one else could. The Tribe's first-ever All-Indian Rodeo was dedicated to Elmer's memory. where, elusive, unbreakable and free. Whether one believes such things is not the point, but rather that once you've learned even but a small portion of his story, such a scenario seems infinitely less impos ; sible afterwards. "That man could definitely think like a horse," reflected Tribal Elder Marvin Kimsey one day, out on the Tribal Rodeo Grounds. "You know, when he would chase them, he always knew what direction they were going to turn." For those who don't know, the name Tom is synony mous with horses and rodeos, in Oregon, and has been for most of the past century. Not a rodeo goes by, said Kimsey, without the name "Tom" arising. Nowadays, there are multiple Toms competing around the North west, thanks to a rich legacy. And it all began with Elmer. Residents of Warm Springs might be surprised to know Elmer was actually from Grand Ronde. Descended from Tyee Tom and the son of Rosie Wacheno and Lawney Tom. Like the rest of the Tom family, he originally went by the name of Lawney, but an error by the Bureau of Indian Affairs officially dubbed him, and all others, Tom. His story might be familiar to some as it parallels those of a few legendary Tribal Elders like Merle Holmes and Leonard Vivette. Educated at Chemawa, he logged, left Grand Ronde in his early 20's, tried to carve out a life elsewhere. Yakima, and a marriage to Pauline Warren (with whom he had one child, Cordelia Kneeland), didn't work out and he made another foray into Warm Springs. There he met Kristine Wewa, the woman he would settle down with and have six children. His equestrian skills were what earned him a reputa tion, for he was man who knew just about everything there was to know about horses. His knowledge matched his passion and to say he spent a significant portion of his life in the saddle would not be exaggerating. Elmer's riding buddies were themselves cowboys of note Buddy Kalima, Billy Herrera, Virgil Switzler, Russell Bob, Sydney Millar, and Jazzy Wewa. His popularity among horse riders and rodeos evolved into legendary status, enough to where Grand Ronde's first ever All-Indian Ro deo became a tribute weekend, with a prize saddle, dedi cated solely to him.1 Not surprisingly, a handful of his re maining understudies, Kimsey Included, didnt miss it. 1 :., mmm l 5 SVV r -7-1 y - ' -wm ' a i mill ii ii ji ww-fa -r i-r 1 4, -'Iff I E" Ms n I . 14 4 it:- 'i I ii in ' ' latfuiinii' ii in wa , -A ,7m i I . " , r ',7," "'I 'lli'lliiI'lllljitlliilllliiMllffllilt ' Tom Family The family of Elmer Tom gathered at the Tribe's All-Indian Rodeo to compete and honor Elmer. Pictured here are (left to right) Ada Billy, Janet Tom, Benjamin Billy, Liana Tom, Preston Tom, Lee Tom (holding saddle), Rosie Tom and Justin Tom. I honestly and sincerely believe he (Elmer) would have made history somehow. Why did he never go national? I just don't think he knew how good he was. He was just a good all-around cowboy." Marvin Kimsey Kimsey himself hasnt actually rodeo'd since 1963, but he seems to recall everything, particularly those sum mers in Warm Springs during the 1940's and 50's, with perfect clarity. The man knows rodeo, like his mentor having been to just about every contest in the state of Oregon and he has no qualms about attributing a good deal of his success to Tom. "He taught me when I was 12," said Kimsey. "One day he took me and said 'It's about time you learned to ride a bucking horse.'" And so Kimsey learned, not just by watching, but by doing. "He knew how to do things right," he recalled. "And he expected the same of you." Doing things right held particular importance in those days, as riding horses was less a pastime and more a means of putting food on the table. "In the 1950's, you had to make money somehow," said Kimsey. And in Warm Springs, he added, everything revolved around horses. Roads were poorly developed, cars and gasoline were too expensive and for them, horses were the most useful tools in their line of work and that was gathering "slicks." (Horse lovers might want to skip this part.) In the 1940's and 50's Warm Springs had plenty of wild horses. Unbranded horses were called slicks and they were fair game. Some slicks could be racers, oth ers rodeo broncos. But inbreeding, Kimsey said, would ruin the animals and one way to make good money was to capture slicks and take them on over to the stockyard in Madras, where they would be butchered for dog food. The going rate was 41z cents per pound, which made the job worthwhile. The horse-gathering ventures were not light under takings and yet they required not only skill, but also in stincts, two areas that Elmer had no equal in. "His traps always worked good," said Kimsey. A trap usually meant luring the horses into a corral of some sort, when that was possible. Sometimes the horses were too smart thus requiring Elmer to subdue them the old-fashioned way, by chasing the beasts down and roping. "I'd seen him chase the horses for 10 or 12 miles," remembered Kimsey. "And he always outlasted them." Elmer also secured regular jobs believe it or not. He worked in the logging industry, in construction, and even fished on the Columbia River for a spell. He patrolled the Warm Springs Reservation as a Tribal Police Officer keep ing a sharp eye out for poachers and occasionally collect ing bounties on troublesome coyotes. But invariably Elmer would find work that put him on the back of a horse and friends and family agree thafs where he belonged. "All the horses liked him," recalled Rosie Tom. "He would go out early in the mornings and whistle," she said. "And all our horses would come running." Wilim - RODEO 101: A Ester's Guile to the terainoloft associated with one of the olisst and fastest ''Anrinrf snorts in w W q. . . Q f psychotic the horse, the better. continued from previous page be a few years away from becoming a marquee venue, but that shouldn't stop you from learning the basics of rodeo. Who knows? Grand Ronde Tribal Elder Marvin Kimsey hopes to one day host the Indian National Finals, and we'd all best be prepared and know our stuff. To begin, rodeo requires an enormous dirt ring, preferably 250 to 300 feet across. A few corals are located out side the ring and it is in these that the animals are held and the riders climb on before being let loose into the ring. Chaps, those leather leggings we've all seen in old Westerns, are valuable assets, as are a fine set of spurs and a strong lasso. Most events require judges, and sturdy animals. Generally, a wimp bull or horse will be reflected in a rider's score, usually a lower one. BAREBACK For some, this may be what embodies rodeo. A rider, preferably equipped with chaps, straddles a saddle-less horse. His feet must be above the horse's shoulders prior to bucking and once off he must keep himself astride the horse for eight sec onds. Only one hand can grasp the rig ging. Using the free hand in any way not only disqualifies the rider, but likely earns contempt from other riders. If there is a crime in rodeo, it's using your other hand. The horse also figures into the equa tion in this event. His wildness, or lack thereof, accounts for half the total score. SADDLE BRONC Basically, this event is like Bareback, but with a saddle. However, a few technicali ties make this arguably more difficult (or easier, depending on who you ask). The rider spurs the horse, and if he can syn chronize spurring with the horse's bucking motions, more power to him. His feet can not leave the stirrups, those little foot hold ers that dangle from the sides of the saddle. Once again, the quality of the horse fig ures prominently into the score - the more STEER WRESTLING Cowboys who take it upon themselves to engage in this event deserve their repu tation. Bulldoggers, as they are called, begin on horseback and chase down a steer as it shoots out of a corral. The steer gets a head start and the bulldogger makes pursuit, and once pulling even jumps from his horse next to the steer, one hand grasping each horn. Digging his boot heels deep in, he must now ei ther bring the steer to a stop or at least change direction before beginning the takedown. Once the bulldogger has the steer on his side, the clock stops. the coi V
