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The team with the canoe outside the Celilo Longhouse.

Tribal canoe team makes historic journey

By Dave McMechan

Spilyay Tymoo

The Warm Springs canoe team is making history for the Confederated Tribes. The team embarked on a journey last week from Celilo Park on the Columbia, destination Neah Bay on the Olympic Peninsula.

Their scheduled landing date at Neah Bay, home of the Makah Indian Nation, is Monday, July 19.

Dozens of tribal canoes from the Northwest, and hundreds of canoe family members will gather at Neah Bay on the arrival day.

This is the first time the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs have launched a canoe as part of Tribal Journeys.

The team from Warm Springs is paddling the N’Chi Wanapam canoe of the Confederated Tribes.

The tribes only recently rejoined the canoe family of tribes, though historically tribes of the confederation were canoe tribes. In early spring of this year, Northwest tribes gathered at Indian Park on the reservation to celebrate Warm Springs’ return to the canoe family of tribes.

N’Chi Wanapam means "Big River people."

The captain of the N’Chi Wanapam on the Tribal Journey is Jefferson Greene, who is the project developer at the Museum at Warm Springs. Donell Frank is canoe skipper, and Cory Johnson is lead puller.

Paula Kalama is the ground crew captain. Aurelia Stacona helped with fundraising and coordinator, and Ervanna Little Eagle and Darkfeather Ancheta are Canoe Journey advisors.

The canoe team includes the pullers and a support crew traveling by van.

Tribal Council, management and other volunteers have helped make the canoe project possible.

As its mission states, "The Warm Springs Canoe Project is for Native American youth of the Warm Springs Indian Reservation to connect with, interact, and bond with their adult community in a positive way that inspires, encourages, and empowers one another."’

Tribal Journeys is an annual event bringing Northwest canoe tribes together at different locations around the region.

Tribal Journeys began in 1989. In that inaugural year a total of nine canoes participated in the "Paddle to Seattle." In 1993, 23 canoes participated in the "Paddle to Bella Bella."

Since 1993, Tribal Journeys, or "The Paddle" has seen the number of tribes participating with canoes increase, with the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs being the most recent addition.

Each year a different tribe is host. This year the host is the Makah Indian Nation on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington. The Makah reservation is in the town of Neah Bay and includes the most northwest point of the continental United States.

Council weighs forestry, mill options

By Terri Harber

Spilyay Tymoo

Vanport International, Inc. wants to see more trees cut down from the Warm Springs Reservation each year. The topic came up in May during a discussion among Tribal Council members and bosses from Warm Springs Forest Products Industries and Vanport.

The idea of the meeting was to provide the latest information about the sawmill’s operations to the new Council. More than half of the newly elected members weren’t part of the previous Council, so this occasion allowed these members to catch up on what’s happening there.

"It’s not Vanport’s intention to run the sawmill," said Chris Ketchum, general manager for the company’s operation in Warm Springs. "It’s to help convert the sawmill into a viable operation.… We don’t have an aspiration to run the sawmill."

Ketchum told them the roughly 43 million board feet maximum now allowed to be cut on the reservation isn’t enough to efficiently operate the mill. Vanport has, on occasion, brought wood from other locations to run through the mill here.

The amount needed annually to run the mill and potentially make a profit would be closer to 50 million or even 55 million board feet, he emphasized.

Vanport and mill management could ask the Council to allow them to cut more timber than the maximum allowed.

Council members approved creation of a board to advise the tribes about management of the sawmill. This was during a meeting in late June that focused on forestry issues.

The board will be comprised of five representatives from the tribes and business community, people with knowledge about the industry.

Councilman Ron Suppah, chairman during the previous Council and now vice-chairman, requested that the tribes recruit potential members to serve on this type of board during the previous Council. He wanted to see the action completed.

During a meeting in June focusing on forestry issues, secretary-treasurer Jody Calica presented various ideas and affects the Council and board members should consider regarding the mill and forest.

"There’s a lot of concern" around the reservation about the mill shutting down, he told the Council.

The mill employs 150 people—including many tribal members. Their payroll exceeds $3 million annually. Financial objectives of the two previous Councils regarding the mill were protecting such things as revenue and jobs, the tribes’ presence in the industry, its customer base and its value as an enterprise opportunity, Calica said.

While financial concerns are important, there are long-term objectives to consider—especially protection of the land, water, animals and plants on the reservation so future tribal members also can enjoy them, he also said.

The Council could decide to opt out of its contract with six month’s notice to Vanport.

"We should decide if we’re in the wood industry," said Councilman Raymond Tsumpti.

THEN AND NOW

The Warm Springs Tribes entered the timber business during the 1960s. Business was so good the tribes expanded the factory during the 1980s. Focus was on the domestic wood market.

Long-ago days of double shifts at the mill began to decrease, then became single shifts. Then the U.S. housing market bust badly damaged the entire region’s logging and milling industries. Work at the mill was nearly halted permanently less than two years ago.

This was why the Confederated Tribes decided to partner with Vanport. Its emphasis is on providing wood from here to homebuilders in Japan, where the housing market has fared better during recent years. Homes there are designed to show off the wood, which is why the tightly grained Douglas fir growing here on the reservation is desirable.

Americans often prefer to paint over wood or put drywall on top of it so the look of the wood isn’t as important. It’s not showing, Ketchum said.

He later added that selling wood to high-end homebuilders in Japan is not a huge market, but profitable and one Vanport has been servicing for 30 years.

Vanport doesn’t have to publicly report its profit, if any, from the Warm Springs sawmill. It’s considered proprietary information. It’s widely believed, however, that the financial loss has slowed substantially since the partnership between the two parties began nearly two years ago.

"We didn’t expect to make money when we first got here," Ketchum explained. "But 43 million board feet is not enough to run this mill efficiently over one fulltime shift."

The tribe makes money from this partnership based on the amount and quality of wood cut, processed and sold—and how much it costs to do it. Called a stumpage fee, it’s percentage based. Less cost to get the wood sold would result in a much higher stumpage fee for the tribe.

With this theoretical 25 percent increase in the amount of wood cut annually—and resulting increase in the amount processed and sold—this stumpage fee could rise from about $1.2 million to potentially more than $3 million a year, he said.

"That’s $2 ½ million more than what you’re currently receiving," Ketchum told the Council.

The type of timber cut also affects the stumpage fee. A type in higher demand or of higher quality would bring both partners more money, he said.

Vanport could ask for permission from the Council to go into the forest to cut more wood by special permit. This, in turn, would provide Vanport with more to process and sell.

Ralph Minnick was brought out of retirement to run the mill again. He said the annual growth rate is 90 million b.f., and that 100 million b.f. used to be cut yearly at one point, before the tribe wrote its first Integrated Resource Management Plan (IRMP).

Cutting more wood would decrease the likelihood of crown fires, for example, which can cause "a lot of damage in a forest," Minnick explained recently.

The IRMP helped set limits on how much timber could be cut each year by taking a wide-ranging view of how the forest could be affected. It serves as a guide for tribal leaders to consult when making decisions that concern land use, such as the mill operation. The plan focuses on the management of the tribe’s forest, range and community areas and highlights emergency, environmental, cultural, economic and other tribal needs and goals.

These needs sometimes compete with one another.

Health of the forest and the animals, plants and soil within and nearby are what caused officials to seek a decrease in the amount of timber cutting in the early 1990s when the first IRMP was completed.

This plan is being overhauled. Tribal Council is scheduled to approve the final version of the plan about a year from now.

The amount of timber that could be cut could be decided before fall, however. And preliminary findings indicate that the allowable cut could decrease even more, warned Bobby Brunoe, the general manager of the tribal Natural Resources, and Deepak Sehgal, the tribes’ water and soil manager, during the June meeting.

Both noted that a great deal of research and modeling would be completed before a new timber cutting allowance is devised. It will take into account similar management issues used to complete the IRMP. Also to be considered will be conditions that might allow more timber cutting, such as the number of trees left or the order in which they are cut or left standing as determined by size and age, or even the types of trees cut, for example.

The idea is to ensure the forest stays healthy and its habitat and inhabitants can survive.

"Our forest is complex," Sehgal explained.

Council members and tribal officials know that needs vary and are numerous when it comes to deciding what appears to be best for its members when deciding what might be the best ways to use the forest.

"We can’t even hunt big game because there’s no habitat," Councilman Tsumpti said during the June meeting. "What are we leaving future generations? Not a whole lot. We’re doing business for generations that aren’t here."

Early IRMP findings indicate that an array of causes, including timber cutting in new locations, have contributed to the decrease in the number of deer and elk on the reservation.

The contract between Vanport and Warm Springs ends in 2013. The partnership began July 1, 2008.

Housing subject of OIG investigation

By Duran Bobb

Spilyay Tymoo

The Office of the Inspector General is investigating allegations of misconduct that may include the unauthorized spending of up to $1.4 million in funds at the Warm Springs Housing Authority.

Potential allegations include misuse of travel money and credit cards, and use of federal funds money on tribal housing and rental units rather than being expended for HUD units. Improper contract administration and misuse of HUD assets may be other matters of concern.

Secretary-Treasurer Jody Calica confirmed that there is an investigation in progress. An investigator with the Office of the Inspector General contacted him recently for an initial interview to confirm the investigation is under way. The OIG investigator was accompanied by an FBI agent.

"Much of the ongoing investigation is confidential but I have been indirectly informed that there are three potential targets (of the investigation)," Calica said.

Many of the problems began with Housing during the years when the Twentieth and Twenty-First Tribal Councils were in place, in the mid- and late-1990s. These problems were documented by HUD’s Northwest Office of Native American Programs and reported to the Tribes in two separate monitoring reviews and came to the interest of the Office of the Inspector General.

Among the initial nine findings and six concerns was that the Housing board of commissioners was said to have awarded unauthorized pay raises, Calica said.

"They were also alleged to have failed to submit proper documentation for their travel, and misuse of credit cards. That is a part of the $1.4 million," he said.

Priscilla Frank, who was then the board chair, said that credit cards were ordered without a request or approval from the Housing board.

"I asked them, ‘Who authorized the cards in our names? There’s a liability there for me right there!’ I told them, ‘I want a credit report in our next meeting on every one of these cards.’"

Frank said that travel became restricted. "Things started to get lost, so we decided that if you couldn’t bring in your receipts from the last trip that you went on, you couldn’t go on the next trip," she said.

"Some of the commissioners repaid the questionable charges using money orders," Calica said. "Those money orders were cashed, but nothing was credited to their accounts. The records disappeared."

The repayment to HUD was later processed from an account that was intended for tenant services.

In 2001, tribal and federal investigators found criminal wrongdoing within WSHA. Stipend payments were seized by the Board of Commissioners to repay embezzled funds, however that doesn’t mitigate the illegal taking of HUD funds by the personal use of a company credit card, Calica said.

In the 2009 Review an additional "ten findings and three concerns" were identified, eight of the findings still open and have not been resolved.

In a letter of warning that was sent to Housing, HUD referred to ten findings and three concerns. As it stands, Calica said, two of the findings have been remedied.

"We’re down to eight findings that haven’t been dealt with. We haven’t fulfilled HUD’s expectations in resolving those eight [remaining] findings. That was in the letter of warning. We didn’t take care of business."

Now the tribes are waiting for a letter from HUD regarding any possible imposed sanctions.

Those sanctions mean that HUD will most likely begin taking money away from the Housing program. However, until that official letter arrives, the tribes will not know exactly what those sanctions are.

The HUD-OIG investigation and audit was initiated in an e-mail query from Calica back in February. "There have been several disclosures and cross-complaints of dishonesty and misconduct between the Warm Springs Housing Authority and tribal staff members," Calica said. "Unfortunately, some of those allegations were made directly to HUD officials against the tribal Finance Department."

Unconfirmed rumors will now require the criminal investigation to run its course in order to objectively establish the facts one way or the other regarding the alleged corrupt practices, Calica said.

Recent news articles have suggested that the timing of the termination of former tribal chief operations officer Ray Potter was somehow related to the criminal investigation. That is not the case, though, said Calica.

"The termination two days after the OIG investigation contact was merely coincidence and not a direct result of that contact, as the media seems to be saying," said Calica.

The termination happened at the time that the new Tribal Council took office, which by coincidence was at the time the OIG-HUD investigation was becoming public.

Potter was hired to address the tribes’ financial stability and integrity, mainly trying to respond to many tribal member concerns for the proper use and accounting of tribal funds and compliance with grant/contract and gauging the future financial security for the Tribes.

Calica said that it’s important for the community to know what is happening, because they are most affected.

Tribal Council has considered, but for now has tabled, a resolution that could possibly lead to establishing Housing as its own department on the reservation.

If that resolution is passed, and Housing becomes a tribal department, Calica said, tribal rental units would be considered as HUD units. "That would justify spending some of the money on them," he said.

For the time being, the tribes are waiting for an official letter from HUD headquarters spelling out the nature and timing of sanctions that will be imposed. It is still in legal review, Calica said, but he cannot speculate whether the delay may be connected to the criminal investigation.

"From this chaotic history," Calica said, "if nobody gets held accountable, ultimately, the tribes pay in several forms. Sadly, the community and our families pay through the lack of much-needed access to decent, safe and affordable housing."

Columbia tribes meet for resource discussion

By Terri Harber

Spilyay Tymoo

The gorge commission cites many similar interests and concerns, which is why the group encourages the treaty tribes to work together and join the commission in many endeavors.

The gorge commission isn’t a state or federal agency, but is funded by the states of Oregon and Washington and has 13 members. It is in the middle of updating its management plan, though the counties surrounding the gorge do a majority of the planning. It receives money from the two states and accepts donations, but seeks other additional financial resources.

The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs hosted a meeting that focused on the needs of tribes that depend on the Columbia River Gorge.

The Government to Government Summit July 7-8 at Kah-Nee-Ta High Desert Resort and Casino brought together Warm Springs, Umatilla, Nez Perce and Yakama tribes with officials from such groups as the Columbia River Gorge Commission and Columbia Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC).

They all shared information, concerns and talked about triumphs.

It was an occasion for the tribes to ask how (and how well) their treaty rights are being protected, said Louis Pitt, director of Government Affairs for the Warm Springs Tribes.

These four northwest Treaty Tribes have reserved rights to harvest fish from the Columbia River Gorge that are anadromous—species of Pacific salmon and steelhead that migrate from salt water to fresh water for spawning.

These tribal rights from time immemorial are stated in the tribal treaties of 1855 with the United States.

"By working together we can accomplish a lot," said N. Kathryn Brigham, secretary for the Umatilla tribes and treasurer for CRITFC. "We’re here to enhance, protect and restore."

The idea is to look forward, she said, "to plan for the next seven generations."

Protecting those Native Americans’ rights to a healthy future gorge are important, said other representatives from the commissions.

The Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area Act of 1986 was established to "protect things we all cherish about the gorge—beauty, culture and recreation," said Judy Davis, a gorge commissioner. "It also supports the economy of the gorge, encourages growth and protects resources."

What it doesn’t do is "interfere with treaty rights," Davis emphasized. Tribal concerns include intrusion into ceded lands by outsiders (including another nearby tribe not mentioned by name) to hunt and gather, law enforcement, archeological protection, effective lobbying of local, state and federal officials—all to protect the salmon and where they live.

Warm Springs representative to the gorge commission is Lonny Macy, whose term ends this year.

The group "Friends of the Gorge" is a separate entity from the commission though the two often have similar interests.

CRITFC is modeled somewhat after the Celilo Fish Committee. It’s an intertribal organization with its members being the treaty tribes. It works to support the health of the salmon and its environment so the fish will always be there to nourish the tribal members in every possible way.

UPCOMING EVENTS

People at the summit highlighted various events that will allow members of the treaty tribes to meet and network while educating others about the importance of their regional culture and how the gorge area works within it.

The Native-American themed arts and cultural event, Festival of Nations, will be at the Cascade Locks Marine Park Sept. 25-26 this year.

A Warm Springs representative at the summit, Margie Tuckta, invited people from all of the tribes to attend the festival and, if possible, to become involved in its’ preparation because the gorge plays such a large role in the treaty tribes’ arts and culture.

There will be entertainment and crafts, a 10K Salmon Run, conservation awareness exhibits and demonstrations of tribal customs and more to celebrate the communities of the Columbia River Gorge.

For details about the festival, contact Rebecca Gandy at 503-753-4267 or:rebgandy@comcast.net

The Gorge commission is planning a celebration of the act that protects the area it serves. Next year will be the 25th anniversary of the act and an event is being planned for summer 2011 and is seeking a headliner to perform at Cascade Locks, according to officials.

Suspect flees while in handcuffs

State police are asking for assistance in locating a Native American female who escaped from the back of a BLM law enforcement vehicle after she was arrested last Saturday night for DUII.

Carla Charley, 40, was last seen as she ran handcuffed into a wooded area along the Deschutes River at Maupin City Park.

On July 10, at approximately 10 p.m., an OSP Fish and Wildlife trooper contacted a female driver and a male passenger in their vehicle at the camping area in Maupin. It was reported that the two were unlawfully attempting to sell salmon.

OSP was assisted that night by BLM law enforcement in the congested park, where approximately 300 people were camping.

Subsequent investigation led the trooper to arrest Carla Hazel Charley for DUII. She was handcuffed and placed in the back of the secured caged rear passenger compartment of the BLM law enforcement officer’s sport utility vehicle.

As the investigation continued, someone in the crowd yelled that the woman was running away. Charley had escaped out of the rear of the vehicle and fled.

It’s not known if someone had helped in the escape by opening the door of the police vehicle, but according to witnesses Charley was still handcuffed as she ran away into the darkness.

The trooper, BLM ranger, and two Wasco County deputies searched the area for two hours without finding Charley.

Charley is a Warm Springs tribal member, 5’ 4" and approximately 150 lbs. She has black hair and brown eyes. She sometimes uses the name Karla Tewee.

Anyone with information regarding her location is asked to call OSP Northern Command Center dispatch at 800-452-7888. Sr. Trooper Chuck Lindberg can be reached at 541-419-1655.

Tribal Council chooses committee members

Whereas the Tribal Council is the governing body of the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon; and,

Whereas Article IV, Section 11 of the Tribal Constitution and By-Laws provides that the Tribal Council may select such committees as it may deem necessary to properly conduct the business of the Tribal Council, and in Article V, Section 1 (s), for the appointment of subordinates boards and tribal officials; and,

Whereas there are currently seven such committees including the Culture & Heritage Committee, Education Committee, Fish & Wildlife Committee, Health & Welfare Committee, Land Use Planning committee, Range, Irrigation & Agriculture Committee, and Timber Committee; and,

Whereas the Tribal Council believes that it is important to give the committees clear statement of their purpose, mission, powers, operational guidelines, and responsibilities; and,

Whereas the Tribal Council hereby appoints the committee members to the current term to serve until new committees are appointed 60 days after the next term of the Tribal Council; and,

Whereas the committee members are to take the oath of office on a date to be deteremined by Tribal Council at a later date; now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the Tribal Council the members will receive $7.50 per hour for their services, with the exception of the Culture & Heritage Committee will receive $8.00 per hour for their services; plus a mileage allowance according to the Tribal Mileage Chart and the Federal Mileage and per diem rates; and,

Be it further resolved by the Twenty-Fifth Tribal Council of the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservations of Oregon, pursuant to Article IV, Section 11 and Article V, Section 1 (s) of the Tribal Constitution and By-Laws, that the Tribal Council shall appoint such committees as it may deem necessary for properly conducting the business of the Tribal Council to membership on those committees as it shall deem appropriate and the Committee membership shall be as follows:

Culture and Heritage Committee

Paiute: Brigette Whipple, Joseph Henry; Paiute alternate, Eileen spino.

Wasco: Doris Miller, Radine Johnson; Wasco alternate, Edna Gonzales.

Warm Springs: Oueida Colwash, Margaret Suppah; Warm Springs alternate, Priscilla Frank.

Education Committee

Mavis Shaw, Margie Tuckta, Francelia Miller, Laurie Danzuka. Alternate: Martha Winishut.

Fish and Wildlife Committee

Rafael Queahpama, Donnie Winishut Sr., Bruce Jim, Emerson Squiemphen, Ryan Smith Sr., Leslie Bill. Alternate: Terry Courtney Jr.

Health and Welfare Committee

Janice Clements, Urbana Manion, Earlynne Squiemphen, Martha Winishut. Alternate: Sal Sahme.

Land Use Planning Committee

Lyle Katchia, Erland Suppah, Jimmy Tohet Sr., Evaline Patt. Alternate: Rafael Queahpama.

Range, Irrigation and Agriculture Committee

Jacob Frank Sr., Carmela Scott, Evans Spino Sr., Sharlayne Garcia. Alternate: Delford Johnson.

Timber Committee

Grant Clements Sr., Ellison David Sr., John Katchia Sr., Levi Vanpelt. Alternate: Robert Smith.

Terri Harber/Spilyay

Fire season under way

A fire burned about a half-acre of hillside near the 1500 block of Tenino Road. It briefly posed a threat to nearby homes. The first report of smoke in the area came just after 6:30 p.m. July 12. Crews from Fire and Safety and Fire Management responded to the location, according to Fire Management. Strong wind blew a power line down. Another blaze occurred earlier in the day in Rattlesnake Springs. Fire season began July 1. With it brings seasonal conditions that greatly increase potential fire danger.  

June 30, 2010 edition

Pi-Ume-Sha Treaty Days

Dancer Fabian Sutterlee during Pi-Ume-Sha Treaty Days. This was the picture we thought should receive the most attention. It was the lead photo on page 1.

Pi-Ume-Sha events ran from June 23-27.

We have these Pi-Ume-Sha photo galleries available on Facebook.

These are the links everyone can use to view them. There is no need to join Facebook to see them, but it's easier to click from gallery to gallery if you are a member of Facebook visiting the Spilyay Tymoo page there. Here goes:

Opening night

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=16972&id=111368498884718&l=c461476a25

Pictures published in Spilyay Tymoo 6-30

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=16974&id=111368498884718&l=ed4388ab3c

Parade

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=16973&id=111368498884718&l=5e6fd152f6

Health fair

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=16967&id=111368498884718&l=8b3c617919

Gas pipeline has conditional approval

Tribal Council has made a conditional agreement with the Palomar Gas Transmission Company that may allow Palomar to build a natural gas pipeline across the reservation.

The agreement provides compensation to the tribes for the possible use of reservation land and tribal services.

Palomar would also contribute to the tribes’ traditional plants program, job training and employment opportunities.

The Warm Springs alternative pipeline route was crafted to avoid, wherever possible, resource impacts and residences.

And it gives greater control to tribal, rather than federal managers on how to otherwise control, reduce and mitigate unavoidable impacts.

The proposal is for a buried pipeline, away from residences. The area disturbed during construction will be restored with native vegetation.

Palomar Gas Transmission proposed its natural gas transmission pipeline application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in December of 2008. At that time, the company was not considering a Warm Springs alternative route.

The Confederated Tribes, however, identified significant environmental risks regarding the segment of pipeline proposed to start in Central Oregon, cross the Deschutes River and the Cascade Mountains, ending in Mollala.

Palomar’s initial route proposal included an above-river crossing of the Lower Deschutes, near tribal fishing locations and within the Wild and Scenic boundary. This was a serious concern to tribal officials.

The suggested off-reservation route would also impact significant treaty and cultural resources of interest to the tribes in the Ceded lands. These issues were enough to raise a high level of concern for tribal resource managers.

"It was because of those issues that we decided we needed to talk with Palomar to see if there were a way to protect our sovereign areas, treaty interests, traditions, cultural areas and prized fishing sites," said Chief Delvis Heath.

During this phase of the process, the question in tribal leaders’ minds was how the pipeline could be constructed in a way that also protects tribal resources.

"And a possible alternative was right in front of us," said Bobby Brunoe, tribal Natural Resources general manager.

"We went into the discussions with Palomar very focused on letting the resource evaluation drive selection of potential routes," he said. "What we discovered, after three public hearings and rigorous environmental review, is that a Warm Springs alternative better protects tribal resources overall."

A main benefit of the reservation alternative, he said, is the elimination of the above-river crossing of the Wild and Scenic Deschutes River.

Important to the Tribal Council consideration of the proposal was feedback from tribal members.

Over the course of a year, Natural Resources and other tribal officials conducted a number of public meetings, gathering member comments.

A field tour was conducted, and committee members attended project team meetings throughout the environmental review process.

Three dedicated public meetings were held on the project and the topic has been discussed in district meetings. During these meetings, both support and concern have been raised.

Big issues of concern focused primarily on what the pipeline would do to tribal land, water, and traditional resources. There was also the question of whether the pipeline would be safe.

Based on the comments, the Natural Resources and staff identified a route to minimize impacts, and then also imposed stringent mitigation requirements along with strong tribal monitoring and long term compliance requirements with tribal ordinances.

Also, numerous federal regulations and industry standards are in place to address and monitor the safe operation of the pipeline.

If the Warm Springs alternative is ultimately permitted and built, it could result in economic opportunities for the tribes and members. This includes during construction, and later with economic ventures associated with the natural gas pipeline.

It also captures economic value and important infrastructure that would have otherwise skirted the reservation.

The route remains controversial for some tribal members. But it is important, said Chief Heath, "that we protect our resources but also provide an opportunity for our children and our children’s children."

"Over fifty years ago," he said, "our people may have had similar concerns with the Pelton dams, but our tribal leadership at that time trusted and could see ahead that we could overcome the risks to provide hope, benefits and opportunities for our people."

Tribal Council in early June approved the agreement that would permit the pipeline to cross the reservation on the condition that the proposal receives the other necessary off-reservation permit approvals. This was through resolution no. 11,256.

The exact details of the agreement are confidential, but it does include strict compliance with tribal environmental laws and mitigation requirements.

Council’s approval of the agreement with Palomar is not the end of the process, however, and construction is not expected soon.

Palomar still needs to complete compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act. A Draft Environmental Impact Statement is expected to be released soon.

The pipeline must receive federal approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission among other federal and state clearances.

Also, agreement on the Warm Springs alternative may not be the only change to Palomar’s proposed pipeline.

While the agreement with the tribe addresses only the eastern segment—from Central Oregon to Mollala—the pipeline was also originally proposed to include a western segment from Mollala to interconnect with the Bradwood LNG terminal.

News in May of this year of Bradwood LNG’s bankruptcy raises doubt regarding whether the western segment can or will be permitted and constructed.

Palomar officials have indicated that the eastern segment—containing the Warm Springs alternative—is still an important project justifying completion on its own, and that Palomar still intends to fully pursue this segment.

Act would improve law enforcement

By Terri Harber

Spilyay Tymoo

A proposal being crafted will focus on ensuring tribal police officers have power and protection equal to that of other law enforcement officers across Oregon.

"This is a very important issue for Indian Country," said Jim Soules, general manager of Warm Springs Public Safety. "We need to move forward."

Soules was speaking to representatives from various tribes around Oregon who met at Kah-Nee-Ta on June 24. He urged them to support the legislative proposal.

Much of the proposal’s text describes insurance requirements that would cover professional liability and property policies tribal officers need through their employers—tribal law enforcement agencies. The Warm Springs Police Department meets the insurance guidelines spelled out in the legislative proposal, he said.

Training standards for tribal officers also are spelled out. Warm Springs officers receive the same level of training that other officers in the state do—they must complete the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training certification and any other requirements that come with it.

The proposal still is "huge," Soules said. "It really is a big deal for all tribes across the state."

This is one reason why: There is a perception among some people that tribal officers don’t have the same level of authority that other police officers do around Oregon. Lawbreakers—tribal members and outsiders—often believe they don’t have to answer to tribal law enforcement. This legislation will spell out their policing authority.

Agreements

Inadequate insurance and a lack of tribal culpability have been among reasons that have halted law enforcement agreements with tribal law enforcement.

If officers in one jurisdiction are dealing with a crisis that requires the attention of many officers, then officers from the neighboring jurisdiction can help by handling other calls for their neighbors. Or they can assist with the large investigation.

For example, officials with outside local and state law enforcement agencies worry that communities or the state could be being held responsible for harmful incidents involving tribal officers, or that their investigations aren’t strong enough to garner convictions.

These are among concerns Soules called "sticking points."

They have affected finalizing MOUs between tribal and other law enforcement agencies across the state. These concerns also stop some cases investigated by tribal officers from going through outside court systems.

A Memorandum of Understanding is complete between the Warm Springs Tribe and Jefferson County. Soules expects it to take effect during July once all Warm Springs officers are cross-deputized to handle calls off of the reservation.

This finally will allow Warm Springs Police to routinely work near the southern border. Rainbow Market, for example, is in Jefferson County and not on tribal land.

A similar agreement between the tribe and Wasco County also is moving forward, Soules said.

These MOUs will be superseded by the state proposal if it’s approved because types of insurance and officer training will be assuredly consistent among the agencies. But current conditions warrant these local agreements be in place as soon as possible—and in case the proposal fails.

Hope

"There has been a lot of gang activity recently," Police Chief Carmen Smith told the group before police detectives presented information about the tribes’ situation.

Smith also said of the various local gangs: "They’re getting pretty bold now."

Tribal officers having the same rights afforded other officers in Oregon might help ease gang problems increasingly burdening tribes, including Warm Springs. It’s thought that knowing tribal officers are like other police officers might serve as a crime deterrent on the reservations.

People from other Oregon tribes said they recognize their own versions of the gang situations plaguing Warm Springs. They learned how groups here recruit members and commit their illegal activities, including how they carry out and protect illegal drug sales and distribution with support from larger gangs based in such places as Portland, Los Angeles, and Mexico.

These preconceived notions also affect Native Americans in other ways. Off the reservations, judges won’t always honor tribal court decisions – especially in family law and child custody cases. Many of these are civil matters. It’s a problem across the U.S., said some people at the meeting.

The state proposal doesn’t address court functions, but it might remind Oregon officials that legally valid tribal court decisions are to be honored in the same way as a valid court decision made elsewhere, said Bill Williams, chief assistant U.S. Attorney.

Sovereignty on tribal land won’t be affected by this proposal.

The proposal has to be ready for the legislature soon because the goal is to see it come up for a vote next year, Soules added.

Fire season begins July 1

By Terri Harber

Spilyay Tymoo

The 2010 fire season begins this Thursday, July 1.

Though it was a mild spring, summer has arrived––and so has the likelihood of wildland fires.

"It only takes a few hot days in a row for vegetation in the hills to dry up," warned Tony Holliday, wild land fire prevention coordinator, Warm Springs Fire Management.

Wildland fires move quickly and their embers travel great distances in the wind. These embers can ignite vegetation around a home or even a home itself, Holliday said.

People living on the reservation are asked to clear potentially flammable brush away from their homes now that fire season has arrived.

Warm Springs Fire Management advises people to create defensible space around their residences by clearing at least 30 feet of vegetation. Also stack firewood and place any other combustibles at least 30 feet away from the home.

Any trees within the defensible space should have branches pruned so they end at least 6 feet above the ground.

Other things you should do:

• Make sure your address is visible from the road. This is so emergency vehicles can identify your home after you call for help.

• Prune branches from trees within your defensible space to a height of at least 6 feet above the ground.

• Clean debris off of the roof and keep gutters clean

• Keep grass, weeds and brush trimmed.

• Develop an evacuation route and a meeting place for your family.

And "look all around for anything that can burn," Holliday said.

This includes your roof, window ledges, decks and porches, rain gutters and eaves, flower boxes, fences, edges of driveways.

July Fourth

There will be a Fourth of July fireworks show at dusk on the reservation. Many people still prefer to light their own, however.

Follow the rules set by the State of Oregon. People caught breaking state rules by using or selling such high fire-danger items such as M80s, roman candles and bottle rockets will be cited by tribal law enforcement.

Stay out of the hills, forest and other isolated areas with fireworks – legal or illegal. Campers and visitors should check with authorities before setting off any fireworks.

Fourth of July tips (from Kids’ Turn Network):

• Only use fireworks under adult supervision

• Read and follow instructions

• Always keep water and sand nearby

• Never use outdoor fireworks indoors

• Never make your own fireworks

• Never re-light duds that appear not to have gone off

• Only light one at a time

• Never allow small children to go near fireworks

• Tie hair back, wear safety goggles and don’t wear loose fitting clothes

• Never lean over the top of fireworks to light them

• Immerse sparklers in sand once they have been used

• Store in a cool, dry place.

Duran Bobb/Spilyay

Arlita Rhoan (far right), with Language Bowl Sportsmanship Award recipients she instructed (from left) Keeyana Yellowman, Tashina Eastman and Inez Queahpama.

Language Bowl brings together youth of Sahaptin tribes

By Duran Bobb

Spilyay Tymoo

The Warm Springs language team received the Sportsmanship Award recently from the organizers of Language Bowl 2010.

"This was the second Language Bowl," Roberta Kirk said. "It’s made up of all of the tribes that speak the Sahaptin language, so a lot of different reservations are involved."

Arlita Rhoan, Ichishkiin Sahaptin instructor for the Language Program, said that the team, Melitlama, was invited to participate this year by Modesta Minthorn from Pendleton.

The girls who make up the team are Tashina Eastman, 9, Inez Queahpama, 9, and Keeyana Yellowman, 12.

Suzie Slockish also had a team participating which included Billy Joe Berry Jr., Billy Joe Berry Sr., Jacob Berry, Mercedes Mitchell, April Rose, and Faith Berry.

"But these students really are dedicated to the program," Kirk said. "They have been going to the after-school language lessons all year long, as in the years before."

It wasn’t easy for the team members. According to Rhoan, there were many activities for the students. "But they did very well."

During the competition, teams were given phrases to translate.

"They would say something like ‘the bear is in the cave,’" Merle Kirk said. "The girls would have to answer fast, and we were pretty proud of them. They gave the other teams a good run!"

One of the hardest words, the students said, was tl’ tl’ mxw, which means blackbird. Another was grasshopper, pronounced in Ichishkiin as tx tx.

"But the easy one," one of the girls said, "was ‘aswan iwa amu’mu’.’ That means ‘the boy is cute!’"

This is the second time the Warm Springs team has won the Sportsmanship Award.

Warm Springs also took fourth place, and eventually—according to Rhoan—"they ran out of juice. But they controlled their behavior, stayed in good character, and were mindful of their manners. All of which are an important part of learning."

Each of the students were sponsored by their parents to attend the Language Bowl. They received sweatshirts and medals for sportsmanship.

The Yakama, Umatilla, and Nez Perce tribes also participated in Language Bowl 2010.

"The languages are pretty close," Rhoan said. "We can understand what the Yakama and Umatilla are saying fairly easily. But with Nez Perce, you have to listen very closely to understand what they’re saying."

Plans are underway for the next Language Bowl. Organizers are considering breaking the students up into various age-groups.

For more information on any of the three languages in Warm Springs, call the Language Program at 541-553-2200.

Terri Harber/Spilyay

Artist Toma Villa works on a mural along the side of Warm Springs Market.

Mural brightens up Warm Springs Market

By Terri Harber

Spilyay Tymoo

Artist Toma Villa is creating a mural visible along one side of Warm Springs Market. People here for Pi-Ume-Sha visiting or driving by the market Friday were able to see the mural in nearly completed condition.

The mural depicts the name of the reservation in stylized block letters that appear to be three-dimensional. The shades seen in the desert provide a light overall feeling to the piece.

Some figures also are featured within. Its theme is to depict tribal life from the past to the future, said Jefferson Greene, marketing manager at the Museum at Warm Springs.

He received an Oregon Cultural Trust grant and arranged for Villa to work on the project.

It’s expected to be complete by early July, possibly even sooner, depending on the weather, Greene said.

"I’m going back to my roots," Villa, 32, said of the mural. "Graffiti art is the first thing I got into. It’s the art I grew up on."

Work started Wednesday, June 23, and much of it was completed well ahead of morning customers arriving at the store on June 25. Many thought the work was complete. The rougher edges will be sharpened, the figures filled in and other touches added before it is considered a finished work, however.

Working during the cool of morning and night was necessary because the weather suddenly turned summery. Villa had help Thursday afternoon, for example, from a couple of teens also interested in art: Trent Heath, 15, and Nathan Youngman, 16. Both said they prefer drawing to painting, however, as they repeatedly wiped the sweat off of their foreheads and took turns atop a ladder.

Greene and another area teen had joined in for the late Thursday-early Friday shift.

Villa, a Portland-based artist, also works with metal, specifically iron casting, and draws.

He is married and father of two girls. He describes himself as half Native American and half Filipino. Many of his works appear to be inspired by his Native American background or his graffiti art-style background, frequently both together.

Weaselhead in police custody

Spilyay Tymoo

Waylon McKie Weaselhead was taken into custody by Warm Springs Police early Friday, June 25.

A police officer on the reservation spotted Weaselhead, 21, on Hollywood Boulevard. He had been in a vehicle that pulled off on the side of the road, but had gotten out and was standing near the road, according to Police Chief Carmen Smith.

Weaselhead, a tribal member, is a suspect in the May 20 shooting that targeted Warm Springs Police. That incident and an earlier shooting at officers in Madras set off a manhunt involving law enforcement officers from around the region, including some from state and federal agencies. Focus then was on and around Charley Canyon on the Warm Springs reservation. Several families were forced out of their homes as a safety precaution at the height of the initial pursuit.

Police also found a semi-automatic pistol at the scene where Weaselhead’s was apprehended.

There was a local warrant in his name and he is charged with Carrying Weapons While Prohibited, Smith said.  

Youth pulled from Kah-Nee-Ta pool

June 16, 2010 edition

Photo by Brent Merrill

Adwai Wasco Chief Nelson Wallulatum died Sunday, June 13. He was 84.

Tribes mourn passing of Chief Wallulatum

Spilyay Tymoo

The longest serving member of the Tribal Council, and the longest serving Chief in the history of the Confederated Tribes, Wasco Chief Nelson Wallulatum passed away on Sunday, June 13. He was 84.

Adwai Chief Wallulatum served as chief of the Wascos for over half a century. He was the foremost authority on the Tribal Constitution, and a great keeper of the tribal traditions.

"He worked for his people, never for himself," Warm Springs Chief Delvis Heath said of Chief Wallulatum.

Chief Wallulatum was a tribal leader during the major events that have shaped the current Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. His passing is the end of an era for the tribes.

Chief Wallulatum was born in Warm Springs on February 27, 1926 to parents Custer Wallulatum and Ida Palmer Wallulatum.

He had four brothers, Felix, Clarence, Frederick and Merris, who have passed away.

Chief Wallulatum is survived by one sister, Viola Wallulatum Kalama. Another sister, Alice Wannassey Lucero, is deceased.

Chief Wallulatum is a descendant of Chief Billy Chinook, and years ago lived next door to him on Miller Flat.

As a youth, Chief Wallulatum served in the U.S. Navy, from 1943-46.

He was sworn on to Tribal Council on June 2, 1959, a week after he became Wasco chief. By the time of his passing, Chief Wallulatum had served on 17 Tribal Councils.

He is only the third Wasco Chief to have served his people in the 72 years since the formation of the modern tribal government in 1938.

Treaty and Constitution

The Treaty of 1855 was the essential and guiding document for Chief Wallulatum during his years of service to the tribes.

"In my mind, that is the strength I’ve always leaned on," he said last year, during a dedication ceremony in his honor.

"I’ve never tried to go outside our treaty, and I’ve always tried to stay within the words of that document."

He became an expert on the Tribal Constitution and By-Laws. He always carried a copy of these documents with him, and referred to them often while conducting tribal business.

Fisheries

Chief Wallulatum for decades was a tireless salmon advocate, and fisheries protection was a focus of his attention as a tribal leader.

Chief Wallulatum served on the tribal Fish Committee before becoming Chief and joining Tribal Council. He continued to serve on the Fish Committee for most of his rest of his life.

He worked with the tribal attorneys during the many years of fisheries litigation, which eventually led to the creation of the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission.

He worked on the Deschutes River Management Plan, and attended many salmon summits and meetings with the Corps of Engineers in regard to in-lieu fishing sites.

He worked with federal and state forest and rangeland departments over management of the Ceded Lands.

Major developments

Chief Wallulatum was a tribal leader during significant events that have shaped the present-day tribes. About the time he became Chief, for instance, the Confederated Tribes received payment from the federal government for the destruction of Celilo Falls.

The tribes used part of the money to commission an economic development study from Oregon State University. The study, as updated, still guides decisions of the tribes.

Some other significant developments for the tribes during his time as Chief and on Tribal Council include:

The tribes’ purchase of Kah-Nee-Ta in 1961 for $165,000, and the opening of the Kah-Nee-Ta Lodge;

The tribes’ purchase of the Jefferson Plywood Company and the old Wilson Lumber Company sawmill, now Warm Springs Forest Products Industries;

Establishment of the Tribal Elderly Pension Program and the Tribal Education Scholarship Fund;

The signing of the McQuinn bill into law by President Nixon;

The construction of the Warm Springs National Fish Hatchery;

The creation of Warm Springs Power and Water Enterprises; development of Warm Springs Composite Products, the Museum at Warm Springs, the Early Childhood Education Center, and the new Health and Wellness Center.

Essentially, he had a part in all the significant tribal decisions over the past 51 years.

The park overlooking the Re-regulating reservoir was dedicated last year in the Chief’s honor. The plaque at the park explains in part:

Chief Wallulatum was a bridge from early tribal leaders such as Charlie Jackson, Vernon Jackson, Olney Patt Sr., Delbert Frank, Harold Culpus, Avex Miller, Ken Smith and others.

In the early years Chief Wallulatum was an astute student, and in later years a patient teacher.

Terri Harber/Spilyay Tymoo

Valerie Switzler

Graduate returns as director

By Terri Harber

Spilyay Tymoo

Valerie Switzler is happy to be back living and working on the Warm Springs Reservation after a lengthy stay in the Midwest for her education.

Switzler, 49, now heads the tribal Culture and Heritage Department, the job formerly held by Myra Johnson-Orange.

"Myra wanted us to succeed in everything we did," Switzler said fondly of her predecessor, who retired several weeks ago.

Switzler recently completed her master’s degree at the University of Kansas in Global Indigenous Nations Studies, specifically language revitalization and documentation.

It has been a four-year trek for Switzler. She coordinated the tribal language program before moving to Kansas to return to her college studies at Haskell Indian Nations University. She had spent a year there in the 1980s, but felt then that she needed to be at home instead.

Switzler earned her bachelor’s degree in Business Management and Indian Studies while working for the university extension office. She did such things as teach Native youths and help with computer programs.

It was very hard at times for her to keep going. One night while she was up at 2 a.m. trying to do calculus homework, she cried and seriously wondered whether all of the misery was worth it. She managed to persevere, however—with a lot of help and understanding from others, she said.

"I was really blessed."

Teachers often understood her needs and many fellow students told her they thought "I reminded them of their moms," she said.

Talks with friends such as Deanie Johnson and Gladys Thompson also eased the stress. They were able to communicate by Skype, which allows voice and video communication using common computer and video equipment.

"It was like they were down the street, not 1,600 miles away," Switzler said.

And a tribal scholarship helped financially. While two of her daughters were independent, two still lived with her. She brought a lot of native foods from here with her, such as berries and salmon. That also helped stretch dollars.

What helped most was having her children and their families in that part of the world. Some of them were even attending college at the same time she did.

"My girls were really there for me," Switzler said.

Switzler has had the opportunity to learn how other native people across the globe preserve their own languages and cultures. She even spent some time in Hawaii learning about the natives in Honolulu. She discovered a lot of commonality between the various groups of natives.

"In order to jump start a language, you need an immersion school," Switzler explained.

This fall, there will be total language immersion for three-year-old children offered on the reservation. Only 15 children will be accepted and applications have already been submitted.

If it works well, then the idea is to add more students each year, she said.

This is why the other three-year-olds won’t be getting the same native language training that has been offered on the reservation during recent years.

There will be materials available for free through the department to help parents teach their children native language at home, including books, coloring books, CDs and DVDs.

"We’re asking for understanding. We want to concentrate now on producing native speakers."

The goal "has been to saturate the community. Any way we are able to let the languages be known."

The idea now, however, is to get some community members fluent in Ichishkiin, the language spoken by the Warm Springs tribe. Not enough people can fluently use Numu and Kiksht for those languages to be taught to children using an immersion method, she said.

Passing language down from mother to child–or grandmother to child—is considered the best method. Immersion is considered the next best way, but the most viable when most of the fluent communicators have died and taken their knowledge with them.

"It’s going to take a lot from parents to continue this dream our ancestors had," she explained. "If you know some words, even a few words, teach them to your children. Just teach what you know."

"Once the children become familiar with their heritage and culture, they become stable. They have the knowledge, the teachings of their people," she emphasized.

For adults on the reservation who want to learn native language, there is a program where they are paired for 20 hours a week with an older person in the community.

For details about the language program or to obtain learning materials, call 541-553-3290 and ask for Josie Miller.

Powwow to mark 150th anniversary of Treaty

Spilyay Tymoo

The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs will host the Forty-First Annual Pi-Ume-Sha Treaty Days Powwow during last weekend of the month, Friday through Sunday, June 25-27.

The three-day powwow commemorates the signing of the Treaty of 1855, signed 155 years ago this month. The signing date of the Treaty was June 25, 1855. On that day, 151 tribal leaders signed the document, following a three-day Council of the Wasco and Walla Walla tribes at The Dalles.

By the terms of the treaty, the tribes gave up ownership claim to 10 million acres of land, known since as the Ceded Lands. In exchange the tribes received the reservation land located between Mt. Jefferson and the Deschutes River. By the Treaty, the tribes also retained rights to the traditional use of the Ceded Lands.

Pi-Ume-Sha Treaty Days began in the late 1960s. While commemorating the signing of the treaty, Pi-Ume-Sha also traditionally has honored the veterans and service men and women of the Armed Forces.

The powwow begins with the Grand Entry at 7 p.m. on Friday, June 25. Grand Entries are also scheduled on Saturday at 1 and 7 p.m., and on Sunday at 2 p.m. The Traditional Dress Parade is at 11 a.m. on Saturday. Dance contests are throughout the weekend.

For vendor information, call Cassie Katchia at 541-553-0203.

Below are some of the major events:

The Forty-First Annual Pi-Ume-Sha Treaty Days All Indian Rodeo happens Saturday and Sunday, June 26-27, at the Warm Springs Rodeo Grounds.

Grand entry is at 1 p.m. on both days. Admission is $7 (18 and older), senior citizens and kids (ages 6-17) $3, kids younger than age 6 free.

Rodeo events include bareback, saddle bronc, bull riding, team roping, calf roping, steer wrestling, barrel racing, breakaway roping, Century team roping, senior breakaway roping, senior barrel racing, junior steer riding, junior breakaway roping, and ribbon roping.

The rodeo also features the All Indian Wild Horse race, and the junior wild colt race.

Open barrel racing in memory of Priscilla Squiemphen-Yazzie, sponsored by the Squiemphen family. Leland Tom Memorial: local all around cowboy and overall men’s all around cowboy.

Awards in all events, men and women’s all around (must be entered in two or more events). Local, high money all around will be given to an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs.

For more information, please call Jason Smith at 541-553-1373; or Liana Holyan at 541-325-9175.

The rodeo is produced by the Warm Springs Rodeo Association, sanctioned with the Western States Indian Rodeo Association.

The association wishes to thank the sponsors: Kah-Nee-Ta High Desert Resort and Casino, US Bank, Warm Springs Composite Products, Phoenix Enterprises NW LLC, Black Bear Diner, Wild Horse Resort and Casino, the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, and Karnopp Petersen attorneys.

--------------------------------------------- 

Organizers of Pi-Ume-Sha Softball are raising money for the sporting event by holding a raffle.

Tickets are $1 each or $5 for 6. Items ticket holders might win include:

Two seats to the Mariners vs. Red Sox game at 1 p.m. on July 25; beaded Boston Red Sox medallion; Mariners’ shirt, Jacoby Ellsbury shirt; sports umbrella; Pendleton purse; beaded earrings; Walmart gift certificate; Safeway gift certificate and many more items.

People selling these tickets are Jerry Sampson, Norene Sampson, Sandra Greene-Sampson, Kristina Sampson, Jolene Switzler, Cena Wolfe.

The drawing will be June 27 but participants need not be present to win.

----------------------------

Organizers of Pi-Ume-Sha Softball are raising money for the sporting event by holding a raffle.

Tickets are $1 each or $5 for 6. Items ticket holders might win include:

Two seats to the Mariners vs. Red Sox game at 1 p.m. on July 25; beaded Boston Red Sox medallion; Mariners’ shirt, Jacoby Ellsbury shirt; sports umbrella; Pendleton purse; beaded earrings; Walmart gift certificate; Safeway gift certificate and many more items.

People selling these tickets are Jerry Sampson, Norene Sampson, Sandra Greene-Sampson, Kristina Sampson, Jolene Switzler, Cena Wolfe.

The drawing will be June 27 but participants need not be present to win.

------------------------------ 

The Tenth Annual Pi-Ume-Sha Health Fair is Wednesday, June 23 from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at the community center.

There will be booths from around Oregon regarding health and wellness resources available to the community of Warm Springs.

There will be a contest put on by the Warm Springs Indian Health Services pharmacy staff to see who can bring in the most outdated prescription.

People are encouraged to bring in all of their outdated medicine bottles to be disposed of, and the person who brings in the most outdated medicines will win a prize.

There will also be a booth from the Oregon unclaimed properties division, helping people to find if they have any unclaimed properties and how to claim the property if they do.

Mountain View Hospital and St. Charles of Bend will be doing education as well as many local agencies and IHS staff. For more information, contact the community health programs at 541-553-1196.

-----------------------------

The Fry Bread Open Golf Tournament is Saturday and Sunday, June 26-27 at Kah-Nee-Ta High Desert Resort and Casino.

The entry fee of $160 includes tournament entry on Saturday and Sunday, green fees, tee prize and Saturday dinner.

Flights: ladies, seniors, championship, 1st flight, and 2nd flight. Handicap: Maximum for men is 24 and ladies is 36. Handicap must be current and verifiable, no exceptions. Please be prepared to show your current handicap card.

Special events: KPs, long-putt, skins, long drive, deuces, blind draw and best ball.

Friday, June 25: Practice round after 10 a.m.

Saturday, June 26: 8 a.m. Driving range and registration.

9-11:30 a.m.: Tee times.

2-4 p.m.: Putting contest.

4 p.m.: Horse race.

7 p.m.: Dinner at the lodge.

Sunday, June 27:

9:30 a.m.: Shotgun start.

Awards following final round - Cash payouts.

Tournament information:

Satch Miller, Kah-Nee-Ta Golf Association president: 541-553-1227(h) or 541-325-1175(c).

Friday practice round, please call pro shop at 1-800-554-4SUN or 541-553-4971. Saturday tee times, call Satch Miller.

Mail entry form, checks or money order payable to:

Kah-Nee-Ta Golf Association, P.O. Box 975, Warm Springs, OR 97761.

Terri Harber/Spilyay

Legal Aid workers Marielle Florendo and Mark Matthews sit in one of the tribal courtrooms after a court session. Warm Springs tribal members now have legal professionals to consult before they are supposed to appear in court on criminal charges. Matthews is the official attorney. Florendo passed the state bar but serves as an advocate.

W.S. Legal Aid repopens

By Terri Harber

Spilyay Tymoo

The Warm Springs Legal Aid department is taking clients again after more than a year of nonexistence.

Attorney Mark Matthews and advocate Marielle Florendo have been representing defendants for several weeks. They work out of a cramped office inside of the Warm Springs Tribal Court, but expect to move out when a trailer becomes available.

They also hope to have a secretary to help them. Soon.

"We’re slammed. We’ve been slammed since we started," Florendo said.

The pair has spent many hours talking to clients in the jail or at their office, and has represented accused tribal members at hundreds of hearings already.

Matthews is the former head of the Victims of Crime office on the reservation. He has worked for the tribe in a variety of legal capacities since the early 1990s with only a short stint or two away.

Florendo has blood ties to the Warm Springs Tribe. James Florendo is her father, the late Alice Florendo is her grandmother.

She graduated from law school and recently passed the Oregon State Bar exam.

Her job here, however, is as a court advocate for defendants.

"I think this is incredibly important," she said of her work on the reservation. She believes it’s important enough to toil for less money than she would as a civil attorney – her original career path.

Florendo wants to make sure people on the reservation understand and exercise their rights when criminal charges are brought against them. It can get complicated and sometimes results in defendants not knowing how to properly handle what is happening to them.

The tribe isn’t required to provide criminal defenders, just to allow the defendant to have counsel or an advocate assist in fighting the charges.

Matthews and Florendo can explain things to close relatives of those accused of criminal offenses, even help them understand what they can do to help the defendant. The explanations can only go as far as what will help their clients, however.

They can’t and won’t do anything to compromise their clients’ cases, both emphasized.

They won’t take on civil cases, either. The pressing need for criminal representation here on the reservation makes it too difficult for Matthews and Florendo to have enough time for those cases.

Tribal members’ rights on their own reservation are somewhat different from those rights afforded U.S. citizens off the reservation. The evidence obtained as a result of an illegal search, for example, is allowed if a police officer performs it on the reservation. If an officer does the same thing off the reservation, anything discovered is excluded, according to Matthews.

The occurrence on tribal land, however, can be used as a piece of information that might help the defendant. It can be compiled with all of the other pieces of information provided to the court in reaching a conclusion about the defendant’s guilt or innocence, Florendo said.

Defendants have a responsibility to involve themselves in their defense. They need to listen to the advice provided and, in turn, give the attorneys complete and accurate information.

"We’re not here to get them off," she emphasized. "We’re here to ensure they have their rights respected."

Warm Springs doesn’t have a murder or homicide statute, for example. This is why the federal government, not the tribe, prosecutes those and other serious cases.

The tribe’s prosecutor can look for any other offenses within the tribe’s criminal code to bring against a defendant. This can add to the confusion a defendant might have, he said.

"This is the first time we’ve had two attorneys involved," Matthews said. "We’re fortunate to have Marielle working here."

Advocates are only required primarily to have a high school diploma. Training about tribal law and court procedures is available, but not offered very often.

Matthews credits Jim Soules, general manager of public safety for the tribe, with getting the criminal defense program operating again.

"He understood the need for this type of help on the reservation," Matthews added.

Call 541-553-3373 for details about Legal Aid.

Courtesy photo

Mountain goats in their native habitat.

Goat reintroduction planned

By Duran Bobb

Spilyay Tymoo

Beginning late next month, Warm Springs Natural Resources Fish and Wildlife, along with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, will begin trapping Rocky Mountain Goats in an effort to reestablish a population on Mt. Jefferson.

Jamie Hurd is the fish and wildlife biologist working on the project with her supervisor Doug Calvin. Hurd, a graduate of Colorado State University, where she earned her degrees in Wildlife Biology and Fishery Biology, commented:

"Just within the last year and a half the state began knocking on our door and telling us that they’re ready to start reintroducing the goats into the region. What’s exciting is that there was a long list of sites that were suggested."

Much to the surprise of Fish and Wildlife, Mt. Jefferson was at the top of the list.

"When these types of funds become available, you need to use them," Hurd said.

She says this is the biggest release that has ever been done within the state of Oregon.

Funded by the state, the goal of the project is to trap thirty to forty goats and transport them to Whitewater River located on the east-side (reservation-side) of Mt. Jefferson.

Efforts to catch the goats will continue throughout August.

"Studies have shown that 30 to 40 goats make an excellent number for establishing a good herd," Hurd said. "Anything less than that, they’re too weak and they spread out. But when they number 30 to 40, they tend to stay together."

The trapping will take place in the Elkhorn Mountains near Baker City. Biologists will set up drop nets over salt licks. Once the goats are captured, they’ll be blind-folded and placed inside dark boxes.

"It’s amazing how quickly these animals become calm when they’re in the dark," Hurd said. "They’ll feel no pain or fear. We’ll actually help the animals by giving them vet-work and blood-work. We’ll check them for disease. They’ll be transported in family-units and released all in the same day."

While captive, each goat will be tagged for a specific purpose. There are a variety of collars that serve different functions, such as GPS, satellite, and telemetry.

The Rocky Mountain Goat project has similarities to another project that involved Bighorn Sheep back in 2002 and 2004. In that project, funded by the tribes, thirty-five Bighorn Sheep were brought to the Mutton Mountains from the John Day area. The tribes were required to pay for each animal which was caught and released.

"But the good thing with the Rocky Mountain Goats is that the state is going to pay. We’re actually working with the state as partners while getting the animals. Once the animals are released into the wild, they are the sole-property of the tribes."

Having sole-ownership of the goats means that the tribes would manage the population with the Fish & Wildlife Committee, setting hunting regulations and the rules. The state has offered to make the tribes co-managers of any animals that wander off-reservation.

"And yes," Hurd says, "tribal members will one day be allowed to hunt the goats. We’ve talked with the [Fish & Wildlife] committee, and we’d like to see a population of about 50 animals over the period of five years before hunting can begin."

Historical records show that the Rocky Mountain Goat was once native to Central Oregon. Lewis and Clark interviewed local Native Americans who wore white, furry outfits.

When asked about the fur, the Natives spoke about goats located in very steep, rocky country.

Currently, no one is allowed to hunt the Bighorn Sheep on the reservation. However, there is an off-reservation hunting lottery that takes place in the fall for the East Deschutes and West John Day River Bighorn Sheep.

Stanley "Bear Tracks" Simtustus, the tribal Wildlife Biologist, currently monitors the Bighorn Sheep population.

Duran Bobb/Spilyay

Nola Queahpama

Tribal elder Queahpama earns her degree

By Duran Bobb

Spilyay Tymoo

Respected tribal elder Nola Queahpama, age 69, recently graduated from Central Oregon Community College with her Associate’s Degree in Early Childhood Education.

"For years, I didn’t take courses," Nola said. "I thought to myself, ‘I should just let someone else who wants to go take the courses.’ But I didn’t. I pushed ahead."

Math was Nola’s hardest subject. But she found that there were others in the same courses who were having problems of their own.

"If you get a group of people together who are having difficulties," Nola said, "then you can each use your own strength to help each other through. That’s what we did."

Six other Warm Springs Early Child Education employees are graduating with Nola.

"I’ve been here so long now," Nola says as she puts together gift baskets for her students. "Some of the children just call me Grandma. I actually have great-grandchildren in this school. I tell all of my children that it’s not that hard to get an education. If they work at it, they can make it happen."

Nola says that getting an education isn’t as hard as some might think. It’s about becoming determined and willing to read.

"The hardest part is all of the reading that you have to do," she said.

"There’s an awful lot of reading involved. It helps to be both a teacher and a student at the same time."

Nola’s Indian name is Mamaiyat. She is a fluent Ichishkiin Sahaptin speaker. "I like to use our languages in the classroom. We have the kids learning the Wasco and Paiute words, as well as Ichishkiin. They count and know their colors."

"You have to start learning somewhere," Nola says with a warm smile. "Look at me, it took me a few years…but I made it!"

Dave McMechan/Spilyay

The fuels crews from Warm Springs Fire Management cleared away weeda and brush from around the Community Garden, located next to the administration building. The garden is available for community members to grow their own vegetables, flowers and other plants. Anyone who would like cultivate a space at the community garden or otherwise help there, call Edmund Francis, diabetes prevention, 541-553-1079.

FACEBOOK GALLERIES

We want graduates' photos

Send graduation-related pictures to post here! Provide details--who's in it, where it was shot, how to contact the sender, etc. No nudity, obscenity, gang signs, etc. Subject should be somehow linked to the Warm Springs tribe (please explain). Send pictures to terri.harber@wstribes.org. Call 541-553-2307 for details or if photo isn't electronic. We will refuse inappropriate or otherwise unusable photos. We're not excluding people who completed work for certificates and other study programs.

See the few we already have (anyone with a computer browser can view this album). Either click here or cut-and-paste this address to get there:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=16300&l=e60721636e&id=111368498884718

Other new photo galleries:

Big Brothers Big Sisters benefit

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=16225&id=111368498884718&l=7eb45f5971

Play Day at Warm Springs Elementary School

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=16244&id=111368498884718&l=56ec5e92c3

Smokey Bear Fun Run at WSES

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=16247&id=111368498884718&l=71aa4ed4ec

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