d itor i a l s MISSION — Cay-Uma-Wa Head S tart's fait h i n t h e m e n o f t h e community was proven worthy when 39 positive male role models had lunch with 3- to 5-year-old students. Aaron Noisey, Interim Program Manager /Education Specialist at Cay-Uma-Wa Head Start, was hoping for enough men to attend the "100 Man-Lunch" to interact with the 37 students on May 14. C elebrated i n H e a d S t a r t s throughout the country, the "100 Man Lunch" was created in 2004 to acknowledge the importance of male role models in the lives of children. It was the first time t hat this event was held on t h e Umatilla Reservation but Noisey was optimistic. At the time of the big day, fathers, uncles, dads, brothers, cousins, grandpas, and CTUIR Tribal leaders showed up to spend an hour of their day with the children. Although they did n' t reach 100 male guests, the 39 who showed up put a smile on the little faces.
)
t 1
i
e
Lx P.
ma i ne... i magine, if you will, that over the past twenty
OU WI
for wood, building fires on your land, eating food from your garden and taking supplies from your porch and/or garage. Then imagine these same
stream — That is all." A m o n g the Indian People, there was a strong understanding that the land was a gift from our Creator. The land had a covenant upon it between the Creator and the People in which we are charged to steward the resources. The land was made up of our ancestors; the land is what made us Natitayt, human. We know from the Treaty minutes (Umatilla
people send representatives to your front door
and Walla Walla, the Cayuse minutes are missing )
to tell you that you must give up your house and
that our ancestors were greatly pained to give up our lands and grant access through our territory to the citizens of the United States. Our ancestors negotiated a Treaty that would best preserve our way of life: hunting and gathering on the reservation and at all usual and accustomed lands held in common with the citizens of the United States. Our ancestors negotiated for objects and improvements that would promote "... education, for buildings,
years people unknown to you, people who are unfamiliar with your culture or values are
passing through your front and back yard, stopping from time to time, cutting down your trees
most of your property and move to a section of
your property, of your choosing, to live on. This is an imposition of will and an incursion with no
proposal of mutual understanding or shared cultural values. This is what happens to the Cayuse,
Umatilla, and Walla Walla People from late May to early June in 1855. The difhculty of making the Treaty with Washington Territorial governor Isaac Stevens and State of Oregon superintendent Joel Palmer was extremely great. Young Chief summarized it best when he said, ".. . the land where my forefathers are buried should be mine. That is the place that
I am speaking for. We shall talk about it... we shall then know, my brothers, that is what I have to show you, that is what I love — the place we get our roots to live upon — the salmon comes up the
Confederated Umat i lla Jou r na l
opening and fencing farms, breaking, land, purchasing teams, wagons, agricultural implements and seeds, for clothing, provision and tools, for
in the protection, preservation, and stewardship of our natural resources. Imagine what our ances-
tor would think of us now? Would they be proud with what we have developed? Would they still see themselves in us, as humans? The intensity of the Treaty negotiations was immense. The intensity of how we move forward, as a People, is still great. We must each live up to the standards that have been set for us to ensure we are taking care of all our People. We must be forever cognizant that the Treaty rights we reserved are to not only be protected and preserved, but to be used so we can continue our connection with our past through mutual understanding and a shared cultural value system. Take time this month to read the Treaty, research the Treaty minutes, learn from scholarly works
about the difhculty and challenges our ancestors went through, so we may be better Natitayt today and in the future.
— CFS III
medical purposes, providing mechanics and farmers, and for arms and ammunition." 160 yearslater,we have a Tribal government that serves to provide education for our members, promote social welfare, ensure we have medical access; we develop economic ventures, and continue
46411 Timine Way Pendleton, OR 97801 541-429-7005 FAX 541-429-7005 e-mail:cuj@ctuir.org
Publisher Charles F. Sams III CUJ staff:
w w w.umatilla.nsn.us/cuj.html
Wil Phinney, Editor Miranda Vega Rector, Reporter/Photographer Dallas Dick, Freelance Photographer
Confederated Umatilla Journal
Display advertising rate $4.50 percolumninch. Full page: $243 Half page: $121.50 Quarter page: $58.50 Full color available Mail Subscriptionst $15 per year or $28 for two years
11 awards in 2014, including first places for best editonal and best news story
Next CUJl July 2 Ad deadline: June 16 News deadline: June 23
June 2015