March 2022 CUJ

A LL AT I U M

WALLA WALLA

watuy

SE

CONFEDERATED UMATILLA JOURNAL

wát̓ uy náx̣š (first section, page one) U AY

March 2022 - Confederated Umatilla Journal

Volume 30, Issue 3

C

CUJ

March 3rd, 2022

The official publication of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation

NEWS / CULTURE / FIRST FOODS

Tribal leaders split on grazing permits Jan. 3 vote ends 3-2; some Board members cite need to protect First Foods

BY JILL-MARIE GAVIN CUJ Reporter MISSION - “We made our bed now we have to lie in it.”

That’s what Aaron Ashley, Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees (Board) for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR), said of the decision to block the Bureau of Indian of Affairs (BIA) from issuing grazing permits on the Umatilla Indian Reservation (UIR) in 2022.

Ashley and member-at-large Boots Pond voted Jan. 3, 2022 in favor of continuing to issue grazing permits. However, by a 3-2 margin, the other three members of the Board who attended the meeting voted against the resolution that would have allowed the CTUIR as well as individual allotment owners from leasing their land to ranchers who graze their cattle. Some of the relationships between ranchers and landowners are decades long.

Citing the need to protect First Foods, namely roots, Board Treasurer Sandra Sampson, Secretary Sally Kosey and member-at-large Corinne Sams voted against the resolution that would have authorized BIA to continue issuing grazing permits.

General Council Chair Lindsey Watchman, and members-at-large Toby Patrick and Lisa Ganuelas were each on personal leave. Chair Kat Brigham votes only in the instance of a tie.

Terry Anderson, one of the ranchers who has grazed cattle on tribal units for years, told the CUJ, “We never thought in our wildest dreams that the Tribe would do something like this. With how much effort and respect we’ve built with our neighbors and friends on this ground, we’ve grown up See GRAZING on pútɨmt ku uymɨ́tat (18)

Eight miles from Nixyaawii Governance Center, CTUIR’s Board of Trustees Vice Chair Aaron Ashley stops by a popular gathering place for First Foods. Cary Rosenbaum Photo

“I’m a little bit offended and disappointed that they used this tactic with First Foods as leverage to do away with the permits. How many children and grandchildren go out and dig foods on these lots year after year, the foods are there before and after grazing.”

AARON ASHLEY, BOT VICE CHAIR

INSIDE THE CUJ Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation 46411 Timine Way Pendleton, OR 97801

Presorted Standard U.S. Postage PAID Pendleton, OR Permit #100

2 THE CONFEDERATED UMATILLA JOURNAL wát̓ uy nápt (first, two)

ABOUT THE CUJ

The Confederated Umatilla Journal (CUJ) was created in 1975 as the official publication of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR), which includes the Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla people. The 6,000+ circulation newspaper is based out of Pendleton, Oregon, is produced by the CTUIR’s Communications Department and is printed monthly in Lewiston, Idaho.

Richard V. LaCourse (1938-2001) helped found the CUJ in 1975 with the motto, “Only an informed people has its future in its own hands.” An investigative journalism award in his name is presented every year by the Native American Journalists Association.

Confederated Umatilla Journal - March 2022

CONTACT US

Confederated Umatilla Journal 46411 Timine Way Pendleton, OR 97801 Phone: 541-429-7005 Fax: 541-429-7005 General inquiries via email: cuj@ctuir.org

STAFF

Interim Publisher: Jiselle Halfmoon jisellehalfmoon@ctuir.org Editor: Cary Rosenbaum caryrosenbaum@ctuir.org Reporter: Jill-Marie Gavin jillmarie-gavin@ctuir.org Reporter: Sam McCloud sammanthamccloud@ctuir.org

SUBSCRIBE

NEXT DEADLINE

Print subscriptions can be purchased The CUJ prints on the first Thursday by contacting the CTUIR Finance Deof each month. partment at 541-429-7150 or visiting Next publish date: April 7th the Finance desk at Nixyaawii GovContribution deadline: March 22nd ernance Center, 46411 Timine Way, Advertising deadline: March 29th Pendleton. Though the newspaper is LETTERS TO THE EDITOR free around the area, we do charge GUIDELINES: for mailing subscriptions to cover the • Word limit: 300. printing and postage costs per issue.

• Letters containing information Those prices are as follows: found to be inaccurate/libelous will One year: $15, Two years: $28 not be published.

ADVERTISE • Letters containing profanity will $5.50 per column inch not be published.

Common sizes: • One letter per issue will be Full page: $417 published. Campaigning is not Three Quarter Page: $323 allowed.

Half page: $229 • Author’s full name, address and Quarter page: $132 phone number must be listed for Business Card: $52 verification purposes.

LANGUAGE LESSON Edition: Áˀami Úšaytš (Imatalamłaamí Sɨ́nwit), latíit̓al (weyiiletpuutímt)

Imatalamłaamí Sɨ́nwit

weyiiletpuutímt

English

Wayám

siláyloo

Celilo Falls

Nč̓í Wána

x̣uyéełp

Columbia River

Yámuxlayka Wayámpa

hitéelene siláyloopa.

It flooded at

Wawúkya

wewúkiye

Bull Elk

Yukaasíns

téewišiin

Buck Deer

Pawiyáłamayša yúkaas.

hitqéew̓išix téewiš.

They are losing

Latíša

latíiša

Blooming, Blossoming

waapáykt.

Áˀami Úšaytš

ARTIST CREDIT This issue’s theme is based on the cartoon design of Marty Two Bulls Sr., a 2021 Pulitzer Prize finalist from the Oglala Sioux Tribe. His work can be viewed at https://www.facebook.com/ martytwobulls.

Nominate a Tribal artist, or submit your own work!

The CUJ is looking for Native American artists looking to promote themselves through our publication. To submit your artwork for theme consideration, email us at CUJ@CTUIR.org. We appreciate high resolution files for optimal print quality!

(Means “crow’s socks”, referring to the big snowflakes that tend to fall in late winter)

latíit̓al

(Means “month of blooming”)

Celilo Falls.

their horns.

March

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March 2022 - Confederated Umatilla Journal

3

NEWS / GOVERNMENT / OREGON MOVES

BOT Treasurer appointed by Gov. Brown to Health Policy Board

BY CARY ROSENBAUM CUJ Editor MISSION - The CTUIR’s Board of Trustees Treasurer has been appointed to the Oregon Health Policy Board by Gov. Kate Brown.

Tribal member Sandra Sampson accepted the position, stating, “I am very thrilled and honored to serve in this capacity and probably could go on forever in helping the Oregon Health Policy Board (OHPB) understand the Nine Tribes of Oregon and the Native American Rehabilitation Association (NARA).”

OHPB is the policy-making oversight body for the Oregon Health Authority and its departmental divisions.

Sampson said she is ready to share her knowledge regarding American Indian healthcare with the 9-person Board.

“I am very passionate about the Health care of our population and want to continue to promote work in Medicaid and Medicare issues, the renewal of the 1115 Waiver, Marketplace Insurance Exchange, tribal health and tribal government in focusing on policy research and development of technical assistance, training, and communications and working collaboratively with the Oregon Health Policy Board,” she told the CUJ Feb. 27.

“A key element for Tribal Organizations will be access to behavioral health and mental health services which is limited for Alaska Native and American Native

“I am very passionate about the health care of our population. ... A key element for Tribal organizations will be access to behavioral health and mental health services.”

SANDRA SAMPSON, BOT TREASURER (AI/AN) people in Oregon as it is within the current health care structure amongst all Oregonians. The AI/AN population has a significantly greater need for behavioral health and substance misuse services than the population as a whole, including higher risk factors and greater number of issues. There is a tremendous un-met need in terms of providing service to the AI/AN population for behavioral health & substance abuse issues, including number of providers, access to care and provider disparity.”

The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) is overseen by the Oregon Health Policy Board (OHPB), a nine-member citizen board. OHA is responsible for many of the state’s major health systems including the Medicaid program known as the Oregon Health Plan, the Oregon State Hospital, public health, behavioral health, and the Public Employees Benefit Board and Oregon Educators Benefit Board. The OHPB develops and guides implementation of health care policy and is committed to pro-

GOVERNMENT Board of Trustees Chair Kathryn Brigham

viding access to quality, affordable health care for all Oregonians and improving population health.

The OHPB has four policy priority areas to guide its work and focus through 2023: To ensure work is centered on health equity; implementing the Cost Growth Target Program; OHA’s 1115 Medicaid Waiver Renewal (2022 - 2027); and committees of the Board work.

Other board members include Chair David Bangsberg (Portland), Vice-Chair Oscar Arana (Portland), Ebony Clarke (Lake Oswego), Jessica Gomez (Medford), Kirsten Isaacson (Portland), Brenda Johnson (Medford), Bill Kramer (Portland), and John Santa (Portland).

MORE PRIORITIES Sampson noted additional topics of interest she will push as a member of the OHPB. “The Measure 110 Oversight and Accountability Council is empowered to provide Access to Care grants to govern-

ment, Tribal or community organizational entities, so long as the entity increases access to behavioral healthcare workforce.”

Those grants, Sampson said, specifically focus on the following aspects of training: – Trauma-informed services regardless of active use; – Culturally and linguistically specific services; –Harm reduction approach, including the immediate goal of improving quality of life and protecting against loss of life; – Individualized treatment – Unique recovery trajectories that are personal to each individual and are not dictated by treatment providers.

Sampson also noted she could help the board understand unique opportunities, “such as the Behavioral Health Aide Program (BHA/P) education program allows students to learn while they work by creating different levels. There are 4 levels of Behavioral Health Aides: BHA I; BHA II; BHA III; and BHA/P. Each level of education feeds into the next and students are able to build expertise at each level before moving on or to stop at a level that suits their personal needs or the needs of the community. This can be accomplished by working with the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board for the 43 Tribes in the Northwest and us working with the State of Oregon.

“Other opportunities I see,” Sampson See OPHB on pútɨmt ku mɨ́taat (13)

Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation 46411 Timíne Way Pendleton, OR 97801

General Council

General Council www.ctuir.org email: generalcouncil@ctuir.org Phone & Fax: 541-429-7378

General Council Draft Agenda March 17, 2022 – 2:00 PM Hybrid: In-person & Virtual via Zoom

Chair Lindsey X. Watchman

Note:

Vice Chair Aaron Ashley

Vice Chair Michael Ray Johnson

Treasurer Sandra Sampson

Secretary Shawna Gavin

1. Call to Order 2. Invocation 3. Ascertainment of Quorum a. General Council Officers b. Board of Trustees c. General Council Members 4. Approval of Agenda 5. Approval of Executive Summary – February 17, 2022

Secretary Sally Kosey

Interpreter Thomas Morning Owl

At-large BOT Members: Boots Pond Corinne Sams Lisa Ganuelas Toby Patrick

General Council contact Info Office: 541-429-7378 Email: GeneralCouncil@ctuir.org Meeting updates and information on: www.ctuir.org/government/general-council

Executive Director: Donald G. Sampson Interim Deputy Executive Directors: Matt Johnson & Teara Farrow Ferman

6. Old Business

In person attendance is limited to the first thirty (30) people, each screened for Covid-19, then invited into Council chambers.

Masks requiredworn properly throughout meeting For zoom meeting ID, or phone call-in access, please email General Council Secretary Shawna Gavin at shawnagavin@ctuir.org Include your CTUIR tribal enrollment # for verification.

7. New Business A. Board of Trustees Secretary Annual Report – Sally Kosey, BOT Secretary B. Tamastslikt Cultural Institute Annual Report – Bobbie Conners, Director C. Elder’s Advisory Committee Annual Report – Mary Halfmoon, Chair 8. Open Mic 9. Announcements/Notes 10. Adjournment

______________________________/ __Feb 25th, 2022__ Chairman Lindsey X. Watchman Date

Lindsey X. Watchman, Chairman ~ Michael R Johnson, Vice Chair ~ Shawna Gavin, Secretary ~ Thomas Morning Owl, Interpreter

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Confederated Umatilla Journal - March 2022 NEWS / EDUCATION

UO program earns MLK award Tribal members Watchman, Toyoma graduated from the program

BY THE CUJ EUGENE - The University of Oregon’s Sapsik’ʷałá Teacher Education Program, which aims to address the dire need for American Indian and Alaska Native teachers, was the recipient of the 2022 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Award on Feb. 13.

The awards are given out annually by the University of Oregon to its programs and staff members.

Tribal members Lindsey Watchman and Belinda Toyoma were graduates of the program.

The CTUIR has been a tribal partner with the program since it was created in 2002, Higher Education Manager Brandie Weaskus said.

“We have had two tribal members successfully complete the program,” she said.

Watchman, who serves as an advocate for the program, participated in the program more than a decade ago. He gained a degree and endorsements to teach middle and high school Social Studies.

The current General Council Chair is now responsible for helping to select future cohorts.

“I whole-heartedly support any Tribal member who wants to become a Native educator, so please feel welcome to reach out to me if you have any further questions,” Watchman said.

The Sapsik’ʷałá program collaborates with the nine federally-recognized tribes of Oregon and the UO Teach

Master’s program to deliver a pathway for Indigenous teachers within their communities, according to its website.

“This program is based on the belief that education strengthens our people,” the program’s website states.

“In fact, Sapsik’ʷałá is an Ichishkíin/Sahaptin word which translates to ‘teacher’ in English. This name represents our program’s cultural values for self-determination of education for Tribal people. Under the guidance of our Tribal Advisory Council consisting of education representatives from the Nine Federally Recognized Tribes of Oregon, we aim to provide a culturally sustaining model to support Tribal Nations’ Indigenous and Treaty rights with an emphasis on growing our own Native educators.

“The heart of the Sapsik’ʷałá Program is the building of communities of practice that foster a seamless path from pre-service teacher to induction as a new teacher through becoming a teacher leader.”

According to its website, the program has created 103 graduates teaching in tribal communities; graduates are from 49 different tribes.

A grant for the 12-month program covers tuition, books, computer, living stipend and dependent allowance which are paid back by a two-year commitment to high schools with Native American student populations.

It also gives two years of support services aimed at helping its graduates find work. Services include the provision of a mentor, formative teaching evaluations, support to attend a conference, cohort seminar meetings, electronic distribution and discussion list, and access to virtual curriculum and research center.

More information can be found at https://education. uoregon.edu/sapsikwala or https://www.facebook.com/ sapsikwalateacherprogram/.

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The Cultural Resources Protection Program (CRPP) has received a grant from the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) to conduct interviews with Tribal Elders regarding traditional knowledge of First Foods and cultural resources, centered around sites along the Columbia River. This is an opportunity for tribal elders to provide input on management of cultural resources in the ceded territories. This helps federal agencies gain insight into what areas may be affected and the need to be protected and preserved for future generations. All interviews will take place at the NGC building and participants will need to sign a Consent Form and will receive a small stipend (honorarium) by mail. Information collected could potentially lead to more extensive interviews and tours at a later date. All information will be used internally and kept in the CRPP archives.

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March 2022 - Confederated Umatilla Journal NEWS / BUSINESS / LOCAL MOVES

McCloud rejoins CUJ

BY THE CUJ MISSION - Sammantha McCloud rejoined the CUJ as a reporter in February.

“I am very excited to be back with the CUJ staff again,” McCloud said.

“I love attending and covering community events. I am thankful for this opportunity and look forward to gaining more experience and knowledge in this field.”

The Puyallup Tribal member who grew McCloud up locally spent seven months with the CUJ back in 2017.

“The last time I worked with Sam she came in willing and eager to learn how the paper worked and what she

could do expand on her skills. Her natural eye for photography is astounding and I can’t be more thankful that she has decided to rejoin us.”

Jill-Marie Gavin, CUJ Reporter, said.

McCloud handled a little bit of everything during her last stint, including writing news briefs, shooting photos, helping with layout and fact-checking, and administrative tasks.

She holds an Associate’s Degree and has plans to complete a Communications Degree in the spring.

“We pride ourselves on fostering local talent,” Editor Cary Rosenbaum said. “Sam is someone who will contribute immediately and enhance our product. We’re very excited she decided to come back and work here and hope she continues to aspire toward communications and journalism in the future.”

MAKE IT OUR BUSINESS! Know of a local business or individual who has made a big move in their career? The CUJ is looking for business and people to highlight in our business section! To nominate a Tribal or community member for story consideration, email us at CUJ@CTUIR.org.

yellowhawk.org/health-commission for more info

FINANCIAL READINESS IS THE FIRST STEP TOWARDS HOMEOWNERSHIP

Are you ready to build a home at Nixyáawii?

Are you financially secure?

You need to have a stable income source that can be verified by your lender and demonstrate you manage expenses responsibly.

Is your credit in good shape?

Lenders use your credit report to see if you are a responsible borrower.

Check your credit score early in the process so you can correct any issues.

Are you ready to settle down in one place?

Homeownership is a long-term commitment. If you’re not ready to settle down for at least five years, renting may be a better option.

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Homes require maintainence. A home owner is responsible for replacing fixtures and making any repairs to the house.

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Prepare for the additional expenses you will incur including the downpayment and any fees charged by the lender.

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Be ready to prioritize your mortgage payment before other expenses.

A bank will foreclose on your home if you stop paying your mortgage– a devastating hit to your credit report.

Nixyáawii is a new twelve-acre neighborhood located south of the Nixyáawii Education Center and Yellowhawk Tribal Health Center. The neighborhood will allow CTUIR Tribal Members to build homes and live on the Umatilla Indian Reservation. Shovel-ready lots will feature utility access, paved roads and sidewalks, alleyways and plans for a community park. More information at www.Nixyaawii.com.

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Confederated Umatilla Journal - March 2022

NEWS / BUSINESS / TRIBAL MEMBER DISTRIBUTIONS

Cayuse Holdings issues $675k distribution to CTUIR

BY THE CUJ Cayuse Holdings provided a profit distribution of $675,000 to its owner, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, from the company’s 2021 earnings.

The distribution, which will vary depending on earnings, is now an annual occurrence from Cayuse Holdings after the company was created to strategically and formally expand Cayuse Technologies into a multi-company structure.

“We’re proud to contribute a portion of Cayuse’s earnings to our owner to help support the community and tribal government,” said Cayuse Board Chair Cisco Minthorn.

“Our growth in the past three years is now being realized and we are hopeful to contribute more next year and into the future,” said Minthorn, who was recently re-elected Cayuse Board Chair.

B o a r d o f Tr u s t e e s C h a i r K a t Brigham noted the dividends were part of a February check to CTUIR members.

“It wasn’t a lot,” she said, “but at the same time, it’s a beginning, because we’re really pleased that Cayuse Holdings is expanding their business and their employment. They are making progress and moving forward.”

“This contribution is an absolute sign that the Board of Trustees’ decision in 2018 to change Cayuse’s business model was a good move.”

BILLY NERENBERG, CEO OF CAYUSE HOLDINGS Cayuse Chief Executive Officer Billy Nerenberg echoed the Chairman’s sentiment. “This contribution is an absolute sign that the Board of Trustees’ decision in 2018 to change Cayuse’s business model was a good move. That change started the growth of Cayuse and our employees have worked hard to build new and recurring business to spur that growth further,” said Nerenberg.

Prior to the holding company formation and expansion, Cayuse had been bringing in $13-15 million in total annual revenue for work being done primarily for private companies.

Since Cayuse created several new subsidiaries and began government contracting, it has grown its total revenue to more than $56 million in 2021 and doubled its workforce to more than 500 individuals who are stationed around the United States and overseas.

After paying operational and over-

Cayuse Holdings provided a profit distribution of $675,000 to the CTUIR. Courtesy Photo

head expenses, Cayuse realized a profit in 2021 so the Cayuse Board approved the $675,000 distribution. The CTUIR Board of Trustees determines how the funds will be used by CTUIR.

Since it began in 2006, Cayuse has paid to CTUIR monthly lease payments for its facility on the Reservation, business park taxes and a stipend for BOT participation on its board of directors.

Congratulations to our February Employees of the Month!

Leo Wallahee

Kim Pearl

Hal Moore

Help Desk Agent Government Team

Change Management Lead Commercial Team

Business Recruitment Partner Support Team

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March 2022 - Confederated Umatilla Journal

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NEWS / BUSINESS / LOCAL MOVES

Cayuse Holdings Board elects 2022 positions PRESS RELEASE Cayuse Holdings, LLC announces the election of its chair and other positions for 2022. Cisco Minthorn was re-elected as Chair of the eight-member Board of Directors, with Shlomo Bibas as Vice Chair, Sandra Sampson as Treasurer and Hank Humphrey as Secretary.

Other members of the Cayuse Board are Leo Stewart, Monte Hong, Don Sampson and Chief Executive Officer Billy Nerenberg.

Cisco Minthorn is an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) and has served on the Cayuse Board since November of 2019. He works as a Vice Minthorn President for Government Affairs for the Information Technology Industry Council and resides in the Washington DC area. Minthorn also has worked for the Intel Corporation, US Department of Commerce as an Obama Administration appointee, for the US House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources, the US Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, and the US Senate Committee on Bibas Indian Affairs.

Shlomo Bibas was elected to another term a Vice Chair after serving 2019-2021 in that same role.

He works for Celestica, serving as Senior Vice President and Global Chief Information Officer. Prior to that, he served as Senior Vice President of Global Operations and Chief Information Officer for Apotex. He has nearly 30 years of experience in Sampson information technology management, business transformation and operations.

Sandra Sampson was elected to serve another year as the Cayuse Board Treasurer for 2022.

She also serves as Treasurer of the CTUIR Board of Trustees, to which she was elected in November 2019. Sampson is a CTUIR enrolled member and is experienced in working Humphries with Tribes, State, and Federal government in the health services field, including managed care contracting.

Hank Humphreys was re-elected to the Board Secretary position. Humphreys joined the Cayuse Board in June, 2020 and currently works as Vice President of Technology Program for Western Governors University. He brings a wealth of technology experience to Cayuse with his previous work for companies such as Workiva, Dropbox, Google, IBM, and BEA Systems.

The Cayuse Board of Directors, which is appointed by the CTUIR Board of Trustees, is charged with overseeing management

and setting direction for Cayuse Holdings.

For more information about the company and Board members, go to www.cayuseholdings.com.

Cayuse Technologies started in 2006 as a strategic alliance between the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation

and Accenture to create a US-based alternative to offshore delivery centers. Cayuse was expanded in 2018 by creating a holding company, which now consists of 15 subsidiary companies, including the original Cayuse Technologies. Cayuse Holdings is headquartered near Pendleton, Oregon

and has a regional office in Honolulu, Hawaii with plans to establish an office near Washington DC in 2022. Cayuse Holdings is wholly owned by the CTUIR and is a foremost provider of certified solutions for commercial, government and tribal customers.

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Confederated Umatilla Journal - March 2022

OPINION / COLUMN

Reflecting on my time as a Board member and return to the CUJ

I

ts been two years and three months since I was a reporter for the CUJ. I was elected in November of 2019 to the Board of Trustees as a member at large. I still remember the news in the wee hours of November 13. I was excited, scared and ready to get to work. The two weeks after getting elected for your first time are surreal. It takes time to let the news sink in. As a reporter my primary job had been to notify the community of what was going on around the Umatilla Indian Reservation.

I had worked for the CUJ two times before now. My second time there Wil Phinney, previous editor, had really pushed me to expand my coverage of the Tribes. I realized he wanted me to learn the importance of our government and preserve the function of journalism as the watchdog of the government, until that point I had spent time in the boardroom only as a spectator, a recording presence. I was preparing to step into that room as a participant.

I was nervous because I knew how much I did not know. Going in I had a list of things I wanted to see done and realized it was going to take time to make those goals come to fruition.

Within the first month I realized immediately the largest pressure as a Board member. The pressure to agree with staff was immediate. Some of that pressure was internal, born of concerns of disagreeing with previous co-workers and possible future supervisors. Part of the pressure was exterior from more seasoned board members who have an allegiance to upholding the status quo, this is the way things have always been done. Much of the pressure, however, comes from knowing that all of the people in that room know so much more than you.

Elected seats are fleeting, especially when they come in the form of two year terms, it would be unwise to bet on spending the rest of one’s career in that chair. Knowing that there will come a day when you must pack up your office and move

along is an ever present concern.

As an elected official it is smart to listen to the professionals who spend their entire career on a specific subject, they are likely to know more than the average board member.

However, many times the Tribe’s administrative staff’s focus differs greatly from the needs and desires of the Gavin Tribal Members.

All of the items on my agenda were geared towards helping improve the quality of life of Tribal Members who were living in poverty and wanted to gain upward mobility. A lot of the reason surrounding why these barriers remained unaddressed made sense, however many did not. There seemed to be an underlying sentiment that if Tribal Members wanted better they had to “do better.”

There was a sentiment that if Tribal Members wanted better jobs, better houses and better access to resources they needed to forsake their frivolous lifestyles and embrace the route that all of the government professionals had followed. In theory I can see why this would be the thought process of those who have already arrived.

The main error in this way of thinking is that it assumes that all Tribal members have the same access to education, vocational training and resources. They do not.

There are many staff members who do see the inequities within our community and off the reservation, but the harmful, deep rooted, processes and beliefs regarding what Tribal Members “deserve” have been longstanding and heavily protected. Fighting this would have been much more difficult if it had not been for the pandemic. Covid-19 ushered in a political

expectation and pressure to expand social services, not just here, but worldwide. This window of opportunity was seized by Board members. The loss was great since the pandemic began, but the silver lining for me was watching the country shift towards meeting basic needs.

This focus, along with having a Board who was inclined to finally use the Tribe’s resources to expand social services, moved many initiatives along much quicker. This is one of the blessings I am grateful for. During this time, however, I did spend a lot of time fighting against the system as it has been built, over the last three decades especially. It was not without great reverence for the work done in the past, but I learned quickly that as a Board member, if you are not willing to bend to the expectations of some of the high ranking staff and more seasoned, conservative Board members, your term will be tumultuous.

It is up to each elected official to choose whether they want an easy term or an impactful one. I learned a great deal during that time on the Board. As the term came to a close I felt as though I had fulfilled my purpose as a member at large. Each decision was a chance to help my People and learn how to better serve.

There were great times during the last two years and I am eternally grateful for the guidance of those who came before me and I was often guided heavily by the staff of CTUIR in their wealth of knowledge. It is wise to listen to professionals in their fields, but that as Tribal members who have been entrusted with the responsibility of leadership Board members must be willing to question the way things have always been. Rarely is the decision to do so easy or comfortable. Disagreements with people you respect and care for are never pleasant, at times though, they are necessary.

Jill-Marie Gavin (Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation) is a Reporter for the CUJ. Contact her at jillmarie-gavin@ctuir.org.

OPINION / EDITORIAL CARTOONS

This month’s Editorial Cartoon was created by Ricardo Cate, a Santo Domingo Pueblo tribal member who has been drawing cartoons for The Santa Fe New Mexican since 2006.

This month’s Editorial Cartoon was created by Marty Two Bulls, Sr., of the Oglala Sioux Tribe. Two Bulls was a 2021 Pulitzer Prize nominee.

(first, nine) wát̓uy k̓ úyc

March 2022 - Confederated Umatilla Journal

9

PHOTOS / GOVERNMENT / HOUSE BILLS

SAMS PART OF STATE MEETING Board of Trustees Member Cor Sams (top right) attended a virtual Oregon State Legislature meeting regarding House Bill 4102. The bill seeks to establish a position of a Tribal Relations Liaison within Department of State Police and also direct the state’s Board on Public Safety Standards and Training to ensure police officers and certified reserve officers are trained to investigate and report cases involving missing or murdered Indigenous persons.

Sams recommended to address the issues with “collaboration and partnership to work across jurisdictions, strengthen partnerships between law enforcement and Native American communities, and education for Oregon’s law enforcement officers covering MMIW issues.”

Microsoft Teams Screenshot

OPINION / LETTER TO THE EDITOR So, how many times are the CTUIR going to bring back Don Sampson? I was on the BOT during his latest departure; thus, I have first-hand knowledge of the internal dynamics of the situation and it was not very pretty, ethical-wise, by anyone. This departure ended with Sampson taking tribal administration to tribal court for wrongful termination. Without admitting any guilt, the administration eventually settled the case.

Kathryn Brigham, BOT Chairperson, touted Sampson's, "knowledge, experience, and preparation," as the reasons on why he was selected for the ED position.

However, there were numerous times in the past when Sampson was clearly lacking on issues of integrity.

For example, upon being hired before as the ED, Sampson advertised for the Executive Assistant position to the ED, and during this hiring process, he completely ignored our tribal hiring preference policy. I specifically recall two qualified CTUIR tribal members, both with years of tribal experience, and university degrees, applied for the position. However, Sampson ignored these two tribal applicants, and hired a white applicant, who had zero tribal experience.

Thus, it is hypocrisy for Sampson to now talk (recent CUJ) of the importance of our tribal hiring preference policy as the two Deputy ED positions are being filled, in consideration that he ignored the policy before.

As we move into the future, tribal governance and management

will become more complex. This will require more preparation and education, especially for senior management. So why are the education and training qualifications being lowered for these two Deputy ED positions? The education requirements here are only a high school diploma, or a GED. Does a mere GED justify the listed salary range of $129,000.00-$179.000.00?

It is a clear slap in the face of our tribal members who have moved away from their families and homes for years, worked hard in college, and made sacrifices to improve their employment potential, only to be ignored in favor of white applicants (like in the above situation) or nonCTUIR applicants like what occurred when the CTUIR hired the applicant from Alaska for the ED, who is now long-gone.

Or, were the education qualifications intentionally lowered just so preferential treatment could be provided to favorites of Don Sampson? I believe this will clearly and easily be answered when the two deputy ED positions are filled.

Sampson recently acknowledged in the CUJ that he is a tribal public servant, and as such, is subject to tribal public opinion, and comment.

And, of course, my letter here today is only tribal public opinion,and comment. There is no defamation, slander, or libel, in the content of my letter. Thank you.

Bob Shippentower Disclaimer: The views/opinions of this letter are solely of the author and do not represent the views of the CUJ.

OPINION / LETTER TO THE EDITOR I am responding to Bob Shippentower’s letter to the editor. First, Bob I was happily near retirement and had my own successful consulting business for the past 10 years. I have only served as the Executive Director once from 2003-2010 – in response to your statement “how many times are they going to bring back Don Sampson” Prior to that I served as the Executive Director of the Columbia River Intertribal Fish Commission for 7 years. I have worked for the tribe off and on for over 30 years helping to start and build our tribal Fisheries Program. I worked for federal/state/ tribal agencies off the reservation.

Most recently I moved home and have had a successful consulting business and was quite content.

However, I also know the tribe had been advertising and trying to hire a permanent Executive Director and had gone through multiple acting and interim Executive Directors over the past 10 years. I was nearing retirement and took a significant pay cut to work for the tribe, because I felt a responsibility to help. I am honored to work on behalf of the tribe. I also know there are always critics – that’s the easy work, but I always turn that question around and ask what have you done for the tribe, what is your solution, what are you doing to help?

Second, Bob is incorrect about the job description’s for the Deputy Director which allows for a broader number of tribal applicants by including both educational and work experience. Both are important considerations. You can have someone with all sorts of education

but limited work experience, you can also have someone with a lot of good work experience but with less educational experience. Work ethic, being organized, efficient, and common sense are also very important. I have seen excellent employees in both situations, and also employees who are not as productive.

1.

The job description does not only require a GED as you state, it requires either A) An Associates of Arts degree or equivalent college credits (60 semester credits or 90 quarter credits) from an accredited college or university and at least fifteen (15) years successful director or manager experience with clearly demonstrated progressive levels of responsibility and authority in a tribal government, non-profit, or state/federal agency; OR B) A Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree or equivalent college credits from an accredited college or university (120 semester credits or 180 quarter credits) and at least ten (10) years successful director or manager experience with clearly demonstrated progressive levels of responsibility and authority in a tribal government, non-profit, or state/federal agency;. We have a number of tribal candidates for this position. Your assumptions are incorrect and uninformed – but that’s your perspective. I take no personal offense to your letter to the editor and support your freedom to express your opinion. I will do the best job as the Executive Director that I can in spite of your critiques – which everyone is used to.

Don Sampson

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Confederated Umatilla Journal - March 2022

NEWS / BUSINESS / EXPANSION

Wildhorse moves final beam for Back of House expansion

BY SAMMANTHA MCCLOUD CUJ Reporter MISSION - Back of House (BOH) Expansion moves along as the last beam for new office space was placed Feb. 24 at Wildhorse Resort and Casino (WRC).

The 21,000 square foot building will feature office space for an executive office suite, marketing, custodial and audio visual departments. WRC has not updated or added office space since the early 2000’s even as the resort has ex-

panded greatly, said CEO Gary George.

“Over the last 20 years Wildhorse and the CTUIR has added convention space, a 5 screen Cineplex, a 10 story hotel a new bowling alley, food court and other amenities. Office space was not included in those expansions. Along with this expansion WRC is doing renovations on existing office space to provide more space for IT, Compliance, Finance, and Casino Food and Beverage Staff,” he said.

BOH expansion will continue until August 2022.

CEO Gary George giving opening remarks for the office expansion beam signing ceremony at Wildhorse Resort & Casino Feb. 24.

BOT At-Large member Boots Pond signs the second beam of his career on the Board.

BOT Secretary Sally Kosey came out in the snow to places her signature mid-b

beam.

March 2022 - Confederated Umatilla Journal

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A construction crew raises the final beam and Tribal Flag at Wildhorse Resort & Casino in Mission.

Sam McCloud Photos The crew drives the beam toward its final destination at Wildhorse Resort & Casino.

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Confederated Umatilla Journal - March 2022

NEWS / HEALTH / SETTLEMENTS

Tribes set to receive payment from landmark opioid settlement CTUIR one of several tribes nationwide to receive part of $590 million settlement with Johnson & Johnson and other companies PRESS RELEASE MISSION - A substantial payment of $590 million dollars will be awarded to Indian Tribes affected by the opioid crisis. The drug manufacturer Johnson & Johnson and the opioid distributors AmerisourceBergan, McKesson and Cardinal Health have outlined a payment scheduled under the terms of a proposed settlement filed earlier this month.

The plaintiffs Tribal Leadership Committee (TLC) reported that the Native American population has suffered some of the worst consequences of the opioid epidemic of any population in the United States. For this reason, Tribal governments across the United States have had to spend considerable tribal funds to cover the costs of the crisis, including increased costs for healthcare, social services, child welfare, law enforcement and other government services that Tribes provide to their citizens.

“We are not solving the opioid crisis with this settlement, but we are getting critical resources to tribal communities to help address the crisis,” said Steve Skikos the attorney representing the CTUIR in this case.

One study cited in the settlement found that Native Americans have had the highest per capita rate of opioid overdose of any population group in 2015.

The CTUIR filed suit against fourteen distributors and manufacturers in 2018.

“We are deeply concerned by the effect the opioid epidemic is having on our community. The Board of Trustees has had a goal for many years to end this crisis and we are determined to do so.”

KAT BRIGHAM, BOARD OF TRUSTEES CHAIR “The news of the settlement is a big step in forward movement on increased resources for our communities that are effected by the Opioid epidemic,” said Yellowhawk CEO Aaron Hines.

“Having a voice in the conversation is important for our Tribal communities. We continue to have hope we can get our community the help and resources that are needed.”

One of the broader goals in filing suit was to ensure that tribes are at the table to represent its own interests. In the tobacco settlements of the 1990’s tribes were not parties to those cases. As a result the tobacco settlement did not have any direct payment for tribes. Instead states counted tribal populations into the state’s numbers which bolstered their settlements. Now, tribes are parties at the settlement table and securing direct payments to provide tribally driven services for our community.

“We are deeply concerned by the effect the opioid epidemic is having on our community. We have seen the impact in our programs,” said Board of Trustees Chair Kat Brigham. She continued “Yellowhawk Behavioral Health, Children & Family Services, our

law enforcement and our foster-care systems are all deeply affected by those struggling with addiction.

The Board of Trustees has had a goal for many years to end this crisis and we are determined to do so.

We will use this funding opportunity to start to heal our families.”

All federally recognized tribes in the U.S. will be able to participate in the settlements, even if they did not participate in the initial litigation. Tribes and tribal organizations receiving payments will be required to use the money to deal with the impacts of the opioid epidemic in their communities.

Opioids are a class of drugs that include the illegal drug heroin, synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, and pain relievers available legally by prescription, such as oxycodone (OxyContin®), hydrocodone (Vicodin®), codeine, morphine, etc. The misuse of and addiction to opioids can lead to overdose and deaths. Heroin and fentanyl overdoses are driving the recent and rapid increase in opioid-related deaths throughout the U.S., including Indian Country.

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March 2022 - Confederated Umatilla Journal

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NEWS / HEALTH / FEATURE

A CTUIR SUCCESS STORY

How Aaron Hines ascended from a card dealer to Yellowhawk’s next CEO

BY JILL-MARIE GAVIN CUJ Reporter MISSION – Aaron Hines, the newly selected Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Yellowhawk Tribal Health Center (Yellowhawk), was surprised when he started recalling all of the jobs that he’s had since he started working for the different entities of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR).

18 years seemed to fly by for Aaron when he started recounting all the different positions he’s held since starting fresh out of high school working for the Wildhorse Resort & Casino. Starting as a dealer, Aaron worked his way up to be a supervisor in the blackjack dealer pit before setting his sights on being elected to serve on the Board of Trustees (Board) for the CTUIR. After one failed campaign for the Board Secretary seat he was successful in winning the officer position of Chair of the General Council in 2009.

When he began his term as General Council Chair, Aaron said he started learning much more about what it takes to run a Tribe as well as what it takes to be a supervisor. He started learning what he was going to need to do in order to help his people in the way he felt they needed.

Over the next six years and three terms on the Board, two terms as General Council Chair and one as Treasurer, Aaron began soaking in all of the ideas and questions from the General Council to the Board.

He spent two years as a Treasurer before losing his seat to Rosenda Shippentower. Throughout his three terms on the Board, Aaron was able to spend his weekends and evenings in pursuit of his higher education goals. He graduated from Eastern Oregon University with a Bachelor’s in Business Administration in spring of 2016. Immediately following the 2015 CTUIR General election he left the Board and had a short stint at WRC. While working there Aaron didn’t waste

“It’s important to create policies that get right at the heart of the issues. Here, specifically, Tribal Preference and what that means needed to be made clear. What is it and how is it applied.”

AARON HINES, YELLOWHAWK CEO any time in finding a position that suited his desire to serve his People. In 2016 Aaron was offered a manager position within the CTUIR Human Resources Department, which he accepted. The Tribal Employment Rights Office (TERO) Manager position aligned with Aaron’s skillset, knowledge of policy and goal to help CTUIR Tribal Members gain access to employment expansion and elevation.

Working as TERO Manager, Aaron said, is when he started seeing the Tribe from inside with more of an emphasis on a programmatic view rather than only through a policy lens. During his time at TERO, though, he did continue to work on policy and retained his passion for adjusting Tribal infrastructure to ensure fair treatment and maximization of Tribal Member opportunities.

A TERO Code (the policy that outlines the operations of TERO and its commission) revamp was long overdue, he said, and the policy was in need of amendments. Aaron worked with the TERO Commission on making amendments to the Code which were later adopted by the Board. Aaron said working for that program helped him learn more about HR which would eventually led him into his next role as HR Director for Yellowhawk.

Heading over to the health clinic was initially a little nerve wracking for Aaron.

Nerve wracking and bitter sweet. At the

time he was really enjoying his position with TERO but the opportunity presented itself to advance in his career and he couldn’t pass it up.

One of his first tasks as HR Director was revamping the Yellowhawk Personnel Manual (YPM). True to his vision and goals in all of his previous jobs, Aaron wanted to focus on what policy amendments could help Tribal Members.

One of the main focuses of amending the YPM was clarifying Tribal preference.

Tribal preference practices vary from entity-to-entity, Aaron said, but for Yellowhawk, he wanted it to be clear that it meant “Tribal Members first.”

“It’s important to create policies that get right to the heart of issues. Here, specifically, Tribal Preference and what that means needed to be made clear. What it is and how it is applied. For some entities that means a scoring system or a tie breaker instead of only having Tribal Members screened and interviewed first,” he said.

Helping with amendments to the Tribal Personnel Policy Manual in the CTUIR HR Department helped Aaron prepare for this task. Other amendments made to the YPM were the creation of Veteran’s Preference guidelines, education reimbursement and educational leave allowances.

When previous Yellowhawk CEO Lisa Guzman resigned in 2021 the CTUIR Health Commission, the governing body

that supervises the CEO, had to choose an interim to take her place.

That process, during a time of instability for the Tribes, took some time. The Commission extended an offer to Aaron to step in and man the ship until a permanent See HINES on pútɨmt ku uylɨ́xs (16)

Happy birthday and congratulations on 10 years of sobriety, JD! We are so proud of you and love you so much! Love always, your little family

OPHB

Continued from page mɨ́taat (3)

added, “is advancing Health Equity and aligning provider networks for care continuity by improving health outcomes and aligning with Tribal Partners priorities.

Increase integration opportunities and utilizing the enrollment of Tribal Traditional Health Workers.”

Looking at social determinants of health services designed to support individuals experience life transitions is another priority Sampson noted.

Focusing on those individuals, she said, “will result in a reduction in avoidable hospitalization and unnecessary medical utilization and identifying and implementing effective solutions to move the dial on health equity demand such as the role of historical and contemporary oppression and structural barriers facing Oregon Communities.”

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2 Tbsp. water 1 Tbsp. lemon juice 2 tsp. cornstarch 1 cup crushed graham crackers (about 8 full graham crackers)

Directions:

1. In medium bowl, beat yogurt and cream cheese with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Cover and place in refrigerator until ready to assemble parfait.

2. In a small saucepan, bring blueberries, water, and honey or sugar to a boil; Reduce heat to mediumlow to simmer until blueberries begin to burst (2-4 minutes). Mash blueberries with a fork.

3. In small bowl whisk together cornstarch and lemon juice. Add to blueberries; stir and cook about 1 minute more, until mixture is bubbly and beginning to thicken. Remove from heat. Set aside to cool completely - place in refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

4. To assemble, place 3 Tbsp. crushed graham cracker into each of 6 small glasses. Top each with about 1/4 cup yogurt mixture, then 1/4 cup blueberry mixture, then another 1/4 cup of yogurt mixture on top. Drizzle any remaining sauce on top of each parfait glass, or sprinkle a pinch of crushed graham crackers and a few fresh berries.

Notes: 1. Any combination of berries will work deliciously in this recipe.

2. If you would prefer to use sugar substitute for sweetener, add it after cooking berries.

Makes about 6 servings

For nutrition questions or additional recipe ideas, contact: Dusty Dressler, RDN DustyDressler@yellowhawk.org 541.240.8524

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Confederated Umatilla Journal - March 2022

PHOTOS / HOUSING & DEVELOPMENT

READYING THE LAND A ribboncutting ceremony for Nixyaawii Neighbordhood was canceled in February, but work pushed on despite somewhat challenging conditions.

Sam McCloud Photos

TAMÁSTSLIKT CULTURAL INSTITUTE | EAT. SHOP. EXPLORE. | MARCH 2022 “You Are Here” Temporary Exhibit Curated by Sheehan Gallery at Whitman College, this mixed-media exhibit was created to support a college course on Indigenous aesthetics and explores themes related to place and identity. Many of the artists exhibited have personal connections to indigeneity and draw from personal and collective histories and memories.

Painted portraits by Ric Gendron, a member of the Arrow Lakes Band of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation; lithographs that merge historical photos with traditional quilt patterns by Apsáalooke artist Wendy Red Star; dramatic landscapes

by James Lavadour, a member of the Walla Walla Tribe; and fiber art pieces constructed from wool blankets and embroidered

by Marie Watt, a member of the Seneca nation will be on display. C. Maxx Stevens – Seminole, Marcus Amerman – Choctaw, and older brother Roger, as well as Preston Singletary – Tlingit, Melanie Yazzie – Navajo, Merritt Johnson – Mohawk & Blackfoot, and Nicholas Galanin – Tlingit & Unangax also have works on display.

Masks and social distancing are required.

FREE First Friday!

March 4 10am-5pm Fridays are fun and FREE at Tamástslikt Cultural Institute Complimentary admission all day. Indian Tacos ($10.50) and Frybread ($5) are available in Kinship Café, 11am-2pm. Great shopping and unique merchandise at the Museum Store! See you on Friday!

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March 4, FREE FIRST FRIDAY: Indian Tacos and Frybread March 8-12: Salmon Pasta Salad March 15-19: Chicken and Dumpling Soup March 22-26: Shredded Chicken Huckleberry BBQ Sandwich Every Friday, Salmon Corn Chowder!

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March 2022 - Confederated Umatilla Journal

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NEWS / CULTURE / LOCAL EVENTS

‘YOU ARE HERE’ is a temporary exhibit at Tamastslikt Cultural Institute in Mission. Artwork by Ric Gendron, Wendy Red Star, James Lavadour, Marie Watt and more. Courtesy photo

‘YOU ARE HERE’ is newest exhibit at Tamastslikt Exhibit was created to support a Whitman College course on Indigenous aesthetics PRESS RELEASE PENDLETON - Curated by Sheehan Gallery Director Kynde Kiefel, “You Are Here,” the mixed-media exhibit now on display at Tamástslikt Cultural Institute was created to support a Whitman College course on Indigenous aesthetics and explores themes related to place and identity.

The works on display explore themes related to place and identity and draw from personal and collective histories and memories. Many of the artists exhibited have personal connections to indigeneity and draw from personal and collective histories and memories.

Painted portraits by Ric Gendron, a member of the Arrow Lakes Gendron Band of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation and lithographs that merge historical photos with traditional quilt patterns by Apsáalooke artist Wendy Red Star are on display.

Dramatic landscapes

by James Lavadour, a Walla Walla Tribe member, and fiber art pieces constructed from wool blankets and embroidered by Marie Watt, a member of the Seneca nation, Red Star are featured. C. Maxx Stevens - Seminole, Marcus Amerman - Choctaw, and older brother Roger, as well as Preston

“In my view, the whole purpose of modern painting, and art in general, is to dive into the unknown and to bring back those gems of knowledge and wisdom that are uplifting.”

JAMES LAVADOUR, ARTIST Singletary - Tlingit, Melanie Yazzie - Navajo, Merritt Johnson - Mohawk & Blackfoot, and Nicholas Galanin Tlingit & Unangax̂ also have multiple works included in the exhibition.

"In my view," says James Lavadour, "the whole purpose of modern painting, and art in general, is to dive into the unknown and to bring back those gems of knowledge and wisdom that are benefiWatt cial and uplifting. Art, science, and technology form the spectrum of the human reflective faculty the same way that red, yellow, and blue are the refraction of one light. This is how we become educated and informed."

"You Are Here" was designed to encourage conversation about the complex history of Whitman College and the place in which the college and our communities exist today. Tamastslikt continues that conversation. "You Are Here" will be on display through May 14, 2022.

Masks and social distancing are required.

For more details on the exhibit, contact Randy Melton, Collections Manager, Tamástslikt Cultural Institute at 541.429.7720 or write randall. melton@tamastslikt.org. For more information on Tamástslikt, visit www. tamastslikt.org.

DID YOU KNOW? Indian tribes were willing to live with the newcomers until relations were strained by continual immigration into their land, loss of resources, disease and other pressures. Certainly there were cultural differences between Indians and non-Indians but in the beginning there was diplomacy, communication, and consideration. After time non-Indians began to take land the U.S. Government had offered that it did not own. Initially the Tribes welcomed the newcomers but as the steady stream of emigrants arrived steady pressures on lands and resources began. The Tribes were faced with people encroaching on their lands and enforced their laws as dictated through their traditions, and cultural practices. In some cases the Tribes actions were defensive and aggressive and non- Indians viewed this as hostile. The Tribes have always sought to live peacefully with their non-Indian neighbors only to be served a helping of injustice.

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HINES

Continued from page pútɨmt ku mɨ́taat (13)

CEO could be hired. Over the next eight months Aaron focused his energy on maintaining patient services, hiring for the many open staff positions and addressing the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

“A lot of key positions were vacant. We had a lot of interims. They did a great job but once we were able to fill those positions it helped take the burden off of the departments, who were doing their best,” he said.

After the Pendleton Round-Up in September the CTUIR saw a surge in Covid cases and had to take the reigns as the Public Health Authority and suggested to the Board of Trustees that they designate a state of emergency.

The cases swelled for weeks and dissipated after some time, however, the emergency has been ongoing.

When the Tribe exited their state of emergency Yellow-

Confederated Umatilla Journal - March 2022

hawk maintained their Covid services but has shifted directions back to focusing on patient services.

By December the CEO position had been advertised for months on the Yellowhawk careers page and the Commission had not scheduled any interviews to date.

“It was posted three times, it had opened and closed twice and seeing it posted for the third time I decided to apply. I had received a lot of positive feedback and encouragement from staff, hearing them say I was doing a good job and I should go for it. So, I decided to try it and see what the Commission’s thoughts were,” He said.

Aaron applied and went through the interview process before being offered the position by the Commission in January.

“Ultimately I was selected, and it was exciting.

But again, bittersweet. It meant I had to leave my role with HR behind. Just like my position with TERO, it’s not that I wanted to leave but I was presented with an opportunity. I definitely do miss working with the HR

crew every day but there’s a lot to do and focus on as CEO,” He said.

“When Aaron was interim CEO he had no personnel corrective actions, on top of that when he reported to the Commission he did so regularly and with transparency. He maintained impeccable attendance and his management of Covid was really strong,” Shawna Gavin, Health Commission Chair, said.

Beyond his performance as interim CEO there was another reason she said the Commission was excited to have him.

“Hiring a Tribal Member in this position is incredibly important to the Commission. Something the Health Commission has always talked about is promotion from within and encouragement of Tribal Members to work towards getting their education and coming back to work for Yellowhawk Tribal Health Clinic. All of the entities encourage Tribal Members to step into Continued on page pútɨmt ku uynápt (17)

March 2022 - Confederated Umatilla Journal

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Continued from page pútɨmt ku uylɨ́xs (16)

Happy 10th Birthday ••COHEN•• Love, Mom

MORNING PRAYER: Yellowhawk Tribal Health Center employees, including CEO Aaron Hines (left) gather for a prayer on March 1 in Mission. Courtesy photo

Happy birthday Winn Bronson, 7

1972-2022

5

SRAEY

leadership roles and the Health Commission has talked at length about it being important to us to have a Tribal member as CEO eventually. That familiarity with the community and unique need to understand our Tribal Member’s needs as patients is of the utmost importance.

Also, a thorough understanding of Tribal sovereignty and how it relates to policy and operation of our clinic is incredibly necessary,” Gavin said.

The Commission took it to a vote and Aaron was selected by a majority vote before being offered the job.

His first day as Yellowhawk CEO was Feb.1.

Looking forward, as CEO, he said he plans to focus on filling remaining vacancies and turning focus towards new services while maintaining and improving current ones. He continues his higher education pursuits and is currently enrolled at Oregon Health and Science University’s Healthcare MBA. “It’s (the CEO position) definitely a different perspective than HR Director, I saw a different side of the clinic and focused on personnel in that role, but I was in tune with all of the different department operations and directors at the same time. That made it easier to start as Interim CEO and continue on in this role because I already had that understanding of how the departments work,” Aaron said.

Like the Commission, Aaron also feels it is important to have a Tribal Member in the CEO position.

“Our community knows one another, and coming into the clinic and when they seek out services it’s important that they trust their clinic staff, it’s important that they feel comfortable coming in for services. The community needs to know their leadership and Tribal Members must have the opportunities to move up the ranks and take those roles. We live here, this our family and friends we see here every day. When patients come in and see their own people they know we are being genuine and are, this is not just a job where we go back home to wherever we came from and get away from it all. We have to be able to take care of our patients as if they are our own family members, because a lot of the time, they are,” Aaron said.

Save the Date!

JOIN US IN CELEBRATION YELLOWHAWK CAREER FAIR

Save the Date!

APRIL 5

MAY 3, 2022

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GRAZING

“It’s my personal opinion that land management and planning for the First Food cycle is more important than handing someone $20 for a grazing permit.”

Continued from page náx̣š (1)

together. I wouldn’t do this to my worst enemy, I just don’t think the board members who decided this understand the history or the impact of what they’ve done.”

Patrick, who was not present for the vote, said the decision impacts the Tribes’ working agreements with ranchers.

“To me it seems like we’re saying so long to the Good Neighbor Policy.

Working with the ranchers we see what we can do to understand each other a little bit better. Gathering information and communicating with them about what they’re doing is part of it. We have to understand that what this does is affect them and their cattle. It’s really pretty hurtful,” Patrick said.

The vote followed a work session in mid-December where the issue was discussed. Sampson, who championed the no-vote on the resolution, was not present at the work session. At the January Board meeting, Sampson and Kosey both raised concerns over the damage done by livestock to First Foods, and ultimately used that to guide their decisions in voting against the resolution.

In order to issue grazing permits, the BIA needs a resolution approved by the Board. Gordy Schumacher, Range, Agriculture and Forestry Program Manager for the CTUIR Department of Natural Resources (DNR), met with the Board Dec. 16 to present a resolution granting the BIA authority to issue two-year permits. In years past, the Tribes have agreed to a five-year permitting process.

The last time a grazing permit resolution was approved by the Board was in 2016 for permits beginning in 2017 on a fiveyear term agreement.

For permits scheduled to begin in 2022, Schumacher suggested the Board shorten that time frame. The reasons to do so were heavily influenced by the 2019 BIA decision to heighten compliance requirements for Tribes with grazing units. The laws surrounding BIA authority regarding permits can be found in 25 CFR 166.

There are 14 range units on the UIR spread out over more than 66,000 acres.

The BIA issues permits for 12 of those units.

Schumacher told the Board in the December work session, “We’re proposing to have livestock grazing permits on 66,421 acres of rangeland and woodlands on the reservation. Those acres are included in 14 range units; we are not including rangeland and woodland on McCoy Meadows (Grand Ronde valley) or the Wheelhouse properties (McKay Creek).”

Schumacher said the CTUIR Department of Economic and Community Development negotiated the Wheelhouse grazing lease.

“We didn’t have a whole lot to do with that,” Schumacher said. “I’m still kind of learning what’s going on up there.”

As part of the standard operations regarding the issuance of permits, an “Authority to Grant Grazing Privileges” letter was mailed to all Indian owners who own individual allotments within the grazing units in March of 2021.

Schumacher said there are an estimated 2,200 tribal trust interests on the land where grazing permits have previously been issued.

Confederated Umatilla Journal - March 2022

SANDRA SAMPSON, BOT TREASURER

grazing permit folder and a regional environmental coordinator signed off on it.

Now they are requiring a Tribal biologist to sign off on that the federal undertaking, which is the signature on the permit, that issuing of the grazing permit is not going to have effect on the endangered species or historic properties,” he said during the work session.

A contractor was hired to do an environmental assessment to satisfy federal NEPA and ESA compliance requirements.

The assessment was started in April of 2021 and the first draft was completed in September. The grazing permit draft language was adjusted to mitigate for any adverse effect to historic property.

Critical habitat for Mid-Columbia Steelhead, an endangered species, exists within the range units. Because of this, a biological assessment was prompted and will eventually require assistance from NOAA fisheries. The processes prompted

by BIA mandate changes, Schumacher said, have not yet been fully standardized by the BIA or any of the Northwest Tribes they affect.

“The Northwest Tribes are unhappy with the BIA. There are more than 700 cases of needs for NEPA. It’s kind of a mess,” Schumacher said.

Land Management

Linda Sampson shows one of her Afterschool Program students how to identify a “button root,” one of the First Foods of the CTUIR in 2019. Sampson helps children engage with their cultural heritage and exercise their Treaty Rights any chance she gets as part of the program’s curriculum.

Above she is pictured in the same field as Aaron Ashley on page 1. CUJ Photo by Jill-Marie Gavin

BIA Changes

At the work session, Schumacher said the BIA recently changed the way grazing complies with NEPA (National

Environmental Preservation Act), ESA (Endangered Species Act) and Historic Preservation Act. “We used to put a one-page check sheet - it was called a CEER Checklist - into the

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Aside from the changes from BIA, there are other factors that affected the staff recommendation for the issuance of 2022 grazing permits. The CTUIR Rangeland Management Plan is still being drafted; its completion is estimated for June of this year.

Because the Tribes are in the Rangeland Management Plan (RMP) planning process only two-year grazing permits were recommended.

“This will give us time to finish up the management plan and get all of the pieces in place to implement. So were looking at grazing permits starting in March and ending Dec. 31, 2023, which would be two grazing seasons,” Shumacher told the Board.

A part of the RMP will identify tools the CTUIR will use to manage annual grasses, invasive species and noxious weeds. Currently, grazing is a large porContinued on pútɨmt ku k̓úyc (19)

(first, nineteen) wát̓uy pútɨmt ku k̓úyc

March 2022 - Confederated Umatilla Journal Continued from page pútɨmt ku uymɨ́tat (18)

tion of how the Tribe keeps those plants at bay. Spraying with herbicides is another management tool. The use of herbicides is potentially dangerous for humans.

Schumacher told the Board during their work session. There are developments in herbicides that target annual grasses and invasive species, but assessments needed to evaluate their risks have not been completed.

With grazing removed from the land management toolbox, Schumacher has not determined exactly how his program will adequately fight overgrowth and spread of harmful plants.

Sampson suggested using the Workforce Development and BOLSTER Programs to aid in that the arena. However, there is no plan to use Workforce Development or BOLSTER in the annual work plans, and the Board budget contains no additional funding to for this 2022 year.

“Increase resources,” Sampson suggested to mitigate for the loss of grazing as a land management tool, “utilize workforce development, teach people the value of range management.”

Sampson said it could be done in the 2023 budget process later this year.

As for 2022, she said, “One year won’t make that big of a difference.”

Schumacher agrees.

He said, “In the short term you won’t see a huge difference if left like this but in a decade those non-native plants and noxious weeds will cover the entire size of that landscape. When put up against our native plant life, annual grasses will win.

They will crowd out the First Foods too.”

Non-native plant life has not been the only issue for those concerned about land management. Reducing fire fuels on the UIR is a large component of grazing benefits.

“Some people don’t like cows, they say they stink or they’re ugly, but they provide a certain amount of fuel reduction,” Vice Chair Ashley said.

Terry Anderson, a rancher and grazing permittee for more than 40 years, has his own opinions about the management of land within the units. His family had a 50 percent interest in deeded property within Units five and 14 before selling it to the Tribe.

He chose to sell it to the Tribe in the late 90’s because, he said, he began to admire how much work CTUIR was doing to care for their lands.

“I believe God put special people on this earth to take care of it. We are so blessed to be able to take care of God’s critters. No one can take better care of this land than we can, and that includes the Tribe. It’s been an honor to spend my life looking after the land in these units,” Anderson said.

Nearly 8 miles of fence was built on unit 14 to ensure cattle were within proper areas. This work was done with Tribally purchased materials and Anderson’s labor, he said.

First Foods

“It’s the same things as pruning trees,” BOT member-at-large Patrick said, “If you shred a branch as you remove it that branch dies, if you cut it clean across it grows back stronger.”

During the Dec. 16 work session, Patrick talked about his family’s experience with digging roots on grazing units.

“To me it seems like we’re saying so long to the Good Neighbor Policy.

Working with the ranchers we see what we can do to understand each other a little bit better.”

TOBY PATRICK, BOT MEMBER “When they eat the tops off of those foods the roots are able to stay there and get fat,” he said.

Sampson disagrees.

“When cows are in different units, and I’ve seen this, I’ve gone down to access them (roots) and the grass is already dried up. They eat the tops off of our food and they’re stomping and walking all over them. They eat the non-native grasses and then spread the seed,” Sampson said.

Ashley took time, after the work sessions and Board decision concluded, to bring some other Board members up to grazing units where First Foods grow.

“They’re saying the cows are killing our roots, it’s false,” Ashley said. “I walk these hills every year. I was a Range tech and I spent time learning what the cows can and can’t do. They don’t stand in one place too long,” Ashley said.

Many of the gathering places on the UIR, Ashley said, are grazing units.

Ninety percent of the cow’s diet is grass, Schumacher said during a subsequent work session in January.

“They may intermittently nip off the head of a root but if cattle are grazing to the point where they stop eating grass and move on to forbs then that would be considered over grazing,” Schumacher said.

When the UIR had an issue with overcrowding of feral horses, land management was in crisis.

Local rancher Ted Forth said he hasn’t heard similar concerns regarding grazing impact on First Foods in the past. In fact, he said, he had gone out with Tribal Members on his property to get lessons on what roots look like.

“I visit with Tribal Members while they’re digging roots. They have shown me the different plants and it’s been really interesting. I don’t think it’s ever been proven that the cattle are eating the roots, but if it were we would be willing to work with the Tribe in any way we could,” Forth said.

When the question portion of the Dec. 16 work session began, Kosey opened up with concerns over complaints she had received from “elder gatherers.”

Schumacher asked Kosey who the gatherers were and she shared that it was Sandra and Linda Sampson who had voiced their concerns. Schumacher asked what lots were being affected and where they were located so areas where damage was occurring could be identified to perhaps limit or even eliminate grazing in entire units.

Forth, whose family has been grazing cattle on tribal units almost 80 years, said he would be willing to work with the Tribe and adjust his grazing operations.

“But it’s like the rug was pulled out from us with no explanation,” he said.

“I’m a little bit offended and disappointed that they used this tactic with First Foods as leverage to do away with the permits. How many children and grandchildren go out and dig foods on these lots

year after year, the foods are there before and after grazing,” Ashley said.

Good Neighbor Policy

“When you give someone a gift, you ought not bring it up again, but it’s worth mentioning that some 20 years ago I gift deeded an appraised $500K worth of land to the Tribes, along with some timber, in Deadman Pass,” Anderson said. “I didn’t do this for a thank you note, I did it because I believed it was the right thing to do and I did it because I admired and appreciated how the Tribe was taking care of their land. This has really taken the heart right out of us, we have always had a great relationship with the Tribe and to receive word with no notice or explanation has really been a shock, and a slap in the face.”

Anderson, Forth and George Diggins all spoke to the CUJ about their ranching plans for 2022. With the inaccessibility of grazing units on the UIR, the ranchers said they will each have to find buyers for nearly half their livestock.

In order to continue a mutually beneficial relationship with the Tribe, Diggins said, his family has built structures worth more than 130,000 dollars, sold pieces of deeded property his family wasn’t initially interested in selling, including the ground that is now under Indian Lake, and changed their ranch operation to remove sheep altogether to focus on cattle.

The unit Diggins grazes on, he said, allows up to 280 head of cattle for the season; he’s never put that many on there.

“I only graze 220 head on there, and for only 30 days. It can support up to 280 but I’ve never put that many on there. The 220 I graze in that unit graze on my deeded property too,” he said.

The deeded property Diggins mentioned is adjacent to the unit he has had permits on. Like Forth and Anderson, Diggins put in his bid for the unit he has been using for decades and received confirmation from the Tribe it was received.

Each of the ranchers, like the other almost 40 permittees, pays a 25 percent deposit.

Allotment owners

“The Tribe can do what they want with their own, but when it comes to me and my own, as a individual or trust land owner, they shouldn’t be telling me what I can do,” said Gary Burke, a CTUIR Tribal Member and Chief of the Umatillas.

Burke owns land that is leased annually to both Diggins and Anderson.

“This is going to financially ruin of a lot of people, and it’s going to affect Tribal members to the tune of $115,000. It’s going to be a financial burden for a lot of Tribal Members,” Diggins said.

The average payment made to each allotment owner is $67.14.

“It’s my personal opinion that land management and planning for the First Food cycle is more important than handing someone $20 for a grazing permit,”

19

Sampson said.

The idea that grazing permit income is not substantial offended both Ashley and Patrick. One of the ideas that was raised to mitigate for this is financial subsidy for Tribal Member allotment owners.

“I was offended to hear them say (in the work session) it’s not even that much money. I could not believe it. What may not be a lot to one person could be a lot to another. When I heard that my jaw dropped,” Ashley said.

Patrick agreed, “I get $213 and that’s times four parcels. I get kicuy from that every year, and if I am only one Tribal Member, how many other Tribal Members are out there suffering in that regard.

That’s $30-40 of food in their fridge. The majority of people had checks coming next month, that’s money where their kids have something to go do. I am hurt that this has been stopped, especially because I wasn’t there to vote.”

If Patrick had been there, he said he would have voted in favor of the permits. That would have created a tie and Brigham would have had to break it. As it was, only five members were there that day. Ashley said he would be willing to see what can be done to mitigate financially for Tribal Members’ lost income, but he would not be willing to revisit the issue.

“It’s been asked about rescinding the resolution and making a new one.

I don’t want to get into the business of rescinding Board resolutions. There have been cattle operators calling and asking the Board to give them a break or start the process all over, but that would not make the Board look good.

We would look weak; we have to stand by our decision. We made our bed, now we have to lie in it and use this as a teachable moment,” Ashley said.

Kosey, on the other hand, believes that subsidy for Tribal Members is not the right move and is open to re-looking at options for the 2022 grazing season.

“If we supplement those Tribal Members’ lost income from grazing will we be supplementing Tribal Members who cut wood when the forests get shut down next? What about the Tribal fisherman who lose income when the river gets shut down by the government? Will we supplement them too? We can’t supplement everyone every time a government mandate causes loss of income,” she said.

In terms of her decision to vote against the resolutions, Kosey said, “It’s a tough decision and we already have people saying no let’s rescind it. Maybe we can meet up with some of these farmers and get some better information to make a healthier decision. When we were brought the issue, Gordy should have said it was not going to hurt the First Foods.

Maybe we made our decision a little hasty, I will say that, I think we need a public hearing.”

“People want us to review this again and hopefully we can. It needs better planning and information so we can determine what is best for our Tribal community and land management on the Umatilla Indian Reservation,” Brigham said.

There is an open work session to review the Board decision regarding grazing permits on the UIR March 16.

20

wát̓ uy náaptit (first, twenty)

Confederated Umatilla Journal - March 2022

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March 2022 - Confederated Umatilla Journal

náptiyaw náx̣š (second section,

March 3rd, 2022

NEWS / SPORTS / GIRLS & BOYS BASKETBALL

MARCHING TO THEIR OWN DRUM NCS girls, boys position themselves in Final 8 in state

The NCS Girls Team sang an honor song prior to their District Tournament game. They won the Old Oregon League District Championship in February. Sammantha McCloud photo

NCS boys are district champions

NCS girls eye title Bronson earns Old Oregon League Player of the Year

Baron Moses earns First Team All-League Honors to lead Golden Eagles

BY CARY ROSENBAUM CUJ Editor MISSION – They have the best player in the conference and also the best record.

The Nixyaawii Community School girls basketball team has everything needed to make a deep run at the Oregon State 1A Basketball Tournament, coach Michael BadWarrior said.

“These girls come from a long line of being successful,” he said. “And I give them more freedom than they had in the past.”

“The key (to our success) was hard work,” BadWarrior added. “The girls tried to grind it out and we push them really hard and they want to win really bad. They understand that to win you have to put in the hard work. You’re only going to get what you put in.”

NCS (24-4) plays Country Christian (23-6) Thursday at 3:15 p.m. at Baker High School.

Sophie Bronson (18 points per game, 7 assists, 3 steals) earned Old Oregon League (OOL) Player of the Year.

See NCS GIRLS on pútɨmt ku náx̣š (11)

BY CARY ROSENBAUM CUJ Editor

NCS Sophomore Baron Moses was a First Team All League selection for the Old Oregon League in 2022. Rob McLean Photo

MISSION – The Nixyaawii Community School boys basketball team has won eightstraight games, including the postseason. And in February, the school captured its fourthstraight District Championship.

The success warranted the Golden Eagles (23-6) a No. 7 seed in the State Tournament, however, and has them playing a familiar opponent in No. 2 Powder Valley (23-2) March 2 at 8:15 p.m. Powder Valley is a familiar opponent, one they beat nearly two weeks before in the district tournament 59-51.

“We’re getting’ ready to go to Baker, Final 8,” Coach Jeremy Barkley said. “At least Powder Valley is a team we’re familiar with.

We already have a game plan against them.

See NCS BOYS on pútɨmt (10)

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March 2022 - Confederated Umatilla Journal

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PHOTOGRAPHY / SPORTS

SENIORS CELEBRATED

The Athena TigerScots had their Senior Night early in the season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. They played Stanfield on Jan. 28. Stanfield boys won the game that night 61-50. Athena ended up in 4th place in the Blue Mountain Conference with a record of 5-7 in league play and 11-12 overall. The boys season ended with a lost to Grant Union in the district play 41-56. The Athena girls under the head coach Jeremy Red Star Wolf did not make it to the district’s playoff with a record of 2-10 in league and 9-15 overall. Senior Adrien McGill (above) played on junior varsity most of the season. Aiden Wolf (left) with his dad Jeremy Red Star Wolf, who coached the girls.

At right is Quanah French with his family during Senior Night. Dallas Dick photos

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Confederated Umatilla Journal - March 2022

PHOTOGRAPHY / SPORTS

HOISINGTON, SAMS AT SENIOR NIGHT Make Healthy Choices with The Nutrition Facts Label Look at the Serving Size

Consider Calories

Serving size shows the amount that is most often eaten at one time. It is not a recommendation of servings to eat. Nutrition facts listed for this food item are based on the serving size. Packages often contain more than one serving! Don't forget to multiply if you eat more than one serving at a time.

Calories are energy for the body. Balance the number of calories you eat and drink with the number of calories you burn with physical activity.

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It was Senior Night at Pendleton High School on Feb. 18, where Greyson Sams (above) and Muriel Hoisington (below) were celebrated. They played the Dalles, with the girls winning 55-31. At the end of the season, they finished up in Intermountain Conference in 3rd place with a record of 6-4 in league play and 8-11 overall. The boys lost 73-41 on Senior Night and had a league record of 0-10 and 1-21 overall to finish in last place in the Intermountain Conference.

Dallas Dick photos

% Daily Value (%DV) shows how much a nutrient in a serving of the food contributes to a total daily diet. Use it to compare nutrients.

Tip: 5% DV or less per serving is low and 20% DV or more per serving is high.

Eat a variety of foods to get the nutrients your body needs.

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Hermiston hosted Chiawana (Pasco) in girls league play on Feb. 4, 2022 for Senior Night. Lindsey Pasena-Littlesky was honored during the game, which her team lost 86-59. They lost a playoff game with Mead (Spokane) 66-47, to set up another playoff game with Peninsula (Gig Harbor WA) with the win 74-61. Hermiston moved on to the next round to play Everett in a 53-51 final to make the playoffs in the Tacoma Dome starting Wednesday, March 3, where they will be facing Kelso. Dallas Dick photos

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6

Confederated Umatilla Journal - March 2022

náptiyaw uylɨx́ s (second, six)

NEWS / OUTDOORS

Salmon are no longer kings of the Columbia

BY ELI FRANCOVIC Columbia Insight A recent report shows an explosion of growth of a non-native species in the Columbia River. What does that mean for salmon and the cultures built on them?

By Eli Francovich / Columbia Insight In 1957, the steel gates of the Dalles Dam closed and—13 miles upstream on the Columbia River—one of North America’s largest waterfalls was inundated with water.

With that, an important Indigenous cultural gathering place was flooded and an unforeseen ecological cascade triggered.

Now, 77 years later, often the most common fish found flopping up Bonneville Dam’s fish ladders are nonnative shad, a silvery member of the herring family and the unlikely beneficiary of the flooding of Celilo Falls.

“The shad are, even though they run out to the ocean and come back, they are not great swimmers like salmon are,” says John Epifanio, lead author of a newly published report examining the proliferation of shad in the Columbia River system.

Some years shad, which were introduced to the West Coast in the 1880s, make up more than 90% of recorded upstream migrants, according to an Independent Scientific Advisory Board report to the Northwest Power and Conservation Council published in November.

What impact these fish are having on native ocean-going species like salmon and steelhead still isn’t clear.

While the report doesn’t offer any definitive answers, it does show how ecological disruptions, whether from hydroelectric development or climate change, can hurt one species while benefiting another.

The horseshoe-shaped Celilo Falls is a prime example.

The falls once dropped 40 feet. Migrating steelhead and salmon battled up and over the falls during their yearly migration.

But, for the nonnative shad the falls proved to be an unnavigable obstacle.

Now that the falls are submerged that’s no longer the case.

‘We’re salmon people, not shad people’ Prior to 1960, there were fewer than 20,000 adult shad per year at Bonneville Dam, which is downstream of Celilo Falls.

After the Dalles Dam was built that number rose to 1 million a year, and shad numbers have increased on average 5 percent each year.

That means the shad population is nearly doubling every decade, says Epifanio.

In addition to the removal of the physical barrier, the hydroelectric system has also slowed the downstream flow of water, which has raised overall water temperature. It’s possible shad, which can survive a wider range of temperatures than salmon, have capitalized on that fact, too.

“There have been a lot of changes. It

just seems to have favored these guys and they’ve taken advantage,” says Epifanio.

Regardless of the cause, shad numbers have increased.

What’s more, they’re making it farther upstream and into the Snake River above Lower Granite Dam, says Jay Hesse, director of biological services for the Nez Perce Tribe’s Department of Fisheries Resources Management. The tribe was not involved in the study.

“Their abundance is increasing to really notable levels,” he says. “And their distribution at those higher levels is also

expanding.”

That’s concerned Nez Perce biologists who worry shad may hurt their already struggling steelhead and salmon populations.

The report doesn’t establish any direct link between the shad increase and the salmon and steelhead decrease; however, it does offer a few theories on how shad may negatively impact salmon.

For example, higher-than-normal shad numbers may be supporting a larger avian predator population and shad may be competing for food sources and nursery

habitat.

Such a large-scale change in the Columbia Basin’s migratory fish population is alarming ecologically.

And for people and cultures that venerate salmon, steelhead and lamprey, it also highlights the loss of a way of life, says Anthony Capetillo, aquatic invasive species biologist for the Nez Perce tribe.

“We’re a salmon people, not a shad people,” he says.

What’s the problem?

It couldn’t be more different on the Continued on uynápt (7)

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(second, seven) náptiyaw uynápt

March 2022 - Confederated Umatilla Journal Continued from page uylɨ́xs (6)

East Coast where shad are a valuable and sought-after sport and commercial fish.

Although bonier and oilier than salmon, shad are tasty. Ironically, shad populations on the East Coast are in decline.

Developing a commercial and recreational fishery in the West may be one way managers can control the proliferation of shad, says Stuart Ellis, harvest management biologist for the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission.

While still not a popular species for anglers, shad fishing has grown in popularity in recent years.

“It’s a huge amount of protein. Perfectly good protein,” Ellis says. “There is no reason not to catch these fish—we don’t need them in the system.”

NEWS / OUTDOORS

Yellowstone seeking participants from 27 associated tribes

BY THE CUJ WYOMING - Yellowstone Forever and Yellowstone National Park are seeking participants for the Yellowstone Tribal Heritage Center this summer as the park marks 150 years.

The Yellowstone Tribal Heritage Center is a pilot program that will highlight Indigenous artists, scholars, and presenters, providing an opportunity for Indigenous peoples to directly engage visitors through formal and informal education.

If you are a member of one of Yellowstone’s 27 Associated Tribes and an artist or presenter, please consider submitting a proposal to be a cultural demonstrator in Yellowstone this summer.

The 27 associated tribes are as follows: Assiniboine and Sioux, Blackfeet, Cheyenne River Sioux, Coeur d’Al ene, Comanche, Colville Reservation, Crow, Crow Creek Sioux, Eastern Shoshone, Flandreau Santee Sioux, Gros Ventre and Assiniboine, Kiowa, Little Shell Chippewa, Lower Brule Sioux, Nez Perce, Northern Arapaho, Northern Cheyenne, Oglala Sioux, Rosebud Sioux, Salish and Kootenai, Shoshone–Bannock, Sisseton Wahpeton, Spirit Lake, Standing Rock Sioux, Turtle Mountain Band of the Chippewa, Umatilla Reservation, Yankton Sioux.

The park and Yellowstone Forever will host a series of individual Tribal presenters in the historic Haynes Photo Shop at Old Faithful from Thursday, May 26, 2022 through Friday, Sept.

30, 2022.

Presenters will engage the public with cultural presentations and will be provided a stipend and lodging. Please visit the Yellowstone Tribal Heritage Center website for more information, Frequently Asked Questions, and a link to submit a proposal.

The website is https://www.nps.gov/ yell/learn/historyculture/collections. htm.

7

The Wild Fish Conservancy is also examining experimental trapping methods that could trap shad while not accidentally trapping salmon, steelhead or other unintended species.

Epifanio and other researchers involved in the study hope their report prompts further investigation, particularly into how, or if, shad are hurting native species.

“At the very least, we just need to continue to monitor what these populations are doing in the basin,” he says.

“We hope that we don’t just monitor. We want to have some solutions.”

RIGHT: A Chinook salmon, second from the bottom, swims in the Columbia River with sockeye salmon at the Bonneville Dam fishcounting window near North Bonneville, Wash.

Associated Press Photo

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náptiyaw uymɨt́ at (second, eight)

Confederated Umatilla Journal - March 2022

NEWS / OUTDOORS / DEPARTURES

Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation employees said goodbye to Department of Natural Resources Director Carl Scheeler virtually in February. Scheeler (top left) retired after several years with the Tribes. Zoom Screencapture

Carl Scheeler retires from DNR

BY JILL-MARIE GAVIN CUJ Reporter

MISSION – Normally, Zoom sessions aren’t full of laughter and heart-felt reminiscence at the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR), but after more than 30 years with the Tribes, no one would expect anything different in bidding Carl Scheeler adieu.

Scheeler, former Wildlife Program Manager, was honored via a digital retirement party Feb. 7. Board of Trustees (Board) members, Department of Natural Resources (DNR) staff and co-workers from across the Tribes signed on to the Zoom meeting to celebrate his years of service.

“I want to wish you the best of luck, after 33 years, we sure will miss you,” Kat Brigham, Chair of the Board of Trustees, told Scheeler.

More than 44 people signed on to wish Scheeler great successes as he moves on to his next adventures. DNR Director Eric Quaempts spoke at length regarding Scheeler’s work with the Tribes and its many leaders over the years.

“Carl and I had a lot of good times. Pre accords, we were on the road every other week. We collaborated a lot on Iskuulpa Creek. There was a lot of road time with Carl and if you’ve ever driven with Carl you know to ride with him if you want to get there fast. I used to tell him it’s a GSA not a Ferrari, we would leave late and get there on time,” Gary

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Former CTUIR Department of Natural Resources Director Carl Scheeler was photographed by Underscore News for a 2021 story on bringing beavers back to Oregon. Scheeler retired in February Courtesy Photo

James, DNR Fisheries Program Manager, said.

James echoed similar comments heard throughout the celebration, Scheeler was a force to be reckoned with. He went on to talk about Scheeler’s handling of some of the larger negotiations CTUIR has had to manage over the years.

“Carl’s style is direct and aggressive, he has always stood up to the BS. He would verbally annihilate bad plans and come in with good science and a solution; he had a good ability to do that,” James said.

Brigham went on to talk about her career, which revolved mainly Continued on k̓úyc (9)

SAFE SITTER CLASS

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For more information or to register contact: Nicole Whiskeyjack 541.371.7195 Nina Watchman 541.240.8558 This was developed, in part, with support from SAMSHA grant numbers SM80162. The views, opinions, and content of this publication are those of the authors and contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or policies of CMHS, SAMSHA, or HHS, and should not be construed as such.

March 2022 - Confederated Umatilla Journal Continued from page uymɨ́tat (8)

today. Carl had a big part of that. His early work cannot be overemphasized,” Quaempts said.

In closing Scheeler said, “At the time of launching this work, Jughead gave us the tools to go out and do the job. Tribal staff have been using these tools for 40 years. It really is a testament to the quality of leadership and consistency of this Tribe. They always talk about Indian time and say it means being 15 minutes late. The reality is, the Tribe is working on seven generations time. I have worked with five of those generations. I remember the elders and now I have been able to watch the little kids become young professionals. I’ve seen things solidify and become long lasting.”

around fish, and how Scheeler had been a part of many of the conversations that extended beyond salmon and centered around wildlife.

“Whenever I had to talk wildlife with BPA (Bonneville Power Administration) I said, ok it’s all about fish, but I guess we will talk about wildlife, and we did. Talking wildlife mitigation with BPA, Carl had to tell me there are tributaries and fish that effected each other. Even though I lost the argument I was happy he got me to expand my horizons and we worked together. He had a way to work with people on new subjects without making you feel stupid,” she said.

Angela Sondenaa, Precious Lands Project Manager for the Nez Perce Tribe, spoke about Scheeler ’s willingness to work with other Tribes even when there were disagreements.

She said, “Wildlife a lot of times is the underdog. Carl worked right along beside us with tenacity and always had strong arguments. He would argue and fight (with us) Happy 16th Birthday and then go for dinner and a beer l’liklik (Sunhawk Alvin and we could really bounce ideas Thomas) in March!! off one another even after fights about jurisdiction.”

We are so very proud of you.

Many stories about the early We love you to the moon and days of CTUIR’s work with former back.

Chair Antone Minthorn, atway Love; Mike “Jughead” Farrow, Bill Bradley and Jay Minthorn confirmed Mom, Richard, Auntie Esther, old time stories of nicknames Grandma Rita, Grandpa Leon, Scheeler earned over the years.

Uncle James, Keaks, Jae “People can’t forget what it took to build DNR as we know it

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9

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Confederated Umatilla Journal - March 2022

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The Nixyaawii Community School girls basketball team earned the Old Oregon League District Basketball Championship this season. The roster includes Izabelle Sigo (3), Eva Oatman (10), Brianah Matamoro Moses (21), Alayna Bevis (22), Layla SoHappy (23), Sophie Bronson (24), Keyen Singer (25), and Kyella Picard (32). Coaches are Michael BadWarrior and Dionne Bronson. Dallas Dick photo

NCS BOYS

Continued from page náx̣š (1)

LEFT: Dylan Abrahamson goes up for a layup during NCS’ victory over Ione.

Sometimes when you go to the tournament it’s someone you’ve never seen before.

Powder Valley got the best of NCS on Jan. 29 with a 76-64 victory, so the third game between the two should be a barnburner.

“They’re going to be hungry, too,” Barkley said of Powder Valley. “It’s gonna take us playing really good defense. Powder’s a good team; they have two really good players.”

NCS followed up the Powder Valley victory with a decisive 6854 win over Ione / Arlington, who had just one loss on the season.

The Golden Eagles’ success starts with sophomore Baron Moses. The First Team All-Oregon League talent averages 22.3 points and 8.6 rebounds per game.

Guard Aaron Barkley, a junior, scores 13.1 points per game to go with 5.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 4.2 steals. He also made the All-Oregon First Team.

Dylan Abrahamson averages 11.8 points per game with 6.4 assists and 3.2 steals, and Coyote Jackson kicks in 8.9 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.

“The good thing about our boys, they have been playing together since AAU days,” Barkley said. “That helps team chemistry.

Over the season, we got better at defense, turning the ball over, free throws, and we’ve got a lot of speed.”

Ranked a mere No. 11 in state in the standings, the Golden Eagles are now on the cusp of a potential state championship game if they can win two in a row.

“The ultimate goal when you get here is to win, to win state,” Barkley said. “And we have a high standard. We won it last year, and in 2019. A lot of this team are younger brothers to last year’s championship team. They have a high expectation.

“The main thing is you can only take it a game at a time,” he added. “We’ve gotta worry about Powder, and what they’re gonna do. Just focus on this one game. You don’t win this game, you’re not moving on. And we get prepared, our minds right our bodies ready and go into battle. I’m just glad we’re still here and we’re still playing basketball. It’s one of the things these kids live for.

Part of our culture out here is basketball.”

The Nixyaawii Community School boys basketball team e (11), Tommy Moore (12), Aaron Barkley (20), Saint Schim

March 2022 - Confederated Umatilla Journal

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NCS GIRLS

Continued from page náx̣š (1)

“She’s our go-to player,” BadWarrior said.

Mersayus Hart (First Team All League) is a triple-double threat with 12 points per game, nine rebounds and eight steals — topping double digits in those categories regularly.

BadWarrior also highlighted Kyella Picard (OOL Second Team), Ella Stewart, Izabelle Sigo, Eva Oatman and Sistine Moses (OOL Honorable Mention).

The coach noted that all of the 12 girls on the

11

roster get playing time and can contribute.

“The girls like an up-tempo pace, so we try to rotate our girls as much as we can.”

The Golden Eagles are on an 8-game winning streak heading into Thursday’s game.

They started February with a win over McLoughlin (64-61), loss to Crane (66-43) before the streak started. NCS notably went 11-0 in league.

BELOW: Alayna Bevis, Mersayus Hart and Ella Stewart root on their team during NCS District Championship game.

Dallas Dick Photo

os (11), Ella Stewart (13), Mersayus Hart (15), Sistine Moses (20), Gracie

earned the Old Oregon League District Basketball Championship this season. The roster includes Landen Picard (0), Dylan Abrahamson (1), Baron Moses (3), Symon Picard (4), Kirk Houle (10), Dylan Monaco mmel (22), Weptas Brockie (30), Coyote Jackson (33), and Kaiwin Clements (44). Coaches are Jeremy Barkley, Josh Barkley, and Aaron Ashley. Sammantha McCloud Photo

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Confederated Umatilla Journal - March 2022

PHOTOGRAPHY / SPORTS

FLY, EAGLES, FLY

NCS’ Ella Stewart wins the tip-off during districts in February. Dallas Dick Photo

Junior Gracie Moses goes up for a lay-in. Sam McCloud Photo

Aaron Barkley was a Second Team All Old Oregon League selection in 2022 for the Nixyaawii Community School Golden Eagles. Rob McLean Photo

From a Survivors Perspective

Family Violence Services is preparing for Sexual Assault Awareness Month – April – and would like to share your hopes, ideas, thoughts or feelings about ending sexual violence in our community! Releasing positive or negative impacts anonymously.

You are invited to submit, as a survivor or on behalf of a survivor, poems, drawings or letters regarding sexual violence. We would like put the selected pieces on our silhouettes for the month of April which will be placed in various locations within our community.

Please ensure the pieces submitted do not contain personal identifying information.

Submit via mail, hand deliver to Family Violence Services Staff, or at Family Violence Services drop box at NGC entrance. Deadline for submission is 4:00 pm March 28, 2022.

For more information regarding this project, please contact Enola Dick at EnolaDick@ctuir.org or 541-429-7414.

Family Violence Services, Public Safety Department 46411 Timine Way, Pendleton, OR 97801

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13

NEWS / HEALTH / COVID-19

Mask mandate rescinded by BOT

BY JILL-MARIE GAVIN CUJ Reporter MISSION – The Board of Trustees (Board) for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) discussed lifting the indoor mask mandate briefly during their Feb. 28 meeting.

The consensus of the Board, during the Executive Director’s information part of the agenda, was to wait to make any decisions until they could hear from the Yellowhawk Tribal Health Center (Yellowhawk) CEO, Aaron Hines, during his monthly report. Entity reports, formally given during Board session now take place after the Monday meeting has adjourned, the Board reconvened for a report from Hines at 1:30 p.m.

Ultimately a resolution was polled and passed by the Board on March 1 as they did not discuss lifting the mandate during Hines’ report. Board members expressed interest in getting input from the CTUIR Health Commission. The Commission is the governing body appointed by the Board to supervise the Yellowhawk CEO. The Commission voted it down in a 1-3-1 vote. Health Commission Vice Chair Martina Gordon voted in favor of rescinding the mandate, Commission members Robin Turk, Denise Wickert

and Sandra Sampson voted against it.

Commission member Althea Wolf abstained, Chair Shawna Gavin did not vote and member Dara Williams-Worden was absent during the meeting.

The Commission motion and vote was not referenced in the resolution rescinding the mask mandate polled by the Board. Board Vice Chair Aaron Ashley, Secretary Sally Kosey, General Council Chair, members-at-large Toby Patrick, Boots Pond and Lisa Ganuelas voted in favor of rescinding the mandate.

Board Treasurer Sandra Sampson and member-at-large Corinne Sams voted against the polled resolution. The mask mandate has been in effect since August 13, 2021. The removal of the mandate will be effective March 11 at 4 p.m., or on such earlier date as recommended by Yellowhawk. Sampson said she voted no based on the unavailability of vaccines for children age six months to four years She said, “I wanted to see it extended to at least May 15 when kids have opportunity to get vaccinated. They are our most vulnerable population when it comes to the Omicron and Delta variants of Covid. All of Eastern Oregon is still less than 49 percent vaccinated.”

The resolution states the Board will continue to fund the COVID 19 screeners to monitor for signs and symptoms

of illness in the Nixyaawii Governance Center until April 29, but that date could also be subject to change.

When the mandate is lifted it will be at the discretion of each entity’s CEO or Executive Director on whether they will choose to continue to require masks for indoor public use. In a draft memo from the Office of the Executive Director, provided to the CUJ by Interim-Deputy Executive Director Teara Farrow-Ferman, it states, “The State will end their mask mandate on March 11, 2022 for indoor and outdoor public settings and schools, however, State and Federal requirements, such as those for health care settings, public transit and other specialized settings, will remain in place for a period of time.”

Masks will remain required for indoor settings on Kayak Public Transportation and within the Yellowhawk Tribal Health Center. Hines did not have a firm date for when the indoor use mandate would be lifted at the clinic.

Board Chair Kat Brigham, who did not vote on the polled resolution, said in a statement, “I trust the removal of the mask mandate because it is based on good data and Yellowhawk’s consistency with the state. Masks will be removed but please continue to follow the guidelines that continue to remain in place. If you would like to continue to wear your masks, we support you and your safety measures.”

NEWS / HEALTH

Yellowhawk sees drop in COVID cases in February

BY THE CUJ MISSION - The number of COVID cases are declining, finally, Yellowhawk Tribal Health Center CEO Aaron Hines said.

“However, that does not mean our community should let their guard down,” he added. “The need for precautions has not gone away. We encourage our community members to wear masks indoors when social distancing is not possible, social distance when you can and stay home when you are sick. Being fully vaccinated and getting a booster shot remains a strong recommendation.”

Ye l l o w h a w k d o c u m e n t ed approximately 55 positive COVID-19 cases in February. It also announced the estimated total of Tribal members to die from COVID complications is six.

Statewide, the Oregon Health Authority reported 1,694 new and presumptive cases as of Feb. 28, with 6,662 total deaths.

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OPINION / COLUMN

New pup joins Coyote’s wolfpack

W

e don’t choose the time babies arrive, at least in a natural sense. Pretty sure they do.

Raelyn Faith, 39 weeks in the womb, gave the karate kick that induced labor after a few trips to the emergency room in a day’s span.

Praying for a deadline miracle, somewhat similar to the last-minute heave Cooper Kupp hauled in for the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship last month, I hoped she’d do me a solid and not be born prior to our publish date.

The CUJ published on February 3rd. Baby was born on February 3rd. The girl born with more hair than any of my other children (and her father) stayed in her mother’s womb a hair long enough for me to get the job done.

Rosenbaum Once she arrived, that unique, massive elation set in for this overlyexcited father. She was an immediate family record 9 lb, 2 oz of amazing, with a minor speck of blood among the gray-blue irises of her eyes.

She’s perfect, I thought.

Of my three children, she’s the first to be born while at a monthly publication.

My other two were born while I worked at at weeklies — yet, she still punished my deadline anxiety more than the others.

This is it for my wife and I. We have reached the magical goal you set somewhere in your relationship that materializes in your marriage.

Compared to the energy levels at 26, when my first child was born, 36 feels like old age. But experiencewise, I’m much more seasoned.

Diapers, bottles, rash resistance, baths, techniques, quick reflexes, remedies, I’ve got them all. That fatherly versatility has me feeling like a seasoned vet.

I shared an elevator ride with a distraught younger man while fetching the baby’s car-seat, as we neared our 24-hour stay in the hospital with Raelyn — one that saw only virtual visitors due to COVID. “How’d it go?,” I said, guessing he’d been through the magical process.

“Well, pretty good considering I just went through a 6-hour labor and watched my wife get cut open and didn’t pass out,” he replied. “But, I guess our second child can still be born naturally.”

We lucked out and took the express lane.

Four pushes and out.

But the journey isn’t over yet. It’s only just shifted from mom’s belly to both parents’ arms. As I write, I have distinct upper back pain from carrying this now 10-plus pound baby around. (Compared to the wife, however, my pains aren’t worthy of the injured list.)

I am Raelyn’s chauffeur at all times needed.

Sometimes we take a trip across the square footage of the house to visit brother and sister’s rooms. One’s got a karaoke/LED set up and the other has Minecraft from the walls to the sounds.

Six years removed from our last child, this last hoorah has been nothing shy of special. The challenge will be finding that new dynamic. Looking forward to it.

Cary Rosenbaum (Colville Confederated Tribes) is the Editor of the CUJ. His Indian name is sin-ka-lip, which translates to Coyote in nselxcin Salish. Contact him at caryrosenbaum@ctuir.org.

PHOTOGRAPHY / NEWS

FREEDOM CONVOY A crowd gathered at the Arrowhead Travel Plaza on the Umatilla Indian Reservation to support the Freedom Convoy protest of federal mask and vaccine Mandates March 1. CUJ Photos Jill-Marie Gavin

Fatherhoo d Is Sacred, Motherhoo d Is Sacred

A member of Wildhorse Resort & Casino security team directs a Freedom Convoy truck driver away from no-park zone at the Arrowhead Travel Plaza. Wildhorse brought on extra staff to patrol the property in anticipation of the scheduled stop during the evening of March 1.

Kricket Nicholson and her daughter made a trip to Arrowhead March 1 to support the Freedom Convoy as it makes its way cross-country.

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March 2022 - Confederated Umatilla Journal

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NEWS / PUBLIC SAFETY / EMERGENCIES

A crash involving 98 vehicles on I-84 in February was one of two major incidents responded to by the CTUIR Fire Department. Courtesy Photo

CTUIR Fire Dept. responds to February crash, spill

BY THE CUJ

PENDLETON — The CTUIR Fire Department was historically busy in February, after a chemical spill and then a massive, 98-vehicle crash occurred under the department’s jurisdiction.

A total of 98 cars and trucks crashed Feb. 21 around 12:20 p.m. on one mile of icy Interstate 84, 20 miles east of Pendleton. To Umatilla Tribal Fire Chief James Hall, it was reminiscent of the 1999 tour bus accident at Milepost 228, in that dozens of people were injured and it made national news.

Interstate 84 was closed most of the next day from Baker City to just east of Pendleton, with trucks being stopped at Ontario. The interstate was closed eastbound from near Pendleton to near La Grande. “(The 98-vehicle crash) was all on the reservation,” he said. “It’s all within our fire response area. We took the lead because it was our jurisdiction. Similar to the bus accident that happened in ’99, I made national news.

“It’s kind of one of these things that we were knees-deep in this,” Hall added. “And this is our bread-and-butter day in and day out. …

So far everything I’ve heard from our responders down to the patients we responded to, we all

did quite well as a group. The fire department here did take the lead because it’s all within our capabilities, within my capabilities to be incident commander.

We’re talking 98 (vehicles) total. …

It might be one of the largest ones in Oregon in the last decade.”

The Associated Press and NBC Nightly News were among major outlets to cover the event.

Earlier in the month, on Feb. 10, a tanker truck accident caused a chemical spill on the shoulder of I-84 between Pendleton and La Grande.

The truck was carrying tetrachloroethylene and required haz-mat cleanup of somewhere between 100 and 300 gallons of product spilled onto the soil.

Officials said no water bodies are at risk from the spill, and the Environmental Protection Agency installed air monitors to protect workers on scene.

BELOW: A tanker spilled 100 to 300 gallons of tetrachloroethylene on I-84 in February.

The CTUIR Fire Department responded to the

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16

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Confederated Umatilla Journal - March 2022

ALMANAC: To place an advertisement, public notice, announcement, or obituary in the CUJ call (541)429-7368

Obituaries

Obituaries

Obituaries

Josiah enjoyed being a father, playing golf, fishing, riding horses and skateboarding.

A dressing service was held on 12/23/21 at 10:00 am at Living Hope Christian Center in Madras OR. 7pm Washat Services was also held at Living Hope.

He was transported to Pendleton on 12/24/21 for burial at the Agency Cemetery.

in passing by his father Alphonse Halfmoon, mother Florence Halfmoon-Dishon. Brothers Mark, Matthew, and William “Billy” Halfmoon and son David Shane.

Whenever he got the chance to return home, you would find him back in the mountains, the one place he truly loved the most because of the engraved history it has within the hills from the ancestors, spending time at his brothers graves, or with his family. He was someone who could light up a whole room with his smile and he make friends anywhere.

He had a caring heart and always made you feel understood, appreciated, and cared about. He was an avid outdoorsman, and anyone who knew him could recall him saying that was where his soul was happiest, he even took on the job as a logger to be outside in nature every day. His last hunting trip was last December with his nephew David Filkins, cousin Steve Filkins, and cousin Teyha Halfmoon in the blue mountains. His favorite thing was to teach the ways of our ancestors and telling stories of the hunting & gathering in the mountains that our people have walked for hundreds of years. He took a great pride in his heritage.

He is survived by his wife, Ramona. Son, Kyle.

Daughter, Becky (Orlando). Granddaughter, Kiona (Tate). Son, Jordan (grandson Shaye) and his “extra daughter” Cher. Sisters: Hilda, Kateri, Gretchen, and Susie. And many many cousins, nephews, and nieces.

JOSIAH THOMPSON Josiah George Thompson, of Pendleton and Warm Springs was born on 2/22/90 in Madras Oregon to Curtis Thompson Sr and Sarah Frank. He passed away on 12/20/21.

He is survived by his two children Josephine & Jevon Thompson; mother to children Emily Seideman; his father Curtis Thompson, Sr and his mother Sarah Frank; brothers Curtis Thompson, Jr, Devon Thompson, Bavis Thompson and Kanet Wolfe, Jr; grandparents Calvin & Barbara Poncho. He has numerous faAmily members in both Warm Springs and Nixyaawii.

Josiah was preceded in death by paternal grand-parents Leland Sr & Deanna Thompson and his maternal grand-parents Elvis Frank and Carol Burke.

Josiah graduated from Pendleton High School in 2008, where he played golf and led PHS Golf Team to State in 2008. He also represented Team Oregon in the North American Indigenous Games in 2007 & 2008. He later attended Walla Walla Community College.

Josiah was employed at Wildhorse Resort & Casino at the Golf Shop, Theatre and Custodian Dept. His last job was at Brightwood in Madras, OR.

DAVE HALFMOON Heyumpakhat-Timne “call me Dave” Halfmoon.

Dave was raised in Mission/Pendleton, Oregon and was proudly enrolled in the tribe. Growing up, he enjoyed hunting in the Blue Mountains with his grandfather, dad, uncles, and brothers. He also loved fishing on the Columbia, Cascade Locks, and Alaska.

His name comes from his grandfather, meaning grizzly bear five hearts, a name he lived up to with his courageous spirit, giant heart, and beyond-years wisdom. He spent 47 years married to Ramona, who he would call his “teapot.” They had 3 children and fostered dozens throughout their time together.

Their love was strong and he made sure they walked through everything together, whether good or bad.

They enjoyed going on drives together, gardening, listening to gospel, or spending the night in watching movies and pigging out on popcorn. He is preceded

KELLY THOMPSON-LONG

Pendleton Pioneer Chapel received three prestigious awards in 2009

The Oregon Funeral Directors Association Award of Funeral Service Excellence

Kelly Thompson-Long started her final journey on February 6, 2022. She was of Cayuse, Walla Walla and Nez Perce descent and an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. Kelly was born September 12, 1958 in Pendleton, Oregon, the third of five children to Cecil and Doris Scott Thompson. As a newborn she moved to San Francisco, California where she spent her first 10 years while her parents participated in the federal relocation program. The family returned to Pendleton in the late 1960s where she remained the rest of her life, raising her daughter Doris Wheeler amongst a large extended family.

Kelly worked in various career fields that provided opportunities to enjoy the outdoors, being a flagger, native plant nursery tech, and a heavy equipment operator. As she aged, she maintained many customer service and clerical roles throughout the Confederated Tribes and the Wildhorse Resort and Casino.

In retirement Kelly continued to serve her tribal community through various committee work including the Election committee, Water committee, Housing committee and TERO committee. She was an active Nixyaawii elder, participating in local activities and traveling to many Elder events across the northwest.

She loved her grandkids, gambling, traveling, and watching Nixyaawii school sports.

Kelly is preceeded in death by her father Cecil and brother Warren Thompson. She leaves behind her daughter Doris Wheeler and grandkids Monika Melendrez of Hilo, Hawaii, and Anthony (Kate), Ian and Aaron Melendrez, all of Pendleton; her mother Doris Thompson of Pendleton; sisters Lorena and Cara (Shay)Thompson of Pendleton and Cathy Thompson of Santa Fe, New Mexico; and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews and good friends.

She will be remembered for her sense of humor, her ready laugh, her playful pranks, her stylish wardrobe, and for being everyone’s “favorite.”

w The Best Of Eastern Oregon Award as voted by the readers of the East Oregonian w Pendleton Chamber of Commerce 2009 Business of the Year

Our experienced family provides caring, compassionate care including:

Burial Services ~ Military Services Cremation ~ Monuments

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO RANDALL “MUN” MINTHORN!

Obituaries

GIFFORD COWAPOO 07/06/1940-02/22/2022 Gifford was known for his contagious laughter and wicked sense of humor. He was called home on February 22,2022 in Boise, Idaho.

Gifford L. Cowapoo was born to Ellen Burke Cowapoo and David Cowapoo July 6, 1940 in Pendleton, Oregon. In his earlier years, he loved riding horses and rally racing during Round-Up. Gifford graduated from Pendleton High School in 1959. He excelled in baseball where he played second base. Everyday after baseball practice he’d run from Pendleton to Tutuilla Flats where they lived. In 1961 he married Ramona Nanpooya at Cour D’Alene, Idaho. The newly wedded couple moved to Walla Walla, WA where Gifford attended Whitman College and earned his Accounting Degree. Ramona and Gifford had 2 children together: Tana Cowapoo Bill & Edward Cowapoo.

After earning his degree, he started working for the Pacific Northwest Bell Company, and was relocated to San Fransisco in 1965 where he lived for 30 years. He loved his Bay Area teams: the Giants & the 49ers.

After retirement he returned to Pendleton, where he resided until his death. He enjoyed going to the mountains to get wood, powwow music, reconnecting with family and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, sister: Sybil Cowapoo Smith, Alveda Cowapoo Parker, & Myrtle Cowapoo. Brothers: Roderick T. Cowapoo Sr. & Clarence Cowapoo. Granddaughter, Ramona Cowapoo. Ex-wife: Ramona Nanpooya.

Survived by sister, Marlene Taylor, brother Lawrence Cowapoo, children: Tana Cowapoo Bill & Edward Bill, 3 grandchildren, & 5 great grandchildren & numerous nieces & nephews.

ART MCCONVILLE JR. Arthur (Art) “Koy-a-ma” James McConville Jr., 77, was called home by our Creator on Friday, February 4th, 2022. Art was born to Arthur James McConville Sr. and Emma Kash Kash on June 16, 1944, in Pendleton, Oregon. Art was a caring haama, tota, and family man.

He was a proud descendant of the Cayuse and Nez Perce People and citizen of the Confederated Umatilla Tribes. He was a very active member of the community, involved with many organizations and movements. He served as the Chairman of the American Indian Movement’s Portland Chapter. He was a hard worker and loved working for his fellow Nixyaawii and Nimiipuu people. Art was a proud U.S. Marine Corps veteran. He was a simple, humble and modest man; the kind of person who would give you the most important gift - his time. He would be there to help you when needed, no questions asked. If you knew Art, you knew his humor and his creative mind for problem solving whatever he was involved with. He was a complex human being with a beautiful heart. He would do whatever he could to help the young people, and enjoyed watching his grandkids grow up, beadworking and sharing stories from his many adventures, spiritual teachings, or life lessons he’s learned along the way.

Art’s early beginnings were difficult and he had his own battles with the darkness in life, but Art’s curiosity about the world and people led him to learn

March 2022 - Confederated Umatilla Journal

(second, seventeen) náptiyaw pútɨmt ku uynápt

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ALMANAC: To place an advertisement, public notice, announcement, or obituary in the CUJ call (541)429-7368

Obituaries from his experiences and challenges, shaping his view of the world and inspiring in him a passion for fighting injustice and helping others. He lived a long and fulfilled life, giving him time to develop his many talents and spend his retirement years traveling and doing his important work in many places. He was a learner and a teacher, he volunteered for his community often. Over the years, he worked in Wildland Fire, Forest Management, Alcohol and Drug Programs, Indian Child Welfare, and for many years in media and curriculum development for the Culture and Heritage Program for the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. He was proud to be of both the Shaker and Washat faith. He worked in Youth Prevention Services for CTUIR, managed the Wildhorse Resort and Casino’s Child Entertainment Center for many years and later served as the Umatilla Tribe’s Veterans Coordinator. He is well known for his work bringing spiritual teachings and ceremony into Oregon’s prisons.

He would always talk about how much he loved to spend time and learn from all his aunties, uncles and elders from Nimipuu, Nixyaawii, and Warm Springs. One of his greatest accomplishments was his sobriety, and his path of ceremony and spirituality.

His time at Standing Rock was one of those important times in his life. He was always encouraging and supporting others along their own journey. He always wanted to be of service to others in any way he could, and he truly made a difference in many lives. He was in ceremony up until the very end and he will continue to live on in all our hearts, spirits, and in dreamtime.

Just remember to ask yourself, “What would Art do?” and you’ll be alright.

He spent much of his free time with the elders and youngest members of the tribal community, and socializing on “Indian Twitter” aka Facebook. Art was a great man and friend to many. He truly enjoyed traveling, visiting friends and family, attending pow wows, ceremonies, shaker meetings, hanging at the casino, and attending other tribal functions. He also loved attending the Nixyaawii Golden Eagle sporting events.

Art had a big family. He is survived by his children, Shana, Alx, Paris, Sterling, Kim, Rusty, Jerry Allen, and Aimee. His grandsons, Maurice, Maddox, Joshua, Christian, and La Peka. His granddaughters, Juelz, Soleda, Terri, Phoebe, and Artis. His sisters, Judy Johnson and Laura Lee McConville. His niece, Julie Ann Johnson. His nephews, Jon McConville and Sterling Sampson. And numerous great grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his beloved grandfathers, James McConville and James Kash Kash, Andrew Allen, and great grandmothers Julia Kash Kash and Mary Wilson Mox Mox McConville, Lucy Kash Kash, his parents, Arthur James McConville Sr, Emma Kash Kash McConville, Ayats, Vivian Aust, Anita Webb Taylor, Billie Joe Bagley, Annette Lucero, his brother, Herschel McConville, sisters, Mary Lou McConville and Ruth McConville. His two sons, Art McConville III, and Norman McConville. His nephew, Raymond McConville.

The funeral services were held at 5 p.m. Wednesday, February 7th, at the Nixyaawii Longhouse, and officiated by Armand Minthorn. The burial was officiated by Robert Taylor with support from the American Indian Movement at the Nez Perce Tribal Cemetery in Lapwai, ID. Burns Mortuary of Pendleton was in charge of arrangements. To support Art’s family; Venmo: @shanaradford; CashApp: $shaeradford; Paypal: @shanaradford; or mail cards or check to: 42 Umatilla Loop, Pendleton OR 97801.

Jobs

Join the Cayuse Holdings team! We have dozens of jobs open each month. Work on the Reservation, remotely from your home, across the US or overseas.

Equal Opportunity Employer.

See the complete list of job openings at www.cayuseholdings.com. To sign up for our Talent Network (be the first to learn about career opps that fit your interests and skill sets and get access to our weekly hot jobs list) go to https://www.cayusetalentsolutions. com/talent-network Current Cayuse Holdings job opportunities include Business Development Director; Customer Service Agent; Desktop IT Technician on or near Indian Reservations across the US, Executive Assistant (remote); Material Handling Laborer (Hawaii); PC Technician; Project Manager; Proposal Writer/Manager; Salesforce Business Analyst; Service Desk Support Technician.

Jobs

COLUMBIA RIVER INTER-TRIBAL FISH COMMISSION IS HIRING THE FOLLOWING POSITIONS: Fishery Science Department Fishery Technician III (Habitat Project) Four (4) Temporary, Full-time, Not benefit eligible The Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC) assists four tribes in the co-management of their treaty fishing rights within the Columbia River Basin. A key to ensuring our member tribes have a sustainable fishery is the ability to collect and assess information on the status of anadromous and resident fish populations and their habitats within the Columbia River Basin. The positions offered are associated with the Fishery Science Department’s Habitat/ Watershed Group. This group assists CRITFC and the four treaty tribes with collection and analysis of data pertaining to stream habitat conditions, habitat restoration, and stream ecology. These positions will focus on monitoring status and trends in habitat conditions for ESA-listed spring Chinook Salmon in the upper Grande Ronde River basin in northeastern Oregon. Stream habitat data will be collected using a combination of remote sensing and instream habitat monitoring methods. The primary objectives of these positions are to collect data necessary to: 1) Assess current status, trends, and key limiting factors in fish habitat characteristics (e.g. water temperature, pool habitats, and fine sediment) to the viability of spring Chinook Salmon populations, and 2) Evaluate effectiveness of stream restoration actions aimed at improving key limiting habitat factors. Closing Date: April 15, 2022.

Fish Management Department Fishery Technician III (Lamprey Project) Three (3) Temporary, Full-time, Not benefit eligible The Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC) assists the four tribes in the co-management of their treaty rights within the Columbia River Basin. The Fishery Technician position offered is within the Fish Management Department’s Lamprey Program. The Lamprey Program implements objectives and actions outlined in the Tribal Pacific Lamprey Restoration Plan. These objectives include improving mainstem and tributary passage and habitat; lamprey supplementation/augmentation (translocation and reintroductions); evaluating contaminants and water quality; regional coordination, education and outreach; and research, monitoring and evaluation. The primary responsibilities of the Fishery Technician will be trapping adult Pacific lamprey at Bonneville, The Dalles, and John Day dams in support of the tribes Pacific lamprey translocation program. The Fishery Technician will also be responsible for monitoring fish health during transportation and holding, and collecting biological and water quality data. Other duties may include assisting CRITFC and tribes with seasonal field work (e.g. , electrofishing surveys, eDNA sample collections, screw trap monitoring, parentage based tagging, etc) as needs arise. Field work occurs 7 days per week, June through September. Closing Date: March 31, 2022.

Office of Executive Director Public Information Specialist One (1) Temporary, Full-time This position works to forward the culture, goals and aspirations of the Commission and its member tribes to the broader public through media and outreach activities. The position will write press releases, news stories, website and social media posts, and other creative writing to share the work, priorities, and views of CRITFC and its member tribes. The potential of performing some job duties via telework, particularly from or near the CRITFC member tribes’ reservations and ceded lands, could be considered.

The position also executes CRITFC’s media strategy, occasionally serves as a CRITFC spokesperson, and is a liaison between CRITFC and national, regional, local, and tribal press. The position works closely with Commissioners, CRITFC staff and tribal staff to ensure that the programs’ outreach needs are met and the Commission’s goals are accomplished. The position will require regular interaction with the public, representation of CRITFC to groups and audiences, and being called upon to speak extemporaneously on a variety of topics relating to CRITFC and its member tribes’ work. Tribal preference will be followed, with the ideal candidate possessing a broad knowledge of fisheries or natural resource, Columbia Plateau

Jobs

Jobs

tribal culture, and Native American issues in general.

Classification: Regular, Full-time. Salary: $65,137 – 71,651 DOQ. Location: Portland, Oregon. Closing date: Open Until Filled.

(CRITPD). Dispatchers are directly responsible for the operation of all office radio communications and telephone equipment, they monitor patrol officer activities, and answer incoming emergency calls for service, business, and assistance calls. The position works rotating shifts to support the round the clock police service provided by the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Police Department. Classification: Regular, Full-time. Salary: $39,937 - $43,661. Location: Hood River, Oregon. Closing date: Open Until Filled.

Policy Development and Litigation Support Department Treaty Fisheries Community Outreach Liaison One (1) Temporary, Part-time, Not benefit eligible This position will be support outreach, contract tracing and wrap around support services for tribal communities along the Columbia River gorge. Native Americans disproportionately experience many of the health conditions that put them at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19. The onset of the COVID crisis has drawn into stark contract the long-standing health disparities that exist here in the Columbia River Gorge. The In-Lieu and Treaty Fishing Access Sites (IL-TFAS) represent highly vulnerable locations.

Tribal members living along the Columbia River may have very limited access to electricity, communications, technology or to basic health care services.

These individuals may also experience higher incidence of chronic health conditions that place them at increased risk for COVID-19. The primary geographic area of focus will be the Columbia River tribal IL-TFAS and tribal communities living along the Columbia River. Members of these communities can be at risk due to the frequent travel between the sites and other outlying tribal communities across the Pacific Northwest. The COVID pandemic has increased these challenges. Since June 2020, CRITFC has been working with multiple community service organizations to provide personal protective equipment, access to food and water resources, and supporting community member connect with social supports.

Classification: Regular, Full-time. Salary: $37,540 – 39,520. Location: Portland, Oregon. Closing date: Open Until Filled Watershed Department SCHISM Modeler/Oceanographer One (1) Vacancy This position will work collaboratively with fish scientists and managers to integrate numerical hydrodynamic modeling into conservation and management programs for critical fish species and stocks in the Columbia River, focusing on Upper Columbia summer and fall chinook and Snake River fall chinook, but including other salmonid species, lamprey, and sturgeon. Work may include incorporating high resolution wetland modeling, water control structures, and aquatic vegetation modeling into the existing CMOP SCHISM model and continuing development of individual based modeling of juvenile salmon. This position may also participate in or lead production of peer reviewed articles, technical reports, and grant proposals. Classification: Regular, Full-time. Salary: $75,799 - $80,854. Location: Portland, Oregon.

Closing Date: Open Until Filled Fishing Site Maintenance Department In-Lieu and Treaty Fishing Access Sites Fishing Site Maintenance Worker Two (2) Vacancies These positions will provide the maintenance of the 31 Tribal In-Lieu and Treaty Fishing Access Sites located along 150 miles of the Columbia River. The FSMD crews perform work that involves a variety of trade practices to maintain, repair, and improve existing public facilities. Skills include painting, plumbing, carpentry, masonry, electrical, custodial work, and maintaining sanitation standards in all facilities. Maintenance workers use hand and power tools to accomplish the work. Classification: Regular, Full-time. Salary: $34,496 - $36,796. Location: The Dalles, Oregon. Closing date: Open Until Filled.

Enforcement Department Hood River Office CRITPD-Police Officer Multiple Vacancies The Columbia River Inter-Tribal Police Department (CRITPD) is based in Hood River Oregon. The CRITFC Police Department provides 24-hour policing focused on the 150 mile stretch of the Columbia River from Bonneville to McNary Dams and adjacent lands by vehicle and boat. CRITPD has commissions from all four CRITFC member tribes (Yakama, Umatilla, Warm Springs, and Nez Perce), the Bureau of Indian Affairs, some Washington counties, and are Oregon-certified officers. The department enforces treaty fishing regulations and criminal laws, responds to search and rescue emergencies, and provides archeological resource protection. CRITPD also provides full police services on tribal lands along the Columbia River. Classification: Regular, Full-time.

Salary: $51,516 - $56,261. Location: Hood River or Boardman, Oregon. Closing date: Open Until Filled.

CRITPD-Dispatcher Multiple Vacancies Columbia River Inter-Tribal Police dispatchers are based in Hood River, Oregon and are the communication link for all incoming communications to the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Police Department

Human Resources Department HR Generalist One (1) Vacancy The Human Resources 2-person team works closely together and communicates about the planning and action details for any given procedures, policies, and concerns. A complimentary balance of skills and interests provides service to eight departments and 125 permanent employees. The Human Resources Generalist will have broad knowledge of human resources functions. Recruitment is the primary responsibility of the Generalist including job analysis/ classification, benchmarking, recruitment, advertising, placement, on boarding, and employee satisfaction checks. Working under the direction of the Human Resources Manager, the Human Resources Generalist is responsible for developing, administrating and coordinating day-to-day human resources operations.

This position will develop and monitor the metrics for CRITFC’s benefit programs, performance reviews, promotion, salary adjustments, and inter-departmental alignment. Additionally, this position is primarily responsible for the ADP portal, entering and analyzing data, managing upgrades, and troubleshooting the user interface. The Generalist will have the opportunity to administer positive and effective proactive programs, training, and initiatives to provide services and leadership to CRITFC managers, supervisors, employees and partners. Classification: Regular, Fulltime. Salary: $57,560 - 63,315. Location: Portland, Oregon. Closing date: Open Until Filled.

All positions are permanent full-time unless otherwise noted.

The complete job description, minimum skills, application requirements, deadlines, and pay information are available on the CRITFC website www.critfc. org Careers. Incomplete applications will not be accepted.

Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation Tribal Planning Office Environmental Health & Safety Officer Full Time with benefits package $65,000-$70,000 annual DOE/DOQ This position will protect human life, water, land, air and wildlife by exercising professional environmental health and safety regulatory functions, development and planning skills and abilities to ensure compliance with the CTUIR Environmental Health and Safety Code, Land Development Code and Comprehensive Plan. This includes issuing permits, coordinating reviews with other departments, conducting and scheduling inspections, the maintenance of records and construction plans related to this position’s responsibilities.

For Employment Application or Vacancy Announcement please visit the Tribes website at https:// ctuir.org/career-opportunities/ or call (541)429-7180 Position is Open until Filled

BOT Minutes Date: January 31, 2022 BOT PRESENT: BOT Present: Kat Brigham, BOT Chair; Aaron Ashley, Vice-Chair; Sandra Sampson, Treasurer; Sally Kosey, Secretary; Toby Patrick, Member; Corinne Sams, Member and Lindsey Watchman, General Council Chairman. Lisa Ganuelas, BOT Member on personal leave. Working remotely from home for meeting and personal leave Boots Pond, BOT Member. Quorum present.

Old Business: None

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Confederated Umatilla Journal - March 2022

náptiyaw pútɨmt ku uymɨt́ at (second, eighteen)

ALMANAC: To place an advertisement, public notice, announcement, or obituary in the CUJ call (541)429-7368

BOT Minutes

BOT Minutes

BOT Minutes

BOT Minutes

New Business: Resolution 22-007: Topic: Hazard Mitigation Plan.

Resolution 22-007: Topic: Hazard Mitigation Plan.

AND BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Trustees has reviewed the draft Hazard Mitigation Plan in work sessions held on December 29, 2021 and January 26, 2022 and concurs with the recommendation of the Law and Order Committee; AND BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that the 2021 Hazard Mitigation Plan, attached hereto as Exhibit 1 is hereby adopted, shall take effect immediately, and shall replace the 2016 Hazard Mitigation Plan in its entirety. MOTION: Boots Pond moves to adopt Resolution 22-007. Corinne Sams seconds. Discussion. Question. Motion carries 7-0-0.

Resolution 22-008: Topic: Amended and Restated Hamley’s Steakhouse and Birch Creek Golf Course Clubhouse Leases, AND BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Trustees hereby approves the Amended and Restated Lease between the Confederated Tribes and Wildhorse Enterprises, LLC for the Hamley’s Steakhouse attached to this Resolution as Exhibit 1C; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Board of Trustees hereby approves the Amended and Restated Lease between the Confederated Tribes and Wildhorse Enterprises, LLC for the Birch Creek Golf Course Clubhouse attached to this Resolution as Exhibit 2C; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Board of Trustees authorizes its Chair to execute the attached Amended and Restated Leases on behalf of the Confederated Tribes, or documents containing substantially similar terms, and to take such further action and execute documents that may be necessary to accomplish the purposes of this Resolution; AND BE IN FINALLY RESOLVED, that the Board of Trustees hereby directs the Manager of Wildhorse Enterprises, LLC, to negotiate and execute contracts with the Oregon Lottery for video lottery terminals in the Hamley’s Steakhouse and the Birch Creek Golf Course Clubhouse; MOTION: Boots Pond moves to adopt Resolution 22-008. Aaron Ashley seconds. Discussion. Question. Motion carries 6-0-1 (Sally Kosey.)

Resolution 22-009: Topic: Capital Improvements Plan Update, AND BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Trustees hereby rescinds the direction in Resolution 21-107 that the ARPA Fiscal Recovery Funds received by the Confederated Tribes be deposited in the Tribal Contingency Fund; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Board of Trustees hereby directs that all ARPA Fiscal Recover Funds received by the Confederated Tribes be deposited into a Tribal ARPA Fiscal Recovery Fund; AND BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that the Board of Trustees hereby authorize its Treasure, Executive Director and the Tribal Finance Director to take such further action as may be necessary to carry out the

purposes of this Resolution. MOTION: Corinne Sams moves to adopt Resolution 22-009. Boots Pend seconds. Discussion. Question. Motion carries 7-0-0.

Resolution 22-010: Topic: Confederated Tribe’s ARPA Fiscal Recovery Fund, AND BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Trustees hereby rescinds the direction in Resolution 21-107 that the ARPA Fiscal Recovery Funds received by the Confederated Tribes be deposited in the Tribal Contingency Fund; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Board of Trustees hereby directs that all ARPA Fiscal Recover Funds received by the Confederated Tribes be deposited into a Tribal ARPA Fiscal Recovery Fund; AND BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that the Board of Trustees hereby authorize its Treasure, Executive Director and the Tribal Finance Director to take such further action as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this Resolution.

MOTION: Aaron Ashley moves to adopt Resolution 22-010. Sally Kosey seconds. Discussion. Question.

Motion carries 7-0-0.

Resolution 22-011. Topic: Public Health Code, AND BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Trustees adopts the Public Health Code (attached as Exhibit 1) to provide a tribal process for the quarantine or isolation of individuals or property who have highly contagious communicable diseases that pose a significant risk to the health of the general public on the Umatilla Indian Reservation and who refuse to voluntarily isolate or quarantine; adoption of the Public Health Code will eliminate the need to rely on the State of Oregon courts and the Umatilla County Public Health Department processes to deal with such emergencies; MOTION: Sandra Sampson moves to adopt Resolution 22-011.

Corinne Sams seconds. Discussion. Question. Motion carries 7-0-0 Other Board Action Items: None BOT Travel or External Meeting Reports: Defer BOT Leave and Travel or Outside Meeting Request: Boots Pond: Polled, 1/27 Zoom from noon to 2PM for USDA Consultation and Listening Session. Personal leave, 2/3 from 2-4 PM personal leave.

Personal leave all day on 2/8.

Corinne Sams: Polled virtual 1/26 from 9 AM to noon for Fish Co meeting. Polled virtual 1/26 from 1:30 to 2:30 PM for BMHRC meeting. Polled personal leave 1/28 from 1 to 4 PM. Toby Patrick, 1/27 polled zoom from 1 to 2:30 PM for TCD meeting and election.MOTION: Corinne Sams moves to ratify and approve leave requests. Toby Patrick seconds. Discussion. Question. Motion carries 6-0-0.

Date: February 7, 2022

Feb. 14 a motion can be made to approve Feb. 7 reports and pick up new ones. BOT present agreed to BOT Chair suggestion.

-Boots Pond, 1/27/21 Zoom meeting from noon to 2 PM for USDA: Creating a Tribal Action Plan for Fairer Meat, Poultry and Seafood Processing.

-Corinne Sams 9 reports: 1. 12/08/21, virtual at Clearwater Resort to provide comments on proposed WA Salmon Strategy Proposal and Climate Funding Consultation Proposal. 2. 12/15/21, virtual with the Corps at Yakama, WA on Columbia River Housing. 3.

12/16/21, virtual CRITFC monthly meeting. 4. 1/12, virtual for State Dept. Columbia River Treaty Negotiations. 5. 1/13, virtual for Willamette Falls Trust Legacy Project-River Walk. 6. 1/18, virtual for Willamette Falls Trust Legacy Project. 7. 1/19, virtual to provide testimony on WA HB 1838. 8. 1/26, virtual to attend Blue Mt. Habitat Restoration Council. 9. 1/26 virtual meting for Fish Co. meeting.

-Kat Brigham 7 trip reports: 1. 1/7 Zoom meeting for 9 Tribes review talking points from OTGA. 2. 1/13, Micro team meeting OR House Interim Committee on Ag/Land Use and Water. 3. 1/14, Conference Call with Oregon & Tribes on OHA, Schools, Oregon Emergency Management. 4. 1/19, Zoom for LCIS Quarterly meeting. 5. 1/21, Conference call with Gov. Brown. 6. 1/21, Zoom at 9:30 AM re: White House CEQ the 4 Chairs and CRITFC. 7. 1/28, Zoom with Oregon Racing

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CELEBRATING THE FOLLOWING MARCH DATES! Birthdays:

1st: Michael Hussey and Talia Tewawina 2nd: Ayden-Cam’ron Star 5th: Michael Van Pelt, Jr. and Hanna Copsey 6th: Andrea Rodriguez 10th: Rhonda Scott 11th: Dorothy Jones and TT Rodriguez 13th: Waine Brigham, Amber Gillpatrick and Alan Simmons, Jr. 15th: Nadia Kash Kash 16th: Jared Barrett, Megan Van Pelt, Sheldon Price, and Allen Kash Kash 18th: Dianne Billy 19th: Elijah Jones 22nd: Calliope Simpson 23rd: Ayanna Star 25th: Tasha Rae 27th: Chance Wigger and Darryl McKay 28th: Kathryn Harrison

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TUE

Enchilada Casserole Chips/Guac/Sour Cream Black Bean Salad Ice Cream

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BBQ Chicken Sweet Potato Fries Corn Broccoli Salad Fruit

Navy Bean Soup Whole Wheat Roll Winter Salad Apple Cake

Teriyaki Chicken Rice Asian Blend Veggies Spinach Salad Fruit

Quesadilla Spanish Rice Guac/Sour Cream/Chips Strawberry Jello-O

Chicken Alfredo Italian Blend Veggies Bread Sticks Salad Fruit

Cheese Pizza Salad Brownie

Pork Chops Au Gratin Potatoes Carrots Broccoli Salad Fruit

Chili Cornbread Fresh Veggies Pudding

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51 Umatilla Loop

MARCH 2022 LUNCH SERVED 11:30 AM - 1 PM

Open 7:30 am - 4 pm daily

MON

Happy 26th Birthday my mini me!! Love you always, Mom and Oregon family!!

NICHT - YOW - WAY SENIOR CENTER

Senior Center 541.240.8700

28-Feb

BOT PRESENT: Kat Brigham, BOT Chair; Aaron Ashley, Vice-Chair; Sandra Sampson, Treasurer; Sally Kosey, Secretary; Toby Patrick, Member; Boots Pond, Member Corinne Sams, Member and Lindsey Watchman, General Council Chairman. Lisa Ganuelas, Member on personal leave.

Old Business: a. Official BOT Polled Actions: i. 22-008: Subject: Testimony of CTUIR on HB 4022 Early Childhood. MOTION: Sally Kosey moves to ratify Official Polled Action 22-008. Boots Pond seconds.

Discussion. Question. Motion carries 7-0-0. ii. 22-009: Subject: Testimony of CTUIR on SB 1553 Wildfire Recovery. MOTION: Sally Kosey moves to ratify Official Polled Action 22-009. Corinne Sams seconds. Discussion. Question. Motion carries 7-0-0. iii. 22-010: Subject: CTUIR Comments on The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. MOTION: Sally Kosey moves to ratify Official Polled Action 22-010. Boots Pond seconds. Discussion. Question. Motion carries 7-0-0. iv. 22-011 Subject: Letter of Support for SB 150 Private Forest Accord. MOTION: Sally Kosey moves to ratify Official Polled Action 22-011. Boots Pond seconds. Discussion. Question. Motion carries 7-0-0.

6. New Business: Proposed Resolutions: Next resolution number is 22-012: i. Resolution: 22-012 Topic: Columbia River Water Project. RESOLVED, that the Board of Trustees hereby authorizes the Executive Director to appoint appropriate staff to Partnership team to work with the City of Umatilla (City) on the Columbia River Water Project described in this Resolution; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Executive Director shall ensure that regular reports are provided to appropriate Tribal Commissions and Committees as well as the Board of Trustees on the status of the Project and associated agreements; AND BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that each Project agreement shall be subject to Board of Trustee approval. MOTION: Lindsey Watchman moves to change Tribal team to Partnership. Corinne Sams seconds. Discussion. Question. Motion carries 6 for - (Lindsey Watchman, Corinne Sams, Aaron Ashley, Boots Pond, Toby Patrick and Sally Kosey) - 0 against – 1 abstaining (Sandra Sampson).MOTION: Sally Kosey move to approve Resolution 22-012 as amended.

Boots Pond seconds. Discussion. Question. Motion carries 6 for (Sally Kosey, Boots Pond, Aaron Ashley, Lindsey Watchman, Toby Patrick and Corinne Sams) – 0 –against – 1 abstaining (Sandra Sampson).

Other Board Action Items: None BOT Travel or External Meeting Reports: Deferred.

BOT Chair asked BOT to review reports so Monday,

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22

29

Tribal Elders 55+ Caregivers-Vets Free Guest Meals $5

2

WED

3

THUR

4

FRI

Pork Roast Mashed Potatoes/Gravy Carrots Spinach Salad Fruit

Chicken Tenders Tator Tots Corn Pea Salad

Fish Sandwich Green Beans Coleslaw Fruit

Roast Beef Mashed Potatoes/Gravy Normandy Veggies Salad Chocolate Mousse

Chicken Wrap Chips Fresh Veggies Fruit

Potato Soup Ham Sandwich Veggie Tray Jell-O

Elk Stroganoff Whole Wheat Roll Peas Salad Cookies

9

16

French Toast Sausage Hash Browns Fruit

23

10

17

24

Salisbury Steak Mashed Potatoes/Gravy Green Beans Carrot Salad Fruit

Clam Chowder Tuna Sandwich Veggie Tray Lemon Cheese Cake

Salmon Boiled Potatoes Peas Coleslaw Fruit

Lasagna Bread Sticks Green Beans Salad Rice Krispies

30

Hamburger Mac & Cheese Mixed Veggies Whole Wheat Roll Salad Fruit

11

18

25

Southwest Chicken Salad Chips/Guac/Sour Cream Fruit

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Yellowhawk 541.966.9830 Housing 541.276.7544 DCFS 541.429.7300 CTUIR 541.429.7010

Menu approved by Yellowhawk Registered Dietician Dusty Dressler

(second, nineteen) náptiyaw pútɨmt ku k̓úyc

March 2022 - Confederated Umatilla Journal

19

ALMANAC: To place an advertisement, public notice, announcement, or obituary in the CUJ call (541)429-7368

BOT Minutes

BOT Minutes

BOT Minutes

BOT Minutes

Commission re: gaming funds.

-Lisa Ganuelas, 1/6 tour of City of Pendleton Water Filtration Plant and Water Recharge Program.

-Sandra Sampson, 2 reports: 1.12/16/21, zoom for Contract Support Advisory IHS meeting. 2. 1/22-28/21, zoom for Contract Support Cost HIS Advisory meeting.

BOT Leave and Travel or Outside Meeting Requests: Polled Requests (6): Aaron Ashley, personal leave from 1-4 on 2/1. Aaron Ashley, personal leave from 1-4 on 2/4.

Corinne Sams, testify on SB 4102 Tribal Liaison MMIW Oregon Legislature. Corinne Sams, virtual 4 Chair meeting from 1:30-3 PM. Lindsey Watchman, personal leave for 1. 5 hours on 2/1.

Sandra Sampson, personal leave from 12:30 TO 2:30 pm on 2/2. Sandra Sampson, zoom meeting with Oregon Health Policy Board from 8:05-8:55 AM on 2/4.

Regular Leave Requests (7): Corinne Sams, personal leave all day 2/11.

Kat Brigham, personal leave from 1-4 PM on 2/8.

Kat Brigham, zoom meeting from 2-4 PM on 2/1 with Gov. and 9 Tribes to be rescheduled. Kat Brigham, zoom meeting from 10 AM to Noon with Pacific NW Salmon Recovery on 2/10.

Sally Kosey, personal leave from 2:3 -4 PM on 2/17.

Sandra Sampson, zoom meeting for Confirmation Hearing from 12:50 to 2:30 PM for the Oregon Health Policy Board on 2/8. Sandra Sampson, personal leave all day on 3/25 to 3/28. MOTION: Corinne Sams moves to ratify and approve leave requests. Toby Patrick seconds. Discussion. Question. Motion carries 6-0-0. [Sandra Sampson not present for vote]

i. No, 22-013 Subject: Letter to NIGA. MOTION: Sally Kosey moves to ratify Official Polled Action 22013. Corinne Sams seconds. Discussion. Question.

Motion carries 5-0-0.

6. New Business: Proposed Resolutions: Next resolution number i: Resolution 22-013: Topic: Ataw Miyanasma Early Childhood Proposal. RESOLVED, that the Board of Trustees hereby approves the allocation of Tribal ARPA Fiscal Recovery Funds for Phase One of the Ataw Miyanasma Early Childhood Proposal in the amount set forth in the Ataw Miyanasma Early Childhood Budget attached to this Resolution as Exhibit 1C; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Board of Trustees directs the Executive Director to work closely with the Education Department Director and the Department of Child and Family Services Director on Phase Two of the Ataw Miyanasma Early Childhood Proposal which shall include identifying and securing additional funding from sources outside of the Confederated Tribes; AND BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that the Board of Trustees hereby reserves the level for Tribal ARPA Fiscal Recovery Fund funding for Phase Two of the Ataw Miyanasma Early Childhood Proposal for years 2023 and 2024 as set forth in the Budget attached as Exhibit 1C. MOTION: Corinne Sams moves to adopt Resolution 22-013. Sandra Sampson seconds. Discussion. Question. Motion carries 5-0-0. ii. Resolution 22-014: Topic: Facilities Services Upgrade RESOLVED, the Board of Trustees hereby appropriates from its Tribal ARPA Fiscal Recovery Fund and from the State of Oregon Grant Agreement funds in the amount shown in the COVID-19 Facilities Upgrade Project Budget (Project Budget) attached as Exhibit 1C to this Resolution; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Board of Trustees hereby approves and authorizes its Chair to execute the Design-Build Amendment No. 3 attached to this Resolution as Exhibit 2C; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Board of Trustees hereby directs its Executive Director and Public Works Department Director to develop a scope of work and projected budget for apparatus and equipment storage facilities at the Tribal Fire Department building and report back to the Board of Trustees with their recommendation within 90 days, provided further that any contract and budget for such storage facilities shall be subject to Board of Trustees’ approval; AND BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that the Board of Trustees authorizes its Chair and Executive Director to execute the documents and to take such further action as may be required to carry out the purposes of this Resolution and to complete

the COVID-19 Facilities Upgrade Project; MOTION: Lindsey Watchman moves to adopt Resolution 22-014.

Corinne Sams seconds. Discussion. Question. Motion carries 5-0-0. iii. Resolution 22-015: Topic: IHS MOA Nixyáawii Neighborhood Infrastructure RESOLVED, that the Board of Trustees hereby approves the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the Confederated Tribes and the Indian Health Service (IHS) and the IHS Nixyáawii Housing Development Phase I Community Sanitation Facilities Project attached to this Resolution as Exhibits 1C and 2C, respectively; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Board of Trustees authorizes its Chair to execute the attached MOA, or a document containing substantially similar terms, to receive IHS funding for the sanitation facilities infrastructure for the Nixyáawii Neighborhood; AND BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that the Board of Trustees hereby authorizes it’s Chair and Executive Director to take further action and execute documents within the approved budget necessary to carry out the purpose of this Resolution; MOTION: Sandra Sampson moves to adopt Resolution 22-015. Corinne Sams seconds.

Discussion. Question. Motion carries 5-0-0.

Other Board Action Items: None The 20 BOT trip reports were deferred from past BOT meetings for December 2021 and January 2022.

During the February 7th BOT meeting the BOT was asked to read all the trip reports prior to today’s meeting, raise any questions prior to approving all of them.

Kat Brigham announced at the Jan. 18th LCIS meeting she was voted new Chair of the LCIS. MOTION: Sally Kosey moves to approve all the Feb. 7, 2022 reports in the folder. Corinne Sams seconds. Discussion. Question. Motion carries 6-0-0.

Current reports: Sally Kosey, Zoom 1/25 ATNI Winter Conference. She attended the Education, Economic Development and MMIW sessions.

Kat Brigham, Zoom on 1/31for White House Council on Native American Affairs. Kat Brigham, Zoom on 1/25 ATNI Winter Conference. MOTION: Sally Kosey moves to approve the five trip reports. Sandra Sampson seconds. Discussion. Question. Motion carries 5-0-0.

[Lindsey Watchman not present for vote].

BOT Leave and Travel or Outside Meeting Requests: Polled Requests: Corinne Sams, virtual meeting on 2/9 for US v OR from 9 AM to noon. Lindsey Watchman, personal leave for 6 hours. Toby Patrick, 2/8 personal leave from 8 AM to 4 PM. Toby Patrick, 2/14 personal leave all day. Kat Brigham, 2/9 personal leave from

10:45 AM to noon. Kat Brigham, 2/10 personal leave from 8:30 to 9:30 AM. Leave Requests: Kat Brigham, 4 requests: Oregon Racing Commission.

1.

Zoom meeting 2/25 from 10 AM to noon for 9 Oregon Tribes 2.

Zoom meeting 2/24 from 10 AM to noon for ATNI Salmon Recovery 3.

Zoom meeting 2/25 from 10 AM to noon for 4 Chairs Sandra Sampson, 3 requests: 1.

PL 2/18 all day 2.

PL 2/25 all day.

3.

PL 3/1 from 2:45 to 4 PM. MOTION: Sally Kosey moves to ratify and approve leave requests.

Boots Pond seconds. Discussion. Question. Motion carries 6-0-0.

Date: February 14, 2022 BOT PRESENT: Kat Brigham, BOT Chair; Aaron Ashley (remotely from home), Vice-Chair; Sandra Sampson, Treasurer; Sally Kosey, Secretary; Corinne Sams, Member and Lindsey Watchman, General Council Chairman (remotely from home). Lisa Ganuelas, Member and Toby Patrick, BOT Member on personal leave. Boots Pond, Member joined at 9:22 AM the BOT Zoom meeting prior to joining he was on personal leave.

Old Business: a. Official Polled Action: i. No, 22-012Subject: Letter to Senate Majority Leader Andy Billing. MOTION: Sally Kosey moves to ratify Official Polled Action 22-012. Lindsey Watchman seconds.

Discussion. Question. Motion carries 5-0-0.

Weather CTUIR Weather Report February 2022 Weather information summarize data taken at the Pendleton Weather Station Lat 45 40 N and Lon -118 51 W from February 1 to February 28. Temperature is reported in degrees Fahrenheit and time in Pacific Standard Time.

The average daily temperature was 48.5 degrees with a high of 69 degrees on Feb 10 and a low of 4 degrees on Feb 23. With a departure from normal of -0.2 degrees Total precipitation to date in February was 0.91 with greatest 24hr average 0.35” on Feb 21-22. 9 days out of the month had precipitation level greater than .01 inches with 2 days greater than 0.10 inches and with 0 day greater than 0.50”.

There was a departure of -0.28” from average for the month of February.

The average wind speed was 7.8 mph with a sustained max speed of 35.0 mph from the West on February 19.

A peak speed of 43 mph occurred from the West on February 19.The dominant wind direction was from the West.

There were 0 Thunder storms, 9 days out of 28 in which some rain fell, 0 Haze events/days, 6 Fog/Mist.

Air Quality Index values remained Green/Healthy.

NEWS / COMMUNITY

Community household distribution occurs

BY SAMMANTHA MCCLOUD CUJ Reporter MISSION – The Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) held a distribution of household items on Feb. 25 inside the Mission Longhouse for community members.

All items were donated by the Peacekeeper Society, a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit, out of Harrah, WA. Donated items distributed included a pallet of COVID at-home-tests, a pallet of food boxes and cases of water, a pallet of hand sanitization wipes, and a pallet of miscellaneous household items.

Several Tribal members attended the event.

ABOVE: Julie Taylor, right, handing Jennifer Cross, left, laundry detergent. BELOW: Left to right, Jonetta Herrera a community member holding a box of KN95 face masks, Lawanda Bronson Food Distribution Program Manager for DCFS, and Julie Taylor DCFS Program Manager.

Melinda Broncheau holding her household supplies she received from the distribution held on Feb. 25.

20

náptiyaw náaptit (second, twenty)

Confederated Umatilla Journal - March 2022

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