Letters to the Editor
Letters to the Editor are published at the discretion of the
Editor, as space permits. No letter which contains
defamatory or malicious statements will be published. Any
letter which contains questionable material will be sent to
the Office of Reservation Attorney for legal review. All
letters must contain the writer’s signature, address, and
telephone number (if available). Letters NOT signed will not
be published. Letters are limited to 450 words. Letters
exceeding 450 words may be published if space allows and the
Editor so chooses. The Editor reserves the right to edit any
letter for content, clarity, and length.
Views and opinions expressed in Letters to the Editor,
complimentary or critical, are those of the writer of the
letter. They are not endorsed by the Tribal Tribune staff,
Tribal Administration, Tribal Business Council, or the
Colville Confederated Tribes’ membership as a whole.
I still have concerns
Dear Editor:
Most of you know I spent 12 years as one of the Colville
Tribes’ Council Members from the Inchelium District. It was an
honor.
While I am not there now I still have concerns as always. As a
member of the council, each individual has the duty and right
to protect his or her sense of right and wrong in honoring the
oath of office to serve our people in the best way we can.
This means we each interpret things from our own tribal,
personal, and work experience then vote accordingly.
Still, I am bothered about council decisions because those
decisions have real consequences. But my concern isn’t about
the vote count but how our council gets to that point.
Let me make the point about the process by a quote today from
a speech by former V.P. Al Gore speaking about abuses of power
by Bush: “Whenever power is unchecked and unaccountable, it
almost inevitably leads to mistakes and abuse. In the absence
of rigorous accountability, incompetence flourishes.
Dishonesty is encouraged and rewarded.”
“Losing” on a vote is not the end of your world, but it
sometimes feels like it. Worse case though, is losing a vote
because someone (and group) in the council is actually lying
about the facts at hand just to win. The selfish win by lying
and bullying amounts to unchecked and uncontrollable power
that Gore talks about.
Dishonoring the trust of the people should be rejected by the
people and fellow council members. It has consequences!
The Wells Dam Settlement, as was the vote to purchase the
former Omak Wood Products, is such a case of dishonorable
dealings that has consequences. First, we council members who
were not on the negotiating team on settlement idea were never
informed by the negotiating team what was going on or not.
Some of us objected to this but we were not heard. Finally, at
“the last minute” created by the negotiating team, they came
to the full council to force a hurried vote.
Not only did our negotiating team sell us out with weak,
embarrassing and pathetic Wells Dam Settlement terms, they
have now come back and are taking the funds away from the
people and giving it to the same failing programs that tried
to take the 181D annual payment for their budgets.
Dishonorable dealings within the council mirror what we tried
to stop with our staff when we passed a “contempt of council”
rule which called for the termination of staff that lies to
the council. Both that rule and the council ethics committee
and code were wiped out by the same bullying group.
We must not encourage or reward council or staff dishonesty.
Richard Swan
Inchelium
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Self-destructive
Addiction
Dear Editor:
Considering euro-american attempts to wipe out our Aboriginal
cultures (including Black Robe and other christian sexual
abuse against Aboriginal children in the mission schools and
demonizing tribal spirituality, clothing, languages, and
songs) how shall we overcome any shame or humiliation of
cultural losses related to that? We must not be ashamed of
this as it was not our fault nor our ancestors asking that
anti-Indian hatreds happened and continue today.
We cannot heal ourselves of these deep traumatic wounds, many
of which are felt through our ancestors’ gifts including oral
tradition, by learning and repeating these cruelties and
expecting ourselves to not use them against ourselves. If we
draw upon the problem of child sexual abuse as an example by
comparison, if we do not challenge that learning, we as
individuals and communities become the abuser to those around
us who cannot defend themselves, including the environment.
What sets Aboriginal Peoples apart from the abusers of our
cultures, our environments, our sacred places? It is our
sovereign will to protect the land, to stay on the land, to
respect all living things. The “whiteman,” for the most part,
decided long ago to “dominate” the land, the water, the air,
the animals, and Aboriginal Peoples. It should be no surprise
that the whiteman felt the need to exterminate Aboriginal
Peoples as “an act of confession” so the whiteman could go out
and sin again in the absence of the evidence.
Cultural preservation and restoration, many of us believe, is
key to success to overcome these horrible wounds and trauma
that has caused some of our Peoples to self-medicate with
alcohol or drugs, to take their own lives in self-destructive
acts or taking lives of our family and community members.
Likewise, we cannot continue with our self-destructive
addiction to cut our forests simply for money in return. This
addiction has allowed an increased speed of cutting and
watershed destruction and worse, we do this as we are aware of
the science about global warming. Our streams are drying up,
our water is going away from us because we have abused it,
just like our ancestors warned.
Worse, mining will poison our downstream watersheds as we
spend money and man-hours to prosecute Canada and
multi-national corporations for poisoning our upstream
watersheds.
The soils, water, trees, animals and medicines are not ours to
destroy; that is not what our ancestors taught us. This
destruction, in part, is why our youth and children are
getting more and more confused because our leadership choices
are in conflict with our ancestors’ cultural wisdom.
We need to avoid a learned course of self-abuse by wasteful
consumption to a course of reduced consumption to prepare for
the seventh generation.
Lou Stone
Inchelium
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Nez Perce Trail
Foundation
Dear Council Members:
My name is Ruth Moses Wapato. I am on the Board of Directors
of the Nez Perce Trail Foundation and I am embarking on a
project to get more Indians, especially members of our Tribes,
to join our Foundation. I’m sure you know that we are a
non-profit organization dedicated to telling the story of the
Nez Perce War of 1877, and preserving the war trail that the
US Congress has designated to honor the heritage of all those
who participated in those historic events. Although we have
members from all over the country and even from foreign
countries, our Indian membership is embarrassingly low.
That’s hard to understand, since this sacred trail is heritage
important to all Indians, not just the descendants of the War.
It is the story of Chief Joseph and his people who, during a
forced move to the Nez Perce Reservation, found themselves
pursued by most of the US Army after a few young warriors
killed settlers who were unjust to the Indians. During the
summer of 1877, the bands with Chief Joseph fled from Wallowa
Lake, Oregon to the Bear Paw Battleground in Montana. Six
major battles were fought along those 1170 miles.
After eight years of exile in Oklahoma Indian Territory, Chief
Joseph and his people were allowed to return to the northwest.
Chief Joseph was not given a choice as to where he could live.
He and about 150 Nez Perce settled on the Colville Indian
Reservation. The rest of the Nez Perce went to the Nez Perce
Reservation and the Umatilla Reservation. Although Chief
Joseph was not welcomed by everyone on the Colville Indian
Reservation, he became an important part of the history of the
reservation and now is nationally and internationally known,
with new books being written about Chief Joseph and the War
every year.
We would like to see more Colville members join our Foundation
and participate and provide input to events on the Trail. To
facilitate that, it would be significant for the Confederated
Tribes of the Colville Reservation to become a sponsor of the
Nez Perce Trail Foundation. The yearly fee for sponsor
membership would be $100. The same fee is recommended for CTEC.
If the Council and CTEC so desired, we would be glad to list
the CTCR and CTEC as Sponsors in our newsletter, ‘Iskitpe and
on our letterhead. The yearly dues for seniors and students is
$15. A person is considered a senior if he or she is 55 and
older. The yearly fee for an individual is $30 and for a
family, it is $50. Call or write me for brochure. My phone is
509-466-3125. My address is 10216 N. Sundance Drive, Spokane,
WA 99208-9315.
Please give this request serious consideration. We think the
Indians of the Colville bands should have a larger voice on
the future of the Trail.
Sincerely your,
Ruth M. Wapato
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Our “Law & Justice”
System
Tribal Members:
I promised in my past letter to talk about our “law & justice”
system within the Tribe.
The key words are “fair & impartial”, “who sovereignty belongs
to” and “following the Rules and Regulations, Policy &
Procedures adopted by the Colville Business Council (CBC)”.
Through our legal offices, Office of Reservation Attorneys (ORA),
Legal Services, Prosecutor Office, Public Defenders, Tribal
Courts, Tribal Police and now the Colville Tribal Correctional
Facility, are supposed to work and serve the people who live
on the Colville Reservation. We are the members and sovereign
Colville Tribal Membership. Somewhere along the line these
attorneys, which some are not tribal members, forget that it
is the tribal membership that they are working for.
The Colville Business Council writes and passes tribal
resolutions which become tribal law. CBC has approved policy &
procedures that rules and regulations must be followed in the
employment throughout the Tribe. The abuse comes when a tribal
employee is terminated and appeals because the policy &
procedures have not been followed. The CBC and administration
has access to legal help from the ORA and tribal members must
hire their own legal help at a cost of $150 an hour. There is
no fair and impartial justice because is swayed in favor
towards the CBC and administration because most of us are not
attorneys and cannot afford to hire an attorney. ORA should
NOT be able to represent CBC or administration because if the
Policy & Procedures are followed in the discipline section
then CBC or administration should have no problem and should
be able to represent themselves.
All the Tribal Membership asks for is to be treated fair. It
is within our Colville Tribal Civil Rights to speak our own
minds and opinions without being terminated from our jobs and
treated like we have no brains. CBC can change this and direct
our legal programs to do so.
Lem-lem,
Eldon Wilson
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This is from your two
boys, Dylon and Nikoda, Dad
To: Gerald Wulff
Being a single parent is hard and sometimes they do not get
enough recognition in our community or even from their own
family members. Therefore, we as a family want to recognize
one of our family members that’s doing a great job in raising
his family. He has two boys; we know how hard it can be. Our
hearts go out to you Gerald Wulff. We know how difficult it
can be being a single parent, but you are doing a great job.
He started raising his boys at the age of 4-5 years of age.
Not knowing how or what to do, he took on the job. He has done
a great job in raising his boys. They are well-mannered boys.
The boys and their dad are always smiling and happy.
He has started with very little and with help from his mom,
Annette Wulff, and his Aunties, Gerald has done a great job.
Gerald, look at the accomplishments you have achieved through
the years. It takes talent to raise two boys, keep a job, and
act as mother and father. Gerald, you have the talent.
You will always remember the fun things you have done with
Dylon and Nikoda, like motor cross racing, wrestling,
basketball, and trail rides that you have taken them on. There
is another job that you have to do and that is doing
housework, keeping up with your washing, and keeping your yard
clean and getting wood for the winter. Therefore, Gerald,
count your accomplishments and your achievements.
You have done a great job in all you have done. We would like
you to know that you are doing a great job. In addition, we
would like to wish you a Happy Birthday.
This is from your two boys, Dylon and Nikoda, Dad.
Thanks Dad, for taking us to the races and just being there
for us, you are the greatest, Happy Birthday!
We would like to thank the CTEC for sponsoring us.
With all our love,
All the Aunties, and Dylon and Nikoda
Chee Chee Seastrom
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Now they want to do it
again
Dear Editor:
I have wondered if some of the off-reservation members think
about our on-reservation problems like we do? Sometimes we
think all the off-reservation members think about is making
the next payment larger. We worry that is only about money and
not about where you came from, The Land, The Reservation
itself.
We have not only financial problems to worry about but like it
seems forever we have to worry about Council also abusing
rules and procedures by wiping them off the books, ignoring
them or just plain breaking their own rules.
But think about it. What clear thinking tribal council member
would continue to sell our timber at a near loss? That is what
is going on with helicopter logging since the expense for
logging almost equals the sale price. Who benefits; the
helicopter company, where are the jobs, profits?
Why does the council natural resources let Colville Indian
Precision Pine purchase our timber so cheap? Or Boise Cascade
too? There are bids in Idaho timber for $930 while we sell to
CIPP or Boise for $455. A smart natural resources business
management would sell to a higher bidder, not block them out
of the process.
This is where the council rules are weak because we the people
let the council be weak. Whether it is mining or timber sales
and logging practices, council bullying in the natural
resources committee is costing the members more money than you
can imagine. On Tuesday, January 3, 2006 during the natural
resources committee, a bad helicopter logging deal was
stopped. The bully threw a fit and scared two council women to
cave in and vote in favor. One of the council women was
actually threatening to the other in the women’s restroom over
mining after a meeting on December 1, 2005. Bullying seems to
go around and not just by a committee chair, but through
enforcers.
But the bullying is not smart enough to know that this does
not make a good business choice. It forces people into fear
and then they make bad choices.
This is what showed up in leadership by bullying to purchase
the bankrupt Omak Wood Products back in 2001. All good
business advice to not do this was overcome by bullying and
ignorance. The Tribes purchased it for about $6 million and
then had to dump over $30 million “to make it work”. Now we
suffer serious financial trouble for this cash rat hole and
the rumors are flying it will close. Now they want to do it
again. It’s called mining Mt. Tolman.
Natural resources bullied us into financial failure and forest
destruction. New council members walk right into the trap of
the bullies.
Ron Zacherle
Okanogan
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We are more pitiful than
we can imagine
Dear Editor:
“Believe it or not, the looting of a continent and its people
that began with Columbus more than 500 years ago is not done
yet. Today’s gold-seekers may look different from Spain’s
conquistadors, but they are of the same breed” says Kelpie
Wilson, t r u t h o u t | Perspective, ‘Republican
Gold-Diggers Hit the Wall’ Thursday 12 January 2006, http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/011206A.shtml.
Kelpie continued, “The quest for gold and resources that drove
the miners and the merchants and the flim-flam men all the way
to the Pacific Ocean is at an end. There just isn’t much left
to take. But going after the little bit that is left has a
huge price. For the last oil we will pay with our wildlife
refuges and clean coasts. For the last timber, we’ll pay with
slaughtered forests and silted salmon streams. For the last
gold, we will pay with vast pits of toxic waste and the West’s
scarce and precious aquifers. It’s time to stop the
gold-diggers.”
This is my first letter to any newspaper.
I am very upset about our council. The article by Kelpie
Wilson is right except for one point. “The quest for gold and
resources that drove the miners and the merchants and the flim-flam
men all the way to the Pacific Ocean is NOT at an end.”
What hurts the most now is that the flim-flam men are no
longer just non-Indians. Many of them are among ourselves.
Our own flim-flam men (persons) also celebrate their greed for
gold and molybdenum by not funding traditional cultural work
while they promote events that actually offend our traditions
by not respecting events that belong in particular seasons.
Our flim-flam persons are drinking and drugging their health
away and taking our environment with them.
It has been said you can judge the health of a government by
how it treats its’ environment.
If Coyote warned us about our environment, he would have
talked about how the “human beings” treated their environment.
Coyote doesn’t know government. But he knows what human beings
are supposed to do to help the animals by protecting their
ceremonies, languages and songs.
Coyote and the animals can’t be helped if the human beings
have to go argue with the government for help to practice
traditional ceremonies and songs.
We are more pitiful than we can imagine.
Jake Atkins
Omak, Washington
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To my kids, Devon, Amanda
& Logan Marconi:
Sorry dad was not around to
be with you guys for the Holidayz. But you kids were on my
mind each and everyday.
Devon, your Halloween picture looked good, son. Dad loves you
and misses you.
Amanda, my princess, Daddy misses you a whole bunch and loves
you.
Logan, my little man, I bet you are getting big and I hope one
day soon we will all be able to see each other, just the 3 of
you and me.
Dad loves each and every one of you. You kids are always in my
thoughts and my prayers.
Love, dad
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The Red Writer, Shouts
for Help
Now is the time for all good men to come to the
aid of their country.
Yes, our little piece of the world is suffering from a huge
disease to cultural break down and white assimilation. We are
losing our youth at an alarming rate from drug addiction and
booze and, what’s more alarming is that we have the power to
stop it. We suffer from leader blindness and law selective
blindness.
My last article was mysteriously lost, I believe because I
supported the article by our tribal chairman. His article was
right on the money saying we have to do something about the
drugs on the Rez. I stated this great idea should be supported
by the leaders setting the first example for all to follow,
like doing random drug testing and then demanding each program
follow the leaders. GREAT IDEA, huh. If this article gets lost
I say Zig Heil.
Today is Christmas eve so I wish all the people Merry X-mas
and a Prosperous New Year.
I did not forget the faithful readers and love you all.
Remember we are Indian people and all one family who MUST help
heal our reservation by demanding attempted murder charges be
filed against the drug lords on the rez. Remember all the
youth we have lost and continue to suffer the grief, seems we
do not have time to heal between these losses.
Let us pray, that we do not lose the rez, but heal it under
our own power. This will be short and sweet not to bore you.
I am your until the ink runs out, May the Creator Bless.
The Red Writer,
Mel “Bugs” Toulou
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I lost contact with a
relative
Judy Robbins
640 N. Roeske Ave.
Mich. City, IN 46360
Tribal Tribune,
I lost contact with a relative who lived in Omak, WA. I know
she reads the Tribal Tribune, cause thats how I found her. I
would really like to get a hold of her again. her name is Ivy
Marchand.
I’m trying to do my family tree. It would be nice to hear from
any or all of these people, because they are a part of it. Any
information I can get. Or perhaps, if someone might have
pictures, please.
These are a few of the people I would like to hear from or
know about. 1. Ivy Marchand 2. Henry Fox 3. Sally Fox,
Richard, Cockrell 4. James Fox 5. Bessie Leaseman Fox 6. Ethal
and Viola Fox 7. Charley Bazil (Basil) 8. Betsy and Joe Ron
Alexander. There are many more, but I’m sure I won’t be able
to list them all.
And would anyone know if there was people by the names of
Coysti Chief (Chut Lot, WA) - Furgusoh -qunimtozie. If so,
would anyone know if they are related, to the Fox family and
me.
Thank You
Judy Robbins
I will put my phone #, but I’d rather be contacted by mail,
thank you
1-219-872-7678
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Chief Joseph
Rosa Parks stood up for her people by sitting
down.
Nez Perce Chief Joseph stood up for his people by standing
down. After four months of fighting, he knew the killing must
stop, the dying must end. he knew that the common values of
humankind required a change, and that leadership must bring
about that change. His leadership. Under the most difficult of
circumstances he accepted that call to leadership and
negotiated a settlement with the U.S. Army—not a surrender,
but a settlement.
He stood up for peace and understanding, for the rights of ALL
Americans to pursue their faith and freedom. He stood up for
his people. He stood up for you and me.
Charlie Moses Jr.
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