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 Letters NOT signed will not
be published.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.
A fed up Colville Tribal
Member
To the Editor and to the Membership,
I want to let you in on something you may not know about. Or
maybe you do know and don’t care.
The Hall Creek Cemetery seems to be the place for people to
party. Some are under age; some are the family members of an
Inchelium councilman.
These people show up anytime of the night, turn up the music
(usually rap music), sing, holler and war whoop. The parties
have gotten more frequent since I moved in next door to the
cemetery 4-1/2 years ago.
Sound carries very well and I don’t think the partiers realize
this. I can hear them say “pass me the whiskey” or “pass me
another beer”. I can also smell the marijuana they smoke.
So far, they have kept these noisy parties on the same
gravesite. But for how long? I certainly don’t want people to
party on anyone in my family. What about you? Do you want them
to party on your loved ones?
I bring this up because on Mother’s Day morning, a whole crowd
of young people showed up about 5:15 a.m., sang, hollered and
carried on. This noisy crowd woke me up. I have a job and I
enjoy my sleep. It was a pretty sorry Mother’s Day.
Also, have any of you taken a good long walk through the
cemetery? I have. It’s starting to look like a dump, beer
cans, candy wrappers, chip bags, even a used diaper. Is this
all the dead mean to anyone anymore, a garbage site?
The cemetery is sacred ground. There are people from Old Town
there. Doesn’t anyone respect that? This partying is
disgusting and disrespectful.
This is also not traditional. I hear so many people get on
their soapbox about “traditional”.
Traditional is eating the animals you kill, not dressing up
dead bears at the dump. Having a gang is not traditional, the
black people started gangs. And so many tribal members saw how
they “hate blacks. Well, a gang was a black man’s idea. Rap
music came from black people. Yet, so many people are adamant
that they just cannot stand black people, yet listen to the
music like it’s a religion.
Does anyone do anything “traditional” anymore? I thought it
was “traditional” to respect and honor our dead, not party as
if we are glad they are gone.
We have over 1 million acres to play with, why go to sacred
ground and be so disrespectful.
I am not sorry if anyone gets mad about my letter. I am mad
about the disrespect of the Hall Creek Cemetery and it’s about
time that more people know so maybe something can be done to
fix this ugly situation.
A fed up Colville Tribal Member,
Lisa Conrad
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Every vote is important
Wai! Thank you to those who encouraged me to throw my hat back
in the ring, and supported my recent campaign for Position #2,
in the Nespelem District. I appreciate your donations of
envelopes, stamps, time, and elbow grease. Special thanks to
the artists, and helpers, Shawnee, Amber, and my cousin, Mike,
who used their talents to paint my colorful signs. I extend a
special thanks to my dear friend Dot, who is so heartfelt for
our people. I also express my special thanks to two beautiful
Elders, Aggie, and Florence, who blessed me from their hearts
with love, wisdom, and encouragement. I thank my family for
their support. This is not the end for Was~Way. It’s just a
beginning for all of us who share the same dream: a healthy,
prosperous future for our tribe; security and preservation of
our reservation, and strong, sovereign respect as the Colville
Tribe.
My parents, Tillie, and Adam, instilled in me, the respect of
who we are as Indian people. I miss them, but their
traditions, customs, and dreams will continue with me, my
siblings, and their grandchildren. Just as my folks were
devoted to the Indian way of life, I will always advocate for
your best interest. I will still do whatever I can for you,
whenever I can. I want to congratulate the winners in the
primary, who move onto the General. Let’s hold them to their
promises. People continue to do the right thing, and exercise
your right to VOTE!!! VOTE!!! VOTE!!! Every vote is important.
My family is continuing our return to the traditional circle
of life, Saturday, May May 27th. We are having our beloved
son, Ronnie Thomas Jr’s, Headstone Blessing, Dinner, and
Giveway at the Addy Thomas Longhouse, Little Nespelem, where
families gathered for generations. We will prepare for our
“Camp Opening” during the July Celebration, and hold beloved
Iyapi’s, Adam, Sr’s., Memorial. I won’t return to the dance
floor until my nephew Virgil, and Morgan’s Memorial in
November.
Creator has a reason for our walk in this life, that we should
not question. The respect and practice of traditional
mourning, blesses us with the strength to heal, and make our
hearts whole, again. Creator bless, and keep your families
safe this summer on the pow-wow, and rodeo trail. Pray for our
fire fighters safety. Pray for our servicemen in Iraq, to come
home in one piece, and the Veterans who didn’t. Remember, an
Elder needs you. Hug your mom & dad, and your children, and
grandchildren. Don’t be ashamed to express, “I love you”.
Fight the drug, and alcohol scourge on our reservation. Pray
for your enemies. Lam-lampt to the voters who share the same
visions as Was~Way.
Respectfully, Charlene BearCub.
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Thank you for your vote
Tribal Members:
I want to thank the people that supported and voted for me in
the Nespelem District Primary Election. I was disappointed
until a friend told me not to be so. She told me that the
voting turnout was low and that three of us carried about 72%
of the vote over the incumbent.
There is more than just being a member of the Colville Tribe
which you have the privilege and inherent obligation. Each
year we hear that the potential candidates will promise more
per capitas and will report to the membership and if elected
never follow through.
Being a Native American Indian is more than per capitas,
powwows, stick games and wearing Native Pride logos. It is
taught that each morning to face the east and thank the
Creator for another day of borrowed time because we never know
how long we will be on this earth. There are reasons that we
have Root and Berry feasts and thank the Creator for the four
seasons of the year as well as the animals that give up their
lives for our nourishment. Just this month we had the cleaning
of our respective cemeteries and the reason is for the respect
of our people who have passed on and one of these days our
families will clean our graves.
Because of my pending decision from the Tribal Appellate Court
on my termination case in August, 2002, I did not have the
finances to mail my letters. But what I did say in my letters
that still sit at home is that the Tribal Council is the only
employment position that does not require an educational or
work experience background. All Tribal, BIA, Indian Health
Service and CTEC employees must meet minimum educational and
work experience requirements. Because we are ‘sovereign’
nation and should move into the 21st century we need to be
able to compete on the educational and work experience that
all county, state and federal administrative governments
require.
The Colville Confederated Tribes should be and has to be proud
of the upcoming and present generation who have been getting
an education as far as a college degree and further. I have
heard people say bad things about us who have gotten our
degrees but we know how hard it is to get our college degrees.
Until next month, lem-lem.
Eldon Wilson
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Mt. Tolman “Tulameen”
will continue to be a sacred mountain
Tribal Membership:
Thank you each and every one of you who stood up to protect,
preserve, to enhance our natural resources.
Mt. Tolman “Tulameen” will continue to be a sacred mountain, a
place of prayer, reverence for its red paint, sanctuary, and
habitat for deer, elk, other animals and birds.
We know our tribe will one day get back on its feet; we have
all new young people on the CTEC board that will turn things
around, with new ideas.
I’ve heard talk of energy projects, tourism, two new
reservoirs which could be used for agriculture & fish.
We got a grant mid-February and tried to buy labels for a mail
out and were turned down by the election committee. A privacy
problem with the addresses? We told them we wouldn’t see the
labels as the printer (Anchor Printing) was doing it all, just
like the first mail outs.
We were able to send out 3500 before the election March 18th
on the referendum to Nespelem District and all who didn’t vote
in the previous years.
We also sent out Omak’s for a total of 5,500 total voters. (We
needed to do this to satisfy our grant requirements) not to
add insult to injury after the fact. At least most of the
membership got more information on Mt. Tolman: Indian name,
health & human concerns, cattle, Teck-Cominco/Lake Roosevelt
pollution and our cover letter from C.I.E.P.A., our mission
statement.
We are so happy the majority of the membership stands in
solidarity to be caretakers of the land for now and future
generations.
We are having a recognition & thank you barbecue on July 7 at
5:00 p.m. at the Pow Wow grounds in Nespelem for our
presenters Bonnie Gestring, Ann Maest, Stu Levitt & Debbie
Abrahamson. As you know they were not paid for their
expertise, presentations & contribution to the education
process. The tribe did pay for their travel and room & board.
Their commitment to their work is totally awesome!
Gerry Gabriel
Secretary-Treasurer, C.I.E.P.A.
(509) 633-3456
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We would like to thank
the Elders
To the Elders of the Colville Confederated Tribes:
My family....My husband, myself and on behalf of my aged
mother, we would like to thank the Elders. Why? For teaching
the youth of your Nation to respect all elders, both Native
and non-Natives.
Last Year, on Memorial Day, 2005, we had my 88 year old mother
visiting us from Canby, Oregon. We took her to see the Grand
Coulee Dam Laser Light Show. We had parked across from the
store at Coulee Dam, while we waited for dark and the laser
light show.
After we had parked, my mother got out of our mini-van. As she
did, she fell, right by the parking/tree area, next to our
mini-van, just missing hitting her head on the tree. Before we
could hardly realize what had happened, one of your wonderful
young men, who appeared to be about 19, or perhaps younger,
was driving by in his small white car. He saw my mother fall.
He slammed on the brakes, where he was coming into the parking
lot; put his car in park and jumped out. He ran over to my
mother and helped her to get up. He did all this before we
could even reach my mother, who was only a few steps from us,
as we were exiting our mini-van.As soon as my mother was
alright, this wonderful young man, left us and got into his
car and drove off. I wish we had thought to get his name, but
perhaps he would not have given it, as he seemed only to care
about helping my mother and only smiled when we all thanked
him.
I have been wanting to write this thank you letter for many
months now. My husband has been fighting throat cancer for the
past year, so finally I have had the time, to take the time to
write this thank you letter.
So, my family to the Colville Confederated Tribes.....THANK
YOU FOR TRAINING YOUR YOUTH TO RESPECT ALL PEOPLE! It is
definitely refreshing nowadays. So many youth, among and in
the non-native world, are lost and angry and totally
disrespective of the elderly or anyone, for that matter.
THANK YOU!
AGAPE [The Perfect Love of Creator],
Chaplain Linda Witte
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I must thank the whole
Tribe
Mr. Editor,
I do not know who to thank for sending the Colville
Confederated Tribe’s Color Guard and the A.A. Group to Tacoma.
I must thank the whole Tribe for sending them to a memorial
pow-wow for Judith Ann Quill (my young twin daughter). She
lost her life on February 11, 2005 in a one-car accident due
to alcohol.
On January 21, 2006, my wife of 35 years, (Kathleen
Doublerunner Quill) died in her sleep. I did not feel right
about the memorial pow-wow for Judith, but I went anyway.
Today I am happy; I haven’t seen so many tribal members in one
room in a long time.
Sure, we miss those two ladies; the pow-wow helped very much
and now if some of you out there would pray for the Garron
Quill family, that would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks to the Colville Confederated Tribes,
Garron Louis Quill
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