At the Elders’ listening session held on October 20th 2023 at Wildhorse, Mr. Richard Sams asked a question about the Board’s recent decision to expand alcohol sales on the Umatilla Reservation…specifically at Arrowhead Truck Plaza.
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BY LINDSEY X. WATCHMAN, General Council Chair T’ac leeheype oykalo himiyuume kaa laawtiwama (good day relatives and friends). At the Elders’ listening session held on October 20, 2023, at Wildhorse, Mr. Richard Sam asked a question about the Board’s recent decision to expand alcohol sales on the Umatilla Reservation…specifically at Arrowhead Truck Plaza. Mr. Sam stated he was unaware of…
By John Barkley of the Department of Natural Resources While the western United States is alit with mega forest fires exacerbated by extreme drought and record-setting high temperatures, water resources are precariously evaporating and dwindling, threatening our environment and economy. Over one million acres are on fire; some close to home in our aboriginal lands that can have devastating impacts…
This fire related story begins decades before I was born in August of 1963. During the late 1940s-60s, my grandfather, the late Walter Gene Pond, became a supervisor of fire crews for the BIA, after he served four tours in the Phillipines during World War II. Thereafter, my father Ron Pond picked up the fire torch to become the first…
If you’re from an Indian reservation and were born between the 1970s and 90s, there’s a good chance DMX’s music played a big part in your life. Earl Simmons — also known as DMX — was one of the most prevalent storytellers of my generation. Tragically, he passed away on April 9 at age 50. Most of my 35 years…
NPR and a iHeartRadio were silently and then loudly conflicting as I attempted to get a miniature sound bar working in my new office on March 22. As I resolved the issue that morning, I heard an overpowering sound in the distance. There was a bell, a few booming voices and a slow migration to a small circle in the…
CUJ Editor Cary Rosenbaum
Usually an editor’s first column feels like an overview of a resumé: Here’s who I am. Here’s what I’ve done. Here’s what I plan to do. Since landing the job, I can’t stop thinking about Ross. No, not the iconic discount store that provides wardrobe upgrades at a fraction of the cost. I’m talking about Ross Baulne, a friend and…
Boots Pond
At the time it did not seem like the calm before the storm. Near the end of February last year, it seemed like the community was heading toward a year with much to look forward to. It was a recovery phase for those who lived by the river after the devastation the floods brought. Tribal members laid out plans to…
Chair of the CTUIR Board of Trustees
I can remember the call on March 2, 2020 informing me that we had a COVID-19 case on the CTUIR. The first act of the Board of Trustees was to put the community’s health and safety as the priority. We temporarily closed Wildhorse Resort and Casino, the Education and Day Care facilities in order to allow all of them to…
By Kat Brigham 2020 is almost over. It has been a year with mixed emotions. Frustration being one that many of us have felt because we are not able to see this invisible enemy to prevent its spread in the community. Our ancestors had to deal with this and now we are too. But we all know what to do:…
We cautiously enter the holiday season, exhausted due to unprecedented challenges that we’ve all had to confront during the chaotic year of 2020, such as floods, fires, COVID, high unemployment, online education, daycare shortages, tele-work, and even toilet paper scarcity! We also lost some degree of personal liberties, such as to travel afar, to (fully) practice our venerated Tamanwit, and…
