By Wil Phinney of the CUJ MISSION – COVID-19 has locked Longhouse doors not only for celebrations, but for the traditional grieving process of funerals on reservations across Indian Country. “It’s been difficult because we can’t do all the ceremonies and those ceremonies are what help the family move on,” said Armand Minthorn, a Longhouse Washat religious leader and an…
Register by June 2 for FEMA flood assistance
SALEM, Oregon – Residents of the Umatilla Indian Reservation who sustained damage or loss due to the February storms and flooding have until June 2 to register for disaster assistance with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Individuals or families from across Umatilla County, including the Reservation, who had property damage or loss as a result of the Umatilla River…
Staff from CTUIR departments and programs, as well as many volunteers, handed out food to hundreds of tribal members and others who reside on the Umatilla Indian Reservation during first-come, first-served distributions April 18 and May 1. In addition to the menu listed below, elders received hamburger patties and a half gallon of milk; families received half a roasted chicken and a chub of ground beef. Other items that were purchased or donated for the distribution included celery, a whole pineapple, sliced turkey, mixed berry yogurt, fruit mix, flour tortillas, bread, hot instant cereal and a bag of plastic resealable bags. Julie Taylor, director of the Department of Children and Family Services, who stands on the other side of the silver car, organized the event.
More than 400 Reservation residents receive food
By the CUJ MISSION – Nearly 200 people in cars lined up for nearly a half mile Saturday morning, April 18, to receive potatoes, onions, milk and bread, as well as other items in the first of two food distributions on the Umatilla Indian Reservation. A second first-come, first-served distribution on May 1 drew more than 215 members of the…
Obituary: Martha Quaempts Franklin
Martha Quaempts Franklin April 2, 1941 — April 10, 2020 Martha Ann Quaempts Franklin peacefully went home to be with the Lord and her family on April 10, 2020. Because of the COVID-19 gathering limits, services were held for family and live-streamed on Folsom-Bishop Facebook on April 16. It was her wish to be cremated and placed beside her sister…
Obituary: Lorene Videl Spencer
Lorene Videl Spencer Aug. 12, 1935 – April 4, 2020 Lorene Videl Spencer passed away at her home surrounded by loved ones on April 4, 2020. A private dressing was conducted at Burns Mortuary on April 5. The viewing at Burns Mortuary was followed by burial at Tutuilla Church Cemetery on April 6. Lorene Videl Minthorn was born on August…
Chief Don Sampson
Coronavirus changes ceremonies, challenges leaders
By Don Sampson Our tribes and our ancestors have been infected by deadly viruses and diseases brought to the shores of our native homeland by European immigrants since Columbus in 1492. This onslaught of new disease spread by European immigrants amongst Native Americans resulted in millions of Native people dying in the “greatest demographic disaster in human history.” The deadliest…
Jill-Marie Gavin
COVID-19 gives new meaning to Mother’s Day
By Jill-Marie Gavin for the CUJ This year Mother’s Day has landed in the middle of Covid-19. While our governments, communities and families brace themselves for the requirements of essential work, sheltering in place and seemingly endless extensions of stay-at-home orders there have been words of encouragement. Some of these messages have been soothing, and some not so much. A…
Maintaining productivity in crisis-management mode
By Ted A Wright, PhD These have been challenging times for us all, through the devastation of the Umatilla River flood right into a worldwide viral pandemic. So, as a government, we’ve been working in crisis-management mode for 13 weeks, and most management and staff have not taken a day off since the end of January. Despite all these struggles,…
Lindsey X. Watchman
Kii hiiwes wew’eex wala! – it’s spring time!
Normally during this time of year, the weather becomes warmer, daylight longer, and families enjoy community events like the Fun Run and Flag Day. Normally playgrounds and basketball courts are active with our children. Also during this time, you can find tribal members in the mountains carefully harvesting, caring for, and preparing our sister roots. Normally, we are honoring our…
Chair of the CTUIR Board of Trustees
Follow guidelines so we can reopen community
By N. Kathryn Brigham The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation are at war with an invisible enemy and we fight this war alongside all 574 Tribal Nations, the United States, and the World as a whole. In the beginning it seemed that this enemy would only take those over 60 years of age. Now we know that it…