MAY 2025 | CONFEDERATED UMATILLA JOURNAL
SEPTEMBER 2025
CONFEDERATED UMATILLA JOURNAL
NEWS DAILY @ CUJ ONLINE
VOLUME 33 • ISSUE 09
THE MONTHLY NEWSPAPER OF THE CONFEDERATED TRIBES OF THE UMATILLA INDIAN RESERVATION
Election Commission confirms 32 candidates for Nov. 4 ballot STAFF REPORTS MISSION – On Aug. 25, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) Election Commission officially announced the 32 candidates who will appear on the Nov. 4 General Election ballot. Candidates are listed in alphabetical order in each race with an (I) denoting an incumbent. For the Board of Trustees (BOT) chair race, the candidates are N. Kathryn Brigham, Gary Burke(I), Lavona Herrera and Julie Taylor. In the race for the BOT vice chair, the candidates are Aaron Ashley(I) and David Wolf Jr. BOT treasurer candidates are Andrea Hall, Raymond Huesties(I) and Rosenda Shippentower. BOT secretary candidates are Monica Paradise, Cedric Wildbill and Roberta Wilson(I). For the BOT Member at Large race, in which the top four vote getters are named winners, the candidates are Lloyd Commander, Lisa Ganuelas(I), Jill-Marie Gavin, Steven Hart(I), Malvin Jamison III, Kyle McGuire, Toby Patrick(I), Crystal Pond, Derek Quaempts, Sierra Quaempts, Corinne Sams(I), Ellen Taylor and Nizhonia Toledo. In the General Council chair race, the candidates are Alan Crawford(I), Kathleen Elliott and Lindsey X. Watchman. The General Council vice chair candidates are Michael Ray Johnson(I), Boots Pond and Donald Sampson. The lone General Council secretary candidate is Shawna Gavin. CANDIDATES CONTINUED PAGE 6
The CTUIR Tribal Courtroom, part of the justice system built after the Tribe regained criminal jurisdiction in 1981. With the passage of SB 1011, CTUIR will begin the process of seeking the return of civil jurisdiction under a newly established state process. DANELI ATILANO/CUJ
SB 1011 creates legal process for tribes DANELI ATILANO The CUJ SALEM — The Oregon Legislature has passed Senate Bill 1011, establishing a clear and consistent process for Tribal nations to request the return of jurisdiction over their lands. The bill aims to address long-standing issues caused by Public Law 83280, a federal statute that gave
certain states, including Oregon, authority to prosecute crimes and enforce civil laws in Indian Country without Tribal consent. SB 1011 passed both chambers of the Legislature with bipartisan support and is now law. Tribal leaders, including the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR), have hailed it as a major step forward for Tribal sovereignty.
“[SB 101] lays out a statutory pathway and includes a timeline by which the governor must respond to such a request,” said CTUIR Board of Trustees (BOT) member Corinne Sams, in her testimony in support of the bill during a House Committee on Emergency Management, General Government and Veterans meeting. “Neither sovereign LEGAL CONTINUED PAGE 9
$22M given for CTUIR-back wildlife project MISSION – A wildlife area project backed by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) has been awarded $22 million in federal funding. Funded through the U.S. Forest Service’s Forest Legacy Program, the Qapqápa (pronounced copCOP-a) Wildlife Area State-Tribal Partnership Project will complete an acquisition of more than 11,400 acres with the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife (ODFW) to protect and restore property separating the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest on the east and west side of the Blue Mountains near Starkey, Oregon. “The project would not have been
possible without the diverse group of stakeholders that recognized the great value of our shared public lands and came together in support of the Qapqápa Wildlife Area,” said Anton Chiono, CTUIR Department of Natural Resources Habitat Conservation project leader. “The name means ‘place of the big cottonwoods’ and refers to the tribes’ placename for the property. In a first ever for the State of Oregon, the tribes and ODFW will co-manage the new wildlife area for the benefit of all. This is a terrific example of what Oregonians can accomplish by working together.” The Qapqápa property also has
locations historically used by the CTUIR and designated with place names in its Sahaptian languages. This includes the entrance to the property at the confluence of the Grande Ronde River and Beaver Creek, which is a traditional fishing spot known as Titlúupe Qapqápa. In March, the CTUIR and ODFW jointly applied for the Forest Legacy Program funding. On July 31, the two entities learned that the project was one of 25 projects funded nationally. The Qapqápa Wildlife Area StateTribal Partnership Project calls for
the state owning the property WILDLIFE CONTINUED PAGE 9
Happy Canyon Princesses Q& A on Page 1 in B Section CTUIR 46411 Timine Way Pendleton, OR 97801
Presorted Standard U.S. Postage PAID Pendleton, OR Permit #100