Warm Springs Program; Traditional Law and the Tribal Court Room. Part 2

Welcome to another edition of Warm Springs on KW brings is a program that shares information about the culture history current events and people of Warm Springs. Today on the Warm Springs program us we're taking a look at the issue of traditional law and the tribal program. In the last segment I spoke with Pierce Mitchell traditional longhouse leader force of Nashville and also Judge Walter Lang niece the third this time the culture and heritage committee of the confederated tribes will be here to express their views and also chief judge Don Costello. Three elders from some Nashoba Matilda Mitchell away and Sylvia home will be here to share their views of traditional law. And also Daisy Eich juvenile court nadir for the tribes is here today. What is the culture and heritage committee think of the idea of including more

aspects of traditional law into the tribal courtroom. My name is. Verbena says Solway pum green. And my feeling is that we truly do need our. Traditional laws and tribal courtroom. But many times. Try our trade issue no laws had been mis interpreted there would have to be a person there to interpret our traditional law in a courtroom.

But I think all things happen here on the reservation that when things happen here on the reservation that we probably will bring the traditional laws back in the way that we would like to but they're never recognized in the court whom's when you do bring it out of the system the way it works not it is kind of hard to bring the traditional laws on the reservation because our main judge up there you know does not understand the traditional laws on the reservation the way. The traditional way is that it should be done on the rez and it will take many many

months and years to get this traditional law a fair play while the bulk of the revelry. What we are used is the culture and heritage committee feel this would cover fishing and hunting juvenile or civil. I would like to see the trade issue come back into effect in this area. The hunting and the fishing in the juvenile area. I cannot say too much about the civil because it has truly harmed a lot of people. The law as it stands today on our hunting and fishing. There's some of us still no longer for the venison

and for salmon and yet we cannot go out and hunt and dry meat anymore. We're told when we could go or when we cannot go fishing it's not too bad. The juvenile I believe evade was partially handed back to traditional ways where a whip men are grandparents again would take an upper hand and discipline in the juvenile. We would not have so many children the young children been in trouble today.

We have. Children that are participating in alcohol and drugs. Yeah girl those 13 14 have been babies young boys same age. We come in Fathers where there was a ruling in the old traditional ways where they taught the young where they can start taking care of themselves in that manner. But the civil I cannot chew. I can't speak for civil. You have a right to add back you know. But it also you also got to think of privileges too. I like to see the hoarding information. But I think our laws or comma falling behind

on the fish and so many kids that are not coming come on to our reservation and fish and hunt. Just a few moments ago I was talking about the fish and how the fish is giving away up here in hollow so many of the fish or just take taken by kids that don't give it away and they grow up there and sell it or hollow ground until it spoiled and they have to throw it away. That ruined it for the other families and other people who would really appreciate it and a lot of them meet our younger boys by and we're dumb don't go up there and

see how good it could shoot and they'll turn around and haul the meter on half the night until it's spoiled with theft before wait and there are a lot of people that can use the. Venison and many times as I work for their range in age a culture we have come up with the same thing on the hunt in which we have found deer out there in the hills that been along it by. People testing out the hunting and fishing hunting. I would like to. See. Come back to the way it was a long time ago. But the many years that I have been around my range rivaling maybe that

there is something that could be done and could happen. On the juvenile pork or juvenile I think we should have a little bit more stock. RICHTER rules them could be just taken up there. Like the white Cork is the cue. You can clip the child and when you do it with give you get in trouble over whipping your child control them if you MUST them and learn the right way in what manner would the committee care to see traditional law used in the court room. If the cultural heritage committee feels that traditional cases should be dealt with or handled by a traditional board of elders to hear cases which are dealing with

traditional matters they are. They feel that the traditional people have a better understanding of the culture and the traditions and can't probably hand down a better ruling on cases that they are aware of or that they have great knowledge of Whereas the non-Indian or the nontraditional judge bases his ruling on on any situation that he has very little understanding of. We believe that the panel should be made up of traditional longhouse leaders are people who have a good understanding of the traditional laws of our people because these Jewish laws are living the laws and they have been laws that have kept our people together for many generations. We

feel that the people who practice or understand the traditional laws would have a better ruling on cases such as fishing hunting and other traditional matters that come up in front of the tribal courts with the culture and heritage committee as the advisory board to tribal council concerning areas of cultural matters and traditional issues be making an advisory proposal to the council concerning the use of traditional law in the tribal courtroom and there and there are different aspects of what we call our traditional laws. And I think I explained that in a court for the sake of the court decision not to commit anybody whether they were right or wrong in doing something but to explain quite my understanding of what traditional law is far as and when you go to court on any of your activities sector. Feast Sam on which you to first send after the food comes to the country

going down the river opposite river to get his food but when you come to the country where we out traditionally is pointed out our traditional directory territory when the food like salmon comes shipped to nine hours. That's why they caught the salmon defeat. I bought our first salmon Fifi did a good on Cascade locks are down not dash started to get hard to reach market are going to get no it had to be the food we come to the territory when he caught it that's when they declared a feast the first Sunday after that. Well aged two three FISHER They were kind of fish but that was a feast. Whatever they had on hand today to counter those things that you've got to have time to be here for you to have a feast. And that dress that that in that way used to be I do see their feet and five salmon for and when you are talking about how do you when do you bring in traditional power in the Saudis into the court to decide. Long time of good luck you're

referring to slide a la DD good Renault Card. It went before this Commission. There was a traditional commission set up on issues of Mercedes's What's wrong is quite right and I think that what do we do what's happening right now because of it. This committee responsible for defining what East ready hold we could define that or be Diggler on in doing something whatever. Then these committees in authority handed to us by the tribal council because I didn't want to be there when it's right there they want this committee to do and what I did when I went to do the best to all out as I can get ahold of and through the committee is just that we were going to beat it that don't it would ever happen. It's the only way to happen you have to you know I agree that we should have. No no I'm not going to that out get to that pretty soon. I d I'm saying that we have got to find a way or penalize them don't have violated our traditional long

that's this one right here because this committee decided what it did or not and if not you tell whomever. That that's where your decision is and I need to cause I want to come. I challenge us do you have to give it everything why are you traveling just now when do you want to take the diaries by the press but they give it to us and we do that with our people and we don't want to do it with our people support. They define that what is right or own sometimes we're not but we were part of that able something. So we got a good go find somebody and that you we're the eldest now I guess we could have defined ourselves pretty much only weapon defined it as close as what we did in the past. We got a record of 100 years to today's day and I think it will be one heck of a time to change that but we can be right here. So you think that this is the end right here our cities is it right here.

If you get another boy do you think they're going to trust him to make the right didn't I doubt it. We don't know we're going to get. I think we've been in this long that I think we have to be that bored after I feel I know how you folks feel I feel confident that we could do that with with Alice down. OK. For being agreeing Jancee we while we indulge him and Frank Sr. spoke for the culture and heritage committee today. I'd like to thank the committee for taking the time to share their views on the Warm Springs program. Judge Constand could you cover how tradition is handled in present day cases here

in the tribal courtroom. I'll try. It varies from case to case. We have lots of different types of cases that come through the court. Many of them are criminal cases criminal cases are all a creature of statute. And what that means is that the statutes the tribal code sections that the tribal council has passed by ordinances over the years define certain type of conduct to be criminal conduct. So if a member of the community. Commits an act which the police and the prosecutor feel is a criminal act they will file a criminal complaint. Now the person accused of that offense has certain rights in the court

and one of those is the right to require the tribe which is the plaintiff in the criminal case to prove that case beyond a reasonable doubt and that's defined by written law in the tribal code. Now sometimes the question comes up what part does tradition play in a criminal case. And the answer is once the case has been filed by the prosecutor tradition may not play much of a part in the determination of whether or not the defendant committed the crime because the standard that's being applied that we as judges have to apply is the standard that's set out in the code section and that is a legislative act of the council that created that code section.

And in fact when you read through the criminal code here. Most of those code sections for example US fault driving under the influence of intoxicants. You know a lot of the lot of our cases fall in those categories child neglect. Those were all things that may have existed in traditional Indian life although I doubt that driving under the influence did say at the time of the treaty. Maybe riding a horse into the influence but the tribal council has made decisions on how they want those things to be worded today and whether or not tradition plays a part in those cases is largely a function of whether or not the council considered tradition in passing that law. But at the Court level whether you're driving under the influence or not is not going to be affected for example. You know let's

say you come into court and testify that you're a traditional Indian and you're on your way to the longhouse. For some sort of a ceremony or service and somehow that's a defense to driving under the influence. You know you blew a point to five on the breathalyzer but it's OK because you're on your way to the longhouse. That doesn't work because the statute the code section wouldn't allow that defense. Now if you are convicted of a crime a tradition may play a large part in the sentencing. Let's say for example we've got a person that commits a crime that in some way involves the use of alcohol or drugs. Many of the crimes here do at the time of sentencing the judge is what is going to want to hear recommendations from the prosecution and from the defense as to what we have to do with this person. And one of the things that the judge is

always wanting to hear is. Mr. or Mrs. defendant. What do you propose to do for yourself. And that proposal may well. Have to do with some sort of a traditional approach to solving problems maybe the family has come together like their question who interprets tradition then for the court. The main interpreters of tradition are the parties to the case. They have to bring that issue in before the court. Now or. The judges. We have three judges here. We know more or less about tradition and then the other judges. But the people have to bring that information into the hearing so that it can be considered in juvenile cases. Tradition can play a real strong part. A lot of the cases that we get have to do with young people

having a conflict in their lives between the modern way of doing things and the older way that their grandma taught them. And you can see these young people in conflict. I believe that the families and the extended families maybe elders have ability to solve those problems abilities that we haven't tapped yet and we're trying to encourage people to bring those issues forward for the benefit of others. So who interprets tradition kind of depends on. Where we are in a case as a judge I myself I'm a strong believer in trying to get people to settle their own cases. And I will encourage them to tap any resource they have including traditional values within their family. And I have been known to tell people in court sir you

don't have to tell me. You have no obligations to me but you have knowledge you have values. Will you use those values to assist your daughter and will you discuss it with her and your wife. So that's a way in which tradition gets used and yet it doesn't get batted around in the court room so to speak. Do you feel there's a place here in the tribal court system for a formal alternative court to be set up. There may be and I say maybe because I think the community needs a lot of input into that. It wouldn't be just for me to decide from my perspective I can see a need for it. And I can see where a lot of the situations that come into our court require a. A form that would encourage people. To come

forward these things in a more traditional form of discussion. And already what we do is we take certain kinds of in certain cases especially family issues and the way that we're doing it informally is through. So settlement. And we've been doing some mediation and. It's leading into a it's leading in a direction here and we're going to kind of lead the on a case by case basis we're going to let the community tell us which way they want to go on those things. The other side of that is that when a case does get filed in the court we have certain rules and laws that we have to follow. We're not allowed to break those as we're sworn to uphold the law. And at some point in time the community may well want to go to their tribal council for example and say we would like you to pass a law that creates this certain sort of method for resolving

things. The code already has a number of sections that address those things in the community just hasn't tapped those resources yet. But at the court were were cooperative with those sorts of efforts. We don't have any great need to see our docket be as full as it can possibly be. We have all sorts of things to do here. My thanks to Judge Don Costello for taking the time to answer questions for the Warm Springs program today. Be back with more on traditional law and the tribal courtroom after these messages. This was Gary five producer and host of National Native news. Every day here on WSO we share news and information about contemporary developments in native communities. It's only through community radio like this station that you'll hear the

kind of information that hopes to reach natives and their non-native neighbors. I encourage your support of WSO community radio for the Warm Springs reservation. Thank you. To me indicate WSO birthday grand entry every weekday at 5:30 p.m. call 5 5 3 1968 or 5 5 3 1969 to wish your loved ones a happy birthday. To our. Thanks. I spoke with Nettie show away Matilda Mitchell and Sylvia while Lulu to them about their remembrances of our traditional law was inforced before the tribal court began. And also what their expectations are of generations today. Sylvia will will be interpreting

for the sisters. How are issues handled traditionally. They used to blather these together to. You know somehow sir. And that is when they would make their laws. And sometimes they would take their young boy ways. And they would. Talk to them and. Tell them what they expected of them and how they wanted them to live in this way they knew how to live. They didn't. Do like I don't believe anybody ever

corrects you know that because it was. It was that Elder. A man that always talked to the young. Young people in this was a good way. You know when they like as she says about herself sometimes she tries to talk to the young people like that at the longhouse when she gets a chance to go. In. That's what he she remembers that. These were more responsible in the old days because they looked after their children and taught them what to do which you know I will show you.

Exclaimed heap on the hand. And I have. She says even that is when they were growing up. And there were many of them. Some boys that were. You know the same age or older or younger. But all together. These do you know what. Whip men would come in. Their parents our parents used to. Paint their hoop men to come. With the children. It spread the brand new blanket on the floor in. Whip man what I said and that Bryant could spread out then then each. Child would come and kneel in front of him and he would. He would whip each talk child and

ask him. Ask him or her. If they're good if they're not going to do whatever wrong. Are you going to win. And he would give them so many. The whips for each you were wrong that he or she did. And sometimes they got in trouble for just run them in and. In. But then the men are always made his rounds on Sundays. Now they say you can't touch a child can. Sting them with the law will and they. Right away. Maybe the law will come in.

And what do you do today to advise people in the longhouse. To talk to to the parents that bring their children to the longhouse we talk to them in you know try to tell them that they should. Start training their children from the time they're very young when they start walking. They should teach them then. But it's hard to try to teach the parents even if they don't have no ears to lists. So so these things go on really. I think many of the parents especially the ones that drink

when there's a gathering at the longhouse they bring their children and leave them there. Without. Anybody anybody watching them. And they just run wild in there and we can't do anything with them. A lot of the elders try to make make the parents take their children and have them sit still. But it doesn't do any good. Just really hard I don't know. With the world. Moving as fast as it's moving now and everything changing so much is what. Causes this. Mean that's the way I look at it. And people who don't bring their children to the longhouse. How did they learn traditional

values. Well in the first place I believe that they should teach their children at home and to respect things to respect. The homesite Eamonn and to respect everything. All the things said to. Blow up everybody and. Anybody in the elder's some. And what were some of the values taught when you were young. The Bama days. The days of never slept and we all had to get up in the morning when breakfast was ready wash our faces and go

to the table and we stayed at the table till everything was done and we couldn't get up from the table. And this is one of the things that even add up. Never sit at the table they get up and they leave without excusing themselves. But that was one of the most important things in our you know our homes families that everyone come to the table and stay there till everything was done. And even though we hated to get up in the morning we had to get up and go to the breakfast table. I had put two saves when I was a leader. We were Easter her and I

wear a cross there. We were just poor. You know we don't have no table are nothing. Early in the morning they make us get up early in Turkey time. We had to run to the creek. One of the older man would break the ice and we had to jump in there. That was one of the rootless we fight a lot. So we can be a strong never get pneumonia are nothing. It we never get sick. Why. That's why they make us take a bath in a quoted white or we jump in and when you keep still and their water gets warm. Ice water. When we move. Oh it's cold

there. I don't know how long will he has to stay there but go home and dress up and eat breakfast. Clear points are always right on the door. I was sore afraid of it. I believe if that quip was really talking to the whip man when Sunday came I hate that Sandy haze. I get whipping even I never done that in Iran but some other Eric has to it. Stay with Earths or something and we are a great whipping all of us. And oh I hate it just like they were when I kill me and you know it was just the sheet in it when I see that ordered ma'am. That's the way I grow up.

Daisy Ike at juvenile court nadir here in Warm Springs is here today to share her views concerning traditional law and the tribal court. Daisy there has been talk in the Warm Springs community of bringing some additional tenets of traditional law into the tribal court system. Do you see this as a feasible working system here in Warm Springs. If we have enough if we had enough people that were interested in traditional law. One of the basic teachings of traditional law is you basically have to want to be a part of that tradition. And this unless our people really want to be a part of that. Part of that tradition. And really live by it in respect that part of the traditional law this couldn't work. But if they want to be.

I guess partakers in this re entry of traditional law. There's a lot of things that they'd have to re-align in their lives in order to make it work. How do you think it would affect juveniles and their families particularly the ones you do deal with and with the laws you're already bound by. If we had to go back to a traditional law and the responsibilities of the children's behavior we would be dealing more with the parents and their responsibilities. And why they're allowing their children to be out. Doing the things that they're doing. Basically the children wouldn't be the ones to be answerable in quality it would be the parents and why they're allowing their children to behave the way that they are when they become a problem to society or to the people around them in doing their allowing their

children to do things and they're not being responsible for their child's behavior so basically what traditional law would do would be making parents more responsible for their children. Presently with the court working the way it is we're putting the responsibility on the children when traditionally that responsibility of a child's behavior would be on the parents. And I think that would be a better part of this traditional law if we could reintroduce it. When speaking of traditional law is tradition being defined as law that has been used to make decisions by the peoples of the tribes here since the very beginning of their existence. Or are we looking at at it as an angle Saxon system that honors the traditions of the local community. Presently with the the courts working as they have. The the laws that. Are presently in effect were borrowed.

From the state courts. Prior to. Prior to this new law and order code been introduced there was a traditional law honor code that was developed by a lawn order committee that was appointed. Back in 1934 and basically it was the same laws that are used today with the state law. Except a lot of it was unwritten and it was a real minimum code. I think that if we were to go back to traditional workings here it really basically working with the state code as it's written. However with traditional law all these values would have been tied at home in it wouldn't have to be in writing. It would be understood. As the law without having it. Put in writing so that the judges would have to make sure that people were owning

up to their responsibilities. I would have to do a lot of work with our people to to. Really educate them again about. Our world these laws come from and why they're here and why they would have to be. Responsible. For their behaviors. Traditional law is so. Variable today because of faulty. In laws that have been married here married into the tribes and have moved here that basically right now traditional law. Per se couldn't be defined in so many words. We would have to look at each family as they came in through the system and find out their values or know their values and make them know our values. And let them know that in order to live here your values are fine but you have to live by our

values because you are living here in our country. Daisy do you feel the tribal court system adequately includes tradition in its present system. I believe. Presently that because of the way the code is written and because of the high expectations of the community for the courts to basically be there when we're not allowing the courts or we're not letting the courts deal with traditional law presently in its form that we're working with today. I believe however with the judges that we have in the visiting judges that we have if they were given the opportunity to do traditionally with people they would do so. Presently the working book that we have right now is what they are working with and what they've been directed to work with. I do

know that in some of the cases I've worked in I've. Talked. With a judge just not on a case by case basis but in general terms about the routings of traditional law that they're hungry for it. But until they have some direction in that area they have to continue working with the law in order court that we have now. And. Basically I think that. The working of the code that we have presently is is what they're working with and they're doing a good job with it. If if a more traditional system were put into place how do you feel it would affect members juveniles and families who have been raised in that manner. I believe if we could bring that back to our society. I think it would be. A wonderful opportunity for families

to get to know one another again. Right now the rule of the law is to work with the responsibilities on the juveniles for the actions that they've done or their behavior patterns they've been basically allowed to rule the home. If we were to go back to the way it was supposed to be parents would be in control. Parents would be responsible for their children's behavior. Parents would have to realize their responsibilities right now when children are are allowed to be their own. I don't I be their own boss basically. Be their own decision makers they're allowed to get to it. Behave in the manner they choose. And parents I think because of their love for their child and because of the

guilt they go around because usually in two parent homes today in order to meet today's. Money values two parents are working in it and I think it's because of that. The third allowing their children to basically rule the roost. If we were to bring traditional law back putting children in the proper perspective to know that you have to earn anything you get whether it's 50 cent candy bar. To car for the night. Children don't have to work for anything anymore. They don't have trailers persay like they used to have. Parents are allowing their children $50 a night or so to go out and have fun giving them the coyotes get making sure their drivers license paying for their insurance

paying for their child's intertainment they're not allowing their children to be responsible. To. Their enjoyment. Children are expecting it as it is. They believe that they deserve it but they're not doing anything to deserve. What they're getting. The children today feel like they have a right to all these things that the parents must provide entertainment for them must provide vehicles for there where they're cruising to go to school. We have so many children in need today because they don't have to be responsible and if we don't start teaching our children to be responsible. I shudder to think what the grandchildren are going to be

rocking about if we're allowing our children to do as they please to do without any consequences. I don't know what's going to happen to the next generation. Do you think it's possible to govern people traditionally if they have it and don't live by those standards. Only if the people. Are Willing. To take on the responsibility. Of their families. Can this work today. In yesteryear. It was mandated. That you had to learn this. You had to learn. That this is the way it is and you must fit into this groove. Like they talk about the square peg in the in the round peg and you can't make a square peg fit into a round peg. But. Unless

our families to change their way of thought. Our children are going to be lost as we're losing them today to drugs and alcohol and in our parents that are recovering alcoholics and addicts and what have you. They still have time to change their children or to change the rules in families because children are smart. You have been a good teacher to your child when you've been an alcoholic or an addict of some type or substance abuse or your child is rocking the trail that you've built for them. And unless you change and want to be. A. Person that your child is going to look up to and make sure that they're learning what you know you've you've got to make that stand. And that goes back to tradition.

Unless you choose unless you choose to live traditionally and make your children responsible to you for their behavior and to take on the responsibility of saying you're not going to do that. Because I'm not going to face the consequences for you. You've you've got to get her out of what you were taught because it's never too late to remember what you've been taught. You've just got to get it working for you. And it's like learning to rock again. It's like learning to be. Learning to be yourself and remembering what you were taught and teaching it to your children it's not going to be easy. Nothing wrong with saving or nothing worth having is going to be easy. Any place any time and if you don't teach your children.

What you've been taught traditionally about yourself about your family tree about your living environment about. All the things. That's going to make your child's life worthwhile. This child is going to have nothing to pass on to its children. If you don't make a stand now. And if you really rant traditional law back in the court system the court isn't going to be the savior and say From this day on from it we're going to work. Traditionally it has to be you. The tribal member the person married into the tribe. If they love their child no matter where they're from Canada Mexico Minnesota or ever. Unless you start teaching your children now. What's going to be important for them to remember they're not going to have anything to

pass on their children. About Learning to to to like themselves learning to appreciate who they are. Tradition isn't going to work unless our people choose to make it work in not forget who they are in. Right there here. Traditions are not going to work in any court any place in the least of life. Give a helping hand to the quote because the quote. Has to deal with issues that have been ongoing for so long. We're into third generation alcoholics that are having children. And there's a reason for it that we can't change the problems we have today are not just from yesterday or yesterday year they're from the 1920s and 30s in the things that happened back there that are having impact on us today. And if we were our

perfect Douglas we wouldn't need a court in the quotes doesn't expect everyone to be perfect. But the problems we're dealing with. They didn't start today. They started way back when probably even prior to that. And it shows in today's families that. Teaching him things in some of the some of our people. Then we have to treasure everyone that's an old. One is entitled to the lifestyle as they choose. But again what are you giving your children from your past. You go to grow up. You go to repair our roads the same people dancing over and over while we have an audience sitting around us. You go to the Lancaster it's the same people being responsible for the traditional things. You go to the community center it's the same people playing basketball the same coaches every once in a while you see a new face and it shouldn't have to be

that way because. Everything here that's offered there isn't a price for it. You give of yourself. Before you can gain for yourself. I've been speaking with DCI do canal coordinator here in Warm Springs concerning the issue of traditional law and the tribal courtroom and I'd like to thank you for being on the Warm Springs program today. I ask you if you have any additional comment. I have a lot of comments. And I think the people at the public meeting said at that at. A social function so I got to get up and speak a lot because I have to share with them. Myself. I think if one person can hear my words. And groan from it then I have helped someone.

There was a very nice young man that was a judge it was a judge that helped me had it not been for this young man. I probably wouldn't be able to do what I'm doing today. And I owe that young man. And so because I love my people. I want to help my people. And I'm hoping that in the position I'm in I'm helping people and I know a lot of people get frustrated with the system here and it's sad because they have to come to the system before they learn to help each other but if that helps them around I. Want to give some light. Then it's all worth while. I I hope that my office my name my position here will help families grow together. Not only not only the child and the parent but if they're fortunate enough to have

grandparents learn how to communicate together again in Q2 it could be the families that they deserve to be and not be too busy to learn to love one another enough to care to have family dinners to have Family Fun times to to to go out and. Be together. In good raise in healthy ways. The tribe has been well by the Wellness Community by the year 2000. And if we don't learn how to to love one another and get along together and share our good times as well as our bad times it seems like today in this society someone has to die before we all gather at the wrong house. Someone has to be critically ill before we start appreciating them. In this case this.

Community our community will get a few good workers and we work them to death trying to help other people and each of us every one of us that are here today are here for a reason and we've got to learn how to help one another. To learn how to be well. And we are our own worst enemy when it comes to something like that because we tear each other up with Cho each other up and then we see each other and smile and we've got to stop that because we're teaching that to our children the negative is a negative ism here on the reservation right now because of our prior behaviors and things we never learned. How to accept one another for. What we are. None of us are perfect. None of us. And we've got to help run another. To be to be well. And

if our children are going to have a chance tomorrow. Then we have to be learning how to help them receive that chance. We have to help our children be responsible. We have to help. Them learn how to appreciate their grandparents in especially are a divorced people. We have to teach them that the children it's not your fault we're divorced it's because we couldn't we couldn't grow up fast enough. It's because we didn't have the heart at that time to to to go through whatever situation it was in. Teach your children the responsibilities of Arles on life's. Dilemmas and teach them that no matter what happens to them that there's always help available that there's always someone there that can hear them. And that's why. It's important to have family relationships that deal with child and parent and if they're lucky enough

grandparent and uncle. And I guess that's the problem. Someone like me is real fortunate because I have a couple aunts that have always been here for me and that's where I run to when I need help and then we all have those people support systems they can as they call them. There's so many programs here a corps. Adult Children of alcoholics and there's women. There's women's programs there's children's programs. And we need to be involved to help one another because if we don't help one another now our children are falling like flies out of the school system. We're already losing them by the time they're in junior high. And unless we have change in here in our hearts and accept one another and decide that we're going to change the way were living if we're going to love our children enough to give them a better tomorrow then we need to start now. By whatever means it

takes. We need to start to love one another and to teach our children that no matter who is living here that we have to learn how to get along together. If we don't learn how to get along together no. Be unified as a run. Then our children don't have a chance. Tradition don't have a chance. Education. Is falling away from our children. We don't have children graduating from college we don't have a doctor. I think we have run a tourney. We don't have veterinarians we don't have nurses. I think we have one qualified nurse here. We've got run dental assistant. There are certainly many programs that are offering our children so much and where we're stopping our children ourselves because we're really unhappy in here in our heart. And until we

learn how to teach our children to be happy from the inside out to accept themselves and to love themselves for what they are and to respect every day is a gift from God that you're alive. In in tooth to change our lives styles for our children and in to to to to make them learn how to be responsible. Then where we're going to lose. We're not going to make the year 2000. If we don't start changing now and we don't have to make a big change overnight we'll make it one step at a time and sometimes it's half steps. Sometimes you go two three steps forward and fly back ten steps and you have to start all over again. That's OK you're human. Don't ever be afraid to be human but be but but don't give up. If you give up we aren't going to hit the year 2000 and we're going to be worse off in 2000 than we are now if we don't learn how to pick ourselves up and start rockin again.

And I don't know how else to say it. Lever yourselves in give yourself to your child so that they're going to have a better tomorrow. Make their tomorrows better than ours. That's all we can hope for. And if we can't give our children that hope then we're lost. And don't forget God I guess whatever you do because he's there for everyone no matter what color you wore or where you're from. That brings us to the end of today's program. Join Kay WSO next Tuesday at noon for Warm Springs. A program that shares information about the culture history current events and people of Warm Springs the Warm Springs program is also rebroadcast Wednesday nights at 5pm on K WSO ninety one point nine FM.