Touring back in time – Karuk Reunion musings

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By Judy Bushy

It was at the Karuk Reunion that I had the pleasure of meeting Huddleston Oakes! Huddleston grew up Down River with his sister. His sister, Arlene, was the young girl who visited Stella in Dear Mad’m. What fun to talk with him about her! He said he didn’t hang around them much because of the Ladies there, well, he would have to behave!! He is listed, with Arlene in the 1939 Methodist Church rolls too. Their neighbors were the Southards mentioned by Re. Dr. Leon L. Loofbourow who was a circuit riding Methodist preacher who came and encouraged the building of the Log Church in Happy Camp which is the Bible Church now!! His mother, Virginia Effman Oakes, (and later added Anderson) wrote newspaper articles. Before my day, Debbie Wilkinson and Hazel Davis Gendron also wrote articles. It was also happy news to hear that he can read Klamath Views in Weed!

Huddleston had come for the Reunion, of course, with his son and others of his family, but he agreed to take time to give us a tour after lunch. Pauline (Sis) Atteberry and Jeanne Burrer were also at lunch, and Buster Atteberry stopped by as well. Buster mentioned that his Dad often spoke of childhood fun they shared and “Hud” recalled a fishing trip with him. Buster also mentioned that his dad’s first job was to sweep out the schoolhouse at Ferry Point and for that chore he received $8 a month.

Later, Huddleston and his son showed us where he had lived as a child, west of his grandmother’s place, and where another cabin was that they raised chickens to sell. We stopped by the Southard graves and recognized some names from Happy Camp history. We saw where Buster’s Dad had lived as a child before the family moved to Happy Camp for high school. We saw the site of the old one room schoolhouse. The most fun, of course, is to hear the stories of the people who used to live there.

Someone once came by and asked Mr. Southard how far his property went, and he replied, “See that Winchester there, about as far as it can shoot!”

Pete, the mailman, that brought Stella Patterson to the Dear Mad’m cabin in 1946, also used to give Huddleston a ride down to Ti-Bar. It was a great afternoon hearing about those days when every creek had a miner’s cabin or even some cabins where there was only a spring or they had to pack water.

We went back to the Reunion as there were more old time friends and family still to visit with. But he left us wishing we knew more about the Hastings brothers, Taylor’s Ranch, and those characters who lived down where Tinkum Creek met Titus Creek to flow into the Klamath and Robert E. Lee Southard and his family had their cabin.

When I got home and opened the computer, a quote popped up in bold black letters on a bright yellow background.” When you are young your grandparents try to tell you their history, and you don’t care because it doesn’t interest you at the time Later on, you wish you had written what they said down.” (Quote by Lillian Trujillo.) It isn’t likely that we really don’t care, but we are too busy. Too bushy to listen. Too busy to sit and hear all the stories, and we think that we will someday, later. But sometimes, we keep so busy and don’t have time, until there is no one left to tell us the stories and we have lost a priceless treasure! Take time today.

Alan Dyar’s Message from Town Meeting

This Wednesday is the Excellent Mexican dinner of enchiladas, beans, rice and salad for only $10 across from the Bigfoot Corner. You an dine in the “open air at the Klamath Siskiyou Art Center’s lawn venue while enjoying the music performed by the River Bar Community Band. We’ve been eagerly looking forward to this for a month and can’t wait for a lovely evening with out Klamath Neighbors.

Last Wednesday was the Town Hall on Drug, Crime and mental health problems in Happy Camp. Sheriff Lopey highlighted a previous meeting with the Karuk Tribal, law enforcement, justice and social services personnel. The view that use and problems with illicit drugs are increasing and need to be dealt with. the Drug task force SUMIT is working on this issue, but Sheriff and Karuk resources are limited and the lack of jobs and economic prosperity hinders progress. Youthful offenders are most vulnerable and prone to anti-social behavior that needs prevention and treatment. Neighborhood Watch and DARE are active but need assistance. Schedules of law coverage, community citizen, governmental and private collaboration is needed because drugs and alcohol are causing crime and mental health challenges in the community.

Besides our many distinguished visitors from our of town to share with us, Sheriff Lopey asked Alan Dyar to speak! Alan mentioned that he first came her as Superintendent and Principal of Happy Camp Elementary School in 1991 until he retired in 2002. Then they needed a principal in the high school in 2007 and he answered the call, until her retired in 2011. October 2014 the new principal resigned and he came back to Happy Camp High School for a couple more weeks to June 2015. At this time he has a right hand man in the form of Carol Dyar, his wife of 45 years who has been the school secretary since Ruth Bain retired.

He strode to the front of the room and asked the gathered crowd, “Don’t forget the good kids!” Ninety percent of the kids are the good kids, some are fantastic They study and play hard and are going the right direction and we need to work with the students and their families.
Thank God for the Tribe who helps the children here get an education and go on to college and make something of themselves. But that means we have a Brain Drain, and we’re so glad when some of those students go away and get their education and then come back like a couple here tonight! Part of the problem is the billion dollar industry out there all around us that we can’t use because of red tape, but we won’t talk of that tonight.

“In the years I’ve been here in Happy Camp we have gone from 188 students in the high school down to about fifty! It is a problem, without jobs and without there being something to come back to the community! Bill Estep and some others in the room are trying to help with solutions in the Coordinating Committee but it is frustrating. Ray Haupt our new supervisor is working to that end.

“We have 45 fantastic kids and only a few 5 or 6 who have problems. We work closely with the probation department, Tianna and the other young lady as well as Sgt Callahan and Deputy Garrison at the High School. Arden and John have told you about the Athlete Committed and Committed Chapter at our high school.

“I’ve been in education continuously since 1970. Seeing all you here tonight, this is the beginning of it, We can make a dent. If we Impact ONE kid, it will all be worth it. We had one youngster self reporting her infraction of the Committed contract, and because she came forward, three others self reported. It doesn’t happen overnight, it takes time. but we don’t have time for a few. Biggest thing is how people work, , really care. Look at family structure, and positive male role models helps those who dont’ know how to work.

“We as a community have to do something!Don’t forget the good kids and we need to work with others and their families. It’s time for us to do something. Families go through the school program and some are involved in activities that alter the genetic make up of humans. That’s where they need to see what they are screwing up, Being a geneticist, raising racing pigeons, we know that if we screw up there, we’re heading down the wrong trail.

“We need a male mentor ship base. I can be the students worst enemy if needed to make a correction one day, but the next day they can come in and talk about whatever their concerns are with me in my office. We can talk about their goals and plans and how they can do better
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Bill Estes from the audience asked if Mr. Dyar thought we could do without economic changes.
Happy Camp needs improved economic structure, It’s sad when the most profitable job (an old logger) can have is growing dope. We have got to have an economic base. Always something to stop mining, thinning forest, but the challenge is to start something and turn it around from that.

He was also asked about music and said the Happy Camp Elementary school has a full set of band musical instruments but the first thing to be cut from the budget always seems to be the music and that type of thing.

Alicia Derry told about the things that the Happy Camp Family Resource Center, one of ten in out county, does. They have Behavioral Health, Veterans programs, family law facilitator, emergency food bank, help people fill out food stamp and medicaid applications. They’ve worked with committed Chapters, and even have a community garden. When asked if they still teach parenting classes, she said that they have to have 10 parents or guardians sign up for a class to fun it. But they are getting psychiatry help and using Tele-health for that type of education.

Another presenter from the Karuk Tribe mentioned that the tribe has put on dances for the students and is a good resource for the youth of our community. We all want to see the community get healthy, not like it is now. and they also pay insurance for open gym so the students can play basketball or volleyball some evenings. She said Karuk are part of the community and always want to be! (editor note: From my point of view they are an intregal part of the the foundation of the community, the one’s who were here before most of us and often show tremendous generosity)

One of the visions is putting it all together. She was asked about curriculum about the culture and said that K-3 is nearing completion, as Educational Director, Crissa Bussard, has mentioned also.
It was a very well attended meeting and brought hope that this builds more collaborative efforts by all of our Klamath Neighbors. Hope to share more results from this meeting in the coming column.

Art & Culture at the People’s Center and Museum

In Collaboration with The Clark Museum in Eureka, CA, The Karuk Tribe opens
Pi’êep Káru Payêem – Long ago and Today Exhibition
The Karuk Tribal Historic Preservation Office announced today that the Karuk People’s Center and Museum in Happy Camp, CA will display the art and culture exhibition Pi’êep Káru Payêem – Long ago and Today through September 2013.

The exhibition showcases treasured cultural pieces as well as contemporary traditional and modern art. The community-led exhibit was developed to focus on variety of interpretive/educational themes featuring the Karuk Tribe’s people and environment. Museum displays include men’s and women’s food collection and preparation tools, baskets and other objects, ceremonial regalia, and contemporary art influenced by long-held cultural traditions.

Karuk Tribal Historic Preservation Officer, Julie Burcell, notes that the exhibit “illustrates the amazing cultural continuity between modern Karuk people and their ancestors. The exhibit will allow visitors to visualize important aspects of the Tribe’s culture and religion, but also emphasizes that the Tribe’s connection to its past is alive and well in modern communities all along the Klamath River.”

Unique to this museum exhibition is the wide-angle perspective of the Karuk culture: cultural botanists, forest ecologists, master basketweavers and artists, regalia makers, hunters, fisherman, and ceremonial dance leaders all contributed time and knowledge to the exhibition’s design.

Karuk elders, Tribal Council members, ceremonial leaders, artists, and Clark Museum and People’s Center staff worked together to highlight those aspects of Karuk life that have largely gone unchanged: the connection to the river and environment, ceremonies and spirituality, and artistry of diverse mediums.

Additionally, the Karuk language is found throughout the displays and explanatory texts, facilitating documentation of the indigenous language. Tribal member Julian Lang, editor of the exhibition’s catalogue, stated that this “is a perfect example of another goal of the exhibit: making the exhibit relevant and useful to tribal-efforts.”

The People’s Center is situated near the confluence of the Klamath River and Indian Creek in Happy Camp, at the location of ancestral village site athithúfvuunupma. The museum and cultural center of the Karuk Tribe is devoted to the preservation, promotion and celebration of Karuk history and language. The People’s Center is open Monday through Saturday from 9:30 am to 5 pm and closed for lunch from 1:00 to 1:30 pm.

The Tribe is sponsoring an opening reception for the museum’s special exhibit, Pi’êep Káru Payêem – Long ago and Today, on Saturday, February 9, 2013 from 1-3 pm. Please RSVP at jburcell@karuk.us or contact (530) 493-1600, x. 2202. The exhibition runs through September 2013.