Oregon Public Broadcasting

Fewer Americans than expected filed claims for unemployment benefits last week, the Labor Department said Thursday. And we’ll find out on Monday whether Oregon’s 11.5 percent unemployment rate has changed.

On the Warm Springs reservation, economists say the unemployment rate will likely remain at more than 60 percent, even if the state’s numbers do improve.

As part of our continuing Hard Times series, we’re going to head back to the reservation, and see how families are holding up.

Every Veteran’s Day, the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs go all out.

Tribal members look at photos of veterans.

There’s a parade, memorial services at the Veterans Stone, and in the afternoon, tribal members gather at the Longhouse for speeches and eat dinner.

49-year-old Jeanie Brisbois says the day means a lot to her family.

Her 87-year old father, Daniel, served as a flight engineer in Africa during World War II.

But family’s a tough topic, for Brisbois, right now, because in this recession, her four adult children have been unemployed and looking for work.

Brisbois’ 26-year-old daughter moved out of the house last month, to live with a friend. But then the two got into an argument.

Jeanie Brisbois: “She bounced back home, and I’m still not letting her ‘move in’ – she hasn’t brought her belongings in the house yet.”

Brisbois says she hoped that life away from Mom would provide her daughter with a lesson in responsibility.

And Jeanie’s decided that instead of letting her daughter stay at home, she will make her go live with another family member.

Jeanie Brisbois: “She’ll be responsible for herself, I won’t be giving her anything. With another family, she’ll know that I’m not the one supporting her. She’s got to contribute to that home, one way or another. If she can’t do it with money, she can offer to keep the house clean, babysit, there are other things to do around the house to earn your keep.”

Jeanie says support from her extended family has helped her kids – and helped her, in everyday life.

That’s true across the tribe.

49-year-old Jeanie Brisbois is employed at the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs vehicle pool. But her four adult children are having trouble finding work in this economy.

Jeanie Brisbois: “We’ve got family, and then we’ve got extended family. People that you claim as a relative, even though you might no have blood ties, you feel close enough to call them your aunt or your sister. It’s a tight woven community, that’s the way I see it.”

Researchers say those kinship networks can be especially helpful in tough economic times.

Ezra Rosser is a law professor at American University. He has studied tribal economics.

Ezra Rosser: “If people are already relying on a kinship network, or some other support mechanisms, that tribes do have given the poverty they’ve experienced for so long, they may be in a better position culturally, maybe not in terms of resources, to respond to that increased unemployment or the increased effects of the crisis.”

But kinship networks can also mean more strings that keep people attached to the reservation.

That means tribal members may be less likely to consider moving away for a job or school.

Allison Davis White Eyes is the director of the American Indian Initiatives program at Oregon State University.

She points out that while there are a number of Native Americans attending OSU, only five are from the Warm Springs tribes.

And all five of them are distance students – meaning they attend classes and earn credits over the Internet.

Davis White Eyes says those are kinship ties, at work, too.

Allison Davis White Eyes: “There’s a pull to stay home. Oftentimes you’ll have families that are care giving to elders or children. Then, you have to say, do I give up everything I know, and uproot my children, to move 4 or 5 hours away, to go to college? Those are really big, life-changing issues.”

Brisbois says the family support has been helpful, emotionally, in the past month. Her other daughter, who is 25, was recently sent to jail.

Brisbois doesn’t want to talk about the crime.

Jeanie Brisbois: “Just stuff catches up to her. She didn’t want to take care of probation, and what not. When I talk to her on the phone, I keep reminding her how old she is. She can’t act like a teenager forever, you gotta grow up sometime."

She says her two sons, both in their early 20s, are trying to make it on their own.

In the past year, they moved to Seattle – without any jobs lined up. That’s been a tough road.

But Brisbois just this week got a phone call saying her youngest, Jeremy, may have found a steady job, and a place to live.

And the family ties mean that’s more than just good news for Jeremy.

Jeanie Brisbois: “He told me that if he does get his own place, he’d want his older brother to come live with him, so he can help take care of him. Even though he’s out, branching out on his own, he still wants to help until his brother can get a job and get on his own two feet.”