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Vol.

3/5

May 2010

Program

News

High School Grads Urged

to Contact Ed Office

Attention all Chehalis tribal and community

members! Graduation is approaching fast for

seniors in the final stages of completing their

high school education. The Chehalis Tribe

celebrates with a dinner and recognition

ceremony for graduates and family.

If you are aware of any community or

tribal member getting ready to graduate,

please contact JJ, Tawni, Jason or Nathan at

360-709-1888 with all their information.

Program Help Members of

Two Tribes Get Jobs

By Barb Churchill, Vocational

Rehabilitation Program Lead Counselor

The Chehalis/Skokomish Intertribal

Vocational Rehabilitation Programs received

a grant through the Department of Education

for five years! Both tribes have provided

a Vocational Rehabilitation Program since

1993 and look forward to serving you for the

next five years.

Part of the service we will provide an

informational newsletter which will be

mailed out three to four times a year. It will

offer information on a variety of disabilities,

alternative therapies, career tips and success

stories.

The purpose of Tribal Vocational

Rehabilitation is to provide a culturally

appropriate and community-based program

of services. Some of the services focus

on the individual’s strengths, resources,

priorities, concerns, abilities, capabilities,

interests, and self-informed choices.

With these services, clients should be

able to prepare for and engage in gainful

employment within their communities.

A few disabilities helped by the program

include: learning disabilities, post traumatic

stress, traumatic brain injury, alcohol/drug

addictions, depression and eating disorders.

Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors help

clients explore and understand their barriers

and help turn them into abilities.

We are located in the Resource Center

(old clinic) behind the tribal center. Any

questions, please contact Barbara Churchill,

Project Manager, at 360-709-1633 or Orinda

Goddard, Counselor, at 360-709-1735.

Special Nikes Available

for Chehalis Tribal and

Community Members

The Nike Air Native N7 fitness shoe is

the result of nearly two years of research,

development, and fit testing, in partnership

with the Native American community.

The first-of-its-kind performance shoe is

built to address the specific fit and width

requirements for the Native American foot.

NIKE N7s are being made available for

purchase by all Chehalis community and

Tribal members. Sizes that are available

for men are 6 – 14 and for women are 5 –

12. Cost for the shoes is $48.00 (includes

shipping). Shipping takes about 2 weeks.

If you are interested in ordering a pair of

shoes, contact Cindy Beck at the Chehalis

Tribal Wellness Center, 360-709-1810.

Chehalis Tribal Newsletter

PO Box 536

Oakville, WA 98568

* Return Service Requested

FirstName LastName

Street Address

City, ST Zip

©Copyright 2009 CHEHALIS TRIBAL

NEWSLETTER is a publication of the

Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis

Reservation.

PRSRT STD

US POSTAGE PAID

OAKVILLE WA

PERMIT No. 2

www.chehalistribe.org

CHEHALIS

TRIBAL

NEWSLETTER

Honoring Janette

Elders:

Whiteclaw

 She treasures

the moments she

spends with her

grandchildren,

page 3

 “People of the Sands” 

Chehalis youth group sends

message with music

Youth write and record music about

suicide prevention, page 2

Six Chehalis Teams Add to the Huge Storage

Success and Fun of Tribal Youth Building, RV

Park are Newest

Basketball Tournament

Additions of

Chehalis Tribal

Enterprises

By Fred Shortman, Editor

Youth enjoyed competing in the first Chehalis Youth Basketball Tournament

to be held at the tribe’s Community Center. Pictured (L-R) top row are Marvin

Youckton Jr., Logan, Coach Ray Lopez, Sr., Brian Ranger, Ray Lopez, Jr.,

Oscar Jackson, Shawn Youckton, Geo Jack, TJ Pickernell, and Jacob Black.

Front row (L-R) are Marcus Youckton, Carla Thomas, Gary Ortivez, III, Jordan

Bird, and Coach Bruce Klatush, Sr. Front is Alex Youckton.

By Carla Thomas, Events Coordinator Assistant

We first would like to say thanks to

our Chehalis Tribal Youth Basketball

Tournament volunteers. Many thanks to

Diana Pickernell. She was totally devoted

on our opening day of the tournament. She

was our official bookkeeper. She stayed

throughout the entire day, so thanks so

much, Diana, for such devotion!

While she was on the books, her sister,

Francis Pickernell, was keeping the clock

and scoreboard running. You really deserve

props for that one so.., thanks for stepping

up and volunteering when we really needed

someone! You didn’t abandon us.

We can’t forget thanking Darrin Jones

and Deidra Hawks. They stepped up to the

plate and did a game on the score board.

Also there was Ange Youckton, and Bruce

Klatush who were there for us in many

different aspects of the tourney, taking

garbage out, keeping the score book, and

coaching when our lil’ team needed!

The teams were in three divisions and

finished in the following order:

18 and Under Boys

Nisqually - MVP Jordan - All Stars: Kurtis,

Rikki

Skok - MVP Tre - All Stars: Berry, Cedric

Chehalis Bobby - All Stars: Bobby Jones,

Rikki Sutterlict, Cody

Chehalis Frazer

LaPush

Chehalis Marky - All Star: Marky

See Basketball Tourney, page 4

Storage Building

You can hardly miss the new building

at the main entrance to the reservation

along Anderson Road. It’s the Chehalis

Tribal Enterprises storage building. I’m

reminded it is a “storage building” and not

a “warehouse” (with lots of coming and

going and in and out operations). Indeed, the

building is designed to store tribal goods,

records, artifacts and other miscellaneous

items.

The building is 150 feet wide and

170 feet long, or 25,500 square feet. It

is designed with a substantial enough

foundation for a future second story

mezzanine. The building looks “good size”

from the outside but, when I walked inside, I

was truly impressed and uttered a “whoaaa!”

as I comprehended how massive the area

actually is.

The purpose of this structure is to

consolidate, store, have access to, and be

able to retrieve tribal records, equipment and

supplies which were being stored in as many

as 15 off-reservation locally-owned, leased

facilities. This new building allows for

consolidation and provides adequate space

for proper filing, easy access, and retrieval

when needed.

The interior space is subdivided into

secure storage spaces for each tribal

department and provides secure limited

See Enterprise, page 4

Multi-Generational Native Women’s Health Fair Helps Over

115 Women Stay Healthy with Experts and Workshops

By Christina Hicks, Community Health Coordinator

On Thursday, May 13, the Native Women’s

Wellness Program held the MultiGenerational Native Women’s Health Fair

at the new Chehalis Tribal Community

Center. We had ladies attend from the

Chehalis tribal community, Cowlitz Tribe,

Skokomish Tribe, Quinault Tribe, Oakville,

Rochester, Centralia, Chehalis, Olympia,

Seattle, and Aberdeen. There were over 115

ladies who attended.

This event was held to support National

Women’s Health Awareness Week

(May 9-15). It was a time for our tribal

community women to come learn and take

care of themselves: Women are the back

bones of our families and communities.

There were 30 vendor tables: The

American Cancer Society, National Cervical

Cancer Coalition-Pacific NW chapter,

Lewis-Mason-Thurston Area Agency on

Aging, Olympic AAA, ADSA-Living

Well with Chronic Conditions, DSHS,

SHIBA, Providence Sound Home Care &

Hospice, Native Wellness Institute, SPIPA Comprehensive. Cancer, Tribal Bear Project,

Colon Program, Journey Women, Costco,

and Chehalis tribal programs: Native

Women’s Wellness Program, Clinic, Dental,

Lynn Hoheisel, Diabetes Outreach Coordinator, seen tests Penny GleasonWheeler’s blood sugar level at the Chehalis Tribe’s Womens Health Fair.

Diabetes Prevention, Prevention -Tobacco,

Mental Health, Chemical Dependency,

Tribal Rez Pet Program, Tribal Housing

Authority, Heritage, three different massage

tables, reiki, and acupuncture.

The doors opened at 10:00 am with a

prayer from Patti Kinswa, a Cowlitz tribal

member who brought women from the

See Health Fair, page 4

2

Chehalis Youth Create Innovative Suicide Prevention Music CD

By Todd Denny, Music Mentor Academies

In April there were 32 youth and 14 adults

who gathered for the first ever “Chehalis

Tribal Youth Music Academy.” The group

spent four days immersed in examining

personal challenges they face at home, in

their community, and at school. During the

Academy, the youth created and recorded

an original CD of poetry and songs devoted

to cultural preservation and breaking the

cycle of violence, alcohol, drug abuse, and

suicide. The program, funded entirely by

a grant from the Northwest Portland Area

Indian Health Board, prepared Chehalis

youth for their work as musical peer

educators in their community and schools.

The idea for the Academy began with a

conversation with Cindy Gamble and Tony

Medina, who enthusiastically supported

the idea. Amy Loudermilk, tribal planner,

provided valuable technical assistance, as

did the Chehalis Business Committee, that

provided a letter of support to the grant

proposal reviewers. Amy stated, “The grant

was a great fit and an exceptional project to

work on for our youth.”

Under the guidance of Tribal Youth

Program Director Tony Medina, Heritage

Program Coordinator Elaine McCloud,

and Music Mentor Academies (MMA)

Program Directors Todd Denny and Jose

Gutierrez, the tribal youth were deeply

involved in creating a poignant CD.

Gutierrez observed, “It’s always powerful

when youth and elders communicate. The

Academy helped facilitate that connection.

Initially shy attendees quickly warmed to

express their personal feelings about suicide,

a difficult and important issue for all tribal

communities.”

Youth enjoyed spending the weekend creating and recording music for the

first ever Chehalis Tribal Youth Music Academy. Pictured (L-R) top row are

Tony Medina, Todd Denny and Elder Elaine McCloud. Middle row (L-R) are

Issack Hofstetter, Denay Young, Savanna Bird, Kiahra Pickernell, Valerie

Pickernell, Jerry Youckton, and Kathy Horn. Bottom row (L-R) are Mei-lien

Tanner, Daniel Gitchell, Bradley Gitchell, Jordan, Nathan Wittwer, Roberta

Youckton, and Jubilee Kainz. In front is CJ Youckton.

Kelly Horn of the Washington State

Youth Suicide Program presented a Youth

Allies Workshop that focused on three

critical areas: Show you care -- Ask the

question (are you thinking about killing

yourself?) and -- Call for help (1-800-273

TALK.) She said, “The more we build

protective factors for our youth, the less

likely they are to become depressed and,

possibly, suicidal. The Music Academy

serves as a protective factor in that it

provides a way for youth to express their

thoughts and feelings in a productive,

healthy way. It allows them to share a

message of hope to others.”

Elder Elaine McCloud remarked, “I have

a personal interest in the project since my

sister died from complications of a suicide

Oakville Senior Honors Chehalis Basket

Weaving Tradition for Cultural Arts Credits

By Diane Devlin, Cultural Coordinator

classes on Thursday evenings, where she

On May 14, 18-year-old Shelby McCrory

picked up all kind of tips and stories about

featured her basketry skills for the tribal

gathering and weaving from the elders.

community at the Gathering Room located

Note: Tribal elders who share a love for

in the new Community Center. Shelby

taught a cedar weaving class to demonstrate weaving meet on Thursday nights and help

community members with weaving projects

the skills she had engendered from years of

watching, learning and finally doing. Shelby or teach new ways to work with weaving

materials. The name “The Red Cedar Hat

showed participants how to make cedar

Club” was a nix-name we gave ourselves

woven graduation caps. In recent years,

one evening and it just stuck.

tribal students who graduated from public

Recently Shelby accompanied the Tribal

schools have opted to wear a cap woven

Cultural Coordinator on a cedar pulling trip.

from cedar, rather then the customary cloth

Each year the tribe issues cedar gathering

cap. The class turned out to be a big hit.

Shelby, a senior at Oakville High School, permits to tribal members for the purpose

of gathering and preparing cedar bark for

spent the past two years with the Chehalis

basket making. Shelby learned there are

Tribal Cultural Program developing her

basket weaving skills from gathering to final traditional rules to follow when gathering

basket materials, rules that have been passed

product. Shelby began recording her school

down from generation to generation. In

project last year. She wanted her Senior

addition to the types of tools we use to pull

Cultural Art Theses to showcase Chehalis

basketry and allow herself to carry on the art the bark, she also learned what we do not

do. For example: We never take more then

of basket making in her family.

Shelby comes from a long line of notable a fourth of the bark from a tree, so as to

guarantee the tree’s continued life.

basket weavers. Her great-grandmother is

Shelby learned many more gathering

Master Basket Weaver Katherine Barr and

aunties include Master Basket Weaver Cindy rules and techniques: We only gather from

female trees. We can begin to gather as early

Andy and Master Basket Weaver Marie

as March. Later in the summer it is best to

Griswold. There is a saying in my family

that we use when we see a person who picks travel up into the mountains to gather bark.

No bark is ever gathered in the fall or winter.

up the art of weaving so easily: We say, “It

Before the pulled cedar bark is brought

is in the blood.”

home, the puller must clean the outer bark

Shelby not only picked up the art of

weaving, she has the skills to teach others as off the ribbon-like bands that were extracted

from the trees. The cleaned bark is then

well. Last year Shelby was selected as one

rolled up and tied for easy packing.

of a few “Youth Featured Weavers” during

The cedar Shelby pulls is stored by

the 2009 NNABA National Basket Weavers

hanging it in a dry, covered space. Often

Conference held at the Great Wolf Lodge.

cedar is stripped into one-inch, half-inch or

Shelby was delighted to share and pass on

quarter-inch strips for weaving

her knowledge of weaving to eager younger

baskets. When Shelby is ready

weavers from around the country.

to make a basket, she splits the

When told by her instructor during

strips of cedar until they are

her junior year at Oakville High

paper thin for the best results

School that she needed to develop and

in weaving a fine basket.

implement a Native art project for a

The great thing about

cultural art credit prior to graduation

seeing our younger people

from high school, Shelby had no doubt

learning to weave is that we

in her mind what she wanted

know we have done our

her project to be. Shelby

job and the art will not

wanted to give back

die with us, but will be

to the community

honored for another

by sharing her

generation. The task

weaving talent she

then falls to those

had learned from

we have taught to

her family, and

pass it on, so our

acquired while

traditions will

participating in

live on. Shelby

tribal sponsored

McCrory is doing

weaving classes.

just that.

Shelby took

Shelby McCrory is an Oakville High School

it upon herself to

Senior who has made the commitment in

attend “The Red

passing on weaving traditions.

Cedar Hat Club”

attempt. I tell my story and share my pain

so hopefully it touches someone and helps

support prevention. The kids were enjoying

themselves once they got comfortable,

working hard yet having fun. The use of

music to spread the message about suicide

prevention really touched me.”

Sindick Bura and Kurtis Kelly, members

of the Nooksack music team, helped fuel

the passion for music creativity with high

energy musical performances and youth

song writing mentoring. MMA staff,

including professional recording engineers

and musicians, worked with youth, parents

and elders to record both traditional and

contemporary music.

The wide range of talent included

budding poets, traditional drummers, and

hip hop girls. The Academy included

daily suicide awareness workshops, music

and poetry project development as well

as jam sessions. Todd Denny said, “Our

goal is to break the cycle of secrecy and

denial regarding suicide in our Native

communities. To achieve this, there were

frank conversations with young tribal

members. We are taking an important step

toward health for future generations.”

Though the Academy ended in April,

the music created by the Chehalis youth

lives on. Follow-up visits with the youth

are preparing them to present their music as

peer educators at a community CD release

celebration this June. Watch for flyers. A

unique component of the Academy enables

tribal youth to evolve into an ongoing peer

education group which will continue to

attract other youth. The final CD will include

over 28 songs professionally recorded for

distribution to the participating youth and

the community.

Program partners that were instrumental

in accomplishing the music program goals

are the tribal youth program staff, including

the Chehalis Business Committee, Youth

Program Director Tony Medina, Tribal

Health Program Coordinator Cindy Gamble,

Heritage Program Coordinator Elaine

McCloud, Grant Writer Amy Loudermilk,

the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health

Board, the Washington State Youth Suicide

Program and the crucial component of

Chehalis parents, elders, and family.

For further information, contact

Todd Denny, Director, Music Mentor

Academies at 360-866-7140 or email info@/

ToddDennyMVP.com

Youth Learn Language, Cedar Work

While Making Gifts for Moms

By Fred Shortman, Editor

In April youth made an assortment of gifts

for Mother’s Day. What a special way to

honor mothers and recognize the love and

time they commit to raising their children.

The children attended classes in the Cultural

and Youth Center classrooms. They were

focused and committed to finishing their

projects so they could present them to their

mothers.

Cultural Center

At the Cultural Center classroom,

children decorating flower pots and making

handmade cedar roses. This two-day class

involved decorating pots with Elders

Sally Pikutark and Diane Devlin. Their

commitment greatly assisted the completion

of these Native gifts. The youth were also

assisted by Elder Elaine McCloud in the

making of cedar roses. On a special note,

Dan Penn, Language Coordinator, had

“Happy Mothers Day” in the Chehalis

language placed on each individual pot

and the youth learned how to say “Happy

Mother’s Day!” when they presented the

special gifts.

Youth Center

Youth Center staff Theresa Pannkuk and

Marla Medina provided craftwork supplies

like bobble heads, cups, flower pots, and

flowers for the youth to make Mother’s Day

gifts. Jerry Youckton and Theresa Pannkuk

encouraged the children use paint pens to

decorate their little bobble heads. The youth

displayed their artistic concepts choosing

different arrays of colors to paint with.

They personalized their bobble heads by

trimming the photos and gluing their smiling

faces onto them. Youth smiled and laughed,

thinking about what their mom, grandma

or aunt would think of their personalized,

handcrafted gifts. Others were seen

decorating cups or putting together flower

arrangements for their mothers.

Volunteers always make it successful,

and many thanks to

Valene Klatush, and

Frank Boyd. It was

great watching the

youth work on their

projects.

Elders and

youth work

together making

traditional

Mother’s Day

gifts at the

Cultural Center.

Chehalis

Tribal

Newsletter

420 Howanut Road

Oakville, WA 98568

(360) 709-1726 (office)

(360) 273-5914 (fax)

newsletter@chehalistribe.org

Articles and opinions expressed in this

publication are not necessarily the opinions

of this publication or the Chehalis Tribal

Business Committee.

Business Committee

David Burnett, Chairman

Don Secena, Vice Chairman

Jessie Goddard, Treasurer

Cheryle Starr, Secretary

Dan Gleason, Sr., 5th Council Member

Chehalis Tribal Newsletter Staff:

Fred Shortman, Communications

Coordinator. Go to this direct link

for online newsletters copies: www.

chehalistribe.org/news-events/index.html

The Chehalis Tribal Newsletter encourages

tribal members to submit letters, articles,

photographs, and drawings to be considered

for publication. These are subject to editing.

Contributing writers, artists, and

photographers include Chehalis tribal

community members and staff.

Submission deadline: 6th of each month

Printed: Each month

The Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis

Reservation...

“People of the Sands”

3

Honoring our Elders:

Janette WhiteClaw

“..enjoys time with her grandkids and reading the Bible...”

Jeanette WhiteClaw was born to Elsie (Beckwith) and Alfred Pepion. She is 64 years

old. Her maternal grandparents were Lizzie (Williams) and Ernest Beckwith. Her

paternal grandparents were John and Julia Pepion. Her only sister, Carol, has already

passed on.

Jeanette’s mother, Elsie, had five brothers and four sisters, and her father came

from a large family from the Blackfeet Tribe in Montana. He had nine brothers and ten

sisters. Several of her father’s sisters lived to be over 100 years old.

Jeanette has five children; three sons and two daughters from her first marriage.

She has 27 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. She has been married to

Richard Hazen since 1997.

Elsie raised Jeanette and her sister,

Carol, by herself. She spent much of her

childhood in California. Jeanette went

to school in Eureka, California, until the

middle of 11th grade, then she got her GED.

She remembers her mother attending beauty

school for a year, but she didn’t pursue that

career choice. Her mother enjoyed washing

dishes and continued being a dishwasher up

to a year before she died.

Jeanette looked forward to coming home

during the summer to her Grandpa Ernest

Beckwith’s house. Her grandmother had

died in childbirth and her grandpa did his

best to raise all nine kids on his own. She

was real close to him. She considered herself

one of his favorites, along with Albert

Ortivez, Jr.

In the summer they would go blueberry

picking and then go swimming. He would

set his net, and in the evening he would go

check his nets and go sell his fish. Jeanette

says he taught her so much from how

to drive a car to how to play slahal. She

remembers asking if she could practice

driving the car and he said she could. She

drove round and round: It seemed like for

over an hour. Her grandpa had gone in and

took a nap, and when he woke up and saw

Jeanette still driving, he poked his head out

and hollered at her to “bring that car back.”

Her grandfather had two beautiful

gardens. In the summer he was always

getting food ready for the winter, but he

would find time to lay a blanket out, and she

would get to lay in his arms and take a nap.

She said she would have beautiful dreams

while she slept in Grandpa’s arms. She

remembers he would give her anything she

asked for like money or a camera.

Jeanette remembers once when she

and Albert Jr. finished early from picking

blueberries, so they went to the river to

fishing. Because they hadn’t returned from

berry picking, her grandpa started worrying

about them. He searched the farm where

they were supposed to be berry picking,

and discovered they weren’t there. He was

really worried and didn’t know where they

could be. When he finally found them, he

was so mad he punished them by saying,

“No dinner, ice cream, and no swimming.”

When he finally calmed down, he ended up

cooking the fish they had caught, and taking

them swimming anyway. He told them that,

more than anything, he was just worried

about them.

When Jeanette was visiting during the

summer months, she became good friends

with Janice Beckwith and Lorraine Klatush.

Jeanette remembers walking over to

Lorraine’s to visit. Lorraine had a boyfriend,

but Jeanette remembers she wasn’t allowed

to have a boyfriend. So she would ask

Larraine all kind of questions about having

a boyfriend. When she asked Lorraine if she

kissed him and Lorraine said yes, Jeanette

remembers she acted like a typical preteen

girl and got all giggly.

When she was about 13, she had a

boyfriend in Little Boston at the Camp

Meeting. They didn’t do anything but sneak

a kiss. Her grandpa had a little book that he

wrote information in and he wrote, “Jeanette

has a boyfriend.”

A bunch of kids had gone to the beach

Janette smiles and waves a greeting

to her fellow Elders as she and

her husband arrive at the Elders

Christmas dinner.

back then, people did not getting paid for

and had jumped into the water. Jeanette

their time, so they worked at it because

said they were smelly and dripping wet.

they believed in the tribe. They had good,

Somehow her grandfather discovered that

friendly relationships.”

she was with her boyfriend. The rumors

She has words of encouragement for our

were that they were “getting too friendly.”

youth. “Respect your elders. Our children

When she returned from swimming, he

should be encouraged to respect each other

grabbed her and marched her in the church

and make good sound decisions, like our

all wet and smelly. Later, when he found

parents did with us in the past.” And, she has

out who the boyfriend was, and what had

suggestions on how to improve opportunities

really happened, he tore the pages up. He

had mistakenly though her boyfriend was an for our youth. “It would be nice to see more

activities for them to keep them out of

older guy.

trouble.”

Jeanette stays at

home these days,

dedicating her free time

to her grandchildren by

babysitting. She says

she treasures every

moment she spends

with them. She also

reads the Bible and

goes to church.

Jeanette is very

frank when asked

what she thinks about

the tribe today. She

feels discouraged

due to the outside

influence of nonIndians working

for the tribe who

don’t understand

This 1956 p

our ways. “It’s

hoto was ta

ken at the L

Church duri

ittle White

not like when

ng the Chri

stmas prog

Jenette wa

ram when

s eight years

Grandpa was on

old. Picture

are Lorrain

d front (L-R

e Klatush a

the Committee,”

)

nd Janette.

Winsor, and

B

a

ck is Joyce

said Jeanette. “It

Janette’s s

ister, Carro

l Joe.

was all volunteers

Elders Can Continue Living at Home Two Kinds of Bankruptcy Get

by Using These Easy Safety Tips

Clear Explanations

By LaVonne Fox, PhD, OTR/L

For the majority of Native American

elders, living at home is their preference

and, in most cases, is the preference of

their families. The main reason elders

have to leave their homes is because they

have fallen and hurt themselves. There are

simple changes you can make in your home

that will make living at home safer and

more comfortable. Most of the tools and

products you need to make these changes

are available in your local hardware store or

home improvement center. You can begin

making some of these simple changes right

now.

Increase Lighting Throughout Your

Home

„„Open the curtains and use natural light.

„„When light bulbs burn out, replace them

with higher wattage bulbs; especially

the lights over the counters and stove in

the kitchen, in the bathroom, on porches

and sidewalks, and in entrance halls and

stairways.

Walk Safely

„„Remove all rugs that you could slip or trip

on.

„„Remove clutter in the hallways,

doorways, and stairs so you can walk

safely and easily through your home.

„„Remove or replace any worn or torn

carpeting and linoleum. Nail down trim

or floor boards that are uneven or sticking

out.

„„Make sure no nail heads are sticking out.

„„See if someone can put handrails in the

hallways so you have something to hold

on to for support and balance.

„„Wear shoes or slippers that are flat,

nonslip, fit well, and are comfortable.

„„Have someone help you move furniture

and extension cords in each room so you

can move around safely without tripping.

„„Paint or put bright colored tape along the

edges of steps so you can see where each

step begins and ends.

Make Your Bathroom Safer

„„If it is hard to sit on the toilet, you can

buy a piece that attaches to your toilet set

to make it higher so you don’t have to

bend down as far.

„„Change your showerhead to one that

allows you to control how hot the water

is so you don’t burn yourself.

„„Put non-slip strips or a rubber mat on

the floor of the tub or shower so you

don’t slip and fall.

„„Have someone put grab bars around

the bathtub and near the toilet so you

have something to hold on to. All that

is needed is a screwdriver and tape

measure.

„„If you have trouble balancing or get

tired easily when taking a shower, buy a

bath bench to sit on while you shower.

It’s safer and makes it easier for you to

take your shower.

If you are interested in some grab bars,

shower mats, walkers, canes, or a portable

toilet, and you are an elder, please contact

Christina Hicks at the Chehalis Tribal

Wellness Center at 360-709-1741. You

must be an elder over age 55.

Bankruptcy is a legal proceeding for

people or businesses unable to repay their

outstanding debts. The two most common

types of personal bankruptcy are Chapter 7

and Chapter 13 – named for chapters of the

Federal Bankruptcy Code.

Filing for bankruptcy is generally

considered a worst-case scenario because

the results are so long-lasting and farreaching: Bankruptcy can remain on your

credit report for up to 10 years and make it

difficult to obtain credit, buy or rent a home,

get insurance or even a job.

It’s also expensive and complicated:

Chapter 7 bankruptcy can cost thousands

of dollars in up-front lawyer’s fees, plus

fees for a court filing, mandatory credit

counseling and budgeting courses, and

Chapter 13 is even more expensive. Under

Chapter 7 (“liquidation”) bankruptcy, an

administrator or trustee is appointed to

sell most of your assets, aside from certain

exempted necessities such as your primary

residence, a car, clothing, home furnishings

and work tools. Pensions and 401(k)

accounts are usually protected as well.

Once assets are liquidated, the trustee

distributes the proceeds to your unsecured

creditors. In exchange, many unsecured

debts, such as credit card and medical

bills, are forgiven, or discharged. However,

secured or fixed debts, such as mortgages,

student loans, taxes, alimony and child

support typically are not erased.

Eligibility for Chapter 7 is determined

by a “means test” which requires you to

confirm that your income does not exceed

a certain amount. The court uses the means

test to determine whether or not you have

sufficient money available to make at least

minimal payments to creditors under a

Chapter 13 plan. If you fail the means test,

your case will be dismissed or converted to a

Chapter 13 filing.

Chapter 7 bankruptcy typically remains

on your credit report for up to 10 years.

Also, you must wait eight years after having

debt discharged before filing again.

Under Chapter 13 (“reorganization”)

bankruptcy, debtors with steady income

are allowed to keep property they might

otherwise lose, in exchange for agreeing to

use future income to repay creditors over a

three-to-five-year period. You are assigned a

trustee with whom you develop a proposed

debt repayment plan.

The bankruptcy court decides whether to

accept or alter the plan, or to dictate another

plan. After it’s approved, both you and your

creditors are bound by the plan’s terms.

Generally, you make payments to a trustee

who in turn distributes the funds according

to the plan’s terms. Once all payments are

completed, the court will formally grant a

discharge of your debts.

Chapter 13 bankruptcy typically remains

on your credit report for up to seven years.

Also, you must wait at least two years after

having debt discharged before being able to

file Chapter 13 again.

Under bankruptcy law, before filing for

bankruptcy you must first receive credit

counseling from a government-approved

organization within six months before filing.

To find an approved credit counselor in your

area, visit the U.S. Trustee Program at www.

usdoj.gov/ust

In addition, after filing but before your

debt is discharged, you must also complete

an approved debtor education program. (Go

to www.justice.gov/ust/eo/bapcpa/ccde/

de_approved.htm to find one.) You must

receive certificates of completion from

each program in order to proceed with your

bankruptcy.

4

Basketball Tourney (continued from page 1) Enterprise (continued from page 1)

access. Space was designed in collaboration

with the various heads of the departments.

The building was built at the direction

of the Tribal Council for all the right

reasons, and the various departments and

their staff members are looking forward to

enjoying the benefits and efficiencies of their

improved storage building for years to come.

RV Site, AKA “Mt. Chehalis”

The elevation of “Mt. Chehalis” stands

at 120’ above sea level. Not much of a

mountain, perhaps, but that is one, big pile

of dirt. Perhaps you’ve noticed it. It’s at the

north end of the reservation across from

EOT II along Anderson Road.

The 2.6 acre site is being developed by

Chehalis Tribal Enterprises as a 34-site RV

park, complete with water, electricity, WiFi,

and a sanitary dump. “Mt. Chehalis” was

created as the first stage of site preparation

and it will soon disappear as the work on the

site progresses. Confederated Construction

Company (CCC), the tribe’s construction

entity, is the prime contractor for the RV

park.

Chehalis Tribal Recreational Vehicle Park Site Plans

In the 18 U girls division pictured here is Taholah playing Chehalis during the

Youth Basketball Tournament. The game was very competitive and everyone

had fun as they demonstrated their basketball skills on the court.

18 and Under Girls

Taholah - Iya, Alicia

Chehalis - Jordan, Tammy

14 and Under Boys

Chehalis Marky - All Stars: Geo, Jacob and

Jordan

Chehalis Ray Ray - All Stars: Oscar, Shaun,

Logan

This was a fun, happy-go-lucky opening

tournament. It was an exciting one to say

the least. There was the very first-ever Point

Contest (first ever in Indian Ball). Everyone

was invited to participate. Our own Kayley

Trott from the Chehalis Tribe took it for the

girls division. Dustin Larkin won the boys

division. The winners of this event received

$20 cash prizes. It was a lot fun and we

should make this an annual event.. Aaaye.

Another new one for us is the MVP’s

from our 18U championship game, receiving

$100 cash prizes. Winners of this were

Cedric of Skok (2nd Place) and Jordan of

Nisqually.

As you can see, the Chehalis Tribe was

represented by having six teams in the

tournament. This was awesome because

without them this whole thing would have

been canceled...couldn’t have that! It was

to our unfortunate timing that we scheduled

our tourney the exact same time as

Nisqually’s tourney. Next year we’ll have to

schedule this one earlier in the tournament

season, so be looking for us earlier in the

year next year.

The most outstanding person in the

whole tournament would have to be Marcus

Youckton. He has a great attitude about the

game and about helping out in whatever

needed to done to make things happen. He

wanted to play on a team in every division,

but he cut his hair and couldn’t find enough

girls that wanted to play...lol.

But seriously, he kept himself involved

in this tourney in two different brackets the

14U and 18U. In the older bracket where

his lil’ team was struggling, he had came to

me and said, “I know Auntie, all I have to

do is play hard all the way through this win

or lose, right Auntie?” I answered, “Right

Marcus, play hard and have fun doing it!”

(They came back from being down by 17

points and made it a close game losing by

only 2 points).

He also is part of the Canoe Family and

they were running concessions, so of course

he was in there getting orders out as we

arrived (8 am!). I’m very proud of this lil

guy. He is a great leader and I’m proud to

say he is my nephew!

2010 Fisheries Steelhead Season Successful

By Andy Olson, Fisheries Biologist

The Chehalis Tribe Fisheries Program is

staying busy even when they aren’t fishing.

The new fish hatchery has been opened

and fish are in the building. Sheena Tanner

is happy to have some fish to care for, and

looks forward to watching them grow. The

fish are Rainbow Trout that will be released

at the ponds property for the Fatherhood

Fishing Day on June 18th. More fish are in

the works and eggs will be online in the

near future. Hopefully some of the fragile

runs can be helped by the Chehalis Tribe’s

conservation effort and recovered with the

hatchery.

The Steelhead season wasn’t as bleak

as the Spring Chinook last year, as good

numbers of fish returned and we had lots

of large fish caught. The fishermen began

to catch Steelhead in December and fished

until February operating on a two-day-aweek schedule. The fishermen made just

over $18,000 and paid over $500 in fish

tax to the Fishermen’s Fund. The Steelhead

averaged over eight pounds, and the biggest

fish was over 23 pounds. During the 2009-

2010 Steelhead season, there were usually

excellent flows for fishing and 15 fishers

participated. The new fish house was really

nice to enjoy with amenities like the new

digital scale and the large two-room walk-in

cooler. The space available for us is great

and we look forward to expanding the use of

the fish house with processing.

We didn’t have any major flood this

year, so impacts on fish from them should

be small, and the downstream migrant trap

has counted lots of Spring and Fall Chinook

and thousands of Coho. Hopefully ocean

survival conditions are good and we can

look forward to an upturn in the number of

fish returning to the Chehalis.

The Spring Chinook forecast doesn’t

allow for a commercial fishery this year, but

the Salmon Ceremony fish will come from

the Chehalis River and there will be a Tribal

Salmon Ceremony for 2010. The fishermen

all remember what happened in the 80s with

Spring Chinook, and nobody wants a return

to those days with returns of less than 300

fish. Last year there were only 650 Spring

Chinook counted on the

spawning grounds. The

forecast for this year is

even lower than last year

so these fish need to be

protected.

Sheena Tanner,

Hatchery

Technician,

releases Rainbow

Trout into the

rearing troughs

at the Hatchery.

These fish will

be grown before

releasing them on

the pond’s property

for the Fatherhood

Fishing Day in June.

Updating Your Current Address

with the BIA Can Find Big Money

Whereabouts Unknown (WAU) is the term

used for an Individual Indian Money (IIM)

account whose owner’s current address

information is not available to the Office of

the Special Trustee for American Indians

(OST). Some WAU accounts have thousands

of dollars just waiting for account owners!

Two account holders were glad they

stopped by the OST outreach booth at an

American Indian festival in August of 2009.

When the account holders updated their

address information, they found that one

account held more than $14,000 and the

other had a balance over $6,000.

To find out if you have a WAU account,

go to the OST website at www.doi.gov/ost/

wau. Each of the listed names represents an

account which may contain money for the

account owner. However, some accounts

have only land ownership interests. The

Trust Beneficiary Call Center (TBCC) is

another source to check. Call the TBCC, toll

free, at 1-888-678-6836 Monday through

Friday from 6 AM to 5 PM, and Saturday

from 6 AM to 11 AM.

Health Fair (continued from page 1)

Cowlitz Tribe. The ladies were given a

raffle ticket, and a passport, which they took

to each table for someone from each table

to initial. Once this was completed, it was

returned to the registration table for a gift

bag. Each gift bag included breast health

information, pink ribbon car magnet, key

ring, bracelet, sun screen, lotion with SPF

70, and a pedometer.

The passport created interaction, ensuring

that all tables were visited, and information

was exchanged. Along with the blood

pressure and diabetes screenings, H1N1

shots were also available. All the ladies had

their pictures taken. They were printed on

the spot and given to them in a frame.

with breast cancer and answered questions

from the audience. Christina Hicks also

talked about the NWWP, and mentioned

that each of the SPIPA tribes have this

program. She also asked the ladies who

did monthly CBE and mammograms to

raise their hands, and also asked those

who haven’t done these screenings to

raise their hands. Only a few hadn’t had a

mammogram.

„„Lori Stone, from the National Cervical

Cancer Coalition-NW Pacific Chapter, did

a presentation on HPV, cervical cancer,

and screenings, and answered questions.

All these workshops had about 35 in

attendance.

There were also four different workshop

presentations:

„„Jutta Riediger from Tribal Bear Program

did a 30-minute presentation on Hepatitis

C, STD’s and HIV/AIDS.

„„Pat Odiorne, Diabetes Prevention

Manager, did a healthy cooking demo and

made homemade “chili mac.”

„„Theresa Youckton, a Chehalis tribal

member, talked about the importance

of women’s health screenings, monthly

breast exams, CBE, and mammograms,

and talked about her own battle twice

There were door prize raffles every 30

minutes, the grand prize being a one night

stay at the Eagle’s Landing Hotel. Also

given away were two $50 Lucky Eagle

Grand Buffet gift certificates, two $25 Shell

gas cards, candles, relaxation gifts, T-shirts,

bags, travel mugs, aprons, bath sets and lots

more…..

Thanks to the many sponsors that helped

make this a successful health fair: AVON,

DOH-tobacco funds, the Northwest Portland

Area Indian Health Board, and the Office of

Women’s Health.

Men’s Health Fair

Wednesday, June 2

4 PM - 7 PM

At the Community Center

Gathering Room

There will be a barbecue, over 20

vendors. Grand prize raffle: STIHL

chainsaw, Cabela gift cards, 1 night

stay at Eagle’s Landing, gas cards,

and more. A free-throw shooting

competition and lots of information

about staying healthy. Contact

Christina Hicks at 360-709-1741.

Facilities Master Plan

Thursday, June 3

4:30 PM - 6:00 PM

at the Community Center

The facilities Master Plan looks at

buildings, sidewalks, open space and parks.

The Plan focuses on the land between

Howanut Road and Secena Road, and from

Anderson Road to Niederman Road.

Come see how your ideas have fit

together into plan options, and share your

thoughts on the proposed options for future

development on the reservation.

Please contact the Planning Department

at 360-273-5911 or Ena Myers at 360-7091811 or email emyers@chehalistribe.org.