A Wyandotte Nation Publication

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The Turtle Speaks

Gyah'-Wish

Atak-ia

A Wyandotte Nation Publication

Volume 26, Issue 1

www.wyandotte-nation.org

February 2022

Santa brings merriment to 'most'

Holidays in

Pictures

Page 4

Gyah'-wish Atak-ia is published quarterly for Tribal

Citizens by the Wyandotte Nation at its headquarters in

Wyandotte, Okla.

The Wyandotte Nation

8 Turtle Drive

Wyandotte, OK 74370

(918) 678-2297

(800) 256-2539

Fax (918) 676-7022

Inside:

•

Board appoints Nesvold to fill vacant position

Pieces of Our Past: The Walker Collection

Crosswinds Casino expands with non-smoking area

Page 2

Wyandotte Nation | Gyah'-wish Atak-ia

Board of Directors

Chief........................................Billy Friend

Second Chief.....Norman Hildebrand, Jr.

Councilperson.................... Ramona Reid

Councilperson........................ Vivian Fink

Councilperson..................... Rob Nesvold

Councilperson.......................Eric Lofland

Content

Holidays in Pictures............................... 4

The Walker Collection........................... 5

Crosswinds Casino expands................. 6

Woody retires after 16 years.................. 6

Tribal Department Reports............. 8-14

Shop With a Cop.................................. 15

Important Numbers............................. 16

CALENDAR.......................................... 16

Editor/Design: William Swaim

Cover Photo:

Santa was on

hand to greet

kids at the Childrens Christmas Party.

Photographer: William Swaim

Have News?

Share it

We want to hear from you! Send us

news or stories you may have or suggest

features for us to work on.

Email: wswaim@wyandotte-nation.org

Phone: (918) 810-0089

www.facebook.com/WyandotteNation

www.twitter.com/WyandotteNation

www.instagram.com/wyandottenation

www.youtube.com/WyandotteNation

From the Chief

February 2022

Billy Friend

Opportunity met with success

Happy New Year!

At the end of each year, most of us

take stock of what we have achieved

and make plans for the year to come.

If we take a close look at what we

accomplished during the year, it is

surprising to discover we have made

some real headway. Of course, we

have days during the year when we

feel as if we have just been spinning

our wheels. However, if you look at

some key accomplishments, you can

measure the results and see how much

progress you are making!

At the Wyandotte Nation, the

Wyandotte people were at the top of

our minds during the year. Our team

actively worked to develop new opportunities to make your life better and

bring you closer to your Tribe.

This past year we have been able to

increase our educational scholarships

and death benefits, expand the Elder's

Assistance Program nationwide, and

several other programs increased and

expanded services.

As our society has changed over the

past several decades, it is important

to be responsive to those changes,

and especially to your needs. Today,

single parents raising children are

much more common. People are living

longer, which mean our elder population is growing. These changes present

opportunities for improvement in our

delivery of services.

The Wyandotte Nation began delivering meals to elders in our service

area who were unable to travel to our

Elders Nutrition Center. We also

doubled the size of the Bearskin Clinic

and added on a drive-thru pharmacy

window. We continue to build more

houses and duplexes to provide housing opportunities for our citizens. We

hope to have the infrastructure in

place for our newest housing edition,

“Turtle Hill Estates,” and begin building housing by early to mid-summer.

The Board of Directors voted to

make our Wyandotte Cultural Department their own division within the

Tribe. By doing this, we are dedicating the resources necessary to help

fulfill their mission of “Preserving the

Future of our Past.” Kim Garcia, our

Cultural Administrator, and her staff

have done a great job providing our

citizens the opportunity to participate

in a wide variety of cultural activities.

Years ago, we had strictly limited

resources for services and were almost

completely dependent on federal

funds, which were inadequate to fulfill

our true needs. We instituted changes

in order to develop new resources for

us and, in turn, present new opportunities for all Wyandottes. It was determined that, as a sovereign nation,

we would grow our own, self-made

businesses to get where we needed

From the Second Chief

to go. We even made plans to enter

commercial businesses and generate

returns to support our programs.

The Wyandotte Nation is an acknowledged leader among the federally-recognized tribes here in Oklahoma

and across the nation. We have met

with success in commerce, and those

successes fueled the growth of our

essential programs and provided new

opportunities for Wyandotte people.

Every day we witness success stories,

and it is incredibly gratifying to see

Wyandottes grow and prosper.

We are now one of the largest employers in Northeast Oklahoma, and

our growth continues daily. We are

engaged in several business ventures,

which indicates our value of diversification. We have a very innovative and

dedicated management team keeping

our businesses operating and productive.

We must continually adapt to

the changing lifestyles and needs of

Wyandottes across the country and

around the world. We desire to always

bring to you the very best your Tribe

has to offer!

Yes, 2021 has zoomed past, and

we can take a bit of time to check our

achievements. We plan to keep up

the pace in 2022 with our mission to

enhance and improve the quality of

life of the Wyandotte people.

Norman Hildebrand, Jr.

History: Wyandottes & tobacco

Kweh Omateru

Hello, my friends. Well COVID is

still a thorn in our side and we expected a surge after the holidays, we just

didn’t expect one this huge so quick.

Our new drive-thru COVID testing

and vaccination building have been

busy, with cars lined up every day. We

have also had a high rate of positives,

which is never good, but hopefully,

it will start to diminish in the next

few weeks. I know the hospitals are

getting full again and that takes a toll

on our health care workers. God Bless

them for what they do.

I heard an interesting statistic on

my way to the office: Freeman Hospital in Joplin, Mo., has 35 COVID

patients they are treating, and 33 out

of the 35 patients are unvaccinated.

So if you aren’t vaccinated, please consider it, it could mean the difference

between life

and death

because

the vaccine is working. It isn’t 100%

effective but so far it has shown to be

about 90% effective in fighting this

COVID virus. This is a global health

pandemic and we need everyone to do

their part so we can get back to some

See 2nd Chief, Page 3

February 2022

www.wyandotte-nation.org

Page 3

Board appoints Nesvold to fill vacant position

The Wyandotte Nation Board of

Directors appointed Rob Nesvold to

the Board to fill a vacant position

left after the passing of Juanita

McQuistion.

Nesvold was sworn in as the newest member of the Board Tuesday,

Nov. 9, following the Board’s meeting at the Tribal Administration

Building. The vacancy was left open

after no qualified candidates ran for

the position during the last election.

As defined in Article X of the Constitution of the Wyandotte Nation: If a

vacancy occurs in any position of the

Board of Directors, the remaining

Board of Directors shall appoint a

qualified person to fill the vacancy

for the remainder of the unexpired

term.

Nesvold previously served on the

2nd Chief

Continued from Page 2

sort of normalcy.

If you haven’t been to the Wyandotte area the last couple of years and

you get to come back hopefully for our

Gathering and Pow-Wow this year you

will notice a lot of changes. We have a

new Administration building up on the

hill, the renovation of the preschool

will be done next month and the

renovation of our Police and Courts

building will also be done probably

close to the first of March. We are very

excited for those two departments.

We have architects working on the

plans for the new preschool and a

new Title VI building, and everyone

is excited about these projects. The

Wyandotte Nation continues to grow

for the betterment of our citizens and

the Wyandotte community.

The Wyandottes, as well as many

tribes in this country, have used

tobacco for ceremonies and eventually

for pleasure, but mainly for ceremonies. There are many myths regarding

how the Wyandottes obtained tobacco

and here is one that William Connelly

had published.

How the Wyandots obtained the

tobacco plant:

The village stood by the lake. Clear

streams flowed into the lake from the

hills. On the hills were large trees.

Election Committee for the Wyandotte Nation for several years. In

addition to his service on the election committee, Nesvold previously

served as a City Council member

for the City of Seneca, where he

currently resides, and is currently a

member of the Seneca School Board.

He is married with three kids.

He said he looks forward to serving the Tribe again for the betterment of all tribal citizens.

(PICTURED RIGHT) The Wyandotte

Nation Board of Directors, from

left, Eric Lofland, Vivian Fink, Rob

Nesvold, Ramona Reid, Second Chief

Norman Hildebrand, Jr., and Chief

Billy Friend.

William Swaim | Wyandotte Nation

The Hawk Clan lived in this village.

In the village lived an old man of the

Bear Clan. He had a young wife of

the Hawk Clan. Two daughters were

born to them. When she was twelve

years old the first daughter died. Much

grief did her death bring to the Old

Man and his young wife. When the

second daughter reached the age of

twelve, she, too, was seized with a fatal

sickness, and soon died, also. And the

mother soon died of grief. The Old Man

was left alone in the lodge, in deep

sorrow. But he went about to do good.

He was held in much esteem by all the

village of the Hawk people.

One day when the Old Man, and

others of the village, were standing

by the lake, a large flock of immense

Hawks half-a-tree tall came flying

over the blue hills to the lake. They

wheeled and circled about the lake and

its shores. One of their number fell to

the ground. It lay on the lake shore

with its wings thrown above its back

like a dove shot with an arrow. The

other Hawks flew about for a short

time. They screamed and called to each

other. Then they flew back over the blue

hills from whence they came.

The visit of the Great Hawks to the

lake terrified the people in the village.

And those standing on the bank of

the lake by the Old Man ran about

and called aloud from fright. The Old

Man was not frightened by the Great

“In order to deserve, we must pay our dues and steadily work for

perfection. We must relish in struggle, and relinquish pride. We

must dispel fear and seek enlightenment. We must shun division

and honor love. We must know our hearts and seek to understand others. We must try, live, create, feel, grow and love.”

----Bryant McGill

Hawks. He said, “I will go and see

the stricken Hawk that fell down. The

people said, “Do not go to the Hawk.”

But the Old Man replied, “I am old,

my life is almost done.” The heavens

are black. I am full of sorrow. I am

alone. It can matter little if I die. And

I am not afraid of death. I will see the

stricken Hawk.

He went on. The way grew dark.

But the Hawk lying on the ground

remained before him. As he advanced a

great flame swept down and consumed

the Hawk. When he came to where it

had lain ashes were all about. Lying in

these was a living coal of fire in which

he saw his firstborn daughter. He

stooped to look. He saw it was indeed

his daughter. He took her up, she spoke

to him. Then the other people of the

village came also. The child spoke to

them. She said, “I have returned with

a precious gift for the Wyandots. I am

sent with it to my own clan, the Hawk

people.”

Then she opened her hands, they

were full of very small seeds. These she

planted in the ashes of the fire from

which she had risen. Soon a large field

of Tobacco grew from the little seeds.

The girl lived with her people. She

taught them how to cultivate and cure

the Tobacco, she taught them to make

offerings of it, and to smoke it in pipes.

And the Wyandots were thus more

fortunate than other people, they alone

had Tobacco.

Quite a little story isn’t it? Chris

Houk at the Cultural Center grew

tobacco last year in the garden outside

of it as well as the Three Sisters

(beans, corn, and squash) from which

he made a very good soup -- everyone

will have to ask him about it. They

are doing many fascinating things at

the Cultural Center to keep up to date

with our website for the many various

classes they offer online.

It always has been and still is an

extreme pleasure and honor to serve

the Citizens of the Wyandotte Nation

as Second Chief!

Page 4

Wyandotte Nation | Gyah'-wish Atak-ia

February 2022

Holidays

in Pictures

Photos By William Swaim | Wyandotte Nation

(Counter clockwise from top left) We hosted

a Thanksgiving Dinner in November for our

elders and the community. We held our annual

Children's Christmas Party Dec. 11. Santa was

on hand to take photos with children in front

of a Longhouse backdrop made by the Culutral

Center. The Elders Christmas Dinner was held

Dec. 16. The Wyandotte High School Choir

kicked off the dinner, singing a few Christmas

Carols. Santa passed out goodies.

February 2022

www.wyandotte-nation.org

Page 5

Pieces of Our Past | Tribal Heritage

The Walker Collection

All items discussed below were

donated by some of the great, great,

grandchildren of Isaiah and Mary

(Williams) Walker and delivered

by Wyandotte Nation citizen Bert

Walker. Their generosity has allowed

the future opportunity to see Pieces

of Our Past. These are things that

were used and held, written, and

cherished by our Ancestors.

Contact period of our history. The

kettle is surprisingly light considering its size. Walker Family legend

states it was used for boiling sap to

make syrup. Another Walker family

member recalled having a bath in it

as a young child.

Chilocco Diploma

Spoons

The spoons, most of which are of

the “fiddle-back” design, are very

much like tracks of our ancestor’s

time in Ohio. The Makers’ Marks on

their backs tell a story that would be

easily missed to the casual observer.

The oldest are marked with a

simple J.S. Three makers used

J.S.:

• John Sanders

• John Shea

• Josiah Snatt

These spoons are from London

circa 1808.

William Swaim | Wyandotte Nation

Some of the pieces of the Walker

Collection feature a rare book

(above), a spoon collection (below

left), and diploma (below right).

Also pictured (Courtesy Photo) is a

choker necklace made of wampum

worn by BNO Walker.

The next oldest is marked, H.

Safford:

• Harry Safford, maker.

These spoons were made in Zanesville, OH circa 1816-1822.

The last identifiable were

marked H.R. Holman and Holman & Co:

• Henry Ralph Holman, maker.

Holman made these spoons In

Cincinnati, OH circa 1855-1858, and

then in Kansas City circa 1859-1862.

Wampum

The wampum donated by Bert

originally comprised our sacred

wampum belts. A

Union Captain named

Hopkins and his men

had been defeated

at the July 1st and

2nd, 1863 Battle of

Cabin Creek, and

were retreating. They

found Tauromee’s

cabin unoccupied but

did find the chest of

wampum belts. These

were promptly taken

out and destroyed.

According to BNO

Walker, after the

war, several women

went to the cabin site and collected

the wampum and put it on strings,

often used as necklaces. All the

wampum in the collection is on

strings. In addition to the strings,

there is a choker necklace made of

the wampum that was worn by BNO

Walker in a performance of the Song

of Hiawatha and can be seen in this

photograph.

Copper Kettle

A large copper kettle

with an iron bail was

donated that will

probably hold close to

40 gallons of liquid.

It is believed to have

belonged to Mary

Williams Walker and

had been passed down

through her side of the

family. One professional from the Smithsonian stated he believed

it was from the Early

Books, Chilocco Diploma, and

Manuscripts

Stories and histories about our

people by our people are very valuable. Among the collection, you will

find an inscribed (signed) copy of

Origin and Traditional History of

the Wyandotts by Peter Dooyentate

Clarke. This is a rare book as only

1,000 were privately printed in 1870

using Peter Clarke’s own money.

(A transcription of the book can be

found on the Nation’s website).

The collection included the diploma of Bert’s grandfather, Kenneth Walker, from Chilocco Indian

School in 1908. Kenneth attended

three Indian Schools – Seneca Indian

School in Wyandotte, OK, Haskell

Indian Institute (now known as

Haskell Indian Nations University)

in Lawrence, KS, and Chilocco

Indian School near Ponca City, OK.

His high school notebooks from a

botany class are another glimpse into

the coursework required of students

at that time. There was also a 1915

Yearbook from his time at college.

Family bibles can also be valuable

See WALKER, Page 7

Page 6

Wyandotte Nation | Gyah'-wish Atak-ia

Economic Development News

February 2022

www.wtok.org

Crosswinds expands with non-smoking area

By Hannah King, KAKE

Reprinted with Permission

Link to Video/Article: www.kake.com/

story/45632164/crosswinds-casinoadds-allnew-nonsmoking-gaming-floor

PARK CITY, Kan. - Located at 777

Jackpot Way in Park City, sits the

Crosswinds Casino.

Despite opening less than a year

ago, the Sedgwick County Casino has

already expanded.

Crosswinds Casino has announced

its all-new- non-smoking gaming

floor is now open. The new addition

now accounts for 1/3 of the casino's

space.

"Oh I tell everybody... come down...

try it out. It's very clean and people

are very nice," Patty LeDuc, someone

visiting the casino said.

The casino has been in Park City

for 10 months. It's full of bright

lights, bling and is a facility many

like to frequent.

Patty LeDuc has been visiting the

casino since it opened in early 2021.

(File Photo) William Swaim | Wyandotte Nation

The night view of Crosswinds Casino in Park City, Kansas. The casino recently expanded to include a non-smoking area.

"This has been great for the community... They should have done it a

long time ago, but I guess it couldn't

pass," LeDuc said.

"We opened up to a huge response

from the players. One of our main

complaints was smoking and we

needed to expand," Kevin Lien, General Manager of Crosswinds Casino

said. "We had two complaints, one

was smoking, the other was a line."

So they did expand, by adding

another 300 machines and making

an entire section non-smoking.

The casino is all in one building,

but now you can choose to go in either a smoking or non-smoking side.

Now, the casino sits at 30,000

square feet total.

"I think they like our product, we

try to provide entertainment for

them. It's a different product than

what is offered in the area," Lien

said. "Our product is closer to what

has been offered in the Oklahoma

market.

General Manager Kevin Lien says,

as the casino grew, its parking lot

also needed to keep up.

"We are putting in an additional

parking lot," Lien shared.

See CROSSWINDS, Page 7

Jan Woody retires from WTOK after 16 years of service

By William Swaim

Wyandotte Nation

A retirement reception was held Dec. 20

at River Bend Casino & Hotel for longtime Wyandotte Tribe of Oklahoma (WTOK) employee

Jan Woody. Woody is retiring as Controller for

WTOK after 16 years.

WTOK CEO Kelly Carpino and co-workers

presented her with a few going away gifts and

shared stories.

“As much as we are going to miss Jan, we

are excited for her as she gets to set out on this

next venture of retirement,” Carpino said. “She

wears the hat of controller, overseeing the

integrity of our financial reporting, but she’s

played such a bigger role in each of our pieces.

“Jan, thank you very much for 16 years,

we are going to miss you very much and I am

excited for you. We want you to come back and

visit us any time. We love you, we thank you.”

Wyandotte Nation Chief Billy Friend echoed

those thoughts in wishing Woody the best,

adding that not only did Woody fulfill her

job description, but went above and beyond,

especially volunteering to help out at many

Wyandotte Nation community events.

“You can replace positions, but you can’t

replace people, and we will never be able to

replace Jan Woody as a person, but we appreciate everything she’s done for the Wyandotte

Nation,” Chief Friend said. “I always say

everyone who works for the Wyandotte Nation

makes a difference, Jan has been here long

enough to see the difference we have made in

people’s lives.”

She leaves a big hole to fill, but Carpino

said Woody has been preparing her successor,

Dalana Rutledge.

Woody was touched by the kind (and funny)

things said about her years at WTOK.

“I want to thank you all for coming. All the

wonderful things you have said about me, are

tenfold over how I feel about all of you and

William Swaim | Wyandotte Nation

Jan Woody, front row right, pictured with fellow

department managers Scott Horner, Ron Brown, CEO

Kelly Carpino, Katie Thompson, and Ed Lambert.

the Wyandotte Nation,” she said. “I love you guys, I’m

going to miss you so much.”

February 2022

www.wyandotte-nation.org

Page 7

WTOK N ews & N otes

This past year has brought much

excitement and change to our

organization. After many years of

battling the land in trust process, we

were able to open the first phase of

the long awaited property in Park

City, KS, Crosswinds Casino. The

launching of Crosswinds triggered

the first of several leadership

changes within our gaming division.

I am excited to announce formally

the transfer of Kevin Lien from

7th Street General Manager (GM)

to Crosswinds GM and the promotions of Jerrell Royal to 7th Street

GM and Casey Ellett to River Bend

Casino and Hotel GM.

River Bend Casino & Hotel

Casey Ellett was recently promoted to General Manager for

River Bend Casino and Hotel. Casey

brings to the GM role more than

10 years’ experience in the gaming

industry along with an in-depth

knowledge of the RBCH property

and customer base.

Casey joined the former Wyandotte Nation Casino team in 2009

and has been serving the property

as Assistant General Manager since

June of 2018. Prior to that, he led

the marketing team as the Marketing Manager for the casino.

Casey’s brings with him passion

for the casino industry and a proven

dedication to building a business for

the Wyandotte Nation that aligns

with our core values.

Casey is a graduate of Missouri

Southern University with a BA in

Mass Communications and BA in

Public Relations. He and his wife

Alyssa, have two children, Asher

and Parker.

7th Street Casino

Jerrell Royal was named the new

General Manager at our 7th Street

Casino property in Kansas City, KS

in March. He has been with the

casino for the past 8 years serving

as the Assistant General Manager

in charge of operations since August 2020 and Marketing Manager

responsible for developing daily

promotions, direct mail and media

campaigns. Jerrell holds a Master’s

Degree in Administration from University of Missouri Kansas City and

prior to joining the 7th Street Casino

team he was the Assistant Director

of Marketing at a casino property in

Iowa.

Jerrell is originally from Atlantic

City, New Jersey and grew up in

the gaming industry from the time

he was 18. His career has given him

the opportunity to work in several

markets, including Las Vegas, New

Orleans, Chicago and North Kansas

City, as a marketing leader. With

experience of working in frequency

and destination markets, he brings

a unique perspective to 7th Street

Casino. His focus is to continue to

build on the success of the property

and to improve the guest experience. Jerrell’s is married and has

two children ages 12 and 13. He is

very excited to be in his new role

as General Manager and is looking

forward to meeting the challenges of

the future.

Crosswinds Casino

Kevin Lien is the new General

Manager at our Crosswinds Casino

property in Park City KS. Kevin

joined the Wyandotte properties

in November 2014 as the General

Manager of 7th Street Casino, where

he operated that property until

the opening of Crosswinds Casino.

Kevin has work in the gaming

industry for 23 years, starting as a

Controller in a small Tribal casino in

South Dakota. He has also worked

as an Associate Manager and Bingo

Manager before becoming a General

Manager 18 years ago. Over his

gaming career, he has worked for six

different tribes.

Kevin grew up in rural South

Dakota where he started his career

in the construction industry after

receiving his business degree from

Arizona State University. He

worked in numerous trades in that

industry. He earned a second degree

in Accounting from Northern State

University in Aberdeen, S.D., while

working in the construction industry

and before venturing out into the

gaming industry. Since entering the

gaming industry, he has worked for

three tribes in South Dakota, a tribe

in Michigan and a tribe in Wisconsin. Kevin is very happy to be working with the Wyandotte Tribe and

enjoys the challenges of expanding

the casinos with the whole team.

Kevin is single and enjoys home

project both interior and exterior.

He spends his free time working on

home improvement projects. He also

has a large family, being the second

of six siblings. Though not living

close, he does spend time visiting

them on occasion.

Please join me in congratulating all three of our leaders on

their new opportunities.

-- Kelly Carpino, CEO, Wyandotte Tribe of Oklahoma

CROSSWINDS

Continued from Page 6

Lein says the casino works hand in

hand with the City.

"We are here to support the community. We are a team player," Lien

WALKER

Continued from Page 5

sources of information as it was common practice to write down inside

marriages, births, deaths, and other

family histories to record it all in

one place. If you have an old family

bible with this information but the

bible itself is falling apart – please

do NOT have it rebound; instead,

find an acid-free storage box. Rebinding requires the binder to cut the

said.

The Wyandotte Nation owns the

casino and where it sits. It's on

around 100 acres. The casino only

takes up about 10 (acres).

"There is extra land for potential

growth. We would like to help develop

this area for the City of Park City.

The tribe is very diverse and we could

bring other opportunities here too

besides the just casino," Lien said.

Lien says, it was a challenge, expanding during a pandemic, with supply issues and shortages and delays

with products, but they made it work.

original book and if the information

is written down, it can be lost in the

process. Personal correspondence

gives another important glimpse into

our ancestors’ lives. This collection

contains a letter from BNO Walker

to his brother, Tom, written in 1905,

which gives insight into a story BNO

submitted to a contest, “The Navajo

Ring.” The story is also included in

the collection but has no date on it.

Thanks to the letter, we can put an

approximate date of creation – some-

thing we wouldn’t have had without

the letter! We also learn that BNO

feels like he does not have enough

time to write all that he wants to

write.

Other manuscripts donated

include a second unpublished story

by BNO Walker, also carefully typed.

The writing was very important to

him when he was very young. At age

11, he was invited to co-edit the Seneca Indian School newspaper – the

only boy and the youngest student

ever asked. He later returned to the

school as a teacher.

We hope you will consider donating items by and about Wyandottes

to our museum: books, bibles, letters,

photographs, documents, not just

artifacts. If you are unsure it is

something we would consider, please

reach out and ask! We would be

happy to discuss it with you. Contact

our Tribal Heritage Department.

-- Chris Houk, chouk@wyandotte-

nation.org.

Page 8

Human Resources

Submitted by Deana Howard, HR

Director

The Wyandotte Nation Police

Department is proud to welcome T.

Danny Morris as a Wyandotte Nation Police Officer.

Danny has 22 years

of experience with

Law Enforcement

between Missouri

and Oklahoma. He

graduated from

MSSU Law Enforcement Academy. Danny enjoys

spending time with

MORRIS

his wife and family.

In his spare time enjoys hunting and

the outdoors. He is also very active

in his church. We are very fortunate

to have Danny and wish him much

success in his new position.

The Human Resources Department is happy to welcome Christopher Smith. Chris will now be

serving in his new position as Information Technology

Technician I for the

Wyandotte Nation.

WTOK Economic

Development employed Chris since

March of 2019 and

he transferred to

the Wyandotte Nation in November.

He has his degree

SMITH

in Information

Technology from Tidewater Community College. Chris has worked

for several years in the Information

Technology field. He enjoys hunting

and fishing, and loves spending time

with his family and friends. We are

happy to welcome Chris and wish

him success in this new position.

The Wyandotte Nation Title VI

Department is very happy to welcome tribal citizen

Randee Crouch as a

Food Service Team

Member. Randee

has two Associates Degrees, and

previous customer

service and food

experience. She

enjoys working out

and having “me”

CROUCH

time. Randee loves

Wyandotte Nation | Gyah'-wish Atak-ia

T ribal D epartment R eports

spending time with her family, fur

babies, watching movies and anything outdoors. We are very fortunate to have Randee.

The Wyandotte Nation Education Department is very happy to

welcome Emma Loding as an After

School Childcare

Assistant. Emma

is currently a senior at Wyandotte

High School. She

moved to Miami

form Rosemead,

Calif., in 2017.

She enjoys crafts,

specifically sewing, and playing

LODING

with dogs. When

not in school she spends time going

on hikes with her family members.

We are very glad to have Emma in

Education.

Family Services

Submitted by Dana Butterfield,

Family Services Director

I am sure like most of you, we in the

Family Services Department are tired

of dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic. The New Year has started with

an increase in cases across Oklahoma

Green Country, which appear to be the

same for most of the country. Fortunately, we have not had an interruption to services and hope this remains

the case. However, we ask that you

refrain from visiting the office in person if you are not feeling well or have

tested positive for Covid-19, even if

you believe you are asymptomatic. We

are happy to assist you by phone and/

or email to the best of our ability. We

are also working to incorporate a drop

box in front of our office to help with

limiting contact for the safety of you,

the tribal citizen, and the staff.

On Dec. 11, we held a drive-thru

Children’s Christmas party with 210

children participating. All children

and youth 15 and under received small

gifts and a $25 Walmart gift card.

Children were also able to get out of

the vehicles and have a picture taken

with Santa in front of an amazing

Longhouse backdrop purchased by the

Heritage Department. If you have not

seen pictures yet from this event be

sure to check them out on the Nation’s

Facebook page or earlier pages in the

newsletter.

At this moment, we are still moving forward with plans to host Town

Hall meetings in both Newport Beach

and Sacramento, Calif. The Newport

Beach meeting is scheduled for Saturday, April 9, with the Sacramento

meeting to be held the following day,

Sunday, April 10. Tribal citizens

who reside in these areas will receive

a postcard invite to the meetings.

Please watch the website and social

media for updates that will be coming

in regard to the meetings.

In the remainder of this article, you

will find information about some of the

programs offered through the Department. For a full list of programs and

information, please visit our website at

www.wyandotte-nation.org. The website is also receiving a facelift shortly

so be sure to check back often.

As always, it is our pleasure and

honor to serve the Wyandotte people

and if there is ever anything we can

do for you please do not hesitate to

Winter Programs:

Winter Clothing – Began Nov. 1

and ends Feb. 28 for all enrolled Wyandotte Nation children age 18 (grade

12) and under who reside in OK, MO,

AR, and KS. Reimbursement program or Walmart gift card is for $100

per child. Applications, along with

guidelines, are available on the home

page of the Tribal website. Please note

there are separate applications for the

gift card and reimbursement program.

If you did not return your gift card

receipts for either the School Supplies

or last year’s Winter Clothing, you will

be required to use the reimbursement

program this year.

Senior Energy - $100 assistance

paid directly to the utility provider.

Available to all enrolled citizens

nationwide age 55 or older.

LIHEAP – LIHEAP is a federal

grant-funded program, with services

available between Dec. 1 and Feb. 28

for tribal citizens residing in Oklahoma. This program is income based

and proof of income is required, along

with other required documentation.

February 2022

NOTE: APPLICATIONS FOR

THE ABOVE WINTER PROGRAMS MUST BE RECEIVED OR

POSTMARKED BY FEB. 28 TO

BE ELIGIBLE. BILLS/RECEIPTS

MUST BE DATED BETWEEN

OCT. 1, 2021, AND FEB. 28, 2022.

Elders Assistance – One-time expense for $250 for tribal elders aged 55

and over. This program was expanded

to all Wyandotte Nation Elders as of

Oct. 1, 2021.

The following programs run

throughout the year for residents

in OK, MO, AR, KS. Applications

must be received or postmarked by

Sept. 30:

Extra School Expense/Extracurricular Activities – One-time

payment of $100 per student aged pre

– K (at least 3 years old) through 12th

grade.

Jr/Sr Benefit - $250 benefit for

expenses associated with the Junior

and Senior years of High School.

Fuel Assistance –Fuel assistance

programs include: Hardship – personal hardships, travel for work/job

interviews, etc.; Medical – travel to/

from doctor/dental appointments and

pick up prescriptions. An appointment

card must be presented and fuel must

be received before attending the appointment; Major Medical – extreme

medical issues (must be life-threatening, terminal, etc. not chronic medical

issues) that require multiple trips

outside of the local area. The program

provides fuel vouchers through the

Turtle Stop convenience store for local

tribal citizens or tribal citizens who

travel to the Bearskin Healthcare and

Wellness Center.

Other Programs provided by

Family Services:

Child Safety Seats - Each child

is eligible for three seats in different

sizes and can be picked up at the tribal

office.

Promoting Safe & Stable Families/Indian Child Welfare – This

Continued on Page 9

February 2022

www.wyandotte-nation.org

T ribal D epartment R eports

Winter Clothing

Program Information

Application dates Nov. 1, 2021 – Feb. 28, 2022

Receipts can be dated between Oct. 1 and Feb. 28

• Program is available to enrolled citizens 18 (enrolled in

high school) and under who reside in the states of Oklahoma,

Missouri, Arkansas and Kansas.

• All purchases need to be rang up separately for each child!

• Please only have program eligible items on each child’s

receipts and there should only be one child’s purchases on

any receipt that is submitted with the application.

• Allowable purchases include: coats, gloves, earmuffs,

scarves, winter hats (no ball caps), pants, shirts, socks, underwear, pajamas and shoes/boots.

• Unallowable purchases include, but are not limited to:

shorts, swim wear, food or accessories, i.e. hair care products,

jewelry, perfume, make-up. If you have any questions as to

what is eligible, please feel free to call the Family Services

staff at any time.

• You must show $100 for each child on the Walmart card

program. For example: don’t spend $50 on one child and use

the remainder of their card on another child’s purchases.

• For online purchases: Must send full receipt/full email. No

screen shots or partial receipts. Receipts must show purchase date, individual item price, subtotal, tax and payment

information (visa/store card/paypal, etc.). The order summary

is not enough as these usually only show estimated taxes.

Also, when you add up the receipts on the application be sure

figure in the discounts and promotions on your amounts.

Remember… individual receipts for

each child, with program eligible items

only. Please don’t include other grocery

shopping items or other family member

clothing items on receipt.

Continued from Page 8

program is funded through a federal

grant from the Administration for

Children and Families, and is designed to help keep children in their

homes with their family or ensure

that if there is a need for removal that

federal guidelines are adhered to and

the best interest of the child is first

and foremost. If your family is in a

situation where the state is involved,

please contact one of the Tribal Social

Workers.

Enrollment – Aug. 15 is the deadline to be considered for enrollment at

the 2022 Annual Meeting. Applications must be submitted along with an

original state-certified birth certificate.

New Enrollee Benefit - Each ap-

plication received before a child’s first

birthday will receive a $100 Walmart

gift card and a blanket embroidered

with the Tribal Turtle.

Tribal Tags – Available for tribal

citizens who reside in Oklahoma. Passenger, RV, Motorcycle, and Handicap

tags are available. Proof of residency

is required. Please call the office for

prices and additional information.

Please contact Tiffany Garner with

any tag-related questions, at 918-6786353.

Supplemental Health Benefit

(Benny Card) – New Wyandotte

Nation citizens should have received

their Benny cards in December along

with any replacements for cards that

have expired. The new cards are now

blue. However, if you still have a red

card, it is still active. All accounts

were loaded on Jan. 1, 2022, and the

benefits are the same as previous

years with a $1,000 per year benefit

for adult (18 and over) tribal citizens.

Tribal citizens who have enrolled

Wyandotte Nation dependents will

receive an additional $1,000 for a

maximum of $2,000 per account.

Please keep in mind that this benefit

is only for enrolled citizens of the Nation and is not to be used for spouses,

stepchildren, etc.

Account balances can be obtained

at any time via www.mytrustmark.

com, by calling Trustmark at 800-9909058 option 2 for Flexible Spending

Accounts, or via the mobile app. If you

have a smartphone I strongly encourage you to download and use the app.

With the app, you can view balances,

file claims, see purchases/expenses,

see if any receipts are required, and

scan items to see if they are eligible

expenses. A flyer with information

to set up the app can be found on the

homepage of our website.

Burial Assistance – This benefit

was increased to $2,000 beginning

Oct. 1, 2021. Funds will be paid to the

funeral home or the family representative if the funeral is paid in full.

Family Violence

Prevention Program:

The Wyandotte Nation receives

grants from the Office of Violence

Page 9

Against Women, Office of Victims of

Crime, and the Administration for

Children and Families to help support

victims of domestic violence, sexual

assault, dating violence, stalking, and

sex trafficking within a 25-mile radius

of the tribal headquarters. A victim

is not required to be Wyandotte or

Native to receive services from this

program. Services offered include

advocacy, court accompaniment, assistance with obtaining protective orders,

relocation expenses, and other basic

needs.

The Domestic Violence Advocate/Educator regularly makes presentations

to schools and organizations providing

education and awareness about these

issues. On Oct. 1, 2021, the Wyandotte Nation Crime Victim’s Advocate,

Kristi Johnston, relocated from the

Police Department to the Family Services Department. Kristi has worked

for the Nation for five years and has

been a great addition to the Department. She can provide services and

advocacy to all victims of crimes. The

Department has also added an Advocate to assist with Elder abuse; Jenny

Reeves began employment in January

and has prior advocacy experience.

February is Teen Dating Violence

Awareness month and April is Sexual

Assault Awareness Month. Be sure to

follow the Wyandotte Nation Family

Violence Prevention (FVPP) Facebook

page for information about program

activities and outreach/awareness

Continued on Page 10

TAG REMINDERS:

• Must be an enrolled citizen of the

Wyandotte Nation, an Oklahoma

resident AND the car must be principally garaged in Oklahoma Indian

country.

• Oklahoma Insurance Verification

must accompany renewals (except

for RV’s and Travel Trailers).

• If you are purchasing a new/used

vehicle, the Tribal citizen’s name

MUST be on the Title at the time of

assignment. Wyandotte Nation Tax

Commission staff CAN NOT add or

delete names.

For questions, please call

(918) 678-6353

Page 10

Wyandotte Nation | Gyah'-wish Atak-ia

February 2022

T ribal D epartment R eports

Continued from Page 9

Honoring our Veterans

information. If you are currently

involved in an unhealthy relationship,

please reach out to Lisa Arnold (see

below for contact information), regardless of where you live. If you are not in

an area where we can provide services,

she can put you in contact with someone who can help you.

Our Elder Services Department

honored veterans

during a lunch

and presentation in advance

of Veterans Day

in November.

Helping with the

presentation were

the Wyandotte

Nation Honor

Guard (Larry

Hamilton, pictured below left,

and John Webb,

pictured below

right), as well as

Beth Marsh with

Good Shepherd

Hospice and

Hannah Weinrich

with Grandwood

Assisted Living.

Family Services Staff:

Director, Dana Butterfield, 918678-6319, dbutterfield@wyandottenation.org

ICW Supervisor, Tara Gragg,

918-678-6355, tgragg@wyandottenation.org

ICW Worker, Carmalita Ward,

918-678-6485, cward@wyandottenation.org

Tag Administrator, Tiffany

Garner, 918-678-6353, tgarner@

wyandotte-nation.org

Family Services Specialist,

Leeanna Radabaugh, 918-678-6329,

lradabaugh@wyandotte-nation.org

DV Advocate/Educator, Lisa

Arnold, 918-678-6324, lisaarnold@

wyandotte-nation.org

DV/SA Advocate, Cesilie Hale,

918-678-3269, chale@wyandottenation.org

Victims of Crime Advocate,

Kristi Johnston, 918-678-6340,

kjohnston@wyandotte-nation.org

DV/SA/Elder Abuse Advocate,

Jenny Reeves, 918-678-6486,

jreeves@wyandotte-nation.org

Photo by William

Swaim | Wyandotte

Nation

Elder Services

Submitted by Brenda House, Elder

Services Director

The Elder Services (Title VI) Team

would like to thank all of the staff

and volunteers who helped with

our Thanksgiving and Christmas

Dinners. We served 342 meals for

Thanksgiving and 383 for Christmas.

We are excited to be working on

plans for our new Elder Services

Building! We hope to break ground

sometime this spring. It will be located across the street West of Bear

Park. Our new building will have a

drive-thru window.

It is always a pleasure serving the

Wyandotte Nation tribal citizens.

Please feel free to call us anytime.

Caregiver

For the safety of our staff and

Elders, we have suspended our Care-

giver Support Group Meeting once

again due to the spike in COVID

numbers. We hope that we will be

able to meet in person again soon.

This group is for all current and

former caregivers. It is also for

Grandparents raising grandchildren.

Elder Services Team:

Brenda House, Elder Services

Director, (918) 678-6327.

Stephanie Hamilton, Food

Service Team Supervisor, (918)

678-6328, (Office) (918)-678-6390.

Seth Higginbotham, Robyn

Beaty, Ashley Webb, and Randee

Crouch Food Service Team Members, (918) 678-6328.

February 2022

Education

Submitted by Cristi Hudson,

Education Director

I hope this addition of Turtle Talk

finds everyone healthy and safe. The

Education Department is looking

forward to a great 2022! The Education Building is still in the renovation process, but we hope to be back

in the building during the spring.

The Library will be closed during

the renovation. While the Library is

closed, I encourage you to look into

the virtual library. If you have access

to the internet, you may create an

account using your phone, tablet, or

PC and visit our virtual library at

www.okvirtuallibrary.overdrive.com.

By doing this, you will gain access to

several different eBooks, audiobooks,

magazines, and videos. You may contact the Librarian, Madeline Harnar,

mharnar@wyandotte-nation.org for

more information.

Wyandotte Nation Child Development Center is currently full in our

infant/toddler rooms, preschool,

and after-school programs, but we

are still accepting applications to

be placed on a waiting list for all

age groups: infants, toddlers, preschool, and before/after school. You

may contact Lindsay Cooper for an

application by email, at lcooper@

wyandotte-nation.org, or by phone at

918-678-3267.

Wyandotte Nation Scholarship

Program is processing spring 2022

semester scholarships. If you are currently on the scholarship program,

now that the fall semester is over

you will need to email or mail our

Education Specialist, Evan Hotulke,

your latest transcript. Your transcript will need to include your fall

2021 grades and your spring 2022

schedule for him to process your

spring scholarship.

Here are a few Wyandotte Nation

Undergraduate Scholarship reminders:

• Undergraduate scholarships

are limited to 8 semesters.

• Students will be placed on

probation for failure to complete

12 hours or more with a minimum of a 2.0 GPA.

• Students will be allowed one

probationary semester during

the program’s duration.

• Deadline for spring submis-

www.wyandotte-nation.org

T ribal D epartment R eports

Housing

Submitted by Kathy DeWeese,

Housing Director

Nahasda (Native American

Housing and Self-Determination

Act) is the program governed

by the Department of Housing

and Urban Development (HUD).

Each year a Housing Plan must

be submitted and approved by

HUD. This plan provides for the

upkeep of Nahasda units, rental

assistance to college students and

down payment assistance, as well

as the day-to-day activities of the

Department.

If you are in need of a rental

home in the Wyandotte area,

please fill out an application and

return to the Housing Office. Federal income guidelines apply.

If you are 55 and older, our

senior housing may be for you. The

duplexes are all two-bedroom, are

equipped with appliances, and a

garage. All yard work is done for

you. Title VI (Elder food program)

and Bearskin Clinic are close by. If

you are interested, please fill out

an application and return to the

housing office.

Wyandotte Emergency Rental

Assistance Program, which is part

of the Consolidated Appropriation

Act of 2021, is still available. If

you are in need of help with past

due rent, current rent, or utilities, please fill out and return the

application for assistance, which

is found of the Wyandotte Nation

website. Income guidelines do ap-

ply. This is a nationwide program.

If you have questions regarding

this process, please call or email

our office. We will be happy to talk

with you.

Low Income Household Water

Assistance Program (LIHWAP) is

now available for help for water

utilities in the state of Oklahoma.

This program is based on income.

Applications are available on the

website or by calling our office.

IHS -121 Program

This program is funded through

the Department of Health &

Human Services, to ensure safe

drinking water and proper sanitation facilities for our tribal families.

These services include drilling

wells, installing septic systems,

rural water hook-ups, and connections to city water and sewer.

There are no income guidelines.

Tribal members must reside in the

following counties: Craig; Creek;

Delaware; Mayes; Nowata; Okfuskee; Okmulgee; Ottawa; Rogers;

Tulsa; Wagoner; Washington.

Department Staff:

Kathy DeWeese-Housing Director

Don Graham- Housing Specialist

Paul Parker- Project Coordinator

Levi Griffin- Project Coordinator

Randy Qualls- Residential Maintenance Technician

Drew Lankford-Residential Maintenance Technician

Page 11

will be needed once you are placed

with a service and assigned to a

477 Specialist. If you need any of

these services, you may request an

application to apply for any of our

477 services by emailing wn477@

wyandotte-nation.org or by calling

Kasey Lewis at 918-678-3268.

We are available to assist you with

the application process in any of our

programs and we look forward to

working with you soon.

Department Contacts:

Cristi Hudson – Education

Director, 918-678-6334 or chudson@

wyandotte-nation.org

Sami Butterfield – Caseworker/

Childcare Specialist, 918-678-6330

or sbutterfield@wyandotte-nation.org

Lindsay Cooper – Early Childhood Program Coordinator,

918-678-3267 or lcooper@wyandottenation.org

Madeline Harnar – Librarian,

918-678-6332 or mharnar@wyandotte-nation.org

Evan Hotulke— Caseworker/

Education/Employment Specialist, 918-678-6331 or ehotulke@

wyandotte-nation.org

Kasey Lewis – Intake Clerk,

918-678-3268 or klewis@wyandottenation.org

Planning & Natural

Resources

Submitted by Christen Lee,

Environmental & Planning Director

sion is Feb. 15.

• Deadline for fall submission

is May 1.

To obtain an Undergraduate or

MTo obtain an Undergraduate or

Masters Scholarship application,

you can email your request or any

questions that you may have to Evan

at ehotulke@wyandotte-nation.org;

or by calling his office at 918-6786331. You may also contact Evan for

a Wyandotte Nation Stole application. Stoles are available to college

graduates that have participated in

the Wyandotte Nation Scholarship

Program.

Wyandotte Nations’ 477 Program

is accepting applications for services.

Services provided under the 477

Plan include job training and work

experience, educational assistance,

and childcare assistance.

Eligibility requirements:

• Complete signed, and dated

application

• Member of a federally recognized tribe

• Selective Service Registration Card

• Proof of residency in Service Area

Wyandotte Nation’s mission is,

“To advance the standard of living

of the Tribe…and to promote in any

other way the general welfare of the

Indians of the Wyandotte Nation.”

To carry this mission forward in

our tribal community, the Planning

and Natural Resources Department provide a variety of services

including, but not limited to, private

well drinking water sampling as

and septic assessments for private

home owners. We also encourage

and provide a place to recycle. Lost

Additional required documents

Continued on Page 12

Page 12

Wyandotte Nation | Gyah'-wish Atak-ia

T ribal D epartment R eports

Continued from Page 11

Creek Recycling Center is open to

the community and surrounding

area Monday through Thursday from

8 am to 4:30 pm and 8 am to 3:30 pm

on Friday. The facility can accept the

following materials: paper, plastic,

cardboard, tin and aluminum.

Thank you for recycling so many

materials during the winter months!

Usually we see a decrease in recyclable products during late fall

and early winter, but many of you

continue to bring us your metals,

plastics, and papers.

Amounts collected for the months

of October thru December are listed

in the table (featured right) included

with this article.

Through our EPA Water 106

Grant, we were able to sample the

water for both tribal and non-tribal

citizens within a 50-mile radius of

Wyandotte Nation and the Grand

Lake Watershed. Parameters

sampled are for coliform bacteria, E.

coli, heavy metals and nitrates. Our

Water Technicians performed seven

private well samples in addition to

three retakes since the last article.

The Natural Resources Staff have

been busy with routine monthly and

quarterly sampling of eight ambient

water sites within in the Wyandotte Nation Historic Jurisdictional

area. For the monthly sampling,

our staff measured stream flow, air

temperature, wind speed, and YSI

EXO parameters of dissolved oxygen, conductivity, turbidity, water

temperature, and ph. For quarterly

sampling, staff collects grab samples

for E. coli, total suspended solids,

and total dissolved solids. Heavy

metals are sampled on an annual

basis. The picture (right) with this

article is of John Gerhard performing

flow readings on Sycamore Creek.

During the week of Oct. 18 – 22,

the Lost Creek Recycle Center held

its Bi-annual Tire Collection Event.

We had good participation from the

surrounding community, with a total

of 604 tires collected. We anticipate

hosting an Environmental Festival

at the same time we will have our

next tire collection the week of April

18-22, 2022, in order to coincide with

Earth Day.

On Oct. 22, staff from our department had an environmental

information booth at the Bearskin

February 2022

Some of the

tires collected

during our

bi-annual Tire

Collection

Event. A total

of 604 tires

were collected at our

Lost Creek

Recycling

Center during

the October

collection

event.

Photo by

William Swaim

| Wyandotte

Nation

Health and Wellness Health Fair.

The event was held outside at the

old Eastern Shawnee Boarder Town

parking lot. Approximately 100

elders attended the event.

(Possible) Annual

Environmental Festival

(Per Covid restrictions)

Department Staff have been

participating in virtual Meetings due

to COVID restrictions. These meetings are with EPA, DOI, BIA, ODEQ

and others tribes on a regular basis.

Staff have also attended online trainings that pertain to environmental

issues related to our grants and

funding sources.

Development and construction at

Wyandotte Ridge has continued over

the past three months. The Tribe is

going to complete the infrastructure

for Turtle Hill Estates this spring.

We are also working on the road

and culvert next to this project. We

will be working with the City of

Wyandotte and Water/Waste Water

District to expand the Sewage Treat-

ment Plant.

The Grants Department received

three new awards from federal

funding agencies that will benefit

the tribal community in safety and

education. The Substance Abuse

Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) awarded Wyandotte

Nation $55,272 in supplemental

funds for the Tribal Opioid Response

grant. We received $48,185 in grant

funds from the Institute of Museum

and Library Services (IMLS), which

will allow us to hire a museum

technician who will be able to learn

best practices in creating an online

exhibit. The one-year project will

also help recover from the COVID-19

pandemic as we create an online

exhibit in order to enhance connections with the Tribe and Tribal

citizens nationwide. The Office of

Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and

Tracking (SMART) awarded the

Tribe $319,634 to maintain our sex

offender registry and participate in

the National Sex Offender Public

Website. This three year project will

(Courtesy Photo)

John Gerhard performing flow readings at Sycamore Creek.

also assist the Tribe by providing a

full-time SORNA officer, a database

to collect data, a community education program on sex offender topics

and safety planning, and a fingerprint identification reader.

The BIA Self-Governance Coordinator Submitted the annual Tribal

Transportation Program reports as

required by 23 U.S.C. 201(c)(6)(C)

Dec. 27.

Continued on Page 13

February 2022

www.wyandotte-nation.org

T ribal D epartment R eports

Continued from Page 12

The Planning and Natural Resources Department is also dedicated to

researching and applying for federal,

state, and foundation grants to benefit the Tribe and tribal community.

Projects often serve the 1,294 Tribal citizens within a 50-mile radius of

tribal headquarters; however, some

formula funded grants may serve

citizens within a 100-mile radius. Ultimately, the department’s desire is

to serve and create a positive impact

on all Wyandottes.

Feel free to contact our department

if you have a community project idea

for a grant.

Department Contacts:

Director Christen Lee, clee@

wyandotte-nation.org

Environmental Program Manager Kathleen Welch, kwelch@

wyandotte-nation.org

Environmental Technician 1

Janice Wilson, jwilson@wyandottenation.org

Environmental Technician 2

John Gerhard, jgerhard@wyandottenation.org

Recycling Center Coordinator

John Quick, jquick@wyandottenation.org

Land Management Technician

Robby Graham, rgraham@wyandotte-nation.org

Water Utilities Operator Braulio

Ramirez, bramirez@wyandottenation.org

Grant Writer / BIA Self-Governance Coordinator Debbie Dry,

ddry@wyandotte-nation.org

Grant Writer 2/ 477 Coordinator Michael Lowery, mlowery@

wyandotte-nation.org

Tribal Heritage

Submitted by Kim Garcia,

Cultural Preservation Officer

Kweh ǫmatęruʔ,

As you may have noticed, we at the

Cultural Division have been working

toward having a more online presence.

With Zoom and Facebook Live, we

have been able to reach many more

citizens from all over the country to

teach classes, host meetings, and do

more education. While we miss getting

together in-person, the relationships

that are being developed are invaluable.

All of the Zoom events that we’ve been

recording have been put on YouTube for

the Wyandotte Nation Cultural Center

and Museum. These videos are not

professionally edited but we do plan on

doing professional instructional videos

and interviews in the future.

In the month of November, we

celebrated Native American Heritage

month by doing many different things.

We taught edge beading on moccasins,

hosted a shawl making class, had a

Facebook Live to teach how to make

a 3 Sisters Stew, continued our Waⁿdat

language classes, hosted our first Wyandotte Book Club, taught how to bead on

an ornament, and learned more of our

Wyandotte History with Lloyd Divine.

We also did a ribbon skirt and ribbon

shirt contest on Facebook.

If you’d like to join us for future

events, please check our Facebook page

to see when events will take place or

to register. If you’re not on Facebook,

you can email us and we will email you

when there are events.

On Jan. 8, we hosted our annual Traditional Story Telling event. Our traditional stories are only to be told during

the winter months because the animals

do not like to hear us talking of them;

in the winter months they are sleeping

and cannot hear us. We heard so many

amazing stories from the Creation Story

to the 7 Sisters to all about Kwežahkweh

(raccoon). It was also exciting to hear a

story completely in our Waⁿdat language.

We had our first Cultural Advisory

Board Meeting of the year and we have

begun plans for this year’s events:

• Lacrosse Camp: June 21 through

June 24

• The Gathering of Little Turtles:

June 24 through June 26

• The Gathering: Sept. 5 through

Sept. 9

• Wyandotte NationPow-Wow:

Sept. 9 through Sept. 11.

We hope to see many of you at these

events and other virtual events through-

Directory of Wyandotte Names

Being gifted a traditional name in our Wandat language means that no other Wyandotte has the

same name. If you have been gifted a name in the past, please be sure to add it to our Directory

at www.surveymonkey.com/r/WNames so we can insure it is not used by anyone else during your

lifetime. (Over the years, records have been kept in several places and we don’t want to accidentally

overlook anyone!) Tižamęh!

If you cannot access the online Directory, please send: your English name, address, birthday, Wyandotte name, when & where you received it, and any story associated with it you’d like to share to the

Cultural Center. We’d appreciate it!

Interested in receiving a Wyandotte name? Look for the updated procedure before the end of

the year. Or send an email with your interest to bwright@wyandotte-nation.org and we will let you

know when the procedure and paperwork is ready.

Page 13

out the year.

Eskwayęʔ (I will see you all again!)

Department Contacts:

Kim Garcia

kgarcia@wyandotte-nation.org

918-678-6317

Sherri Clemons

sclemons@wyandotte-nation.org

918-678-6344

Chris Houk

chouk@wyandotte-nation.org

918-678-6318

Beci Wright

bwright@wyandotte-nation.org

918-678-6480

Teresa Wilson

twilson@wyandotte-nation.org

918-678-6385

Wyandotte

Book Club!

The Cultural Center is hosting an online book club every

quarter. For our first meeting

we read Braiding Sweetgrass

by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Our

next meeting will be in February

(offered once during the day,

once in the evening). Look at

the Cultural Center Facebook

page to find out what we are

reading next! Support your local

independent bookstore when

you can.

If you’d like to suggest future

titles, remember that they 1)

must be written by a native

author, 2) must be available

in paperback, and 3) must be

available as an audiobook. If

you are interested in leading a

future session, let Beci know at

bwright@wyandotte-nation.org.

Page 14

Wyandotte Nation | Gyah'-wish Atak-ia

T ribal D epartment R eports

February 2022

Language Notes

By Beci Wright

Wyandotte Nation

Kweh ǫmatęruʔ ! (Hello,

friends!)

Last time we learned: uturéʔ

ndekętatéh “it’s a cold day”

Depending on where you live,

you might add eyaʔⁿgwę ́ haʔ “it

will snow.” And many of us may

experience uⁿdinyęhtaę ́ :tah

“snow on the ground.” But hopefully ayaⁿdinyę ́ htaⁿda:męʔ “the

snow thawed off.”

February may also be encouraging you to think of love and

all things sweet. A vocabulary

word you might be familiar with

is yǫdurǫ́hkwaʔ which is “I love

you” spoken to one person. To tell

a group, such as your family or all

Healthcare

Submitted by Kelly Friend, Health

Services Director

The Bearskin Healthcare & Wellness Center is happy to welcome

Vicky Weidner, MD, to its staff.

Weidner is a small town Oklahoma

girl who was born and raised in

Woodward, Okla. After attending

the University of Central Oklahoma, she attended the University

of Oklahoma in Oklahoma City for

medical school and a year of Internal

Medicine internship.

She said the only time she has

lived outside of Oklahoma was

during three years of residency in

Emergency Medicine in Columbia,

S.C.

“I loved the South Carolinians with

their soft accents and warm southern

manners but family and home called

me back to Tulsa where I worked

at the Saint Francis Trauma Emergency Center for 20 years,” she said.

“Some of my colleagues and I started

the residency in Emergency Medicine

for the University of Oklahoma and I

served as the Director of the Simula-

your friends, that you love them, use

waⁿduǫ́hkwaʔ “I love you all.”

Two holidays are coming up that

feature treats: Valentine’s Day and

Easter. To describe chocolate in Waⁿdat,

you could say: uyareʔsayaʔwih

utsikeʔtaʔ and for candy you could use:

ayaʔwahšrahšǫʔah.

As yuhšréndeh (wintertime)

ends, it will be time to harvest sap

from wáhtaʔ (maple trees) because

etsikwatsikeʔtǫgyaʔ “we will make

maple sugar again.”

tsǫhkažutaʔ “one taps the tree

again”

ewateyahstaʔ “it (the sap) boils

down” … in a yaⁿdaʔtsuwá:nęh “large

kettle”

wahtaʔ utsikeʔtaʔ “maple sugar”

is also called yarǫ́taʔ utsikeʔtaʔ “tree

sugar”

And before you know it, we will be

well on our way into yęráhke:ⁿdeh

(springtime)!

Remember: AUDIO files for all

bolded vocabulary are available at wandat.org (click on “Turtle Talk”) and join

us every third Wednesday of the month

at Wandat Wednesdays (on ZOOM) to

practice together. Waⁿdat Wednesday

will not happen in February due to the

start of a new language class offering but

will resume in March.

Tižamęh! Etsiskwayęʔ (I will see

y’all again)!

tion Center and taught residents and

medical students in the emergency

department and simulation center.”

She is married to Brian Edwards

and said, ‘if you know him, you are a

lucky person.’

“I am very blessed to have him as

my life time best friend,” she said of

Brian, who works for Grand River

Dam Authority. “Together we have

raised four young adults. Our first

grandbaby arrived last summer and

we are tickled to death to be able to

see him almost daily.”

In 2017, after a lengthy illness and

recovery, she began to work in the Integris Grove Emergency Department.

“We love Northeastern Oklahoma

and the people here. I am very excited to be welcomed into the Bearskin Clinic and for the opportunity

to continue to care for the people this

region,” Weidner said.

Her hobbies are walking with her

dogs, sewing costumes for her daughter’s entertainment business, and

feeding birds. Her passions are God,

her family and caring for patients.

Optometry Benefits

have increased!

• Single Vision $225

• Multi-Focal $275

Call 918-678-2282 for more details!

(To sign up for the montly Waⁿdat

Wednesdays online afternoon or evening, go to: https://www.surveymonkey.

com/r/WandatWed to receive the zoom

link and reminders. If you are having

difficulty getting to the audio files,

Department Contacts:

Kelly Friend, Director 918-6783259

John Bearden, Compliance Officer /

Vaccines 918-678-6482

Sheryl Hogan, Business Services

Manager 918-678-3226

Ashley Crawford, Eastern Shawnee Liaison / Dental, Optometry,

Audiology 918-678-3222

Bridget Hart, Purchased/Referred

Care 918-678-3227

Flu Shots

Flu Shots now available

@ Bearskin Clinic. Walk-ins welcome

8 am – Noon & 1 – 3:30 pm

Monday through Friday

contact me and we’ll try to work out

an alternative. Be sure to send any

comments or suggestions, especially

those on your language & culture

wishlist, to: bwright@wyandottenation.org.)

Pronunciation Reminders: ʔ

is a glottal stop, like in the middle

of “uh-oh!”; the little hook under

a vowel means it is nasal – try to

pronounce it using your nose rather

than the back of your throat. The

colon : is a lengthener – say the

vowel that comes before it twice as

long as you would normally. And

the little accent tells you where to

put the stress.

-- Language support courtesy of our

Wyandotte Nation Linguist, Dr. Craig

Kopris. All mistakes are my own. –

Beci

Deana Sweatt, Pharmacist 918678-3247

Refills, Automated Pharmacy Refill

Line 918-678-3244

Did you know that

Wyandotte Nation

tribal citizens may be

eligible for these

benefits?

• Up to $275.00 towards glasses

or contacts

• Up to $1000.00 on Adult

emergency dental

• Up to $2,075.00 towards audiology services for hearing aids

• Up to $750.00 towards Adult

dental services

• Children’s dental is unlimited.

Call 918-678-3222 to find out

more information.

February 2022

www.wyandotte-nation.org

Page 15

N ews & N otes

Making a difference: 'Shop With a Cop' helps 27 families

The Wyandotte Nation Tribal

Police Department (WNTPD) held

its annual Shop With a Cop recently. Unlike previous years, due to

concerns over COVID, the officers

delivered gifts and food baskets to

27 families and 78 kids. Normally,

the officers and volunteers would

take the kids shopping and treat

them to lunch and a wrapping

party afterwards.

Local families experiencing

economic hardships can’t always

provide their children with their

own celebration of Christmas. That

is where the ‘Shop With a Cop’

program comes in, joining underprivileged children with WNTPD

officers and other area tribal officers, providing Christmas presents

for kids and their families. Local

donations and volunteers make

this program possible.

Each child received $100 for their

gifts, a good bag worth about $35,

and a candy train. In addition, each

family received a food basket with

about $100 worth of goodies in it,

including canned foods, fruit, bread,

milk, chicken, ham and a lot more!

Officers would like to thank all the

volunteers for their help as well as

all who donated to this great cause.

Donations: Wyandotte Nation (Title VI,

Tribal Heritage Department, Education

Department), 7th Street Casino, River Bend

Casino & Hotel, Allgeier, Martin and Associates, Town of Wyandotte, Crossland Construction, Dollar General, Linda & Marvin Garrett,

Leslie & Linda Sparks, Anonymous donation,

Grove Dental Associates, and WTOK.

Volunteers: Janet Camerer, Jason Moore,

Cindy Pulido, Debbie Dry, Jenny Webber,

Courtney Cummings, Jan Woody, Lori

Clark, Lisa Ramirez, Jennifer Burwell, Kim

Harnar, Heather D’Orvilliers, Tara Gragg,

Janette Arnold, Susan Friend, Heather Hilliard, Jackie Dixon, Helen Meeks, Tammy

Landreth, Drew Lankford, Randy Qualls,

and Vera Hernandez.

(Courtesy Photos)

Gifts and goodies filled the Wyandotte Nation Tribal Police Department as

officers prepared to deliver them to 27 families and 78 kids in the area.

Service Awards

and Holly Hilliard.

5 Years: Drew Lankford, Dr. Cox, Evan

Hotulke and Cat Robles.

(Pictured Left)

The honorees, from

left, who were recognized by Chief Billy

Friend: Cat Robles, Ken

Brodrick, Drew Lankford,

Norman Hildebrand,

Kathy Welch, Judy Lofland, Dana Butterfield,

Holly Hilliard, Sharon L.

Bartley, Evan Hotulke,

Dr. Cox, and Chief

Friend.

The Wyandotte Nation honored 11 employees

for reaching service milestones Monday, Dec.

20, at the new administration building’s main

conference room.

The Tribe recognized the following employees

for their years of service:

25 Years: Judy Lofland, Kathy Welch, and

Dana Butterfield.

15 Years: Sharon L. Bartley

10 Years: Norman Hildebrand, Ken Brodrick,

Photo by William Swaim |

Wyandotte Nation

Newly redesigned

website coming soon!

The Wyandotte Nation will be launching a newly

redesigned website. We have overhauled the old

Wyandotte Nation website to give it a much-needed

update, a fresh and clean look, plus some all

new features.

The redesign focused on making the site

more user-friendly so tribal citizens and other

visitors can get to the information, services

and forms they need much faster and easier.

The site is mobile and tablet friendly with

its responsive design. We have added a Calendar of Events to help you keep up on the latest

happenings and events.

The redesign also integrated online forms

(where applicable/possible) like our new

Careers page featuring the latest job openings

at the Nation where you can now apply online,

and attached your resume and/or cover letters.

Some programs, forms still require us to have

a physical copy, but we may add more online

forms in the future when possible.

In addition, the Online Shop will have an all

new look as it has been overhauled for a better

shopping experience.

We will have more on what to expect soon

on our Facebook page so keep a look out!

Have news? Share it with us!

If you have news, accomplishments or something to share, please email your news and

photos to: wswaim@wyandotte-nation.org.

Page 16

Wyandotte Nation | Gyah'-wish Atak-ia

Calendar of Events

Important

Numbers

Family Services / Enrollment

Dana Butterfield (918) 678-6319

dbutterfield@wyandotte-nation.org

Leeanna Radabaugh, (918) 678-6329

lradabaugh@wyandotte-nation.org