A Wyandotte Nation Publication (2020)

The Turtle Speaks

Gyah’-Wish

Atak-ia

A Wyandotte Nation Publication

Volume 24, Issue 4

www.wyandotte-nation.org

November 2020

Still plays

with dolls

Page 4-5

Gyah’-wish Atak-ia is published quarterly for

Tribal Citizens by the Wyandotte Nation at its

headquarters in Wyandotte, Okla.

The Wyandotte Nation

64700 E Hwy 60

Wyandotte, OK 74370

(918) 678-2297

(800) 256-2539

Fax (918) 678-2944

Inside:

•

•

Board approves 2nd Round of COVID-19

Relief Payments, APPLY NOW! Page 6

Ingram earns 'Trainer of the Year' honor

(C) Copyright 2020. All information, photographs, and other materials are copyrighted, and may not be reproduced without prior written consent of the Wyandotte Nation.

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......... Juanita McQuistion

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

Content

Calendar.................................................. 3

FEATURE: Still plays with dolls....... 4-5

Trainer of the Year.................................. 6

COVID-19 Relief.................................... 6

Summer youth at cultural center.......... 6

Tribal Department Reports............. 7-12

Important Numbers............................. 11

Editor/Design: William Swaim

Cover Photo:

Corn husk dolls

created by Julie

Wills West

Photo by

William Swaim

Contact Us

Submit a story idea or your latest news

and photos. To submit, email William

Swaim at wswaim@wtok.org or call

(918) 932-4778.

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@wtok.org

www.youtube.com/WyandotteNation

www.facebook.com/WyandotteNation

From the Chief

November 2020

Billy Friend

State of the Nation

(State of the Nation address given at

the Annual Meeting)

So today is a great day to be Wyandotte, but I think that we can also

say that every day is a great day to be

Wyandotte. We are a nation of people

who have helped shape the history

of this country. We have persevered

through times of great adversity and

enjoyed times of great success. Over

the years we have focused on our tribal

Sovereignty because it is crucial to

our identity as a nation of people who

have the right to govern themselves.

Wyandottes have been sovereign since

time immemorial. While our form of

government has changed over the

years, our sovereignty always remains.

We understand that the power of our

nation resides in our people. Many of

our past leaders worked tirelessly to

reestablish our government. Those

before us understood that sovereignty

is foundational to our government that

the core purpose of our government is

to secure those rights given to each of

us by the Creator. We are a great nation. We honor our agreements and we

live by our word. We expect others to

do the same. It is our duty and responsibility to protect our sovereignty, and

we will do so with diligence and with

resolve to be steadfast in our defense of

our nation and our rights. Our nation

has made tremendous progress in a

relatively short period of time.

We, as Wyandottes, are part of

our great nation no matter where we

live. A nation is sometimes defined

by a constitution, a set of laws and a

government. This is also true of the

Wyandotte Nation. The Wyandotte

Constitution outlines the structure,

duties and powers of our government.

And yet there is more to our nation

than its constitution and its government. At the heart of our nation is

our people - the Wyandotte people - a

people who share a common heritage, a

culture and traditions.

Wyandotte culture and values help

shape our vision for the future. We

have made great progress toward

fulfilling our vision to be a nation of

successful and united people with a

strong cultural identity. We exercise

self-determination and sovereignty to

offer opportunities for our people to

learn and grow and achieve individual

success. We also develop essential

partnerships with state and local

governments, businesses, schools and

other entities. As a part of the community, we believe that is essential to

work together to address challenges.

Our commitment to build community

and partnerships with our neighbors

makes our nation strong. We have

worked hard to be good neighbors. We

continue to partner with our community to provide vital resources and

infrastructure that benefit all Oklahomans. The Wyandotte Nation Police

Department have been a longstanding

partner with local and state organizations striving to keep our communities

safe. To date, we have established

cross deputation agreements allowing

us to partner with city, county, state

and federal law enforcement agencies,

maximizing our shared resources to

protect and serve communities.

As our businesses have prospered,

we have been able to invest in new opportunities and diversify our portfolio.

This economic success has enabled

us to expand existing programs and

services and develop new ones. These

programs and services have helped

hundreds of Wyandottes to achieve

their own dreams. Today, the Wyandotte Nation -our nation - is the

strongest it has ever been.

Our nation is strong because we

invest in people. The revenue generated from tribal businesses is used to

offer more programs and services to

the Wyandotte people. We continue to

add to that list. We are always looking

at the programs that we have to make

sure they are working well and if we

need to change, we make a change to

those programs.

Educationally, this past year we

have invested $900,000 in scholarships

and other forms of financial support to

our Wyandotte students. This commitment to future generations is what

makes our nation strong.

Our nation is strong because the

Wyandotte Nation is committed to the

health and well-being of its people.

Recent remodeling and future expansion of our pharmacy and the addition

of physical therapy services at the

Bearskin Healthcare and Wellness

Center are allowing us to serve even

more patients. This year, we celebrated

the 22nd anniversary of our Health

Center. The Wyandotte Nation was

one of the first tribes in the state of

Oklahoma to build a Wellness Center

to promote preventative measures

to offset many of the health issues

that have plagued our people. Today

Bearskin Fitness Center is one of the

premier fitness centers in the area. We

continue to look for opportunities to expand the reach of our health programs.

As you can see, the state of our nation

is strong because our people continue

to become stronger and healthier.

Our nation is also strong because the

Wyandotte Nation continues to respect

and treasure our elders. We continue

to build more elder duplexes and

expand and enhance our elder service

programs. This next year will begin a

meal delivery service within a 10mile radius of Wyandotte and hope to

expand it over the next several years.

We are also looking at the opportunity of adding a Community Health

Representative to help with pharmacy

deliveries and to check on the wellbeing of our tribal elders.

Strong homes and even stronger

families make our nation strong. A

safe and quality home is important to

a family’s individual health and their

wellness, as well as a key contributor

toward financial stability. Housing

programs and services have helped

many Wyandottes gain the benefits

of homeownership. We have assisted

many Wyandottes to secure new storm

shelters, down payment assistance,

and wells and septic systems over the

past several years. We will continue

searching for better and innovative

solutions to help meet the housing

needs of Wyandotte families.

Our nation is strong because we

know who we are and continue to keep

our culture, language and traditions

alive. The Wyandotte Nation is strong

because the Wyandotte people are

strong. Many years ago, our people

came together, we came together

and collectively dreamt of a stronger

nation. A nation with self-governance

and self-determination, a nation

with financial stability and economic

prosperity, a nation that provides

opportunities for its people to achieve

their dreams. Year after year, we are

fulfilling our vision. The Wyandotte

Nation is positioned to do even more.

We are strong, because our people are

strong. Regardless of the challenges

we face, we will push forward toward

together. I want you to know that the

state of the Wyandotte Nation is strong

and getting stronger. Thank you, and

God bless you and may God continue to

bless the Wyandotte Nation.

November 2020

www.wyandotte-nation.org

From the Second Chief

Page 3

Norman Hildebrand, Jr.

Get out and vote, fill out your census

Kweh Omateru

Hello Tribal Citizens needless to

say this has been a very trying year

that has affected everyone’s life in

some form or fashion. However, the

Wyandotte people are resilient and are

certainly not strangers to hardships as

we have endured many throughout our

history and survived everything that

was thrown at us. We will definitely

survive this pandemic and come out

stronger than ever. Before first contact

in the mid 1500’s there were no diseases among the native peoples of this

continent. Then the Europeans made

contact with us and brought many

diseases with them that spread among

the tribes and too many was devastating. Sounds very familiar to what is

happening today doesn’t it?

Here at the Wyandotte Nation it is

business as usual even though just

about all U.S. Government agencies

are supposed to be working from home

and at times is almost impossible to

even get them to answer their cell

phones or even to call you back. I am

off my soap box now, it is very busy

here at the Wyandotte Nation a lot of

construction going on, some are finishing like our water line project and the

new Administration building and some

that we are just starting. The landscape here is constantly changing and

always for the better.

As everyone is aware this is a census

year, it is very important that everyone gets their information to the Census Bureau whether by mail or online

on their website. We need as accurate

a count as possible because it affects

our grants and government funding. It

is important that we are all counted.

In case no one has noticed there

is an election going on and it is very

important that we get the Native Vote

“All power in human hands is liable to be abused.”

-- Sarah Bernhardt

out and make a difference. I’m not

going to tell you how to vote but all I

ask is that you do your research on the

candidates and see what their plan

is for Indian Country and then make

your choice. It was a long hard road for

Native Americans to get the right to

vote so let us exercise that right.

Now for some history, I am really going back this time to when the Jesuits

were in North America. Some of you

have heard about this landmark in

Canada and I know some have been

there, including myself. The sacred

rock, Ekarenniondi, “The Rock that

Stands Out,” was found in the land of

the Tionontati, the Oskenntonton and

the Hannaariskwa, two of the three

parent tribes of the Huron-Wyandot

people. The rock is located near Collingwood, Ontario, and is today, a popular

destination for hikers and adventure

seekers. When viewed at the right

angle the large rock clearly shows the

face of Oscotarach forever chiseled

in stone. Ken Haigh, in an article for

Escarpment Views described Ekarenniondi. “It’s easy to see why this place

attracted the First Nations people of

the area 400 years ago. It is hidden,

gloomy and cool, the walls are damp

and veiled with clumps of fern, and

there are a number of dark passages

leading back into the earth. It’s spooky

down here, especially if you have the

place to yourself.”

In Haigh’s article Charles Garrad

stated, “I would speculate that ordinary people avoided the place as too

sacred,” Charlie explains, “but that

shamans who specialized in out-ofbody trances would frequent it. I also

would speculate that propitiatory

offerings were left there and sacred

rituals conducted, because there were

many Jesuit references to this being

done at other sacred rocks. But…it is

impossible to answer these questions

with certainty.”

The following is from the Jesuit

Relations and eerily detailed what the

Hurons once believed:

I asked one day one of our Savages

where they thought the village of souls

was; he answered that it was toward

the Tobacco Nation, that is to say,

toward the West, eight leagues from

us, and that some persons had seen

them as they were going; that the road

they took was broad and well-beaten;

that they passed near a rock called Ecaregniondi, which has often been found

marked with the paint which they use

to smear their faces.

Another told me that on the same

road, before arriving at the village,

one comes to a Cabin where lives one

named Oscotarach, or “Pierce-head,”

who draws the brains out of the heads

of the dead, and keeps them. You must

pass a river, and the only bridge you

have is the trunk of a tree laid across,

and very slightly supported. The passage is guarded by a dog, which jumps

at many souls, and makes them fall;

they are at the same time carried away

by the violence of the torrent, and

stifled in the waters. “But,” said I to

him, “whence have you learned all this

news of the other world?” “It is,” he

told me, “persons brought back to life,

who have reported it.” Thus it is the

devil deceives them in their dreams;

thus he speaks by the mouth of some,

who having been left as dead, recover

health, and talk at random of the other

life, according to the ideas that this

wretched master gives them. According

to them the Village of souls is in no respect unlike the Village of the Living,

they go hunting, fishing, and to the

woods; axes, robes, and collars are as

much esteemed as among the living. In

a word, everything is the same; there is

only this difference, that day and night

they do nothing but groan and complain. They have Captains, who from

time to time put an end to it and try to

moderate their sighs and groans. God

of truth, what ignorance and stupidity!

Yes, that is very bazaar, even by

today’s standards, which isn’t saying much, but to the Hurons, it was

the truth and it was their fate. With

Ekarenniondi lying in the homeland of

the Tionontati, they would have also

believed in “The Rock that Stands Out”

and it’s likely the Tionontati’s shamans

performed the sacred ceremonies. As

time passed, and the ancestors of the

Huron-Wyandots no longer had access

to the sacred rock of Ekarenniondi,

their traditions and beliefs had to

change.

You have to admit that was interesting and strange, but our ancestors had

a lot of customs in that time period

that was considered barbaric according

to the Jesuits. But they were rituals

and ceremonies our ancestors had

probably been doing for thousands

of years so it was a way of life and a

belief to them.

Important Events

The Gathering

Sept.

8-10

2021

Annual Meeting

31st Annual Pow-Wow

Sept.

10 - 12

Sept.

11

10 am

Page 4

Wyandotte Nation / Gyah'-wish Atak-ia

Still plays with dolls

November 2020

West explores creative side, finds connection to

Wyandotte tradition, ancestors

By William Swaim

Wyandotte Nation

Finding a connection to the past is

done in many ways. For Julie Wills

West, a Wyandotte tribal citizen, it

was the exploration of her creative

side that connected her to Wyandotte

tradition and her ancestors.

West found her connection through

the creation of traditional corn husk

dolls.

“As I make them I do a lot of research on the clothing, the different

things that go with it and the things

behind it,” West said. “It has just

been an amazing learning process

for me to learn about my ancestors

and my heritage. There is so much to

learn on the crafts that go along with

it, the stories, and I think about the

Creator as I am doing these.

“I give credit to our Creator for

teaching me each time I make a doll

that no one is perfect, each has mistakes, flaws, but is special in their

own way and loved.”

West has created 120 corn husk

dolls since she picked up the craft

in 2015, 44 of which were recently

on display at the Wyandotte Nation

Cultural Center & Museum from

Sept. 1-30. One is permanently

displayed at the museum.

“Every year I make a list, I am

a list person,” she said. “So I have

goals every year. This year, my goal

at the first of the year was to get

on the Indian Arts & Crafts Board

Source Directory. The other one

was to have an exhibit, and I really didn’t think that was going to

happen. I would really like to thank

(Tribal Heritage Director) Sherri

Clemons for putting this altogether

and this has just been a dream come

true.” The source directory promotes

Indian artists and guards against

people claiming to be Indian artists.

“It just authenticates you,” West

said. “When people are buying art,

and it is stated Native American art,

they don’t want to be hoaxed, they

want to get the real thing.”

Finding Inspiration

West’s passion for corn husk

dolls began in 2012 when visiting

a Wyandotte and Senca-Cayuga

exhibit ‘Gathering Traditions.’ There

she saw corn husk dolls over 100

years old. At the time she thought

William Swaim / Wyandotte Nation

Julie Wills West with her exhibit display of corn husk dolls at the Wyandotte

Nation Cultural Center & Museum. The dolls were on display during the

month of September and one doll will be on permanent display there.

they were cool and thought she could

make them.

Two or three years went by before

I settled down to do it. The summer

of 2015 I made my first one and I

was instantly obsessed,” she said.

“They have so many possibilities,

it is endless what you can do with

them.”

William Swaim / Wyandotte Nation

(ABOVE LEFT) Larry Hamilton of the Wyandotte Nation Honor Guard. (MIDDLE) Wyandotte Nation Chief Billy Friend.

(RIGHT) Wyandotte Nation Second Chief Norman Hildebrand, Jr.

She created several that year,

entered one in the Wyandotte Nation

Tribal Artisan Showcase – and won.

“It was special to me because my

daughter (Jamie Brown) helped me

with that, she made the actual doll,

and it was a Pow-Wow doll, and I did

the regalia on it,” West said. “That

was an award we won together. That

is what got me started and there has

been no end since then.”

The time it takes to make a doll

varies. West said a simple doll takes

her about two weeks but she has also

worked on more complicated dolls

and worked on them for six weeks.

For West, it’s all in the details.

“It has been fun learning to do

all those different things on a scale

of about half the size of a Barbie

doll. I put a lot of detail in them,”

West said of making anything from

stethoscopes to moccasins. “When I

start a doll, it may start out simply

enough, but I keep adding to it: ‘oh it

needs this, oh I can do that to it, oh

I can put that with it.’ Before I know

it, I have spent days on it and it is

pretty detailed but people seem to

like that.”

West’s inspiration for dolls comes

in different forms.

See DOLLS, Page 5

November 2020

www.wyandotte-nation.org

Page 5

Dolls

Continued from Page 4

“My daughter says I can’t teach

her anything because I am always

winging it. So I do a lot of winging,”

West said. “I have a thought in my

mind or maybe I look at pictures on

Pinterest or I look at Northeastern

Woodland Indian photos to see how

they all are.

“I get an idea, but I start making

the doll and the doll turns out totally

different a lot of times. It’s just, you

start one thing and something else

happens, and I always say the dolls

kind of make themselves, they tell

me what they want and how they are

supposed to end up.”

One thing West enjoys doing most

are custom dolls where the creativity

lies in duplicating a doll that accurately reflects the subject. West usually

has pictures of the individual and

researches to get to know them better.

One example she gave is a doll

she did of Wyandotte Nation Second

Chief Norman Hildebrand Jr.

“He sent me a picture of his moccasins, and here you have full grown

man moccasins, and I am trying to

make two of them alike just about an

inch wide,” she said. “I like challenge,

and that gives me a challenge.”

Telling a story

Each doll has its own story. West

said the doll story is similar in many

tribes that used corn husk dolls as

play things for their young and a way

of teaching things like beading and

sewing, and also a lesson on vanity.

One of the dolls most special to

West was one she created as a tribute doll to Rachel Marie Wright, who

passed away several years ago.

“She was a young Wyandotte girl.

She was fearless, fun and loving,”

West said as she tried to hold back

tears. “It was hard to do that, it was a

real emotional attachment to that one.

“I didn’t know her real well, but

did know her some. That was just

awesome to do that, just pray for her

family and smile at the great things

remembered about her.”

The stories behind the custom

dolls are some she enjoys most.

“When I am doing custom dolls of

other people, while I am doing the

doll I think about them and I research

them, and I found out there are a lot

of amazing people out there I have

William Swaim / Wyandotte Nation

(ABOVE LEFT A special tribute doll West made in honor of Rachel Marie Wright, who passed away several years ago.

(RIGHT) The Turtle Princess. (BELOW) West's display at the Cultural Center & Museum featured 44 of her dolls.

done some dolls for,” West said. “It

has really been a learning process.”

The doll West created with her

daughter also had a story behind it

as the ‘Chicken Dancer’ wasn’t supposed to be a chicken dancer at all.

“I didn’t know it was going to be

a chicken dancer doll. It started out

to be a fancy dancer and she made

the body and I started putting it all

together, and it didn’t look like a

fancy dancer.”

West then looked at different dancers on the internet, found an image

and it was a chicken dancer that

most resembled the doll.

Other than custom dolls, she likes

to do Pow-Wow dolls because they

have so much color.

Inspiring others

For West, no one is too old for dolls.

West found her connection to the past

through the creation of the corn husk

dolls and hopes others might find

their connection that way too.

“I would love for other people to

take it up because everyone does

things differently, so it would be

awesome to see them continue with

this since it is a traditional craft,”

she said, adding she has now taught

a few classes, including one to Wyandotte youth.

“My first class - I am a very

nervous person - it could have been a

lot better, I will put it that way, but I

am getting used to it.”

As far as current

projects, she is

working on another collaboration

project.

“Other than the

first one with my

daughter I have

not collaborated

with anybody on

the dolls, but I have

made one of Joshua

Garcia and he is

Wyandotte grass

dancer. I like to do

different things,

new things, learn

everything about

everything,” West said. “So I made

the doll and his mother, Kim Garcia,

she did his original beadwork on his

regalia, so she is going to do the tiny

beadwork on his doll.

“I think that is going to really look

awesome when we get finished. I’ve

done part of it, she has got it now,

she will do her part, give it back

to me and I will do some finishing things on it. I hope to get that

finished soon.”

While West hopes to inspire others, there has been no shortage of

people who have both supported and

inspired her as well.

“I want to make sure I give credit

and gratitude to my VIP husband,

Danny, who is my Chief Inspector.

My daughter Jamie Brown and

son John Gerhard, and my sister

Karen Bowman have given me

support, encouragement, and ideas

from day one. And to all my family

and friends, some I haven’t met, that

encourage me and give opinions on

the doll Facebook page, Still Plays

With Dolls,” she said.

“Last but not least, I am forever

grateful to Sherri Clemons for making the exhibit possible and to Chief

Friend for suggesting an exhibit.”

To purchase or for more information on West’s corn husk dolls, you

can visit her Facebook page, www.

facebook.com/stillplayswithdolls or

shop on Etsy, www.etsy.com/shop/

WestNativeDolls.

To see the extended video interview

with West, visit the Wyandotte Nation YouTube page: www.youtube.

com/wyandottenation or watch for

the link on our Facebook page when

the video is posted.

Page 6

Wyandotte Nation / Gyah'-wish Atak-ia

November 2020

Board approves second round of COVID relief

The Wyandotte Nation Board of

Directors have approved a second

COVID-19 relief payment due to the

public health emergency. Applications must be submitted by Nov.

15, 2020. See the following for more

information:

*APPLICATIONS CAN BE

FOUND ON THE WEBSITE

(WWW.WYANDOTTE-NATION.

ORG), THE WYANDOTTE NATION FACEBOOK PAGE, CAN BE

PICKED UP FROM THE FAMILY

SERVICES OFFICE OR EMAILED

Youth spend

summer time at

Cultural Center

Some Wyandotte Nation youth spent

part of their summer up at the Cultural Center for cultural classes and

took part in various activities. Here

are a few pictures from the activities, including making clay animals

(above), and checking out their

garden (below). (Courtesy Photos)

UPON REQUEST. APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE AUTOMATICALLY SENT TO TRIBAL

CITIZENS.

*EACH CITIZEN MUST COMPELTE AN APPLICATION TO

RECEIVE THE PAYMENT.

*DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS IS NOVEMBER 15, 2020.

APPLICATIONS MUST BE RECEIVED IN THE OFFICE BY THIS

DATE IF BEING HAND DELIVERED OR EMAILED. MAILED

APPLICATIONS MUST BE POSTMARKED BY THE 15TH. APPLICATIONS RECEIVED AFTER

THIS DATE WILL BE NOT BE

PROCESSED.

*APPLICATIONS MUST BE

COMPLETE. INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS WILL SLOW THE

PROCESS AND POSSIBLY RESULT IN DENIAL OF PAYMENT.

*APPLICATIONS WILL BE

PROCESSED AS THEY ARE RECEIVED. PLEASE ALLOW UP TO

4 WEEKS FOR PROCESSING.

*PLEASE NOTE THE APPLICATION SUBMISSION OPTIONS

ON THE FORM. THE CORRECT

EMAIL ADDRESS IS WNFS@

WYANDOTTE-NATION.ORG.

THERE WERE SEVERAL ERRORS ON THE LAST ROUND

THAT RESULTED IN DELAYED

APPLICATIONS. THE ERRORS

WERE GENERALLY “WNFS”

WAS TRANSPOSED AND/OR THE

HYPHEN WAS LEFT OUT.

Ingram honored as 'Trainer of the Year'

By William Swaim

Wyandotte Nation

BizLibrary honored Edie Ingram

with its ‘Training Professional of the

Year’ award. Ingram, Manager of

Training and Organization Development at the Wyandotte Tribe of

Oklahoma (WTOK), helped spearhead the launch of the company’s

corporate university.

“It was quite a surprise to actually

win the award and I am thrilled,”

Ingram said of the honor.

The BizLibrary Awards honor

companies and individuals who

exemplify creativity, results-oriented

thinking, and show great enthusiasm for learning and development.

According to BizLibrary, the ‘Training Professional of the Year’ is

awarded to someone who is progressive in thinking around training and

development, an experienced professional, engaged in outside training

associations, enthusiastic about

training, and is constantly looking to

improve and achieve results.

Ingram this year developed Wyandotte YOUniversity, which graduated its first two classes this past

spring at River Bend Casino & Hotel

in Wyandotte, Okla., and 7th Street

Casino in Kansas City, and was also

a top three finalist for BizLibrary’s

‘Program of the Year.’

“As a company, we have many

great ideas,” said WTOK CEO Kelly

Carpino. “Too often, great ideas are

lost in failure to execute. With Edie's

leadership and hard work, Wyandotte YOUniversity, did not become

Courtesy Photo

Edie Ingram, pictured middle, was honored as Training Professional of the

Year recently for her work in developing Wyandotte YOUniversity.

one of those lost great ideas. Quite

the contrary, the program is a great

success.”

The Brandon Hall Group recently

recognized Wyandotte YOUniversity for its Bronze Award for ‘Best

Launch of a Corporate University.’

Ingram played a huge part in the

launch of the university.

“I want to recognize and thank

Edie for her commitment and hard

work to make this happen. While I

know what the program means for

us, I am so pleased to see Wyandotte

Youniversity receive acknowledgement from Brandon Hall Group,”

Carpino said. “This happened

because of Edie's dedication to our

organization, our people and our values. So well deserved. Many thanks

to Edie for working to develop,

inspire and motivate our team!”

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Technical Support teams, clients are

empowered to solve business challenges and impact change within

their organizations.

November 2020

www.wyandotte-nation.org

T ribal D epartment R eports

Human Resources

Submitted by Deana Howard, HR

Director

The Wyandotte Nation Courts

Department is proud to welcome

Samantha Proctor as our Court

Administrator for

the Wyandotte Nation District Tribal

Court. Samantha

attended Miami

High School and

NEO A&M College.

In her, spare time

she enjoys reading,

riding houses, and

playing with her

PROCTOR

kids. She enjoys

spending time with her family,

attending church, and teaching her

kids to ride horses. Samantha brings

a wealth of knowledge and experience with her. We are very fortunate

to have Samantha and wish her

much success in this new position.

The Bearskin Healthcare and

Wellness Center is happy to welcome

Tim Jackson as the new Health

Services Laboratory Manager, and

Lynn Pearcy, RN, and tribal citizen

Lynette (Shelly) Oakley, LPN, who

both will serve as PRN Clinic Staff.

Tim has worked in health care

setting since 2004. He has his Associates’ degrees

in Art and Applied

Science, and his

medical laboratory

degree. In his spare

time, he enjoys

playing the guitar,

hunting, and fishing. We are very

fortunate to have

Tim join the clinic

JACKSON

and wish him much

success in this position.

Lynn has a general education

degree, nursing degree and is certified in cosmetology.

In her spare time

she enjoys decorative things, paint

furniture, flower

arrangements, and

to sing. Lynn also

enjoys spending

time with her family and friends doPEARCY

ing these activities.

Page 7

Family Services

We are very fortunate to have Lynn

on our team and wish her much success in her new position.

Shelly graduated

from Miami High

School then from

NE Tech Center

Nursing Program.

In her spare time,

she enjoys spending time with her

family and riding

motorcycles with

friends. Shelly also

OAKLEY

enjoys camping and

time with her grandbabies. We are

very fortunate to have her fill in for

the clinic and wish her much success

in this position.

The Wyandotte Nation Education

Department would like to welcome

tribal citizen Alexis Webb as a parttime Afterschool Childcare Assistant,

tribal citizen Kortney Murray as

the Early Childhood Nurse, and

Diane Friend, who has joined the

Education/Title VI Departments as a

Substitute.

Alexis is a sophomore at Wyandotte High School,

an honors student

and is a member

of NSHSS, she is

woodwind captain

of the Wyandotte

HS Band. Alexis

hobbies include

drawing, playing

music, jewelry

making, working

WEBB

out, and shopping,

Alexis also enjoys

spending time with her dog, Duke,

family and friends in her spare time.

We are happy to have Alexis join our

team.

Kortney has her BSN from Missouri Southern State University

and has been an

RN for 12 years.

In her spare time,

she enjoys spending time with her

three children with

school activities,

dance and piano

lessons. She also

enjoys reading. We

MURRAY

are very fortunate

to have her fill in

our Education Department and wish

her much success

in this position.

Diane graduated

from Seneca High

School and attended Crowder College

in Neosho. Diane’s

FRIEND

hobbies include nature photography,

gardening, and bowling. She enjoys

spending time studying God’s word,

leatherwork, and helping elderly

parents. We are pleased to have

Diane and wish her much success in

her new position.

The Wyandotte Nation Gaming

Department is very

happy to welcome

Bruce Carter and

Jordan Jenkins.

Bruce will serve as

Background/Compliance Internal

Audit Officer. Bruce

comes to us from

7th Street Casino

where he has been

CARTER

since 2008 and

brings with him a wealth of casino

knowledge. He enjoys spending time

with his family and friends, listening

to music. In his spare time he enjoys

singing, songwriting and sports. We

are very fortunate to have Bruce on

our team and wish him much success

in his new position.

Jordan will serve as our new

Executive Director for Park City.

Jordan comes to us

from Gaming Commission in Kansas

City, KS where he

has been since 2016

and he worked

at the 7th Street

Casino from 2007.

Jordan brings with

JENKINS

him a wealth of

knowledge. He enjoys spending time

with his family and friends in his

spare time. Jordan also enjoys golfing, reading, fishing and volunteering. We are very fortunate to have

Jordan on our team and wish him

much success in his new position.

Submitted by Dana Butterfield,

Family Services Director

The Family Services staff continue

to be located in what we have dubbed

“the Little House on the Rez,” but we

will be moving in late 2020 or early

2021 to the new Administration

building and look forward to having

some additional space. Information

about the move will be posted on the

website and social media in regards

to updated mailing and physical

addresses.

Unfortunately, due to the pandemic the Pow-Wow and Cultural

days were both cancelled for 2020,

but the constitutionally mandated

Annual Meeting was able to be held

with social distancing guidelines

and limited to tribal citizens only.

Approximately, 150 citizens attended

the meeting and, for the first time

ever, the meeting was streamed

live on Facebook. We’ve heard from

many citizens across the country

that this was a success and plan to

continue this service in the future.

If you weren’t able to view the

livestream you’re still able to watch

the recording on the Wyandotte Nation Citizens Facebook group.

The staff have been extremely

busy since July 1st processing school

supply, COVID-19 Relief and CARES

Continued on Page 8

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) 6786329 or (918) 678-6319

Page 8

Continued from Page 7

Computer applications and beginning Oct. 15th the 2nd COVID-19

Relief program. Please see the

information found in this newsletter

regarding the 2nd COVID payment.

This program is going to have a very

short turn around (4 weeks) so it’s

important to get your application in

early.

The Family Services Department

has many programs and services to

offer tribal citizens. In the remainder of this article you will find highlights of those programs. If you have

any questions or concerns please

feel free to contact us: Dana Butterfield, Director, (918) 678-6319; Tara

Gragg, ICW Supervisor, (918) 6786355; Leeanna Radabaugh, Family

Services Specialist, (918) 678-6329;

Tiffany Garner, ICW Social Worker,

(918) 678-6353; Lisa Arnold, Domestic Violence Advocate/Educator, (918)

678-6324; and Cesilie Hale, DV/SA

Advocate, (918) 678-3269. Be sure to

visit the Wyandotte Nation website

www.wyandotte-nation.org and follow the Wyandotte Nation Facebook

page to stay up-to-date on events and

program announcements that will

be posted in between issues of the

newsletters.

Winter Programs:

Children’s Christmas Party –

Like most every other event in 2020

the Children’s Christmas party is

going to look different. The party

will be held Saturday, Dec. 14 from

10 am to Noon at the Carla Culver

Education Center and will be a drive

through event. Be sure to watch

the website and Facebook for details

about traffic flow and what to expect.

Each enrolled Wyandotte Nation

child ages birth to 12 will receive a

gift from Santa and tribal parents,

who are present with their eligible

children, will receive a $25 Walmart

gift card (1 per household). Santa

will be on-site to wish the children

Merry Christmas as they pass

through the line!

Winter Clothing – Starts Nov. 1st

and ends Feb. 28th . This program is

available to OK, MO, AR, KS residents for reimbursement or Walmart

gift card of $100 per student. Applications, along with guidelines, will

Wyandotte Nation / Gyah'-wish Atak-ia

November 2020

T ribal D epartment R eports

be available on the home page of the

Tribe’s website. Please note there

are separate applications for the gift

card and reimbursement program.

Please be sure to read the instruction letter that will accompany the

applications as there are changes for

the program. If you did not return

your receipts for either the School

Supplies or last year’s Winter Clothing gift cards, you will be required to

use the reimbursement program this

year. Incomplete applications will be

returned to the sender.

Senior Energy (Winter) – This

program is available nationwide.

$100 will be paid directly to the utility provider for citizens who are 55

and older. Program dates are Oct.

1st through Feb. 28th. Citizens are

encouraged to continue to pay their

bills as normal and a $100 credit will

display on their statement when the

payment has been processed.

LIHEAP – LIHEAP is a federal

grant funded program, if funding is

received, services will be available

beginning Dec. 1st for tribal citizens

residing in Oklahoma. This program

is income based and proof of income

is required, along with other required documentation.

APPLICATIONS FOR THE

ABOVE PROGRAMS MUST BE

RECEIVED OR POST MARKED

BY FEB. 28TH TO BE ELIGIBLE

AND BILLS/RECEIPTS MUST BE

DATED BETWEEN OCT. 1, 2019

AND FEB. 28, 2020, NO EXCEPTIONS.

The Following programs run

throughout the year for residents in

OK, MO, AR, KS. Applications must

be received or post marked by Sept.

30th:

Elders Assistance – One-time

expense for $250 for tribal elders

aged 55 and over.

Extra-Expense/Extracurricular

Activities – One-time payment of

$100 per student aged pre – K (at

least 3 years of age) through 12th

grade.

Jr/Sr Benefit - $250 benefit for

expenses associated with the Junior

and Senior years of High School.

Benefit can be used for both Jr and

Sr year.

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; Major Medical – extreme medical issues (must

be life threatening, terminal, etc. not

chronic medical issues) that require

multiple trips outside of the local

area. 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.

Continued on Page 9

Wyandotte Nation

Family Services Programs

Dates to Remember

Elder’s Assistance: Oct. 1 – Sept. 30

Senior Energy - Winter: Oct. 1 – Feb. 28

Senior Energy - Summer: July 1 – Sept. 30

LIHEAP - (if available) Winter: Dec. 1 – Feb. 28

LIHEAP - (if available) Summer: July 1 – Sept. 30

School Supplies: July 1 – Sept. 30

Children’s Winter Clothing: Nov. 1 – Feb. 28

Extracurricular Activities: Oct. 1 – Sept. 30

Jr./Sr. High School Assistance: Oct. 1 – Sept. 30

Wyandotte Nation Annual Meeting: Sept. 12

Children’s Christmas Party: Dec. 12

Note: All applications must be in our office or post marked on or before

the last day of the program.

New Tribal Citizen

Welcome Weston Drake Cloninger, new

tribal citizen! We will be posting the list

of all new tribal citizens in the February

issue. So check back for the welcoming

of all our newest tribal citizens.

November 2020

Continued from Page 8

Other Programs provided by

the Family Services Department:

Child Safety Seats - Each child

is eligible for three seats in different

sizes and must be picked up at the

tribal office. Staff try to keep all

sizes on hand, but if you are traveling from a distance please call in

advanced to ensure the correct seat

is available.

Promoting Safe & Stable Families/Indian Child Welfare – This

program is funded through a federal

grant from the Administration for

Children and Families. It is designed to help keep children in their

homes with the 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 either of the ICW Social Workers. The Tribe is continually seeking foster families. If you’re

interested in sharing your home

with a child in need, please contact

Tara or Tiffany at the numbers listed

above.

Enrollment – Aug. 15th is the

deadline to be considered for enrollment at the 2021 Annual Meeting.

Applications must be submitted

along with an original state certified birth certificate. Applications

can be submitted at any during the

year and birth certificates will be

returned within 10-14 business days.

New Enrollee Benefit - If a

child’s application is received prior to

their first birthday, they will receive

a $100 Walmart gift card and a

blanket with the Tribal Turtle.

Tribal Tags – Available for tribal

citizens who reside in Oklahoma.

Passenger, RV, Motorcycle and

Handicap tags are available. Please

call the office for prices and additional information. All new requests

must be accompanied by the original

title and proof of insurance. Renewals require a proof of insurance.

Incomplete requests will be returned

to the tribal citizen.

Supplemental Health Benefit

(Benny Card) – This program has

www.wyandotte-nation.org

T ribal D epartment R eports

been renewed and accounts will

be re-loaded on Jan. 1, 2021. The

benefits will be 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.

Individuals who were voted into

citizenship at the Annual Meeting

will receive their account information in December and accounts will

be active on Jan. 1, 2021. Quarterly

statements are mailed by Trustmark

to show remaining balances, and

account balances can be obtained by

calling (800) 990-9058 ext 42086.

Burial Assistance - $1,500 to be

paid to the funeral home or to the

family representative if the funeral

is paid in full. Applications must

be submitted within 90 days of the

tribal citizen’s death.

Family Violence Prevention

Program: This program is funded

through grants from the Office of

Violence Against Women (OVW),

Family Violence Prevention Safety

Act/Administration for Children and

Families and Office of Victims of

Crime. Funds can be used to provide

advocacy to individuals who are

victims of domestic violence, sexual

assault, dating violence, human

trafficking and stalking. Services

for victims include shelter, utilities,

food, clothing, transportation, court

accompaniment, counseling, legal assistance, etc and can be provided to

any victim who resides within a 25mile radius of the Wyandotte Nation.

Victims do not have to be Wyandotte

or Native to reserve services. There

will also be awareness campaigns,

events and cultural activities to

educate the community regarding

these issues.

Education

Submitted by Cristi Hudson, Education Director

Kweh,

The Wyandotte Nation Child Care

and Development Fund program

is accepting new applications for

families that are seeking childcare

assistance. We would be happy to

assist in getting an application to

you and answer any questions you

may have. To be eligible for the

Wyandotte Nation CCDF program,

a household member must obtain a

CDIB or tribal card, parents must

be working or attending school, and

you must live within certain counties

in Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas, and

Arkansas. To request an application,

or if you have any questions, you can

email Sami Butterfield, our Child

Care Coordinator, at sbutterfield@

wyandotte-nation.org; or you can call

her office at (918) 678-6330.

The Wyandotte Nation Library

is currently open. The hours are

Monday through Thursday 8 am to

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

New books have recently been added

with more arriving soon. Be sure

to let Madeline, our new librarian,

know if there is a certain book or

movie you would like to see added to

our collection. Madeline’s email address is mharnar@wyandotee-naiton.

org, and her office phone is (918) 6786332. Wyandotte Nation Scholarship

Program and WIOA are currently

processing fall 2020 semester scholarships.

Here are a few Wyandotte Nation

Undergraduate Scholarship reminders:

• Undergraduate scholarships

are limited to eight 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

programs duration.

• Deadline for spring submission

is Feb. 15.

• Deadline for fall submission is

May 1.

Wyandotte Nation Stoles: Any

Wyandotte Nation tribal member

that is currently on our scholarship

program and are graduating college

is eligible for a stole. You will need

to email proof of applying for graduation to Evan Hotulke.

The Wyandotte Nation Education Department also oversees the

WIOA program. These funds are

available to assist members of federally recognized tribes residing in

Crawford and Cherokee Counties in

Page 9

Southeast Kansas or Barry, Barton,

Dade, Jasper, Lawrence, Newton and

McDonald Counties in Southwest

Missouri.

WIOA eligibility requirements

include:

• You must be Native America,

Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian

• Possess a C.D.I.B. card

• Member of a federally recognized tribe

• Must be a resident of the service area listed above

To obtain a scholarship application

that Wyandotte Nation offers, you can

email your request or any questions

that you may have to Evan Hotulke,

our Education Specialist at ehotulke@

wyandotte-nation.org; or by calling

his office at (918) 678-6331.

Wyandotte Nation Child Development Center is currently operating

on an AB schedule, attending preschool on Monday through Thursday,

with childcare for school age children

available daily along with childcare

for preschool aged children offered

on Fridays. Our infant, 1-year old,

and 2-year old programs are operating Monday through Friday. If you

have a child, ages 3-5, and live in

the Wyandotte, Okla. area, we still

have a few openings for the upcoming preschool year. The first day of

preschool for the 2020-2021 school

year will be Thursday, Aug. 13,

2020. Applications are available by

emailing Lindsay Cooper at lcooper@

wyandotte-nation.org or you can request one by calling Lindsay at (918)

678-3267. Our Infant, 1-year old

and Toddler programs are currently

full. To be added to the waiting list,

please contact Lindsay.

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@wyandottenation.org

Sami Butterfield – Childcare Coordinator – CCDF, (918) 678-6330 or

sbutterfield@wyandotte-nation.org

Lindsay Cooper – Early Childhood

Program Coordinator, (918) 678-3267 or

lcooper@wyandotte-nation.org

Evan Hotulke—Education Specialist,

(918) 678-6331 or ehotulke@wyandottenation.org

Page 10

Important

Numbers

Police Department

Glenn Johnston (918) 678-6365

gjohnston@wntpd.com

Family Services / Enrollment / Tags

Dana Butterfield (918) 678-6319

dbutterfield@wyandotte-nation.org

Leeanna Radabaugh, (918) 678-6329, lradabaugh@wyandotte-nation.org

Family Violence Program

Lisa Arnold, (918) 678-6324, lisaarnold@

wyandotte-nation.org; Cesilie Hale, (918) 6783269, chale@wyandotte-nation.org

Tribal Social Workers

Tara Gragg (918) 678-6355

tgragg@wyandotte-nation.org

Tiffany Garner (918) 678-6353

tgarner@wyandotte-nation.org

Human Resources

Deana Howard (918) 678-6320

dhoward@wyandotte-nation.org

Nutrition & Caregiver Services

Brenda House (918) 678-6327

bhouse@wyandotte-nation.org

Education / Library / Child Care

Cristi Hudson (918) 678-6334

chudson@wyandotte-nation.org

Tribal Heritage

Sherri Clemons (918) 678-6344

sclemons@wyandotte-nation.org

Environmental / Planning / Development

Christen Lee (918) 678-6341

clee@wyandotte-nation.org

Housing

Kathy DeWeese (918) 678-6339

kdeweese@wyandotte-nation.org

Bearskin Healthcare &

Wellness Center

Kelly Friend (918) 678-3259

kfriend@wyandotte-nation.org

Clinic Appointments

Dee Dee Clapp (918) 678-3228

lcoatney@wyandotte-nation.org

Dental / Vision

Ashley Crawford, (918) 678-3221,

acrawford@wyandotte-nation.org

Pharmacy (call-in only)

(918) 678-3244

Fitness Center

Sharon Bartley (918) 678-3231

sbartley@wyandotte-nation.org

Contract Health

Bridget Hart (918) 678-3227

bburleson@wyandotte-nation.org

Diabetes Clinic

Donna Spaulding (918) 678-3258

dspaulding@wyandotte-nation.org

Wyandotte Nation / Gyah'-wish Atak-ia

T ribal D epartment R eports

November 2020

Housing

Submitted by Kathy DeWeese,

Housing Director

This year has been like no other.

Due to the COVID virus, many

projects have been delayed. Hopefully, we are on the road to recovery

and ready to move forward.

Wyandotte Nation received a

Competitive Grant, which will allow

us to build two family duplexes and

three family homes. We are in the

bidding stage of this project.

If you are interested in renting,

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

Elder Services

Submitted by Brenda House, Elder

Services Director

With COVID-19 still hanging

around we are continuing to serve

the drive thru and home delivered

meals. We purchased a new pick up

for the home delivered meal route.

Half of it is refrigerated and the

other half is heated. Hopefully the

meals will be at the proper temperature when they arrive at their

destination.

We are very anxious to reopen

our dining room and see everyone’s

smiling faces. We are missing you all

and hope that we can all be together

again soon!

We will honor our Veterans during

lunch on Nov. 12, 2020.

Our Thanksgiving Dinner will be

Thursday Nov. 19, 2020. We will

have turkey and dressing, green

beans, cranberry salad, devilled eggs,

hot roll and pumpkin pie.

Our Christmas Dinner will be

Thursday, Dec. 17, 2020. We will

have brisket, baked potato, baked

beans, hot roll and Angel food

delight.

CAREGIVER

(Suspended due to COVID-19) The

Caregiver Support Group meets the

you are interested, please fill out an

application and return to the housing office.

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 summited 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 purchasing a home within a 50-mile radius of Wyandotte,

and are a first time homebuyer, let

us see if we can help you with Down

payment assistance. The participant

must meet income guidelines and be

eligible for a conventional loan.

IHS -121 Program

This program is funded through

first Thursday of each month in the

Artie Nesvold Community Center

(Title VI) Safe Room beginning at

10:30 am. This group is for all current and former caregivers. It is also

for Grandparents raising grandchildren.

It is always a pleasure serving the

Wyandotte Nation Citizens. Please

feel free to call us anytime.

Department Contacts:

Brenda House, Elder Services Director,

(918) 678-6327.

Stephanie Hamilton, Food Service

Team Supervisor, (918) 678-6328, (Office) 6390

Seth Higginbotham, Chris Rhodes

and Robyn Beaty, Food Service Team

Members (918) 678-6328

Menu, (918) 678-6326

Tribal Heritage

Submitted by Kim Garcia, Cultural Preservation Officer

Our ancestors lived through wars,

government removals, diseases,

poverty, and so much more. For so

long, our people struggled to survive;

but now is a time to thrive.

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 Contacts:

Kathy DeWeese-Housing Director

Don Graham- Housing Specialist

Paul Parker- Project Coordinator

Levi Griffin- Project Coordinator

Larry Hamilton- Residential

Maintenance Technician

Drew Lankford-Residential

Maintenance Technician

For years, Wyandotte Nation was

separated into two divisions: economic development and the government;

culture was a department under

the government. Now that we are

doing well as a Tribe, our Chiefs and

Board of Directors made the decision

to make Culture its own division in

order to grow that area.

I am now the Cultural Preservation Officer, Sherri Clemons is the

Tribal Heritage Director, and Teresa

Wilson is the receptionist. Recently,

Courtney Cummings, the Tribal

Heritage Specialist, tranferred to the

Education Department to pursue her

dreams of being a teacher. Currently,

we have the Tribal Heritage Specialist position open as well as a new

position - Cultural Researcher.

At this time, staff and the Cultural

Advisory Board are working toward

finalizing the Strategic Plan for the

Cultural Division for the next three

to five years. The plan has been split

into three areas of focus: Heritage

Preservation, Historic Preservation,

and Facilities, Memorials, and Land.

This design includes much more

participation from tribal citizens and

community members. For example,

we have an open survey for artists to

Continued on Page 11

November 2020

www.wyandotte-nation.org

T ribal D epartment R eports

Tribal Police Department

Continued from Page 10

fill out (look for it on Facebook). This

will allow us to create a list of artists

we can use for various activities like

teaching classes, doing demonstrations, participating in art shows,

selling their artwork, and creating

commissioned pieces.

While we were unable to host

many events this year due to COVID-19, we are using this time to

restructure and prepare for an even

better future! Our grandmothers

and grandfathers always found a

way to keep moving forward and so

are we. There will be many more

classes, demonstrations, art shows,

and more! The work is exciting

and we will be sharing some new

things soon! Be sure to “Like” the

Wyandotte Nation Cultural Center

page on Facebook. If you would like

to share ideas, please contact me at

kgarcia@wyandotte-nation.org.

Tižamęh!

Thank you!

Submitted by Glenn Johnston,

Courtesy Photo

Brittany Crowe and Janice Wilson

hand out give away bags during

educational event.

was also busy with fish and mussel

counts and sampling on our two bioassessment sites on Warrens Branch

and Sycamore Creek. Along with

that was our monthly and quarterly

water monitoring and sampling on

eight sites within Wyandotte Nation’s Historic Jurisdiction.

Planning & Natural

Resources

Submitted by Christen Lee, Environmental & Planning Director

The 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

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.

The month of July was a busy

month with Virtual EPA, DOI and

Tribal calls/meetings. Christen

Lee and Kathleen Welch attended

the Tribal Caucus/RTOC Virtual

calls on the 21st and 22nd. Staff

Page 11

Courtesy Photo

Crowe and Wilson conduct video on

how an aquifer works.

With so many education events

having to be canceled due to COVID19, the Department Staff came

up with innovative ways to reach

tribal citizens and the community

on Environmental Education. On

Aug. 4th, Janice Wilson and Brittany

Crowe held a Drive Thru Education Event with tribal elders. They

prepared give away bags with environmental information and goodies

that was handed out to the elders, as

they picked up their meals through

the Title VI Elders Meals Program.

Approximately 125 Elders came thru

and received a bag.

Continued on Page 12

Chief of Police

The Shop With a Cop program is still up

and running… with a little twist. Due to

the pandemic, we will be putting together

the makings of a very nice meal, which will

be presented to the families, along with

gifts for each of the children. We are looking at 30 girls and 33 boys, which covers 25

total families. Wyandotte Nation Officers

will deliver the meal and gifts. All donations are accepted as well as volunteers.

We will be making a special Christmas

Tree Ornament, which will be given to each child.

Recently the department have received numerous cards and letters from

both local and tribal citizens, thanking us for our service. With the pandemic

and people being quarantined, the number of calls have increased along with

domestic violence related calls. We are very blessed to have Lisa Arnold on

call. She has responded without fail when the time for an advocate is needed.

Page 12

Wyandotte Nation / Gyah'-wish Atak-ia

T ribal D epartment R eports

November 2020

Continued from Page 11

Wilson and Crowe provided an

education video to the Shawnee

Tribe for their Virtual 2020 Water

Festival. The video explained about

how clean ground water and the

aquifer are important to our drinking water wells and systems.

This month staff finished up the

4th round of E-coli sampling for our

area lakes and streams per EPA recommendations. We are happy to say

that in spite of COVID19, we were

able to get our Quality Assurance

Project Plan goals accomplished.

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 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

to serve and create a positive impact

on all Wyandotte’s across the United

States. Selecting grants is based

upon community and departmental

needs as well as the availability of

funding opportunities. A summary of

approved and pending applications

can be seen in the tables (see tables

in this article on Page 11).

Department Contacts:

Director Christen Lee, clee@wyandotte-nation.org

Environmental Program Manager

Kathleen Welch, kwelch@wyandottenation.org

Environmental Technician 1 Janice

Wilson, jwilson@wyandotte-nation.org

Environmental Technician 2 Brittany

Crowe, bcrowe@wyandotte-nation.org

Recycling Center Coordinator John

Quick, jquick@wyandotte-nation.org

Land Management Technician Robby

Graham, rgraham@wyandotte-nation.org

Water Utilities Operator Braulio,

Ramirez bramirez@wyandotte-nation.org

Grant Writer Debbie Dry, ddry@

wyandotte-nation.org

Grant Writer 2/ 477 Coordinator

Michael Lowery, mlowery@wyandottenation.org

Healthcare

Submitted by Kelly Friend, Health

Services Director

As with most everyone and everything, 2020 has been an unusually

exciting year at Bearskin Healthcare

& Wellness Center. COVID-19 has

wreaked havoc on patient visits,

scheduling and the health of all.

Protocols have been put in place

to try to minimize exposure for all

involved. These include scheduling

of 30-minute appointments to allow

less individuals to be in the waiting

room at one time, questioning patients upon scheduling and in person

on exposure risks and requesting

masks to be worn by patients and

clinical staff during all visits.

Testing has been available for

COVID-19 at Bearskin Healthcare

since July 2020 via the Abbott ID

Now Modality. This is a molecular

point-of-care rapid test. Results are

given in the same day. This testing

is by appointment only. As of Oct.

14, 2020, over 901 tests had been

performed with a 16.5% positive

rate overall for Bearskin Healthcare

alone. Providers have requested

that patients with any symptoms

mimicking COVID-19 symptoms be

tested before entering the building

for visits. This appointment will be

set up at the same time as when you

schedule your regular visit.

News worthy announcement

–Bearskin Healthcare addition of

physical therapy services! NEO

Orthopedics and Rehabilitation, Inc.

began, Sept. 1, providing compassionate and quality care to the

Wyandotte and surrounding community. These services have surpassed

expectations. Currently, Space is

limited for these services, with a

change coming in the future.

Bearskin Healthcare will be

undergoing construction in the near

future! With this tentative construction plan, the pharmacy will relocate

to the front of the building where

the existing classroom is. Added to

it will be a drive-thru window! This

will eliminate the need for patients

to walk in and be exposed to illness

and weather elements. Additional

space will be added to the north

side of the building that will house

additional exam rooms and physical

therapy will move to the existing

space that the pharmacy encompasses.

A Community Health Representa-

tive (CHR) will soon be added to the

Bearskin Healthcare & Wellness

team. This position will serve as an

extension of the clinic to individual

homes and serve citizens of the Wyandotte Nation. Services provided

by this position will include health

promotion and disease prevention

such as education, patient advocacy, case management, screenings,

vitals, home health visits and even

transportation to healthcare appointments organized through Bearskin

Healthcare that are non-emergent

and scheduled in advance. Transportation services will be limited

to individuals who are homebound

or disabled and live within Ottawa

County.

A part-time Benefit Coordinator

has been added to the clinic team.

Duties include enrolling all eligible

population with alternate resources,

serving as a patient advocate and

acting as a liaison between federal,

state, local and tribal agencies.

This position has assisted multiple

already by securing health insurance or assistance for individuals to

receive specialty services that may

be a low priority or excluded through

Indian Health Services.

Bearskin Healthcare & Wellness

Center has recently completed a

remodel project. This included the

initial locker rooms from 1998, adding more shower space and lockers,

a new conference room and a new

kitchen in the gymnasium for special

occasions, such as The Gathering

and Little Turtles. Be sure to come

visit and check it all out.