# A Wyandotte Nation Publication

> Briefs, arguments, decisions, and more.

URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/documents/tribal%3Awyandotte%3Aad3d552e93dff4e7

## Record

- **Collection:** Tribal code
- **Document type:** Tribal code

## Text

The Turtle Speaks

Gyah'-Wish
Atak-ia

A Wyandotte Nation Publication

Volume 26, Issue 2

www.wyandotte-nation.org

May 2022

Easter Egg Hunt

Kids enjoy
thrill of
the hunt
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:
•
•
•

Preschool returns to newly renovated facilities
Newest Turtle Stop opens doors in Grove
Notice of Annual Meeting & Election

(C) Copyright 2022. 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..................... Rob Nesvold
Councilperson.......................Eric Lofland

Content
Easter Egg Hunt...................................... 4
School Renovation................................. 5
New Turtle Stop Opens.......................... 6
Pow-Wow Flyer....................................... 7
Tribal Department Reports............. 8-15
Community News & Notes................. 15
Important Numbers............................. 16
CALENDAR.......................................... 16

Editor/Design: William Swaim
Cover Photo:
The Easter
Bunny holds
a baby at the
annual Easter
Egg Hunt.

Photographer: William Swaim

Contact Us
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

From the Chief

May 2022

Billy Friend

Strength in unity defines us
I hope this quarter’s Turtle Talk
finds all of our Wyandotte people
doing well and enjoying the spring
season. While for us here in Oklahoma, the threat and many times the
reality of strong storms and severe
weather ushers in spring, it is also a
time of growth, brilliant colors, and
new life. Everything begins to awaken and everywhere plants and trees
are in bloom. Spring is an exciting
time of year as we open our minds to
the many possibilities before us, and
to the blessings, we have received.
Just as the seasons change,
throughout history Wyandotte people
have been able to successfully adapt
to constantly changing situations.
One reason we have been able to succeed as a people and a nation is our
shared belief in certain core values.
Today, our values continue to
set the standard for how we do the
things we do. Those values also serve
as the foundation for our mission “to
improve the overall quality of life of
the Wyandotte people.”
That mission was developed
because the Wyandotte people

have always placed a high value on
enhancing the well-being of our family, our fellow Wyandottes, and the
Wyandotte Nation.
We are committed to helping one
another and working together because
we have long understood there is
strength in unity. That belief in the
power of unity is an important aspect
of our vision. The name given to one of
our ancestors was “Quindaro,” which
meant a bundle of sticks. Loosely interpreted, it means there is “strength
in unity.”
Our employees at the Wyandotte
Nation have always understood that
teamwork, honesty, and integrity
have always been essential to the
success of our Tribe. Teamwork is as
important today as ever because it is
the only way to fulfill our mission of
“improving the overall quality of life
of the Wyandotte people.”
For those who have not heard,
this past year the Board of Directors
separated our Cultural Department
from under the government division
and created another Division within
the Tribe. We did this because
we place a high value on cultural

From the Second Chief

identity. Culture binds us together
as a people. We have no future
without our history. Therefore, we
must strive to preserve our cultural
history and incorporate it into everything we do. Kim Garcia has been
appointed to lead this effort, and she
and her staff have done an outstanding job this past year.
While new projects are important,
and they are material signs of our
tribal growth, it is always the Wyandotte people who are the source of
our most significant tribal growth.
With the key building blocks of
quality education, jobs, housing, and
quality health care, our Tribe has
made tremendous strides in just one
generation. The greatest investment
we make and the investment that
produces by far the greatest return is
always in the Wyandotte people.
As I stated in the beginning, spring
is here and we are thankful for the
change of seasons. Let us also be
thankful for our Tribe, our families,
and our friends. United together,
we have achieved a great deal, and
possibilities are never-ending when
working together in the future.

Norman Hildebrand, Jr.

Good changes happening at Tribe
www.facebook.com/WyandotteNation

www.twitter.com/WyandotteNation

www.instagram.com/wyandottenation

www.youtube.com/WyandotteNation

Kweh Omateru
Hello my friends, well I guess the
tornado season is upon us here in
Oklahoma, the temperature has
been like a roller coaster, and we are
getting into the wind and rainy part
of the season. Well in Oklahoma that
could almost be any time of the year,
global warming has been messing
with our seasons the last several
years, we never know what we are
going to wake up to every morning.
Enough about that, here in Wyandotte, Okla., the Nation has been
progressing at a rapid rate. We were
talking to the engineering firm that
we use for a lot of our projects and
they said they are working on 10 dif-

ferent projects with us, so there will
be a huge change in the landscape
here in the Wyandotte Nation and
the surrounding area. These changes
will not only benefit our tribal
citizens but everyone in the area as
well. We will be building affordable
rental housing available to the public, an addition to the preschool, a
new Elder Services facility (Title VI),
a building for our domestic violence
department, and improving some of
the roads in our area. With all this
growth, we are working with the
Town of Wyandotte to increase the
size of the sewage treatment plant.
When you come in September for
the Gathering, Annual Meeting, and

Pow-Wow,
you will see
some of the
changes already completed and hopefully some under construction. Yes,
you heard me right we are having a
Pow-Wow this year, things are getting back to normal here slowly but
we are seeing improvement in the
daily lives of everyone in Oklahoma
and elsewhere.
There has been a lot of talk in the
news lately about the Indian Boarding Schools and the investigation the
Federal Government has started on
this issue. It should have been done

See 2nd Chief, Page 3

May 2022

www.wyandotte-nation.org

Page 3

P ublic N otice
N otice of A nnual M eeting and E lection
On Sept. 10, 2022, the Wyandotte Nation shall
hold their Annual Meeting and Election at the
Bearskin Healthcare and Wellness Center near
Wyandotte, Oklahoma. The election will begin
at 9 am.
The purpose of the election is to elect the following positions:
•
2nd Chief
•
1 Board of Director member
•
2 Grievance Committee members
Each position is a term of four years. Current
members shall hold their office until successors
are duly elected and given their oath of office.
The opening date to file for candidacy is May
13, 2022, with a closing date of June 12, 2022,
at 4:30 pm. All qualified members of the Wyandotte Nation who desire his or her name to be
placed on the ballot as a candidate for Elective
Office must file a “Declaration of Candidacy”
in person with the Election Board Secretary or
a designated representative at the Wyandotte

Nation Administration Building located at 8
Turtle Drive, Wyandotte, Oklahoma. No person
shall be a candidate for more than one office at
any one time. All such filings of Declaration of
Candidacy must be filed no sooner than May
13, 2022, and no later than June 12, 2022. No
later than three days following the close of the
filing period, the Election Board Secretary shall
post a complete list of all candidates along with
their respective office of candidacy at the Tribal
Complex.
A filing fee of fifty dollars ($50) shall be assessed for each candidate filing for Chief and
Board of Directors. Ten dollars ($10) will be
assessed for Grievance Committee candidates.
Each candidate for Elective Office shall be
assessed these fees payable to the Wyandotte
Nation by Certified Check, Cashier’s Check,
Personal Check, or Money Order. These fees
shall be used for election purposes. The filing fee
shall be paid on the same date the prospective
candidate submits his or her Declaration of Can-

2nd Chief
Continued from Page 2
decades ago, but they have started
one now. Hopefully, something good
will come of it, but I will not hold my
breath. My history portion will be
about the Seneca Indian School that
existed here in Wyandotte. But first,
a little excerpt to explain why the
boarding schools were established, to
begin with.
“Kill the Indian, save the man”
was the motto of Capt. Richard Henry Pratt, the most prominent Indian
educator of the late 1800s. Progressive reformers like Pratt believed it
was essential to get Indian children
away from their families and nations
to prevent parents from raising the
children in their own cultures. So the
reformers founded boarding schools
where children could be isolated
from Indian languages, values, and
traditions. Culture erasure was the
stated goal.
The rest of this article is an
interview with Jared Silas Dawson
in 1937:
“There was no school here except
the mission school that had been
established by the Quakers at what is
now Wyandotte, Okla., so my brother

and I were sent there to school. We
stayed at the school and were allowed
to go home each six weeks and to stay
from Friday to Sunday. Yes some of
us would run away; I tried it once
and they came after me that night
about eleven and I had to go back,
but I would not have tried it again
for the next morning mother would
have taken me back and she would
have made me walk, and she would
have ridden along with me to see that
I went.
Uncle Jerry Hubbard was in
charge of the school and we had good
teachers, who although strict were
good to us. We had very poor clothing, food and quarters as they would
be judged now-a-days but they were
feeding, clothing and teaching us at
no expense to our parents and what
they received was allowed them from
the government. The boys had red
duck pants put together with rivets,
hickory shirts of blue and white,
brogan shoes, common black hats, no
socks and no underwear. The girls
wore blue denim all made alike with
coarse cotton flannel underwear,
heavy shoes and the little girls had
copper toes on their shoes.
Our sleeping room or dorm, as you

didacy. Said filing fee is non-refundable.
POLLING PLACE: The official polling
place for all Tribal Elections shall be the
Bearskin Healthcare and Wellness Center
Classroom, Wyandotte, Oklahoma. The
polling shall be open from 9 am until 11 am.
Any voter in line at the polling place but
unable to cast a ballot before 11 am will be
allowed to finish voting. The polling place
shall be staffed by at least two (2) polling
officials designated by the Election Board.
Each voter will be required to present a
photo ID and Tribal Membership Card. If
the Tribal Membership Card has a photo
on it, this will satisfy both of these requirements.
--Zach Shockey, Chairperson
Wyandotte Nation Election Board

“Responsibility is the thing people dread most of all. Yet it is the
one thing in the world that develops us, gives us manhood or
womanhood fibre.”
---Frank H. Crane

would say today was without fire,
hard mattresses, coarse blankets and
no sheets. What did we have to eat?
For breakfast we had boiled beef,
gravy, light bread and weak coffee.
For dinner cornbread, beans, gravy
and water. For supper two tubs were
filled with sliced light bread, in one
tub two slices were put together with
New Orleans molasses and there
were rows of pegs about two feet
apart, we boys took our place at these
one boy to a peg with the larger boys
in front and these led up to where
two women were in charge of the two
tubs of bread and as a boy moved
up to the peg in front of the tub one
of the women would say “with or
without” and if he said with he was
given two slices of the light bread put
together with molasses and if he said
without he was handed two slices of
dry bread, these we took and went to
where the pump was for water and
this was our supper.

Major Redpath who was the agent
at the Seneca Agency, came to the
mission one evening as we were
receiving our supper and shortly after
the government took over the school.
I was seven when this happened.
After that we had plenty to eat, good
clothes, sheets etc. Then our clothes
were grey uniforms with red stripes
and the girls received blue flannel
dresses.” --Jared Silas Dawson
I gave this as a presentation at
a middle school in Michigan a few
years ago. The Quakers received
$165 per student per year to house,
clothe and feed them. I am sure the
Quakers really cut corners with
these children to increase their profits -- it seemed that way to me, what
do you think? I am sure the Quakers
thought they were doing good for
these children but taking them from
their families for weeks at a time
was not right.

Page 4

Easter
Egg
Hunt
Despite the chilly morning, families
made their way to the Wyandotte Nation
Pow-Wow grounds Saturday, April 9, to
take part in the 2nd Annual Wyandotte
Nation Easter Egg Hunt. Children from a
few months old to 12 years took part in
the race to gather eggs filled with candy,
money and prizes.
Staff and volunteers were on hand early
in the morning to lay out the 5,000 eggs
for the community, who came out in
droves for the pre-Easter fun. The event
was sponsored by Family Services, CCDF,
the Cultural Division and Bearskin Healthcare & Wellness Center.
Photos By William Swaim | Wyandotte Nation

Wyandotte Nation | Gyah'-wish Atak-ia

May 2022

May 2022

www.wyandotte-nation.org

Page 5

Students, staff settle back into newly renovated facility after flooding

Overcoming adversity
By William Swaim
Wyandotte Nation

Rain is nothing new to Oklahoma. However, heavy rainfall last
summer caused unusual flooding
and left the Wyandotte Nation
Education staff adjusting to a new
reality.
“It was disbelief,” said Education Director Cristi Hudson of the
flooding that forced the school’s
closure. “The amount of water on
the back playground was unreal.
Just to know areas flooded that
normally don’t, and areas that
normally flood didn’t -- it was just
a dark cloud that hung over us for
a while between COVID and the
flood. Hopefully, that dark cloud
has moved on.”
The flooding also impacted their
next-door neighbors, the Elder Services Department, who were also
displaced and had to close their
doors for a time as well.
Education staff was already dealing with closures due to COVID-19
outbreaks and was adjusting again
after being displaced by the flood
June 26.
Now, after nearly nine months,
and several renovations later,
staff and students settled back
into their new and improved
classrooms. It has also helped that
everything has started to return to
normal following the pandemic.
“Great feeling just knowing we
were going to have everybody
together under the same roof,”
Hudson said of the return on
March 21 to the new and improved
facilities.
The flood forced a shutdown for a
week before reopening July 6 last
year – at several locations.
The biggest challenge Hudson

Renovations included:

William Swaim | Wyandotte Nation
(Pictured Above and Below) The Wyandotte Nation Education building underwent flooding and the newly renovated building now features expanded
classrooms, additional bathrooms and much more.

said was finding locations for
everything they do -- preschool,
infant/toddler, library, before/after
school programs, and more.
One of the most challenging aspects was finding a kitchen to work
out of, however, River Bend Casino
& Hotel stepped in to help, opening
up the Twin Bridges Restaurant
kitchen for use. Twin Bridges was
only open for dinner, so staff could
prepare breakfast and lunch there
and were able to clean up before
the restaurant started serving
dinner.
“Just finding locations for everything was the most challenging,
but once we found the location,
we were able to make everything
work,” Hudson said, commend-

ing her staff for stepping up and
coming together to make it work
despite the not ideal situation.
She said she was also appreciative of the Tribe’s different departments coming together and opening up their spaces for staff and
classrooms.
“Everybody was willing to pitch
in and do what they could to help.
It wasn’t the best-case scenario,
but we made everything work and
everyone worked together – and
that is the Tribe as a whole,”
Hudson said. “Other departments
opened up their saferooms and
classrooms to us. Everybody was
willing to step in and help in any
way they could.”
Some of the highlights of the

• New flooring throughout the
building.
• New paint throughout.
• Knocked down non-load bearing walls to expand the infant, oneyear-old, and toddlers classrooms,
and allowed more storage area for
kitchen supplies and food.
• Remodeled the cubby room to
allow more room for more cubbies.
• Added bathrooms to one-yearold and toddler classrooms.
• Updated sinks and faucets in all
bathrooms.
• Added a flex room for library
activities.
• Remodeled the library and
completed lab.
• Added a vestibule to the preschool entry.
• New teacher work area/copy
room.
• Moved offices to the Title VI
building.
• Enclosed walkway to new
offices

renovation include increasing the
size of rooms the kids are in, as
well as having new bathrooms in
the infant/toddler area, so each
classroom has its own bathroom.
Hudson said this is great for potty
training, and the toilets and sinks
are kids’ sizes.
The Wyandotte Nation Library
remains closed as they continue
some of the renovations, but Hudson said she is hopeful it is also
open soon. In the meantime, people
can visit the Library section on the
Wyandotte Nation website (https://
wyandotte-nation.org/services/
education/library/), fill out an application to become a patron, and
visit the virtual library (https://
okvirtuallibrary.overdrive.com/) to
check out titles and more.
You can also check out the
different programs and services
provided by the Education Department on the Tribe’s website (www.
wyandotte-nation.org).

Page 6

Wyandotte Nation | Gyah'-wish Atak-ia

Economic Development News

May 2022

www.wtok.org

Turtle Stop Expansion

Newest Turtle Stop opens in Grove
By William Swaim
Wyandotte Nation

The Wyandotte Nation’s newest
Turtle Stop location in Grove held the
official ribbon-cutting with the Grove
Chamber of Commerce Wednesday,
March 2. The Turtle Stop added a
fourth store recently after purchasing
the OnCue Convenience Store,
located at 1101 E Hwy 10, for its
second location in Grove.
“We’re very excited for this day to be
here. We thank everybody for coming
out,” said Kelly Carpino, Wyandotte
Tribe of Oklahoma (WTOK) CEO.
“We are really excited to open our
second store in Grove. We have a lot
of continued plans for the store.”
Carpino said upcoming plans
include updates to the interior of the
store and expanding the food service
program to include pizza and hot deli
items already known by Turtle Stop
customers. This location will also
continue to operate as a Phillips 66
property.
Operational staff from WTOK,
Turtle Stop staff and Wyandotte
tribal leadership were on hand for
the ribbon-cutting, including Board
of Directors Second Chief Norman
Hildebrand, Vivian Fink, Eric
Lofland, and Ramona Reid, who made
the official cut to signify the opening.
The newest Turtle Stop was closed
for the transition but had a soft

(RIGHT)
Interior and
exterior
images of
the newest
Turtle Stop
location in
Grove, Okla.
Photos by
William Swaim
| Wyandotte
Nation

William Swaim | Wyandotte Nation
(ABOVE) Wyandotte Nation tribal leadership, along with economic development operational staff (WTOK) and representatives of the Grove Chamber of Commerce, officially cut the ribbon at the newest Turtle Stop location in Grove,
Okla. It is the second Turtle Stop location in Grove.

opening Monday, Feb. 28.
In addition to the two stores in
Grove, Turtle Stop currently has

locations in Wyandotte, Okla., and
in Seneca, Mo., which opened last
year. Turtle Stop is a Wyandotte

Tribe of Oklahoma (WTOK) business
enterprise. WTOK handles economic
development for the Tribe.

May 2022

www.wyandotte-nation.org

Page 7

Board of Directors
approve additional
payment due to
COVID health
emergency
Application dates are May 2 – June 10,
2022
• Payment will be made to adults,
must be 18 by June 10, and enrolled as a
Wyandotte Nation citizen.
• Applications can be picked up from
the Family Services office, emailed upon
request, or found either on the tribal
website or Wyandotte Nation Facebook
page. Applications are also being mailed
to the current address on file for each
adult tribal citizen. Please only submit
one application and in only one format. If
you email the application you do not need
to also mail, fax, etc.
• Tribal citizens must submit a completed application to receive the payment.
• The deadline for applications to be
considered for payment is June 10. Applications must be hand delivered, mailed
emailed or faxed by this date. Applications sent via mail must be postmarked
by this date.
• Incomplete applications will be
returned. Please be sure to complete each
line and check every box that applies to
you. Review your application prior to submission to be certain it is legible, signed
and dated.
• You MUST select at least one item
from the “Need for Financial Assistance”
section. If selection is not made the
application will be returned to you as
incomplete.
• If you have received payments via
direct deposit and your account information has changed you must complete a new
Credit Authorization and submit a copy
of a voided check or other bank document
(deposit slips are not acceptable documentation) that displays the account AND routing
numbers. Any funds returned by the bank
due to errors in account information will
automatically be issued a paper check.
• Applications will be processed in the
order they are received. Please allow up
to four (4) weeks for processing.
• Only applications submitted via email
will receive a receipt response.
• The correct email address to submit
applications is wnfs@wyandotte-nation.
org. This address represents Wyandotte
Nation Family Services (wnfs). Common
errors for past applications have been
the transposing of the “f” and the “s” and
neglecting to use the hyphen (-).

Page 8

Human Resources
Submitted by Deana Howard, HR
Director

Angel Schaller and Whitney Moore
have joined the Education Department. Angel is the new Afterschool
Childcare Assistant
and Whitney will
work as a Substitute.
Angel attends
Wyandotte High
School and is a
junior. Angel loves
kids and animals.
Her hobbies include
riding horses, fourSCHALLER
wheelers, and playing card games. She enjoys spending
time with family and friends.
Whitney graduated from Northwood High School in Shreveport, LA,
and is set to graduate from Liberty University in August of 2022.
Whitney enjoys
spending time
with her husband
and kids who are
Wyandotte Nation
tribal citizens. Her
hobbies are crossstitch, quilting,
embroidery, and
going to her kids’
ballgames.
MOORE
We are pleased
to have Whitney and Angel, and
wish them much success in their new
positions.
The Wyandotte Nation Family Services Department is very happy to
welcome Jenny Reeves and Stephanie Still. Jenny will serve as our
Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault/
Elder Abuse Advocate. She has extensive experience working with and
helping people in the medical field,
and as an advocate in the child abuse
world. She enjoys
spending most of
her time with her
children, family,
and friends. In her
free time, you can
find her fishing,
hunting, and being
involved in any
outdoor activities.
Her passion in life
REEVES
is helping others.

Wyandotte Nation | Gyah'-wish Atak-ia

T ribal D epartment R eports
Stephanie will serve as a Sexual
Assault Advocate – Supervised Visitation Specialist.
She received her
Associate’s Degree
in Criminal Justice
from NEO A&M
College in Miami.
Stephanie has five
years of experience
as a victim advocate and forensic
interviewer. She
STILL
enjoys spending
time with her husband, children, and
her fur babies. In her free time, you
can find her watching her children
play sports.
We are very fortunate to have
Jenny and Stephanie on our team.
The Wyandotte Nation is happy
to welcome Kelly Witten as our
new Court Bailiff.
He has a wealth
of experience in
Advanced Law
Enforcement. In
his spare time, he
enjoys hunting,
fishing, golf, and
travel. He also enjoys spending time
with his wife, kids,
WITTEN
and grandkids. We
are very fortunate to have Kelly and
wish him much success in his new
position.
The Bearskin Healthcare and
Wellness Center is very happy to
welcome Brittney Larmon, LPN,
and Mallory Butterfield. Brittany
will serve as PRN Clinic Staff. She
attended VO-Tech LPN program
right out of high school; she worked
in geriatric care for 3 years while
obtaining her Associate’s in Science
at NEO College to
further her education. In her spare
time, she enjoys
hiking, eating at
new restaurants,
and spending time
outside. Brittney
also enjoys spendLARMON
ing time with her
family, watching her son play sports,
and going to concerts.
Mallory has joined the Fitness

Department as a
Substitute. Mallory is a Wyandotte
High School Senior.
She plans to attend
NEO College in the
fall and wants to be
a Physical Therapist. She enjoys
softball, basketball,
BUTTERFIELD drawing/art, and
spending time with
family and friends.
We are pleased to have Mallory
and Brittany, and wish them much
success in their new positions.

Family Services
Submitted by Dana Butterfield,
Family Services Director

Spring is definitely in the air in
Northeast Oklahoma! The trees and
flowers are starting to bloom, allergies
are in full swing and we have had a
hint or two of tornado watches. Hopefully, we will be able to enjoy some
moderate temperatures before the
heat of summer sets in.
We had another great turnout for
our Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday,
April 9, with approximately 5,000 eggs
filled with candy, toys, cash, and prize
tickets for the kiddos to collect. A big
thank you to all of the volunteers who
gave up time on their Saturday to help
make this event possible.
We are looking forward to tribal
events this year starting with Little
Turtles and Lacrosse camp in June.
Little Turtles focuses on children but
is a great time for families to come
together for crafts, language, history,
and games. The Culture Center staff
and Cultural Advisory Board are also
making plans for The Gathering,
which will start on Tuesday, Sept.
6, and will be a full schedule for arts
and crafts, history, language, and
fellowship with Wyandotte people

May 2022

from across the country. The Annual
Meeting will be Saturday, Sept. 10
at 10 am. in the Bearskin Healthcare
and Wellness Center gym. For the
past two years, the meeting has been
limited to adult tribal citizens, but a
decision has yet to be made regarding
this year. This is an election year,
so please be sure to have your tribal
card with you at the Annual Meeting. If you have a citizenship card
that includes your photo, that will be
the only identification you will need.
However, if your tribal card does not
include your photo, you will also need
to have a photo ID to vote and receive
the meeting handouts. Be sure to
read the election and Annual Meeting
notice in the August newsletter for
exact details.
The dates for the Pow-Wow are
Sept. 9-11 and we are all very excited
to see our tribal families and pow-wow
friends once again in the arena. It has
been a rough two years, many of us
have lost friends and family members,
so it will be good to hear the drum
again!
We are planning to host Town Halls
in either late October or early November in both Northern and Southern
California. Detailed information will
be available in the August issue of
the newsletter and tribal citizens who
reside within a 200-mile radius of the
meeting sites will be sent postcard
announcements with additional
information and directions to RSVP.

Continued on Page 9

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

May 2022

www.wyandotte-nation.org

T ribal D epartment R eports

Page 9

Continued from Page 8
According to tribal records, 509 tribal
citizens reside in the state of California, we hope to see many of you at the
meetings.
The Tribe's website and Facebook
page are great sources of our information for upcoming events and services.
In fact, most of the Family Services
applications are not only accessible
on the tribal website, but many of
them are now available for electronic
submission.
Please contact a staff member if
you have questions or need additional
information about all of the programs
available through the Family Services
Department.

deadline to be considered for enrollment at the 2022 Annual Meeting. Applications must be submitted
along with an original state-certified
birth certificate. Applications can be
submitted at any time throughout
the year and birth certificates will be
returned within 10-14 business days.
Applications received after this date
will be held until the 2023 Annual
Meeting.

LIHEAP – Summer LIHEAP will
be available July 1 for tribal citizens
residing in Oklahoma and is incomebased. This is a small grant, so
funding is limited and is available on a
first-come, first-serve basis.

TRIBAL TAGS – Tribal citizens
must reside in Oklahoma and the
vehicle must be “primarily garaged”
in Oklahoma Indian Country to be
eligible for this program. Passenger,
RV, Motorcycle, and Handicap tags
are available as well. Please call the
office for prices and additional information. Keep the following in mind
when renewing tags and purchasing
new vehicles:
A tribal citizen’s name must be on
the title at the time of sale. Tribal
staff cannot add or delete names.
Renewal notices are mailed as a
courtesy by the 15th of the month
before the expiration, but it is the
responsibility of the tribal citizen to
renew their vehicle regardless if they
receive the notice or not.
Current Oklahoma insurance
verification is required. Please have a
paper copy of this when coming to the
office. If you need to email it, please
send it to wnfs@wyandotte-nation.org
before you come to the office.

SCHOOL SUPPLIES – PLEASE
READ CAREFULLY-INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS WILL BE
RETURNED FOR CORRECTIONS:
Applications will be available beginning July 1 on the Wyandotte Nation
website, at the Family Services office,
or can be faxed/emailed to you. Tribal
citizens residing in the 4-state area
(OK, KS, AR, MO) can receive a $100
Walmart gift card or submit receipts
for reimbursement of up to $100.
Please note there are separate applications for the gift card and reimbursement. The correct application
must be used.
Tribal citizens who reside outside
of the 4-state area will also be eligible
for the $100 reimbursement program.
Eligible items for the program are
school supplies, clothing, shoes, socks,
and school supply fees charged by
schools. Applications must be received
or postmarked by Sept. 30, 2022, with
no exceptions.
Applications and receipts must be
original documents. A separate receipt
for each child is required. Faxed or
emailed applications and receipts will
not be accepted. There will be additional information available with the
applications beginning July 1.
SENIOR ENERGY – Tribal
citizens 55 and older nationwide are
eligible for this program. Applications
will be available on July 1 for $100

NEW ENROLLEE BENEFIT Children will receive a $100 Walmart
gift card and a blanket with the Tribal
Turtle if an application is received
before their first birthday.

William Swaim | Wyandotte Nation
A big thanks to staff, volunteers and their families for 'laying' the eggs
Saturday morning April 9 at our annual Easter Egg Hunt despite the chilly
start, making this event possible for the community.

assistance to be paid directly to the
utility provider. Applications must be
received or postmarked by Sept. 30.
ELDERS ASSISTANCE – Available nationwide, a one-time payment
of $250 is available for tribal elders
aged 55 and over to help with personal
expenses. Please see the application
for additional information, which is
due no later than Sept. 30.
EXTRA-EXPENSE/EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES – One-time
payment of $100 per students Pre – K
through 12th grade for tribal citizens
who reside in the 4-state area (OK,
KS, MO, AR). Applications must be
received or postmarked by Sept. 30.
JR/SR BENEFIT - $250 benefit for
expenses associated with the Junior
and Senior years of High School. This
benefit is available to Wyandotte Nation citizens who reside in the 4-state
area (OK, KS, MO, AR) and applications must be received or postmarked
by Sept. 30, 2022.
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, such as

life-threatening or terminal issues that
require multiple trips outside of the local area. It cannot be a chronic medical
issue. 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.
CHILD SAFETY SEATS - Each
child is eligible for three seats in different sizes and must be picked up at
the tribal office.
PROMOTING SAFE AND
STABLE FAMILIES/INDIAN
CHILD WELFARE – This program is
designed to help keep children in their
homes with the family or ensure that
federal guidelines are adhered to and
the best interest of the child is considered first and foremost if there is a
need for removal. If you are involved
in a child welfare case, please contact
either Tara Gragg or Carmalita Ward.
FOSTER FAMILY RECRUITMENT – Indian Child Welfare social
workers are actively seeking foster
families. Please contact the office for
more information if you think this
might be of interest to you and/or your
family.
ENROLLMENT – Aug. 15 is the

SUPPLEMENTAL HEALTH
BENEFIT (Benny Card) - $1,000
per year benefit for adult (18 and
over) tribal citizens beginning Jan. 1
each year. Tribal citizens who have
enrolled Wyandotte Nation dependents will receive an additional $1,000
for a maximum of $2,000 per account.
Please note that this program is
only for enrolled Wyandotte Nation
citizens and does not cover spouses,
step-children, etc. Account balances
can be obtained at any time via www.
myctrustmark.com or by calling 800-

Continued on Page 10

Page 10

Continued from Page 9
990-9058 option 2. Family Services
staff can also answer questions about
the program but may need to refer you
to Trustmark in some instances.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the
IRS is currently allowing purchases
for such items as PPE, hand sanitizer,
ibuprofen, aspirin, cold medicine, etc.
which are not normally allowable
purchases.
BURIAL ASSISTANCE – On Oct.
1, 2021, the benefit for this program
increased to $2,000. The benefit will
pay to the funeral home or the family representative responsible for the
charges or can be reimbursed if the
funeral has been paid in full.
FAMILY VIOLENCE PREVENTION PROGRAM – This program
provides advocacy and services to
victims/survivors of domestic violence,
sexual assault, dating violence, stalking, human trafficking, elder abuse as
well as other victims of crime. This
program is available to any person
residing within a 25-mile radius of the
tribal headquarters and limited advocacy can be provided for Wyandotte
Nation citizens nationwide.
The Program coordinates quarterly
culture events in conjunction with
the Cultural Department as well
as several outreach and awareness
events throughout the year for the
community. The program continues
to expand based on the increased
needs within the local community. If
you are in a situation where you feel
helpless, please call one of our Advocates and they will do their best to
help you either through our program
or by connecting you with a program
in your area.
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,

Wyandotte Nation | Gyah'-wish Atak-ia

T ribal D epartment R eports

Education

lradabaugh@wyandotte-nation.org
DV Advocate/Educator Supervisor, Lisa Arnold, 918-678-6324,
lisaarnold@wyandotte-nation.org
FVPP Manager, Cesilie Chandler, 918-678-3269, cchandler@
wyandotte-nation.org
Crime Victims Advocate, Kristi
Johnston, 918-678-6340, kjohnston@
wyandotte-nation.org
DV/Elder Abuse Advocate, Jenny Reeves, 918-678-6486, jreeves@
wyandottenation.org
SA Advocate/Supervised Visitation Specialist, Stephanie Still,
918-678-6373, sstill@wyandottenation.org
Family Violence Prevention
Program Hotline, 877-276-0669

Submitted by Cristi Hudson,
Education Director

Courtesy Photo
The Salad Bar made it's triumphant
return to our lunches.

Elder Services
Submitted by Brenda House, Elder
Services Director

We are so glad to be fully open now
and be able to offer our salad bar
once again. It is so good seeing our
Elders visiting and enjoying themselves.
We are continuing to work on the
plans for our new building and getting more excited every day!
Our Mother’s Day Dinner is Thursday, May 5.
We will be celebrating 50 years of
Older Americans Act Programs this
year and the month of May is Older
Americans Month, so we will have a
big party on May 19 from 10 am to
2 pm at the fairgrounds in Miami,
Okla. The fabulous Duke Mason
will be performing as well as Jack
the Bible Donkey. We will have a
person making balloon art and telling stories. We will be giving away
many prizes and two TVs. The Ice
Cream Truck will be there. We will
also have several vendors set up. Our
menu is brisket sandwiches, baked

May 2022

beans, coleslaw, potato salad, and
cupcakes so come on out and PARTY!
We are planning a trip to Will
Rogers Downs in Claremore, Okla.,
for the Horse Races and Casino, and
a trip to Branson, Mo., soon.
Our Father’s Day Dinner is Thursday, June 16.
Our next Car Bingo is Friday,
June 24 at the Border Town Parking
lot in Seneca, Mo. It will begin at
10 am and we will provide lunch at
11:30 am. We will have lots of prizes,
the ice cream truck and Duke Mason
will perform as well.
CAREGIVER
We have resumed our Caregiver
Support Group. It will be held on
the first Thursday of each month at
10:30 am in the Title VI Safe room.
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.
Elder Services Team:
Brenda House, Elder Services
Director, (918) 678-6327.
Stephanie Hamilton, Food Service Team Supervisor, (Office) 918
678-6390, (Kitchen) (918)-678-6328.
Seth Higginbotham, Robyn
Beaty, Ashley Gleidt and Randee Crouch Food Service Team
Members, (918) 678-6328.

Kweh,
The Education Department is excited to announce the completion of
the renovation project that took place
after our building took on water from
a flash flood last summer. The flood
did not stop us from continuing services, but it did misplace us from our
building for a little more than eight
months. It has been great having
everyone under the same roof again.
Wyandotte Nation’s Library is
still closed to the public. We are in
the process of updating the shelving for all books and are waiting on
them to arrive. 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.
You can also download the “Libby”
app to access the virtual library. By
doing this, you will gain access to
several different eBooks, audiobooks,
magazines, and videos. If you do not
have a library card for Wyandotte
Nation’s Library, you may obtain one
online by filling out the application
on the website at www.wyandottenation.org. 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/ones/toddler rooms, preschool,
and after school programs for the
2021-22 school year, but we are still
accepting applications to be placed
on a waiting list for all age groups:
infants, ones, toddlers, preschool,
and before/afterschool. Our summer
program is also full at this time,
however, filling out an application
and turning it in will get your child
on our waiting list. Now is a good
time to fill out a preschool application to secure your child a spot for
preschool during the 2022-23 school
year. The infant, ones, and toddler
programs have a waiting list for the
2022-23 school year. Applications
are available on our website, or you
may contact Lindsay Cooper for

Continued on Page 11

May 2022

www.wyandotte-nation.org

T ribal D epartment R eports
Housing

Continued from Page 10
an application by email, lcooper@
wyandotte-nation.org, or by phone
918-678-3267.
Wyandotte Nation Scholarship
Program is wrapping up the spring
2022 semester scholarships. If you
are currently in the scholarship
program, please remember to send in
the latest transcript that will have
your spring grades and fall schedule listed. Fall scholarships will be
processed beginning in August.
Here are a few Wyandotte Nation
Undergraduate Scholarship reminders:
• Undergraduate scholarships are
limited to eight (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 fall submission for
new scholarship applicants is May 1.
To obtain an Undergraduate,
Masters, or Vocational Scholarship
application, they are now available
on our website, or 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. 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.
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 Special-

Page 11

Submitted by Kathy DeWeese,
Housing Director
The Nahasda (Native American
Housing and Self-Determination
Act) is a 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 55 and older, our
senior housing may be for you.
The duplexes are all two-bedroom,
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 it to the
housing office.
Wyandotte Emergency Rental
Assistance Program, which is part
of the Consolidated Appropriation
Act of 2021, is still available. If
you need help with past due rent,

ist, 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

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
provides a variety of services including, but not limited to, private well
drinking water sampling and septic
assessments for private homeown-

current rent, or utilities, please fill
out and return the application for
assistance, which is on the Wyandotte Nation website in the ‘Housing’
section. Income guidelines do apply.
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.
Wyandotte Housing Assistance
Fund, which is part of the Consolidated Appropriation Act of 2021, is
available to homeowners affected by
COVID. If you are behind on your
mortgage payments, please fill out and
return the application for assistance,
which is also on the Wyandotte Nation
website. Income guidelines do apply.
This is a nationwide program. If you
have questions regarding this process,
please call or email our office.
Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) is now
available for help with water utilities
in the state of Oklahoma. This program is income-based. Applications
are available on the website or by
calling our office.
The Splashpad at Heritage Acres

Park will be opening on May 27.

ers. 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.
Through our EPA Water 106
Grant, we have been preparing for
the upcoming spring sampling and
bio-assessment events that will be
taking place in April 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.
Our water Tech I and Tech II
personnel were quite busy during
January, performing five private well
samples. These samples were tested
for bacteria and E.coli and of the five
wells sampled, three of the five came

back unsatisfactory, meaning they
tested positive for either bacteria or
E.coli. Letters are mailed to each
residence with notification of the results, as well as a disinfection sheet
for the wells that tested unsatisfactory. Department Staff has been
participating in virtual Meetings due
to COVID restrictions. These meetings are with EPA, DOI, BIA, ODEQ,
and other tribes regularly. The staff
has also been participating in online
training for GIS/GPS Mapping and
Tribal Well Compliance issues.
The Grants Department has been
busy researching, writing, and submitting applications to not only meet the
tribe’s mission but the short- and longterm goals as well. The Grant Writers
submitted applications to the Department of Health and Human Services
for various Family Violence Prevention and Services grants. The Tribe is
requesting HHS funds to continue to
support victims of sexual assault and
their dependents and provide on-site
mobile COVID-19 testing to domestic

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

Continued on Page 12

Page 12

Wyandotte Nation | Gyah'-wish Atak-ia

May 2022

T ribal D epartment R eports

Continued from Page 11
violence clients and their dependents.
We also applied for non-competitive
funds based on the contract amount
and square footage addition to the
Bearskin Healthcare and Wellness
Center for medical equipment from the
Indian Health Service. Another grant
is a combination of three (3) environmental grants known as the Performance Partnership Grants (PPG) to
the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA). Finally, the writers submitted
two applications to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for two Purpose
Areas under the Coordinated Tribal
Assistance Solicitation. Awarded funds
under the first Purpose Area will allow
the Tribe to hire, train, and equip two
new police officers to help handle the
high volume of added crime activity
in the community. Grant monies from
the second Purpose Area will assist
the Tribe by developing and creating
a comprehensive justice system-wide
strategic plan based upon needs assessments as well as the tribe’s goals,
needs, and mission statement.
The BIA Self-Governance Coordinator submitted a new route in the National Tribal Transportation Facility
Inventory (NTTFI). The new route
number is 0128. The new street name
Little Turtle Place, which is the culde-sac for the “Tiny Homes” located
at Heritage Acres. The Coordinator
also submitted an annual report to
the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) on
expenditures of Roads Funding. This
report reflects expenditures for each
project funded with Indian Reservation Roads funding.
The ‘477’ Coordinator submitted
the program’s annual narrative, statistical, and financial reports to the
Department of the Interior. Under
Public Law 102-477, Wyandotte Nation integrates job training programs,
vocational training, employment
assistance for adult Indians, education scholarships, and social services
programs. Wyandotte Nation combines and coordinates employment,
training, and related services to serve
tribally-determined goals consistent
with the policy of Self-Governance.
Through our ‘477’ Program, we
were able to offer reimbursements
to five childcare providers for their
required health and safety training,
such as CPR. Mini-grants (Reimbursements) were used to purchase
and install touchless water fountains

Tires collected during April's Tire Collection event at the Lost Creek Recycling Center.

for better student accessibility to
water and sanitation protocols during COVID. We assisted childcare
facilities with purchasing vans for
transporting students to childcare
centers from schools and driveways
where children are dropped off at
their daycare. We also offered reimbursements for our childcare providers to do summer field trips.
In addition to the program providing childcare for 88 families and 167
children, we also helped clients either
obtain, maintain, or sustain their
employment through training and
tuition assistance, and other related
services. Several clients that received
tuition assistance are on track to
earn a Bachelor’s Degree in fields of
study, such as Business Management,
Elementary Education, Business
Administration, English, Political
Science, and Psychology. Others are
desiring to advance their education
with degrees in Pre-Med and Biomedical Engineering. Some clients began
training for new careers in Dental
Hygiene, Cosmetology, Construction
Technology, Esthetics, and Nursing.
We also had two clients earn their
Bachelor’s Degree and have entered
the workforce.
The Planning and Natural Re-

sources 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
desires to serve and create a positive
impact on all Wyandottes.
Feel free to contact our department
if you have a community project idea

William Swaim | Wyandotte Nation

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

Continued on Page 13

May 2022

www.wyandotte-nation.org

T ribal D epartment R eports

Continued from Page 12
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,
The staff at the Cultural Center and
Museum is so excited about the improved website! The calendar of events
has helped us tremendously with the
ability to inform tribal citizens and
community members about upcoming
events. As you may notice though, a
lot of the historic resources that were
on the website previously are no longer
available. All of those resources were
saved and they will be put on a separate
website specifically for Wyandotte
Culture.

For the first quarter of the year,
we have been working on this year’s
schedule with classes, demonstrations,
and events. Each month we have Waⁿdat
Wednesday - a basic language class on
the 3rd Wednesday, Wyandotte History:
Reading the Wampum – a history class
on the last Tuesday, and, starting in May,
we will have Beading Classes on the 2nd
Thursday of the month and Wyandotte
Craft Time the last Thursday of the
month both in-person and on Zoom.
Quarterly, we host the Wyandotte Nation
Book Club where we discuss a book by
a native author. This summer, we will be
meeting weekly with the interns, as well
as any Wyandotte youth that would like
to join, to learn more about Wyandotte
Culture. We are excited for the return
of Lacrosse Camp and the Gathering
of Little Turtles this summer! We are
expecting record numbers! We also have
some exciting classes scheduled coming
up. Please check the Tribe’s website or
Wyandotte Nation Cultural Center Facebook page for registration information.

Upcoming Events (2022)

(Dates subject to change – please
watch the Tribe’s website and the Wyandotte Nation Cultural Center Facebook
page for all updates)

• May TBD – Wyandotte Basics Class with
Beci Wright
• May 7 – Demonstrations at Overland Park
Arboretum
• May 11 – Wyandotte Nation Book Club:
“The Reason You Walk: A Memoir” by Wab
Kinew with Beci Wright
• May 12 – Beading Class with Kim Garcia
• May 18 - Waⁿdat Wednesday with Beci
Wright
• May 24 – Wyandotte History: Reading the
Wampum – Strange Foods with Lloyd Divine
• May 26 – Wyandotte Craft Time with
Kim Garcia

• May 27 – Pow-Wow Golf Scramble
• June 4 – Shawl Class with Carolyn Nott
• June 7 – Wyandotte Youth Night
• June 9 – Beading Class with Kim Garcia
• June 11 – Leather Belt Class with Chris
Houk
• June 14 - Wyandotte Youth Night
• June 15 - Waⁿdat Wednesday with Beci
Wright
• June 21 - Wyandotte Youth Night
• June 21-24 – Lacrosse Camp
• June 24-26 – Gathering of Little Turtles
• June 28 - Wyandotte Youth Night
• June 28 - Wyandotte History: Reading the
Wampum – Hygiene – with Lloyd Divine
• June 30 – Wyandotte Craft Time with
Kim Garcia
• July 2 – Wyandotte Nation Fireworks
• July 5 – Wyandotte Youth Night
• July 9 – Fingerweaving Class with Patty
Harjo-Shinn
• July 12 – Wyandotte Youth Night
• July 14 – Beading Class with Kim Garcia
• July 20 - Waⁿdat Wednesday with Beci
Wright
• July 26 - Wyandotte History: Reading
the Wampum 7:30 pm – Warfare with Lloyd
Divine
• July 28 – Wyandotte Craft Time with Kim
Garcia
• Aug. 2 – Wyandotte Youth Night
• Aug. 9 - Wyandotte Youth Night
• Sept. 6-9 – The Gathering
• Sept. 9-11 – Wyandotte Nation Pow-Wow

As always, the Wyandotte Nation Cultural Center and Museum is open to the
public for research, as a workshop, or
just come to visit! We would love to see
you any day and we are looking forward
to the return of all of our events!
Eskwayęʔ,
Department Contacts:
Kim Garcia
kgarcia@wyandotte-nation.org

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
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WNames so we can ensure 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
with the Cultural Center. We’d appreciate it!
Please send name questions & inquiries to bwright@wyandotte-nation.org.

Page 13

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. Our next meeting will
be May 11 (offered once during
the day, once in the evening –
you can attend either or both
sessions).
Our May selection is The
'Reason You Walk: A Memoir' by
Wab Kinew and you can read it
or listen to it as an audiobook.
Support your local independent
bookstore when you can.
To register for Book Club (if
you never have before) and
receive the zoom link, please go
to: https://www.surveymonkey.
com/r/WyandotteBookClub
If you’d like to suggest future
titles, 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, please let us
know at bwright@wyandottenation.org.
Our August title will be 'The
Seed Keeper' by Diane Wilson.

Page 14

Healthcare
Submitted by Kelly Friend, Health
Services Director

The Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services is providing
equitable relief to individuals who
could not submit premium-Part A
or Part B enrollment or disenrollment requests timely due to challenges contacting us by phone. This
relief applies to the 2022 General
Enrollment Period, Initial Enrollment Period, and Special Enrollment Period.
If you were unable to enroll or
disenroll in Medicare because you
could not reach them by phone
after Jan. 1, 2022, you will be
granted additional time, through
Dec. 30, 2022.
For more information, call 1-800772-1213 or use their Office Locator
(ssa.gov) to find the number for a
local office.
Short Bio for Vicky Weidner, MD:
I’m a small-town Oklahoma girl
who was born and raised in Woodward, Okla. After attending the
University of Central Oklahoma,
I attended the University of Oklahoma in Oklahoma City for medical
school and a year of Internal Medicine internship. The only time I
have lived outside of Oklahoma was
during three years of residency in
Emergency Medicine in Columbia,
South Carolina. 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. Some of my colleagues
and I started the residency in Emergency Medicine at the University
of Oklahoma and I served as the
Director of the Simulation Center
and taught residents and medical
students in the emergency department and simulation center.
My husband is Brian Edwards
and if you know him, you are a
lucky person. I am very blessed
to have him as my lifetime best
friend. Together we have raised

Wyandotte Nation | Gyah'-wish Atak-ia

T ribal D epartment R eports
four young adults. Our first grandbaby arrived last summer and we
are tickled to death to be able to
see him almost daily.
Brian began to work for the Grand
River Dam Authority in 2012 and his
home base is in Langley. In 2017,
after a lengthy illness and recovery,
I 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 of this region.
My hobbies are walking with my
dogs, sewing costumes for my daughter’s entertainment business, and
feeding birds. My passions are God,
my family, and caring for patients.
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
Deana Sweatt, Pharmacist 918678-3247
Refills, Automated Pharmacy Refill
Line 918-678-3244

Tribal citizens may be
eligible for these
benefits:
• Up to $275 towards glasses or
contacts
• Up to $1,000 on Adult emergency dental
• Up to $2,075 toward audiology services for hearing aids
• Up to $750 toward Adult
dental services
• Children’s dental is unlimited.
Call 918-678-3222 to find out
more information.

May 2022

May 2022

www.wyandotte-nation.org

Page 15

C ommunity N ews & N otes
Tribe helps Seneca
Police replace
vehicles
The Wyandotte Nation presented
the Seneca Police Department with
a $40,000 check to use toward the
purchase of vehicles.
“It’s a wonderful donation to us. We
are short of cars,” said Seneca Chief
of Police James Altic. “I just want to
thank the Wyandotte Nation for the
donation, and our City Council would
like to thank them for the donation. It
really is beneficial to us.”
Chief Altic said the department
was down a couple of vehicles after a
recent shooting and wreck. He said the
purchase request is already in and the
department should see the vehicles in
the next few weeks.
For the Tribe, Wyandotte Nation
Chief Billy Friend said they were glad
to be in a position to help the Seneca
Police Department and the community.
“For us, Seneca is part of our
extended community. We have a lot of
tribal citizens who reside in the town
and we also have businesses that are
in Seneca,” Chief Friend said. “It’s important for us the community there is
well protected and served. The Seneca
Police Department has done a great job
for years of doing that.

Gragg recipient of
scholarship

William Swaim | Wyandotte Nation
From left, Seneca Police Officer April Altic, Officer Roger Wilson, Police Chief
James Altic, Wyandotte Nation Chief Billy Friend, Wyandotte Nation Board
Members Ramona Reid, Second Chief Norman Hildebrand, Jr., and Vivian Fink.
“We saw that there was a need there
and we were in a position to help, and
we feel great about that.”
Funds for the donation came from
revenue generated by businesses in
the Tribe’s corporation, Wyandotte
Tribe of Oklahoma (WTOK), like the
Turtle Stop convenience store located
in Seneca, Mo.
“We are able to take those revenues,
distribute those, and help people here
in our community,” Chief Friend said.
“We’ve always been very communityminded. We realize when you are in
a rural community, you have a lot of

neighbors, and Seneca has always been
a good neighbor to us.”
Both Chiefs said the relationship
between the Seneca PD and Tribe has
been strong, especially as the Wyandotte Nation Tribal Police Department
(WNTPD) works closely with the
Seneca PD on a daily basis.
“It’s just natural for us to be able to
reach out and help them, and we are
glad we were able to do that,” Chief
Friend said. “We want to continue to
cultivate and build those relationships
-- the stronger our communities are,
the safer they are.”

KINGSTON, Ontario -- Modern Métis Woman (MMW) announced that one
of their 2021-2022 scholarship recipients is Hannah Gragg from Full Sail
University. Gragg is a member of the
Wyandotte
Nation.
Through
the Tribe’s
Summer
Youth
Intern
Program,
Gragg has
assisted in
the kitchen,
daycare,
and the Wyandotte Cultural Center.
She enjoys beading and holds valuable
teachings associated with other forms
of art. Gragg honors the women in her
community and expresses the importance of educational justice.
MMW is a private, non-profit, microfinance organization that lends itself to
furthering Indigenous women's education. Carleigh Milburn, the founder
of Modern Métis Woman, started this
organization in 2017 with her personal
funds to support Indigenous women's
education. MMW provides scholarships
to Indigenous women yearly.

Language Notes
By Beci Wright

Wyandotte Nation
Kweh ǫmatęruʔ ! (Hello,
friends!)
We are well into yęráhke:ⁿdeh
(springtime) now! The yaⁿgyut
(plants) are back from their winter
sleep and mowing urúʔtaʔ (grass)
is a common occurrence.
Yęráhke:ⁿdeh is also a time
where we start yaękwakeh (garden
or field). At the Cultural Center,
we plant the three sisters, known in
Waⁿdat as ǫmakyaʔtáⁿditahkwih
(our sustenance).
First is unę ́ haʔ (corn) to grow
high for uyá:reʔsaʔ (beans) to grow

around her stalk, giving her nitrogen in
return, leaving unyǫ́hšaʔ (squash*) to
shade the roots, hold in the water, and
discourage uhá:yętaʔ (weeds).
*Our word for squash is also our word
for melon and cucumber.
Hataʔúh šękwahs ? (What are you
planting?)
To answer, put what you will plant in
front of enyękwaʔ (I will plant) because
in Waⁿdat we put the new or important
information first. For example: tihšǫ́t
enyękwaʔ (I will plant strawberries.)
Hataʔúh šękwahs ?
__________
enyękwaʔ
Here are a few more answers to
choose from:
uⁿdátsaʔ (wheat) utę ́ ʔraʔ (turnips)

uⁿdáweⁿdaʔ (potatoes) utsíʔtsaʔ (flowers) unę ́ hstaʔ (seed)
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.
Tižamęh! Etsiskwayęʔ (I will see
y’all again)!
(To sign up for the monthly 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, 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@wyandotte-nation.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

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
Tags
Tiffany Garner (918) 678-6353
tgarner@wyandotte-nation.org
Family Violence Prevention Program
Lisa Arnold, (918) 678-6324
fvpp@wyandotte-nation.org
Hotline: 877-276-0669
Indian Child Welfare
Tara Gragg (918) 678-6355
tgragg@wyandotte-nation.org
Carmalita Ward, (918) 678-6485
cward@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
Environmental / Planning / Development
Christen Lee (918) 678-6341
clee@wyandotte-nation.org
Housing
Kathy DeWeese (918) 678-6339
kdeweese@wyandotte-nation.org
Police Department
Ronnie Gilmore (918) 678-6365
rgilmore@wntpd.com
Non-emergency: (918) 678-3100
police@wntpd.com
Cultural Department
Kim Garcia (918) 678-6317
kgarcia@wyandotte-nation.org
Sherri Clemons (918) 678-6344
sclemons@wyandotte-nation.org
Bearskin Healthcare &
Wellness Center
Kelly Friend (918) 678-3259
kfriend@wyandotte-nation.org
Clinic Appointments
Dee Dee Clapp (918) 678-3228
dclapp@wyandotte-nation.org
Dental / Vision
Ashley Crawford, (918) 678-3222
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
bhart@wyandotte-nation.org
Diabetes Clinic
Donna Spaulding (918) 678-3258
dspaulding@wyandotte-nation.org

May 2022

Preschool Graduation

May
9

2022

Lacrosse Camp

June
21-24

7pm

Gathering of Little Turtles

June
24-26

Fireworks Celebration

July
2
Gates open 6pm @
Wyandotte Nation
Pow-Wow Grounds

Gathering

Sept.
6-9

31st Annual Pow-Wow

Sept.
9-11

Annual Meeting

Elders Thanksgiving Dinner

Sept.
10

Nov.
TBD

10am @ Bearskin
Fitness Center Gym

11:30am-1pm @
Title VI Building

Childrens Christmas Party

Dec.
10

Elders Christmas Dinner

Dec.
TBD
11:30am-1pm @
Title VI Building

All events in Wyandotte, Okla., unless otherwise noted.
ALL EVENTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE!

---

Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/documents/tribal%3Awyandotte%3Aad3d552e93dff4e7. Public record. Not legal advice.