2013
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Delaware Tribe Visits Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes
Members of the Tribal Council recently visited Pablo, Montana to tour the tribal operations of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai. The two-day visit allowed the Tribal Council to meet with department heads to share ideas on how to expand on similar ventures, as well as learn how to establish and run new ones.
Introducing THE LODGES
THE LODGES apartment complex located at 1026 S. Johnstone in Bartlesville, Oklahoma is owned and operated by the Delaware Tribe of Indians. One and two bedroom units are available for rent to qualified low-income Delaware Tribal members and other Native Americans. Inquire at the Delaware Tribe Housing Program office at 168 N. Barbara Street in Bartlesville. For more information call Cece Biggoose at (918) 337-6572.
Native American Scholarship Assistance
Native students should apply for all the funds they are eligible for. We will help you with your scholarship search, NO CHARGE. We will also help you develop your essay, NO CHARGE. Log on to our website and read the instructions, then print out the application. Seniors in high school should start the process as soon as they are in school. The scholarship season is October to April, so get busy. Contact Dr. Dean Chavers or Ms. Joy Noll any time. We want to hear from you as early as the sixth grade.
CATCHING THE DREAM
8200 Mountain Road; NE, Suite 203
Albuquerque NM 87110
Phone (505) 262-2351, fax (505) 262-0534
www.catchingthedream.org
How Well Do You Know Lenape?
Sikon (Spring):
English translation
Mechi ta sikonëmihënuk,
We are already experiencing Spring,
Chahkolak alëmakihëluk,
Frogs are beginning to jump
Sakhukweyok nek otaesak,
The flowers are sticking their heads up
Tribal Archivist Anita Mathis Teaches Lifelong Learning Class
Tribal Archivist Anita Mathis has just completed her first stint as instructor in the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI), sponsored by the Oklahoma State University College of Education.
The class, entitled “History of the Delaware Tribe,” was held weekly February 11-March 18, 2013 at the Arvest Bank in Bartlesville. Approximately ten students, including Delaware tribal members, were introduced to various aspects of Delaware history by Anita and several guest speakers.
The abstract for the class, which was very well received and will most likely be repeated next spring, gives some indication of the content:
“Books, documents, images and artifacts of the Delaware Tribe of Indians are being collected and archived using state-of-the-art museum cataloging software. The collection is located at Tribal Headquarters, and drawing on these rich cultural resources, Tribal Archivist Anita Mathis will introduce you to the history and way of life, both past and present, of the Delaware Indians. Using slide presentations and a field trip to Tribal Headquarters, you’ll research documents, some of which date to the 1600s.
“Anita Mathis has been active within the Tribe all her life, including but not limited to participating in every Powwow put on by the Tribe. The 2013 Powwow will be her 49th. Anita has served on the Trust Board and chaired and co-chaired various committees. She currently serves on the Culture Preservation Committee. Anita is the Tribal Archivist and oversees the library, gift shop and research area. She has extensive training and experience in handling and archiving photos and documents and is dedicated to preserving written, oral and pictorial Tribal history.”
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| Anita Mathis during first class. | Anita in traditional Delaware dress. |
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| Annette Ketchum showing a simple buckskin dress worn in early years. | Jack Tatum, Dee Ketchum, and Annette Ketchum (foreground). |
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| Dee Ketchum on the water drum doing a prayer song. | Dee Ketchum with water drum. |
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| Mike Pace. | Anita Mathis with Mike Pace and Dee Ketchum in background. |
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| Jack Tatum leading the Bean Dance. | Jim Rementer teaching class about the Lenape language. |
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| Curtis Zunigha. | Greg Brown teaching class about Delaware archaeology. |
Entities Named to Administer Cobell Funds
On March 12, 2013, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced that the American Indian College Fund has been selected to administer the student Scholarship Fund authorized by the Cobell Settlement, with a fifth of the annual scholarships to be awarded by the American Indian Graduate Center.
For details, see http://www.doi.gov/news/pressreleases/secretary-salazar-announces-cobell-scholarship-fund-administrator.cfm.
April 2013 Message
Note: This is the lead article in the April 2013 issue of the Delaware Indian News.
He’, Kulamàlsi hàch? Sikònëmihëna, nulelìntàm! I hope this issue of the DIN finds you well and enjoying Spring. Check out the Tribal seal! The old seal was adopted in 1970, and over the years many discussions have occurred about modifications to the seal for accuracy. Small modifications had been made. The Tribal Council researched suggestions made over the decades and with just a few important modifications developed the Tribal seal you see today.
We submitted the Fee-to-Trust application for the Tribe’s Kansas Headquarters at 601 High Street in Caney, KS. Shortly, we will have our first Trust Land since our removal from Kansas in 1867!
The Caney building houses DFMS (Delaware Facilities Management Solutions), DTFS (Delaware Tribal Financial Services), and the Child Support Enforcement Program. If you are in the area I encourage you to stop and see the building.
We will manage the Kansas expansion and the Tribe’s presence in Kansas by continuing to build on the programs already offered. Currently programs under review include TANF, expansion of Housing services, health care and work under Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975 (Public Law 93-638) programs.
As you know, we are limited in exercising our rights as a Tribe in Oklahoma due to the MOA with the Cherokee Nation. A copy of the MOA can be viewed on the web site at https://delawaretribe.org/tribal-documents/. For those who cannot view the web site, a copy can be mailed to you by request.
We plan for the expansion of services in Kansas for unserved Native Americans as well as tribal members in 37 counties from southeast Kansas up to and including our last reservation area. Currently, our Economic Development consultant, Dee Ketchum, is looking at properties at Leavenworth, KS.
But we want to make it clear that we plan to continue to serve our members in the five counties in our Oklahoma Service Area, as well as the rest of Oklahoma and nationwide! We will continue our presence in Bartlesville.
Speaking of our Bartlesville campus, the new Social Services building is complete. The Environmental Program, the Tribal Archives and Library/Museum, the Housing Program, Education, Community Services, REACH, LIHEAP, and ICWA have moved into the new building.
The kitchen expansion should be finished in early April. Thanks to the hard work of our kitchen staff led by program supervisor Judy Dull, the Title VI program has continued to serve meals during the expansion, but was limited in their menus. Thank you to those who loaned their roasters to help the program. Thank you to our Title VI staff for keeping the program open during this time, we appreciated the social time.
We look forward to the delicious lunches out of the new kitchen. We will announce a grand opening soon. If you live out of the area, make sure to stop by and see the improvements on your next visit. The Bartlesville facilities are located on the northern edge of Bartlesville on the east side of Tuxedo Blvd off Hwy 75.
Recently we moved the Housing Program office from Chelsea to Bartlesville, but the Chelsea program office building is still staffed Monday through Friday, and has a drop box as well for your convenience. With the announcement of the move, three of our Housing Program employees have resigned. We wish them well and have advertised and filled two positions.
Chelsea has vacant units if you or someone you know is interested in living in Tribal housing. The Tribal Council is in the process of reviewing the Housing Program for improved ways and opportunities to serve Native Americans and Tribal members as well as ways to simplify processes and communication.
In efforts to continually move forward, we restructured DEA (Delaware Enterprise Authority), reduced overhead, and eliminated three positions. Three Board members have also resigned. In August 2012, the DEA Charter was revised to increase the Board to seven members. The Tribal Council is considering repealing this change to the Charter and returning to a five-member Board.
The Tribal Administration is focused on infrastructure, staff development, and training. Our immediate six-month plan is to shore up our foundation and help the staff with developmental needs in order to support expansion and growth of the Tribe and service to Tribal members. We are confident the staff will benefit from this focus. As a direct result, Tribal members will benefit. We all look forward to increased organizational strength and communication, both internally and to our Tribal members.
Early this year, River Trails, a gaming developer in Ohio, filed a lawsuit against the Tribe (but did not actually serve it). See our comment on this lawsuit on page 22. We appreciate the media’s conservative approach in reporting the disagreement. Although the rumor mill reported differently, at no time were the Tribe’s properties or judgment fund monies in danger. We are happy to report, we were able to negotiate with River Trails and keep the issues out of court.
Councilwoman Jenifer Pech-onick and I went to the NCAIED (National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development) conference recently. Jim Gray (past Osage Nation Chief) made appointments for us with major Native contractors. All of the meetings were productive, allowing us to spread the word about DFMS and our other economic entities. Each of our contacts volunteered to help us in various aspects of government contracts, including providing technical assistance on the DFMS 8(a) application. We were able to network, promote the Tribe, and promote DFMS.
I attended the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) planning meeting in March, and will be involved in project planning for the NCAI annual meeting, the first in a while to be held so close to home. The planning committee will meet monthly to prepare for its annual convention in October 2013 in Tulsa, OK. Tribal members who might be interested in volunteering the week of October 13-18, please contact the Tribal Office.
Please take your time reading the newspaper. Other than the web site (and our official Facebook page), the newspaper is the only current way we are able to keep you all up to date. However, mailing the paper to 4500 households does cost money. Keep in mind that the newspaper (along with past issues) is posted on the tribal web site. If you would rather read it that way, and save us a little bit in postage costs, please send us an email at tribe@delawaretribe.org requesting to be removed from the paper’s mailing list. This in no way cuts you out of any other communications or services, including your election ballots.
As always, please contact me if you have any questions or comments. Also feel free to submit questions or comments to our generic email address at tribe@delawaretribe.org if you aren’t sure to whom your questions or comments should be directed; this email is checked daily and questions are directed to the appropriate individual. Our official website (www.delawaretribe.org) is updated as frequently as we can with information about our programs, meetings, and career opportunities.
Lapich Knewël,
Chief Pechonick
ppechonick@delawaretribe.org
918-337-6590
Job Posting: Child Support Enforcement Coordinator
The Program Coordinator will work closely with the Program Director to establish the necessary procedures, guidelines and applications for a comprehensive Child Support Enforcement Program.
Immediate Supervisor: Child Support Enforcement Director
Controlling Supervisor: Tribal Manager
QUALIFICATIONS:
Minimum of an Associate’s Degree in Sociology, Psychology, Social Work or related social service field or equivalent is required. Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology, Psychology, Social Work or related social service field is preferred. Applicant should have two (2) to three (3) years of field experience in child support enforcement work in tribal, public or private sectors.
Must have comprehension and understanding of the basic principles of child support enforcement and Indian child welfare. Must have child support enforcement experience and/or case planning experience and a working understanding of court intervention cases in Tribal, State and Federal Courts. Must be knowledgeable of federal regulations, tribal codes and tribal policies and procedures as they relate to child support enforcement issues.
Must be computer literate and prefer experience in the use of Microsoft Office and other data-related software programs. Must possess excellent oral and written communication skills. Must exhibit the ability to recognize and use accordingly skills related to confidentiality issues. Must be able to maintain a working relationship with the CSE Program Director and the Tribal Child Support Enforcement Support development team.
Must be able to pass a background check (no felony convictions or misdemeanor convictions for offenses relating to children) and drug test. Must possess a valid driver’s license and be insurable. Must be able to pass a physical examination. Delaware Tribal preference.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
In coordination with the Program Director:
1. Plan, organize, and implement the Child Support Enforcement program for the Delaware Tribe of Indians as described by the program goals and objectives in the Start-Up Program Development Plan.
2. Implement program goals and objectives designed to address the Child Support Enforcement needs of the Delaware Tribe of Indians.
3. Continually assess Child Support Enforcement needs of the Delaware Tribe of Indians members and other Indian families living within the jurisdiction.
4. Acts as liaison between Indian families and various services provider agencies.
5. Conduct analysis of services provided by various organizations and makes recommendations and suggestions of new and alternative methods for improving the benefits to the Delaware Tribe of Indians Tribal Council.
6. Responsible for all programmatic reports to funding agencies, Tribal Manager, and Tribal Council as required.
7. Any other duties as assigned by the Child Support Enforcement Director, Tribal Manager or Tribal Council related to the Child Support Enforcement Program.
TO APPLY:
Send applications and resumes by e-mail to Michael A. Taylor at mtaylor@delawaretribe.org, fax to 918-337-6591, or by mail to 170 NE Barbara, Bartlesville OK 74006. Please no phone calls. Thank you.
35th Annual Operation Eagle Powwow
The 35th annual Operation Eagle Powwow will be held April 6, 2013 at the Washington County Fair Building in Dewey, OK.
For more information, contact the Operation Eagle Office, Will Rogers Complex, 4620 E. Frank Phillips Blvd., Bartlesville, OK (phone 918-337-0130)
Amy Wiley Swims for University of Miami
Delaware citizen Amy Wiley, whose paternal grandmother was Maudie “Bullette” Hough, recently represented the University of Miami in Coral Gables, FL at the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Swimming Championships in Greensboro, NC. Amy is the daughter of Bill and Jay Wiley of Lake Oswego, OR.
Amy graduated from Lakeridge High School in 2011, where she was an Honor Student and a two-time Oregon 6A High School State Champion in the 100-yard breaststroke. Wiley holds the Oregon State High School State record in the 200 Medley and 200 Freestyle relays as well as the 6A State Record in the 100-yard Breaststroke. Wiley also ran track for Lakeridge and placed at State in the long jump and the 300-meter hurdles.
Wiley is a redshirt freshman at Miami majoring in Exercise Physiology, Pre-Med Track. At the recent ACC Championships she made a B-Final in the 100-yard breaststroke and a C-final in the 200-yard breaststroke, helping the Hurricanes place sixth in the ACC.
D5 Creation