Message from the Chief
He’! I hope you are staying cool this summer. I want to remind low-income tribal members that there is help from several programs within the Tribe to assist with the cost of keeping your home cool. Call the office if you are having difficulties with the summer heat. Drink plenty of water, and if you can avoid the midday sun you’ll be in better shape. We have been fortunate to get a lot of rain so far this summer. We needed it!
As always, I want to give you some highlights of events since the last issue of the paper. In April, Curtis Zunigha (Tribal Manager), Anita Davis Mathis (Director, Cultural Resources) and I went to Muncie, IN to view a film that Ball State University produced. The students and teachers came to Bartlesville during Delaware Days to film. It is about the time when the Tribe was in Indiana 1795- 1821. A special thank you to the tribal members who made it out to the event.
The Tribe received a grant from the Heritage Foundation in Kansas to work on plans for the Lawrence property. Currently we are leasing the property for agriculture at $2100 a month. The Tribal Council will hold the July 7 meeting in Lawrence. We hope to live broadcast the meeting in Bartlesville, but at the least, we will post the video of the meeting on the website.
We worked to secure a plan to release our BIA 638 money (Aid to Tribal Governments) and I am happy to announce (after three years of working for this) that the money has been released directly to the Tribe (instead of going through the Cherokees as it has since the MOA was put into place). Thank you to the Cherokee Nation for working with us to accomplish this. We are currently working on a proposal for additional monies from the BIA.
The 50th Annual Delaware Pow Wow was May 23-25. I hope that you were able to attend. If you didn’t, start plan- ning for next year, Memorial Day weekend. And come to Delaware Days September 26th and 27th. The Pow Wow was a success although Sunday night’s dances were rained out.
We have a new Housing Director, Vickie Bratton, who has been nose-to-the-grindstone to strengthen the Housing Program and provide leadership for a promising future. We have hired three new employees in June: two in Accounting and an IT person to replace Greg Brown, who is relocating to Maryland to be close to his wife’s family and their daughter, who is going to school in Pennsylvania. He let us know that he will miss us, but he was given an opportunity that he just couldn’t refuse! We all hate to see Greg go as he has been our DIN editor and website coordinator for two years. He’s done a wonderful job for the Tribe wearing many hats. He was originally hired in 2010 to work as the Tribe’s Archaeologist/NAGPRA assistant. He has assured us that he will continue to work on the paper and the website as long as he is able and will help with the transition the new IT person.
I want to assure you that every open position at the Tribe is advertised, that applications are reviewed for qualifications, and then qualified applicants are interviewed. The selection process is a coordinated effort of Human Resources, our Tribal Manager, and appropriate Department leadership. I have seen some negative campaigning about nepotism, but I, along with the Tribal Council, can stand firm that tribal employees are hired based on qualifications, not relations.
Cy Hughes is serving as the Chairman of the Election Board for 2014. She served on the 2012 election committee. The election rules are published on page 6. The election will be on November 1 this year. You may need to fill out the form for absentee ballot on page 8. If you voted by absentee ballot in the last election, the rules state you should automatically receive a ballot. I know that the committee and the Tribal Enrollment Department are working to put together the list.
The Trust Board fall scholar- ships applications are due at the end of the month. The Tribal Council voted to contribute $16,000 to the Education Committee to fund 2014 Fall scholarships.
Last month, we began a news- letter which will be distributed more frequently than the DIN. This will be available electronically at the Tribal offices, and at events. If you wish to receive emails from the Tribe, let the Enrollment Department know (up- dates@delawaretribe.org).
Just for fun, and in support of the Delaware Scholarship Fund, Monterey’s Little Mexico restaurant in Bartlesville has been sponsoring a fundraiser for the tribe. The first Wednesday of the month, those with a coupon will have 20% of their meal bill donated to the fund. Coupons are available on request at the Tribal Office. So, join in the fundraiser and provide scholarship money!
Tribal members (and employees) Leslie Fall-Leaf and Chris Miller keep the Enrollment Department staffed each weekday. They are eager to help you get your family enrolled and keep your information current.
Just a reminder—the Delaware tribal rolls are open for all descendants of the 1904 Per Capita roll to enroll as full members of the Tribe. If a person is able to trace their lineage to this roll (per our Constitution,) they are eligible to be Tribal members. No cutoff dates! No blood quantum minimum! And we do NOT prohibit you from being enrolled with another Tribe for the purpose of membership. Remember, if a Delaware you know isn’t receiving information from the Tribe, then the Enrollment Department needs to know. Leslie and Chris are happy to help with the enrollment process.
If you have questions about Tribal programs or services our staff is here to assist you. We try to pack the DIN and website with information that will interest you. The Tribe is on Facebook, and we are working on the newsletter to keep more frequent contact with Tribal members who are local and/or have access to email. We have open meetings at least once a month, but usually more. We have open records for the general welfare of the Tribe. The Tribal Council and I are accessible to you by phone, by email, or even by personal visit. Please con- tact any of us —you don’t have to wait until an official Council meeting or General Council! Re- member, everyone that you meet is facing a battle of their own—so be nicer than you have to be and Welanipen!! (I hope you have a good summer!)
Chief Paula Pechonick
D5 Creation