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For Immediate Release
July 27, 2020
Curtis Zunigha, Cultural Center Director
czunigha@delawaretribe.org
(918) 337-6541

The Oklahoma Department of Libraries (ODL) has awarded a $1,000 PPE grant to the Delaware Tribe to help the Cultural Center purchase personal protective equipment (PPE) and supplies to keep staff and visitors safer during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Delaware Tribe is one of 64 institutions to receive a grant from ODL courtesy of the federal CARES Act and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). A total of $60,000 was distributed by ODL to address the coronavirus concerns of public libraries, tribal libraries, tribal cultural centers, museums, and historic sites in the state.

Curtis Zunigha, Director of the tribe’s Cultural Center, said the funding will be used to provide masks, gloves, face shields, protective barriers, hand sanitizer, and signage to maintain social distancing.

“It looks like we may be dealing with this virus for some time, so it’s very important that we follow CDC guidelines approved by our Tribal Council as we open up services to the public,” Zunigha said. “This grant will provide supplies we need to help reduce risk of exposure for our employees and visitors. Our mission is to serve our tribe and community, and we want to continue that mission in the safest way possible.”

The Cultural Center and other tribal offices initially closed due to the pandemic on March 18. They temporarily reopened July 1 to employees-only so that the buildings can be prepared for a public opening. That date remains to be approved and announced by the Tribe.

In developing the grant, ODL Director Melody Kellogg said institutions were surveyed about any hurdles they might face in returning to service during the pandemic.

The top concerns of libraries, museums, and other cultural institutions were a shortage of cleaning supplies and PPE equipment, fear on the part of staff and the public, and the challenge of enforcing social distancing and other best-health practices in their facilities.

“We developed the grant proposal to help address these concerns,” Kellogg said. “We were very fortunate in that we were able to provide some funding to all 64 of the eligible institutions that applied.”

The PPE grant is the first of two that will be available from ODL, with funding from IMLS and the CARES Act. The grants were designed to help the state’s important cultural institutions address two impacts of COVID-19: public health concerns, and the need to breach the digital divide and improve digital inclusion to better serve the public.

“The pandemic has thrown a spotlight on the digital divide in our state and nation,” Kellogg said. “At a time when, for safety reasons, we are depending more than ever on electronic communication, far too many of our fellow citizens don’t have the tools or access needed to take advantage of important services.”

Recipients of the Digital Inclusion Grants, totaling $291,320, will be announced later in July.

A complete list of Oklahoma’s 64 PPE Grant recipients is at: news.oklibshare.org/federal-funding/odl-awards-cares-act-ppe-grants-to-64-institutions.

The federally-recognized Delaware Tribe of Indians is headquartered in Bartlesville. While their origins are in the Pennsylvania/New Jersey area, their history includes forced migrations west. They arrived in Cherokee Nation Indian Territory in 1867 and settled along the Caney River. The Cultural Center includes a library, museum (under construction), archives, research center, language program, cultural activities and events, and the Gift Shop. More information can be found at www.delawaretribe.org.

The Oklahoma Department of Libraries is the official state library of Oklahoma. The agency serves the information and records management needs of state government, assists with public library development, coordinates library and information technology projects for the state, and serves the general public through its specialized collections.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services works to advance, support, and empower America’s museums, libraries, and related organizations through grant-making, research, and policy development.

The Cultural Resources department is currently receiving funds from three agencies to support our mission. (1) U.S. National Parks Service – Tribal Heritage Grant, (2) Oklahoma Department of Libraries – Coronavirus mitigation/PPE supplies, (3) Oklahoma Historical Society – Strategic Planning. We need to continue the strategic planning activities even though we’re closed for public interaction. Therefore we are reaching out to tribal members and ask that you complete the following survey (click on image to access PDF):

From the Lenape Talking Dictionary – http://talk-lenape.org

kshilënche – wash your hands
kshilënchekw – you all wash your hands
kshilënchèch – you will wash your hands
(not a command, just a statement of a future action)

mëtakham ktun ok kwikiyon – Cover your mouth & nose
kpilakhom kwikin – Clean your house

nutike – stay home or I stay at home…
nutikekw – you all stay home
nutikehënàch – we will stay at home
nutikehëna – we stayed home

OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Historical Society is proud to announce that the Delaware Tribe of Indians has been awarded a grant through the new Oklahoma Heritage Preservation Grant Program.

The Delaware Tribe of Indians has been awarded $6,500 for the development of a strategic plan for the Delaware Tribe Cultural Center through the help of a professional facilitator. The development of a comprehensive strategic plan is vital to the long-term success of any organization. A strategic plan will address the organization’s mission statement, long-range planning and an action plan for accomplishing its goals.

“The Delaware Tribe is pleased to receive this support from the Oklahoma Historical Society,” said Chief Chet Brooks. “Strategic planning is an integral part of building a strong cultural presence for our tribe. As such we will seek input from all our tribal members and other vital stakeholders to develop a ‘roadmap’ to our future.”

A total of just over $410,000 in grant funds will be distributed, with projects ranging from collections care and exhibit development to strategic planning and educational programming. “We are very pleased with how well this first cycle of the Oklahoma Heritage Preservation Grant Program has gone,” said Nicole Harvey, grants administrator. “Both the variety of projects and the number of applications submitted show that this program is not only necessary, but a game changer for the future of collecting, preserving and sharing Oklahoma history in local communities across the state.”

The Oklahoma Heritage Preservation Grant Program is a grants-in-aid program offered by the Oklahoma Historical Society with a goal of encouraging the collection, preservation and sharing of Oklahoma history at the grassroots level in all parts of the state. Open to tribal and municipal governments and not-for-profit historical organizations located in Oklahoma and registered with the Oklahoma secretary of state, this grants program offers funding ranging from $1,000 to $20,000 for projects focused on collections, exhibits and programming. Applications for this annual program open in the fall and award announcements are made in January. For more information visit www.okhistory.org/grants.

The mission of the Oklahoma Historical Society is to collect, preserve and share the history and culture of the state of Oklahoma and its people. Founded in 1893 by members of the Territorial Press Association, the OHS maintains museums, historic sites and affiliates across the state. Through its research archives, exhibits, educational programs and publications the OHS chronicles the rich history of Oklahoma. For more information about the OHS, please visit www.okhistory.org.

BE COUNTED:
The U.S. Constitution requires a census every 10 years. The first census was in 1790. Census numbers determine funding for many of the Delaware Tribe’s vital services and programs. For each man, woman and child who doesn’t get counted, it’s a loss of about $50,000 in federal funding over a decade that helps our tribal programs and services.

HOW TO RESPOND:
By April 1, 2020 each home will receive an invitation to participate in the 2020 census. You will have three options for responding: online, by phone, or by mail.

Be sure to list everyone living in the household as of April 1, including all adults, children, extended family and nonrelatives.

If not all adults in the household are not tribal citizens, be sure to list the tribal citizen first on the survey. This helps
the tribe when applying for grants and other funding opportunities.

For each Delaware Citizen, mark your race as “American Indian“. It is important that you write “Delaware Tribe” in full as your tribal affiliation. If you just write Delaware, our tribe will not receive proper credit.

If you do not have access to a computer and want to report this way, there will be computers set up for your use at the Delaware Center and someone to assist you.

Your Confidentiality:
Your personal information is kept confidential. The Census Bureau is bound by federal law to protect your information, and your data is used only for statistical purposes. Your response will not affect your housing status, income guidelines or custody arrangements.

For more information, click HERE.