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About Siletz news / (Siletz, OR) 199?-current | View Entire Issue (March 1, 2002)
TRIBAL PROGRAM NEWS Walt’s Words of Wit and Wisdom by Walt Klamath Long ago, the five wolf brothers ran all over the country hunting every day. They hunted deer and elk; they shared their meat with Coyote. Every evening as they ate together, Coyote heard the wolves talk about seeing something in the sky. One night, Coyote asked the oldest wolf brother, “What is it you see in the sky? What are you talking about?’’ But the oldest wolf would not tell him. The next night Coyote asked the next oldest wolf brother, the third night asked the third oldest, and the fourth night the fourth oldest. The fourth oldest said, “If I tell you, the others will be angry with me.” The next morning, the fourth oldest wolf said to his brothers, “Coyote asked me about what we were talking about, what we can see in the sky. What do you think? Shall I tell him what we see up there?” The youngest said, “It will do no harm to tell him what those two things are way up in the sky.” So the five brothers decided to tell Coyote. The next time he was with them, they said to Coyote, “We see two animals in the sky. They are up high where we cannot get to them.” “Let’s go up and see them,” said Coyote. “How?” asked the youngest wolf. Elder Council Meeting March 9,2002 “That’s easy,” replied Coyote. “I will show you how we can go up to the sky.” Coyote gathered many arrows and cut rings around their shafts, then he shot one arrow toward the sky. It reached the sky and stuck there. He shot a second arrow toward the sky. It hit the end of the first arrow and stuck there. He shot the third and fourth; they too hit the end of the shafts and stuck. Coyote shot all of his arrows and soon had a trail all the way from the sky to the earth. When the sun arose the next morning, Coyote and the five wolf brothers climbed the arrowway. The oldest carried their dog. The rings that Coyote had carved in the arrows made it easy. They climbed many suns and nights. At last they reached the sky, where they saw the two animals they had seen from the earth. They were grizzly bears. “Don’t go near them,” warned Coyote. The two youngest wolves were not afraid and walked toward the bears; the next two youngest followed. The oldest with the dog stayed behind. Nothing happened to the wolves; the bears were not angry. The bears looked at the wolves and the wolves looked at the bears. Now Coyote looked at them and said to himself, “This is good, this is Chinook Winds Casino 2 p.m. - 5 p.m. Tax Year 2001 Info by Brian Leonard, Staff Attorney Question: Is the $541 per capita distribution from gaming taxable? Answer: Yes. Question: If it’s taxable, why didn’t I receive a Form 1099? Answer: The tribe did not send Form 1099s to members for tax year 2001, unless the total payment by the tribe to that member was $600 or more (any wages paid to employees are separately shown on a Form W-2). Question: If I received a $100 eiders’ bonus, is this taxable? Answer: Yes. Question: If the tribe sent a check directly to me to reimburse me for some Medicare Part B premiums, is this taxable? Answer: Yes. Note: While the above information is believed to be accurate, it is not intended to be a substitute for individualized assistance from a tax preparer or accountant. While this money may be taxable, how much tax you pay depends on your overall income level. pretty. It should always be this way.” Coyote convinced the wolves to stay there for awhile, while he went to earth. The wolves agreed. Coyote started down the shafts and as he went, he took the arrows down. The wolves were stuck in the sky. Every night, Coyote looked at the sky, at the work that he had done, and was pleased with himself. He called Meadowlark, told him what he had done, and asked Meadowlark to sing every morning of the deed that he had done for all the people to follow, to see, and enjoy. When Meadowlark flies up singing, he’s telling the story of how Coyote put the pictures in the sky. One night after Coyote had been away and had come back, he looked up at the sky and saw many stars. “Are there too many stars in the sky?” he asked Meadowlark. “They’re very thick and growing fast. If they grow too fast, they may fall down and the earth will become all frost.” Coyote became alarmed. “I must go to the sky again, this is my work. I must do something.” Coyote filled five quivers of arrows and shot them toward the sky as before. When he had climbed again to the sky, he gathered all the stars together. Then he placed them in different places and arranged them in different shapes. Some he arranged in squares, some pointed toward each other, many he spread across the sky in a big white trail, and this he called the Milky Way. He said to them, “Don’t grow too fast, keep the trail together. If you want to go somewhere, fly like lightning, speed like light, but don’t grow too fast.” Coyote put up a line of stars, then a bunch of stars. Sometimes this bunch of stars comes up in the evening, just as the sun sets behind the mountains. In the spring when the bow and arrow woods are in bloom, a bunch of stars gives light. Coyote left the wolves and grizzlies in the sky as he had pictured them. Today, people call those stars the Big Dipper. The three older wolves are the handle. The oldest brother is in the middle. He is leading the dog, which is the small star beside him. The two youngest brothers form the part of the bowl below the handle. They are the two stars that point toward the North Star. A Call for Volunteers by Walt Klamath Recently I had the honor of putting together a color/rifle guard. By the time I called the regulars, there weren’t enough left to form a rifle squad. I would like volunteers for the honor guard roster. If you would like to be a member and could spend a couple of hours or more a month on some training, please call me at 1-800-600-5599 or 541-444-8286, or at home at 541-444-2001. It’s important that we all work together and know what to do on the commands. For Memorial Day, we need five on the flags and eagle staff, and seven riflemen (we can get by with four to fire the volley of three rounds and one to give the commands), so on that day we need at least 12. On funerals, we need five on the flags and eagle staff and a minimum of four riflemen, three to fold the flag to present to the family of the fallen warrior. We really need volunteers. We never know when we will be needed and I don’t have a very long list of phone numbers. Recently, I called on the Salem VFW for help. This is where I have been getting my training, most recently in the manual of arms. Anyone living in Salem who is a veteran is welcome to attend these trainings at the American Legion Hall. I can get the directions to you; I know how to get there, but don’t know the address. The drill is held on the last Monday of the month. For our own purposes, we can do drill in Siletz when it’s most convenient for most, maybe on the weekend. Give me a call, volunteer if you are a veteran. March 2ÖÖ2 <3 Siletz Mews d 7
