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