PAGE 2 APRIL 7, 1978
H ea d S ta rt-D a y ca re T ra iler • . .
In what is a loving, warm
and home-like atmosphere, 28
three to five year old children
attend HeadStart-Day Care in
the fairly new, double-wide trail
er behind the Day Care Center.
Children begin arriving at
7:30. Their day begins with free
activity time prior to breakfast
every day. This free time can be
used to color, draw, use scissors
and do puzzles. At 8:30, break
fast is served.
All m eals and snacks are
prepared in conjunction with
D istrict Nutritionist Ching Ye
Lee at the PHS Clinic. All are
well balanced and appetizing.
Many new foods that are not
often served at home are intro
duced to the children.
There are two . ead teach
ers, two teacher’s aides and one
cook-housekeeper working at the
trailer. Because of lack of space
the children are separated into
two groups. One group consists
of three and four year olds and
their head teacher is Marie
Tom, the aide is Leann Yallup.
Nancy Holliday and Geraldine
Frank head up the other class of
four and five year olds. Rose
Mary Smith, a veteran cook,
prepares the meals and tidies up
after each meal and snack,
sometimes getting assistance
from the children.
The teachers are all very
patient with the children, allow
ing them to express their feel
ings constructively, observing
actions quietly and stepping in
only when children begin to fight
and get unduly physical. Spank
ing is not used as a means of
discipline.
The HeadStart-Day Care
daily schedule is exactly like
HeadStart except the activities
A Full-Day Learning Center For Young People
are more detailed because their
day is eight hours long. Unlike
HeadStart, a rest-time is provid
ed every afternoon followed by a
snack and more free time.
In late 1975 and early 1976,
State regulations and require
ments changed. Small children
could no longer be allowed to
spend any length of time on the
second floor of the Day Care
building. And because there was
no space available for the three
to five year olds, a real need was
perceived for extra facilities to
house the children.
Indian Migrant Program
used to fund Warm Springs
HeadStart and Day Care pro
grams through Migrant Indian
Coalition, but IMP decided two
Ollie Smith furnished the Head Start-Day Care doll house
contracts were unnecessary and
thus combined contracts that during her free time while the other class played outside. The two
formerly went to the MIC with classes alternate their indoor and outdoor activities because of
CDS Photo
the regular HeadStart contract limited space.
in Warm Springs, to provide day
care services to children in the blocks and doing other activities allowing the children to better
three to five year old range. planned for the time that the coordinate the leg muscles.
Children really enjoy their
Since HeadStart-Day Care is other class is outside using the
funded like a HeadStart pro playground. If weather is bad, HeadStart-Day Care experienc
gram , and is not allowed to the basement of the Day Care es. There are very few tearful
charge for services, there is no building is set up with climbing goodbyes when parents leave
charge for the care of children bars, horses, trikes and hopity them in their class rooms. The
hops. What are hopity hops, you kids like and respect the teach
in that age bracket.
Again because of lack of ask? They are big balls with ers and the teachers return that
space, one class spends time handles on them and when sat same feeling through careful
inside doing a rt work, using and jumped on; ,they bounce, supervision and individual atten
tion given each child daily.
In M emoriam:
B la n ch e And A lec T ohet
Learning numbers and letters is fun at the Head Start-Day
Care trailer as Joelden Surface demonstrated.
CDS Photo
S p lly a y T ym oo
SPILYAŸ TYMOO, STAFF
Sid Miller
Managing Editor
Assistant Editor
Sandy Rangila
Photographic Specialist/W riter
Cynthia Stowell
Donna Behrend
R eporter/Photographer
Trainees
Priscilla Squiemphen
Roger Stwyer
FOUNDED IN MARCH 1976
Published by-weekly by the Confederated Tribes of the
Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon. Warm Springs,
Oregon 97761. Any written material to the Spllyay Tymoo
should be addressed to:
Spilyay Tymoo
P.O. Box 735
Warm Springs, Oregon 97761
Phone 553-1644
or 553-1161 Ext. 274
Subscription Rate 66.00 per year.
by David and Kathrine French
Last year, the community
lost one of its leaders, Blanche
Tohet, as it had lost her hus
band, Alec, in 1966. Her memor
ial service was held on March
25; this is thus a time to write
about the two of them, who
worked together for so many
years.
Mrs. Tohet was born in 1899
and was raised in a traditional
m anner. In turn, she raised a
family that has taken its place in
new activities as. the reservation
has changed. Still, her family —
and all of us who knew her —
benefited from her knowledge of
traditional Indian ways.
She was one of those who
made the Root F east and the
Berry F east successful year
after year. Her activities involv
ed much hard work, and they
extended from the digging of the
first roots and the picking of the
berries to the end of the cere
monial period.
Keeping things going was
not always easy. One year, the
drummers at the Root Feast did
not come into the longhouse
when the food was ready. She
decided not to wait any longer,
took a drum, and began a song
by herself. Soon, the drummers
came in and continued the sing
ing.
Blanche was a woman of
great personal dignity. In addi
tion, she was especially friendly
and cheerful. She had a good
sense of humor and told stories
about her childhood that showed
this. She told serious stories as
well and willingly shared her
knowledge of language and cus
toms.
With Alec and Blanche gone,
it might seem that this is the end
of a historical period. Yet, their
children learned respect for In
dian ways and, together with
others, having been continuing
them.
Alec Tohet was born in 1901;
he was the son of a well-known
.‘‘Indian doctor.” Although he
knew Washington figures like
Congressman A1 Ullman and
was sometimes a leader in tribal
m atters, he was also a m ajor
religious leader. He was quiet as
a person unless the circumstanc
es called for activity. He could
be an orator, but he could also
be just quietly helpful.
When the two of us first
visited a Berry Feast in 1950, it
was not clear to us how things
were planned and financed. We
talked with Alec, who was then a
m ajor organizer of such cere
monies; He mentioned the help
and support of others and then
said, “Well, we get along some
how. You know, if a White man
tried to run this, he’d go broke.”
Alec understood those things
one does simply because they
are worth doing. He would ex
plain the meaning of Indian
ways, and he put them into
practice throughout his life. He
lived like those of a century ago
who have been called Indian
prophets.
BLANCHE AND ALEC TOHET
(Photo Courtesy of Prunie Williams)