E Coosh EEWA: The way it is Letters to the editor From the museum The Museum at Warm Springs closed to the public on March 18, and will remain closed at least through the be- ginning of April, and possibly longer. The museum is com- mitted to the safety of our visitors and staff members. This is a pre- cautionary measure re- garding the COVID-19 coronavirus. In the event you are requiring an emergency sale in the gift shop, such as a ceremonial purchase, you can call the museum to make ar- rangements for an ap- pointment with our sales staff. The num- ber is 541-553-3331. During the public closure of our building, our staff will thor- oughly clean and sani- tize the entire building. We will be monitor- ing this ongoing emer- gency development and will follow the sugges- tions and guidance of the Emergency Re- sponse Team. Thank you for your understanding. We are more than a building, we are decades of dedi- cation to the preserva- tion of the history, cul- ture and heritage of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. Sincerely, E l i z a b e t h Wo o d y, e xe c u t ive director, and the staff of the Mu- s e u m a t Wa r m Springs. A thank you Coming together—Fam- ily, relations, community at this time of remembrance of loved ones, late Joey and late Danell. Thank you to Sandra and girls for taking care of the longhouse, so that we were able to go ahead with the ceremony. Thanks you for the do- nations, nephews Anson and family, Austin, Mackie and family, Margie Ora and family, Sandra and family. Angie and family, aunt Marcia Macy. Thank you to Sinuck and Drummers for the beautiful songs. Thank you to Captain and Margie for the wonder- ful words. Also thank you to the wonderful cooks. God Bless, Queahpama, Tailfeathers, Haywahe, Johnson, Macy. From St. Charles The arrival of COVID-19 in Central Oregon has forced us to make some tough decisions at St. Charles Health . And we are not done making them. More are coming as more COVID-19 cases are discovered in our region. Right now, our most ur- gent priority is keeping our frontline caregivers healthy and our facilities safe and functioning so we can deal with COVID-19 cases, as well as all the people who come to us with other medical is- sues. We need to continue to care for all, including preg- nant women, trauma patients and people with cancer or heart disease. Those things will not stop because there’s a global pandemic. Protecting our health care resources is very much at the heart of some of our recent decisions: Visitor restrictions Simply put, we cannot al- low most visitors to St. Charles hospitals at this time. It is crucial that we limit who is entering our facilities, for both the safety of the people working inside and for the health of our community. There are a few excep- tions. But for the foreseeable future, we must tightly en- force these restrictions, in- cluding our new rule that no visitors below age 12 be al- lowed on premises and that no visitors will be allowed for patients in isolation for infec- tion prevention. If you have a loved one at a St. Charles hospital, we understand you may have a very strong desire to come see them in person. For now, please use the telephone or video to call them. Our caregivers can help get them connected to our Wi-Fi if needed. Elective surgeries All elective surgeries and other select non-urgent out- patient services have been postponed to free up as much space as possible in our facilities, and to preserve critical supplies in case there Spilyay Tymoo (Coyote News, Est. 1976) Publisher Emeritus in Memorium: Sid Miller Editor: Dave McMechan Spilyay Tymoo is published bi-weekly by the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. Our of- fices are located at 4174 Highway 3 in Warm Springs. Any written materials submitted to Spilyay Tymoo should be addressed to: Spilyay Tymoo, P.O. Box 489, Warm Springs, OR 97761. Phone: 541-553-2210 or 541-771-7521 E-Mail: david.mcmechan@wstribes.org. Annual Subscription rates: Within U.S.: $20.00 Page 4 Spilyay Tymoo March 25, 2020 Howlak Tichum is a surge of COVID-19 pa- tients. Patients impacted by this decision will be contacted by St. Charles or their physician to discuss next steps. Testing The swabs we use to test for COVID-19 are running very low throughout the state of Oregon. Therefore, we simply cannot test people who are worried but feel fine. This is important to re- member: If you have symp- toms of COVID-19— cough, fever, shortness of breath—but you are not so sick you need hospitalization, the best thing you can do is stay home and call your pri- mary care physician or your county’s public health depart- ment. That brings me to a term that may be new to you: so- cial distancing. Not only do we need you to stay away from St. Charles unless you are a patient in need of hos- pitalization, we need you to stay away from each other. Social distancing means stay- ing away from each other, es- pecially by avoiding public gatherings and public places. This is not ‘just a sugges- tion.’ Social distancing is the one thing that experts say will help the most in combating the spread of COVID-19. If we don’t slow COVID- 19, we face the very real risk of our facilities filling up, our staff being overwhelmed and our supplies running out. That is the disturbing sce- nario playing out in some areas of Europe right now. To be clear, you can still do things like going outside, enjoying nature, playing board games with your fam- ily and video chatting with friends. But we need you to avoid public gatherings and public places for the time being. As I’m sure you know by now, this public health situa- tion is evolving not just daily, but hourly, and we need everyone’s help in managing it. Truly, we are all in this together. Sincerely, Joseph Sluka, President and Chief Executive Officer, St. Charles Health System Holiness One time the Holy Spirit picked through his garden. A bunch of us were cho- sen. We were brought to- gether and all bonded on a bright, sunny day. We were placed in a field. The Holy Spirit appeared with instruc- tions. We stood in a line with each other: “You are to walk across a field of demons. Do not be tempted. Re- member the evil one is a liar and a falseface. You are going to walk through the Seven Sins!” There was a girl stand- ing on my right. I was on the left end. All of a sud- den Demons appeared in front of us. The false faces came. People started seeing their parents and dead loved ones being beaten and punched! People screamed and started slugging it out— They were all stuck in a Evaline E. Patt ‘Wii’Slixlyt’ ~ 1946-2020 Ms. Evaline E. Patt ‘WiiSlixlyt’ passed away on Sunday, March 15, 2020. She was 73. Ms. Patt was born on April 20, 1946, grand- daughter of the late Henry Thompson and daughter of Chief Amos Simtustus. Ms. Patt was greatly respected in our commu- nity. For more than 50 years she served in many capacities within the tribal organization, starting in 1969 up to her passing this month. She was a Council- woman of the Twenty- Sixth Tribal Council, serving as vice chair. For several years she was the archivist of the Museum at Warm Springs, known for her expertise in tribal history and the cultural practices of the tribes. Recently, she was serv- ing on the Warm Springs Housing Authority and Credit enterprise boards; and the Land Use Plan- ning Committee. form of Hell! My mother appeared in front of me. A demon walked up to her and punched her in the face. I wanted to go into a death move! A bald eagle appeared in front of me and said, “Your mother wouldn’t be in Hell!” I went into prayer. All of sudden her face changed. Snakes came out of her, all over her. I ran into this de- mon before in a house that needed to be blessed. I walked through these de- mons, next came the punish- ers! Low self esteem, pride of life, empty vessels raised with no prayer in the home. I have a jail for you! Self- enlightenment, manifest des- tiny! Remember there are two false gods fighting—We are the aftermath. The sepa- ration of Church and State! A preacher stepped in front of me, “Come to my religion.” “No,” I replied, “Jesus was not just a philosopher.” I walked on. All over this field people that I bonded with were stuck in forms of Hell! We were almost to the other side. The girl on my right said, “I have to look back.” “No, Don’t.” It was too late! She hollered, Mom! I looked to the side. I was the only one left! I crossed and dropped on my knees cry- ing. I heard a voice call, “Spirit on Mountain.” I looked back. Everyone was free—No more demons. A voice called out, We only needed one to make it! No more demons! God wants the reflection of his son on you! To attain holiness it takes small acts of compas- sion and love. Cooney-Nye Talks to Spirit on Mountain. LeRoy Bobb. High Desert Out of deep commit- ment to our community, the High Desert Museum has closed to help prevent the spread of coronavirus. The Museum will remain closed at least through March 29. The situation will be evaluated to determine a potential reopening date. The Museum is also now postponing or canceling all programs at least through April 11. County precautions Jefferson County is com- mitted to make every effort to prevent, slow, and stop the spread of COVID-19 in our community. County of- ficials encourage everyone to limit their contacts in the community in the days ahead and conduct as much business as possible online and by phone. All Jefferson County buildings other than Sheriff ’s office and County Court- house are now restricted to employees and prearranged appointments with citizens. Citizens may request an ap- pointment for urgent busi- ness. This is an effort to re- duce the potential risk of ex- posure between employees and the public. County ser- vices will continue through phone calls, email, facsimile, on-line payments, regular mail and drop boxes at build- ings. While this restriction in- cludes the Public Health building, preventive health ser vices, not related to COVID-19, will continue. Clients will check-in via phone from the parking lot, then be escorted into the building. Departments may be reached by using the num- bers listed below. For more information or to make an appointment please call. · Adult Probation 541- 475-6145 · Assessor’s Office 541- 475-2443 · Board of Commission- ers 541-475-2449 · Buildings/Cemetery 541-475-6288 · Clerk/Elections 541- 475-4451 · Community Center 541-475-1148 or 541-419- 1275 (leave message) · Community Develop- ment 541-475-4462 · District Attorney’s Of- fice 541-475-4452 · Health Department 541-475-4456 · Human Resources 541- 325-5002 · Fairgrounds 541-325- 5050 · Finance/Treasurer’s Office 541-325-5023 · Juvenile Department 541-475-3463 Public · Works/Roads 541-475- 4459 · Public Health 541-475- 4456 · Senior Center 541-475- 1148 or 541-419-1275 (leave message) · Veteran’s Office 541- 475-5228 Open: The Sheriff ’s Of- fice and Jail, 541-475-6520 · Circuit Court 541-475- 3317 Postponed The Warm Springs Com- munity Action Team has postponed the 2020 Small Business Conference 2020. The conference is now planned for the fall. At COCC Central Oregon Com- munity College’s staff and faculty have largely shifted to a teleworking structure, running at least through April 28. Despite the virtual workspace, the college is committed to ensuring that its resources—from tutoring center advice and student records access to admissions questions and research con- sultations with librarians— will continue to remain re- sponsive to the needs of stu- dents and community mem- bers alike. For more information, contact Ron Paradis, execu- tive director of College Re- lations, at 541-383-7599.