Spilyay Tymoo, Warm Springs, Oregon
May 6, 2020
Howlak Tichum
~ Bobby Begay ~
It is with heavy hearts
the Columbia River Inter-
Tribal Fish Commission
shares we have lost one
of our own.
Bobby Begay—Celilo
Village leader, Yakama
tribal member, and the
CRITFC lead fish techni-
cian—passed away on
April 24, 2020 from
Covid-19 complications.
Bobby was dedicated
to his family, the Celilo
community, salmon, the
river and tribal culture.
He was a bridge
builder, helping connect
many groups and indi-
viduals across cultural di-
vides.
His example of inter-
tribal brotherhood em-
bodied the hopes and
values envisioned by
tribal leaders from the
Yakama, Warm Springs,
Umatilla and Nez Perce
tribes, as they worked
to gether to for m
CRITFC.
Mr. Begay was an incred-
ibly generous person with
willingness to share not only
his harvest, but the message
of why salmon, lamprey
and the river are central to
our culture.
He did so for countless
groups with enthusiasm
and humor.
We extend our thoughts
and prayers to his family
M eg a n , D a i s y, S t e v e n ,
Henry and Jackie, and the
entire Celilo Village and
mourn with them the loss
of a remarkable man.
Statement from the Confederated Tribes
The seriousness of the
Covid-19 threat to our ways
of life was brought to real-
ity in the death of life-long
resident of Celilo Village,
Bobbie Begay.
Mr. Begay was a Yakama
tribal member who honored
his tribal way of life in a
place where his people had
lived since time immemorial.
This sad news reached the
tribes just as the War m
Springs Indian Health Ser-
vice clinic reported the first
four confir med cases of
Covid-19 on the reservation.
Clearly, since these events,
health risks to tribal mem-
bers have taken on the great-
est of priorities for the Tribal
Council, Management, and
health and emergency work-
ers.
The Warm Springs Covid-
19 health team works with
neighboring health agencies,
counties and communities to
protect our health from this
dreaded disease. According
to an aggregate report com-
piled by Katie Russell, Com-
munity Health Service man-
ager for the Confederated
Tribes of Warm Springs,
says of the reservation and
Celilo Covid-19 cases:
“The age range is from
less than 18 years to elders.
Symptoms: Some have had
symptoms, some did not.”
Regarding those who may
have been exposed: “All in-
dividuals fully cooperated
with instructions given to
them, including staying at
home. Nurses are following
up with individuals daily.”
Reservation Census reminder
The 2020 Census is un-
der way on the reservation
and among tribal members.
Because of the coronavirus
and stay-at-home require-
ments, the time to submit
your census information is
extended to October 31.
The easiest way to com-
plete the 2020 Census dur-
ing the Covid-19 pandemic
is to do it online. Got to:
my2020census.gov
If you don’t have the
ability to do the census
online, you can do the ques-
tionnaire by phone. Call
844-330-2020. They will
begin by asking you for your
census identification number.
(You may be on hold for a
while, so please be patient.)
Because the letters with
the ID number were only
mailed to people who get
their mail at a street address,
most people in War m
Springs do not have the cen-
sus ID number: On the
phone, just say you don’t
have one.
They ask for your street
address, if you rent or own
your home, your sex, age and
date of birth, your heritage
and race.
They will also ask about
who was living in your home
on April 1; how they are re-
lated to you, their age and
so on. For Native Ameri-
can households it’s best to
have the census completed
by someone who is Native
American. Tribal members
and descendants should fill
in ‘Confederated Tribes of
Warm Springs Oregon.’
Whether you do the 2020
census online or by phone,
the Warm Springs Complete
Count Committee asks that
you take the time to submit
your information, if you
haven’t already done so.
In response to the Covid-
19 pandemic the following
are imposed:
Tribal government of-
fices will be closed through
May 31. This does not ap-
ply to essential services, typi-
cally defined as Police, Fire
and Safety, emergency medi-
cal technicians, Public Utili-
ties, etc.
Administrative leave has
been allowed for tribal gov-
ernment employees during
this shut down. If you typi-
cally don’t work an 80 hour
pay period, your pay will be
determined based on recent
work hour history. More in-
formation is provided by Fi-
nance.
Page 3
Response Team: Heartfelt thanks to all
(Continued from page 1)
Some other partners
who continue to provide
valuable contributions to
the team include Secre-
tary-Treasurer Michele
Stacona, Managed Care
director Mr. Mike
Collins, and tribal Pros-
ecutor Nancy Seyler.
(My sincerest apologies if
I forgot anyone.)
I cannot thank this
group enough for their
ongoing commitment,
time and energy. Thank
you, Team.
I also want to thank
the members of the In-
dian Health Services in-
cident command:
Michele Miller, Dr.
Rachel Locker, Michelle
Spaulding, Commander
Amy Whistler, Yvonne
Iverson, Diane Fuller, Cpt.
Jim Gemelas and Dr.
Damon Pope.
Our tribal and commu-
nity support team includes
Katie Russell, Raymond
Hurtado and Russell Gra-
ham, with an occasional visit
from our Warm Springs Po-
lice Department, Correc-
tions and Fire and Safety
personnel.
What a great group to
work with, and more impor-
tantly, What a committed
group of individuals to take
on the day-to-day task of
our Covid-19 response and
operations here at the Warm
Springs Health and Wellness
Center.
I have so much respect
and appreciation for the en-
tire Health and Wellness
Center staff for their com-
mitment and love of
community. Thank
you, Team. I truly ap-
preciate all that you do.
Another shout out to
Carlos Calica for bless-
ing our team with a
morning prayer. Beauti-
ful!
Hyllis Dauphinais,
Warm Springs Health &
Wellness Center chief
executive officer.
This brief report from
Mr. Dauphinais is from
the heart. And while we
take a breath, our Warm
Springs community is
thankful for his tremen-
dous leadership. He has
proven to be a ver y ca-
pable and professional
leader in this most tr y-
ing time.