Spilyay Tymoo
Coyote News, est. 1976
Community
update
Since the outbreak of the pan-
demic, the Warm Springs Health
and Wellness Center has tested close
to 1,400 people for the coronavirus.
One-hundred and three people
had tested positive as of earlier this
week. Eight members have been
hospitalized, and six discharged.
Eighty people who tested posi-
tive have recovered. Good news:
Since July 10 there have been 41
tests administered, and the total
positive number remained at 103.
CARES program
Tribal staff are working hard to
review and process applications sub-
mitted for the Cares Act Emergency
and Disaster Relief program.
The program is receiving a large
volume of applications: Please un-
derstand that it takes time to review
each application and prepare paper-
work to process payments. The first
group of payments went out on
Friday, July 10. Further payments
will processed on Tuesdays and
Thursdays in the upcoming weeks.
With limited staff working on
this, the tribal CARES program is
asking that you do not call or email
to inquire about the status of your
payment, unless you have waited at
least two weeks for your payment.
The more calls and emails the
staff receive about the status of pay-
ments, the more the process will be
delayed. If there are any issues with
your application, the staff will con-
tact you to resolve those issues.
If the application is received and
there are no issues, then payment
will be forthcoming. All checks will
be mailed out, so it is very impor-
tant that you include your current
mailing address on your application.
In addition, remember that the
application must be signed and dated
by the individual applying, attesting to
the accuracy of the information on
the application.
July 15, 2020 - Vol. 45, No. 15
July – Pat’ak-Pt’akni – Summer - Shatm
PO Box 489
Warm Springs, OR 97761
ECR WSS
Postal Patron
U.S. Postage
PRSRT STD
Warm Springs, OR 97761
Timeless treasures at the museum
T
here was a time when life
on the reservation was less com-
plicated—Never easy, just not so
complicated like today. If you
visit the new exhibit at the Mu-
seum at Warm Springs, you can
see first-hand some Native
works from many decades ago,
in some cases from more than
a century ago.
The exhibition is called The
Path of Resilience, on display
through the summer. Featured
items include woven bags from
the early part of the last cen-
tury, plus beaded objects, a re-
view of the Treaty of 1855, and
more. All of the works are from
the museum’s Permanent Col-
lection and Archives Depart-
ment.
With its re-opening last week,
the museum is taking precau-
tions to ensure the safety of
staff and visitors: The museum
follows the strict guidelines for
public facilities. The museum is
open Tuesday through Saturday,
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The museum acquired this Wasco basket from
Elvina Switzler ‘Kum-Mum-La-Sut.’ Ms.
Switzler was born in 1910 on the Stacona
Ranch. The basket was a keepsake given to
her by her mother Matilda Parker Stacona.
Matilda’s mother was Annie Symentire.
Courtesy MAWS
The museum acquired this beaded bag from
Melanie Colwash in 1994.
The bag was made in the early 1900s, and
given to Melanie by her grandfather Charley
Pete.
Planning for new school year
Students of the Jefferson
County 509-J School District
have not been in a classroom
since March, when the schools
closed because of the virus.
Three and a half months
later—and with the virus still
very much among us—the dis-
trict is now planning for the
2020-21 school year.
On the statewide level the
Oregon Department of Edu-
cation, Oregon Health Author-
ity and Governor Brown have
developed guidelines, called
‘Ready Schools, Safe Learn-
ers—Guidance
for
School Year 2020-21.’
The state guidelines
provide a model for on-
site classes, and the 509-
J district is planning to
implement this model for
all the district schools—including
the Warm Springs Academy—in
the fall of 2020. Families would
have the option to opt for distance
learning, said Ken Parshall, district
superintendent.
“We are working mainly on an
on-site plan, operating within the
guidelines as set out by the state,”
Mr. Parshall said.
The district is able to
plan for this option be-
cause the district class
sizes are relatively
small, and the class-
rooms themselves are
large, as compared to some of the
state’s large school districts, Parshall
said.
Families in the district will re-
ceive details of the plan later this
month or in early August. Fami-
lies will then have the chance to
give their input before the district
board approves a final fall term
plan.
Some items currently in the
draft plan: Masks will not be re-
quired; and sports will be part of
the school day, under the guide-
lines of the Oregon Schools Ac-
tivities Association.
There are no plans for a back-
to-school barbecue, or any other
large gathering of students and
staff. Classes would resume on
schedule, the Tuesday after Labor
Day. Things can change between
now and September, though “we
are hoping to be able to go for-
ward,” Mr. Parshall said.
Reservation
water
systems
Agency system
The Utilities water crew re-
cently made two major repairs
to the mainlines at Kah-Nee-Ta.
The Kah-Nee-Ta system contin-
ues to be problematic due to the
need for the pressure reducing
valve (PRV) repairs.
The two PRVs are the ones
at the top of the hill on the
south side of the Warm Springs
River, and the altitude valve at
the reservoirs.
Utilties will have a contract
to do the repairs to the PRV
vault at the top of the hill later
this week or early next.
The main community contin-
ues to operate at about 50 per-
cent capacity, until Utilities Wa-
ter can resolve the Shitike Creek
crossing mainline.
Please see WATER on 3
Dave McMechan/Spilyay
At the Warm Springs Emergecy Center Dorothea Thurby
carries bottled water donated by Riley and Annessa
Hartman, and their neighborhood group from Gladstone.
Johnson Bill of the Emergency Team, and Simona
Gherghisan of the Gladstone group were also on hand
to help with unpacking and stacking the water donation.