E Coosh EEWA: The way it is
Letters to the editor
Glow Walk
The Glow Walk and
Round Dance is coming up
Wednesday, September 29
from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Old
School Gymnasium in Warm
Springs.
For more information call
Rosanna Jackson at Preven-
tion, 541-615-0036.
Happy W.S. pets
I want to thank the Warm
Springs community for com-
ing to our Pet Food Bank. We
had so many full bellies and
happy families. It was such a
heartwarming day!
We served our existing
Fences For Fido families, and
we added about 30 more
families to our community.
We will continue to provide
them food in the months
ahead!
We did go through about
2,000 pounds more food
than we anticipated. The
need was pretty great. So we
will regroup and find a way
to secure more funding to
continue to help even more
families.
With gratitude, Kelly
Peterson, Fences for Fido.
From Veterans
Service office
The Veterans Service Of-
fice will be closed from
Wednesday, September 29 to
Friday, October 8. I will be
attending a funeral in Califor-
nia.
I will be available via
phone at 541-460-0605 to dis-
cuss any claims or provide
feedback. Respectfully,
Frankie Williams, Con-
federated Tribes Veterans Ser-
vice Officer.
For youth
Do you know a young
person ready to make a
change? Heart of Oregon
Corps is now accepting ap-
plications for fall 2021.
AmeriCorps crews begin
this month, lasting into No-
vember.
YouthBuild starts in early
October. Also, the Heart of
Oregon Corps Thrift Store
has reopened in Madras. All
programs are now accepting
applications from interested
youth.
All programs operate in
person following our Covid-
19 protocol. See the site:
heartoforegon.org
Confluence Story Gathering
Podcast. Writer Sarah Vowell
explores our evolving rela-
tionship with our history.
Future episodes tackle top-
ics such as monuments, first
foods, and the complexities
of history with speakers
such as Bobbie Conner and
Sammy Genshaws. Season 1
is also available at the
Confluence website, featur-
ing talks with Ms. Elizabeth
Woody, director of the Mu-
seum at Warm Springs.
New episodes drop every
Thursday morning on on
Soundcloud, Spotify, iTunes,
and Stitcher, or wherever
you get your podcasts. The
Story Gathering Podcast is
designed to elevate Indig-
enous voices in our under-
standing of the history, cul-
tures and ecology of the
Columbia River system. See
the site:
confluenceproject.org
Best wishes! Lily Hart,
Confluence digital manager.
SSI covid relief
Dear tribal community,
We are writing to share
good news with you regard-
ing a critical change in policy
related to how we count di-
saster payments in terms of
income and resources for
our Supplemental Security
Income—SSI—program.
Financial assistance pro-
vided from tribal govern-
ments to assist tribe mem-
bers due to Covid-19,
funded by the Coronavirus
Relief Fund or Coronavirus
State and Local Fiscal Re-
covery Funds and the
American Rescue Plan Act
of 2021 (ARPA), do not
count against SSI eligibility
and payment amounts.
The Social Security Ad-
ministration is committed
to serving the American
Indian, Alaska Native com-
munities as we navigate
through these unprec-
edented times.
We ask that you help us
spread the word about
Covid-19 related assistance
issued by tribal governments
and our guidance on how we
treat those payments for SSI
purposes.
For more information on
the effect of Covid-19-Re-
lated Financial Assistance on
SSI Income and Resources,
check the publication: Spot-
light on American Indians
and Alaska Native Provsions
posted on the AIAN
webpage:
ssa.gov/people/aian
Confluence
podcasts
Safely dispose of
hazardous chemicals
We are excited to share
with you the opening episode
of Season 2 of the
Do you have hazardous
waste from a small business,
farm or your household?
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 September 22, 2021
COCC celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Courtesy COCC
Scene from 2018 Salmon Bake, Bend COCC campus.
C
entral Oregon
Community College will
recognize the second
Monday of October
each year as Indigenous
Peoples’ Day.
The recognition fol-
lows a unanimous vote by
the college’s board of di-
rectors at the September
monthly meeting. So
Monday, October 11 will
officially mark the first
Indigenous Peoples’ Day at
COCC.
The college will offer a
variety of free public pro-
gramming to celebrate. In
2020, COCC formally
adopted
a
land
acknowledgement, recogniz-
ing and paying respect to the
original stewards of the land
on which its campuses reside.
“To continue with this
respect and support, COCC
recommended that our
board of directors formally
recognize the second Mon-
day in October as Indig-
enous Peoples’ Day,” said
Dr. Laurie Chesley, the
college’s president.”
In addition to this annual
recognition, added Christy
Walker, COCC’s director of
diversity and inclusion, “The
college’s office of diversity
and inclusion, Native Ameri-
can program and the diver-
sity committee will curate
educational and social ac-
tivities and offer public
events to create greater
awareness and appreciation
of Indigenous peoples and
their cultures.”
COCC will announce
the full programming for
the college’s inaugural In-
digenous Peoples’ Day in
the weeks to come.
There will be a safe and
free way to get rid of haz-
ardous waste coming up on
Friday, October 1, from 2 to
4 p.m. at the Jefferson County
Fire District in Madras.
Warm Springs Sanitarian
Joie Simtustus is encouraging
the community to participate.
These kinds of chemicals
cannot be disposed of at the
Warm Springs landfill.
Small business owners
who would like to participate
on October 1, please regis-
ter by this Friday, September
24 by calling 503-307-3603.
Households do not need to
register. Some of the rules to
follow:
Waste must fit in contain-
ers that do not exceed 5 gal-
lons in volume. Please leave
the chemicals in the original
container. Some of the items
to be disposed of:
Pesticides and poisons.
Thermometers and thermo-
stats. Mercury and mercury-
containing items. Fluorescent
lights and ballasts. Polishes.
Household cleaners. Pool
chemicals. Rust remover. Sol-
vents. Motor oil and anti-
freeze. Engine and brake
cleaner. Transmission and
brake fluid. Paint and paint
thinners. And other chemi-
cals.
Please do not put items in
a plastic bag. Wear a mask to
the event. Please follow the
instructions on the signs at
the site upon arrival, Octo-
ber 1.
shield and keep virus-con-
taining particles from in-
fected people from infect-
ing you.
lating, as newer variants
have evolved. The good
news is that the original
Covid-19 vaccines have so
far proven effective against
all variants.
For diversity
Why a mask?
Many tiny particles of sa-
liva and other fluids are ex-
pelled when we speak,
cough, sneeze or breathe.
When someone has covid or
the flu, virus can be found
in those tiny particles.
When you wear a mask
if you’re sick, it blocks the
larger particles that carry
more virus and can also
block a lot of the smaller
particles. And you may have
the virus without knowing it
so it can block those particles
even when you don’t have
symptoms.
A mask can also act as
The variants
What is a virus variant?
Viruses like SARS-CoV-2, the
virus that causes Covid-19,
mutate or change constantly.
This mutation is a natu-
ral process that results in
new variants. You can think
of a variant as a stronger,
more harmful version of
the same virus. Some vari-
ants disappear, and others
persist. Multiple variants of
SARS-CoV-2 have emerged
in the United States.
At this point, the original
variant that caused the ini-
tial Covid-19 cases in Janu-
ary 2020 is no longer circu-
Yoga, HIIT
Yoga with Jennifer
Robbins is Mondays from
12:10 to 12:50 p.m. at the
Old School Gym. You can
learn more by writing:
jennifer.robbins@wstribes.
org
And Thursdays from
12:10 to 12:50 p.m. at the
Old School Gym, starting
this Thursday, September 23
is Strength Training and
High Intensity Inter val
Training Cardio Class. In-
structor is Jennifer, email
above for information.
Erika McCalpine is the
new executive director of
strategic diversity initiatives
at OSU-Cascades.
Ms. McCalpine is a busi-
ness faculty member who
has championed social justice
issues within Oregon State
University and OSU-Cas-
cades.
She teaches courses in hu-
man resources, and is the
founder and director of the
Diversity, Equity and Inclu-
sion Laboratory at the Bend
campus. She is also presi-
dent-elect of the OSU Fac-
ulty Senate.
In her new role, Ms.
McCalpine responsibilities will
include designing and imple-
menting an annual diversity,
equity and inclusion training
program for employees.