may 15, 2020 -vol. 16, issue 10 casinos in western ... · 5/10/2018 · ization through...

May 15, 2020 -Vol. 16, Issue 10CheyenneandArapaho-nsn.govFollow us on Twitter #CATribalTribune

Casinos in Western Oklahoma ReopenCheyenne and Arapaho Tribesreopen gaming enterprises

On April 29, 2020 Cheyenne and Arapa-ho Tribes Gov. Reggie Wassana issued a re-lease announcing the reopening of all six of the tribes’ Lucky Star Casino enterprises in western Oklahoma be-ginning May 15.

Gov. Wassana has met weekly for the past two months with team members, as well as Indian Health Services (IHS) monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic numbers pertaining to the state of Oklaho-ma. In western Okla-homa, where all six

the tribes’ casinos are located, the spread of COVID-19 has been minimal, prompting the decision to care-fully and responsibly begin reopening the tribes’ gaming enter-prises.

The tribes operate six casinos and two travel plazas in the western Oklahoma counties of Canadian, Blaine, and Custer/Roger Mills counties.

According to the Oklahoma Dept. of Health website as of May 13 the data shows Canadian

Rosemary Stephens, Editor-in-Chief

CASINOS REOPEN / pg. 4

(CONCHO, OK) The Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes receive Brownfields Grant for land revital-ization through Environmental Protection Agen-cy’s (EPA) Brownfields Project in the amount of $266,000.

The tribes were one of five tribes to be awarded the grant and the only tribe in Region 6. The EPA breaks down the U.S. into 10 different regions, with Region 6 including the states of Oklahoma, New Mexico, Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana. Along with the tribes in Region 6, the other recip-ient for the grant funding went to the Oklahoma Corporation Commission for a cleanup project in the city of Okemah.

“I am glad we can all meet, even if it is through teleconferencing, to announced the Brownfields win-ners. The Brownfields is one of the most effective grants for underserved communities and I want to

thank the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes and their staff for their great work in Brownfields projects,” Ken McQueen, EPA Region 6 Administrator said.

McQueen announced the tribes and the Oklaho-ma Corporation Commission as the recipients for Region 6 fund-

Revitalizing land on the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes reserve

Abandoned buildings that used to house the substance abuse program, along with the old boys’ and girls’ dor-mitories will be demolished under the Brownfields clean up grant to revialize the land. (Photo / Rosemary Stephens)


LAND REVITALIZATION / pg. 4

As facial mask cov-erings become the new reality, demand for fa-cial coverings continue to grow.

In an effort to assist tribal citizens, the Chey-enne and Arapaho Tribes Health Board has called on local seamstress vol-unteers to create masks for distribution through-out Cheyenne and Arap-aho country.

Summer Kline-kole is heading up the mask-making project coordinating volun-teers, matching them with sewing machines on loan from the tribes’ Language & Culture Program and keeping inventory of materials and finished masks for distributing.

“The goal is to have

Cheyenne andArapaho Tribes Health Board launch face mask sewing project

Sandra Fletcher in Clinton, Okla. volunteers for the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes Health Board making facial masks for those in need. (Courtesy photo)


FACE MASK PROJECT / pg. 5

Tsistsistas & HinonoeiCheyenne & Arapaho Tribal Tribune

Clinton Service Unit & the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes Present TELEPHONE TOWN HALL

FRIDAY

May 22nd 1:00 – 2:00 PM

TOWN HALL MEETING

Call-in and join us for updates on the Service Units and cloth mask availability. Q&A

session will be available, contact 405-421-3752 to submit any questions or information.

CALL: 866-718-5321 PASSCODE: 1287923#

The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments Monday on whether tribes have jurisdiction over a large swath of east-ern Oklahoma in a case that could have implications on everything from tax authority to decades of criminal cases.

The crux of McGirt v. Oklahoma is whether a crime committed by an enrolled Seminole Nation of Oklahoma member occurred on tribal lands. Jimcy McGirt, who was convicted in state court of molesting a child, argues the al-leged crime occurred within the 1866 boundaries of the Creek reservation, so the case falls under federal jurisdic-tion, not state.

Mithun Mansinghani, Oklahoma solicitor general, pre-sented a new argument right out of the gate. In a shift from an earlier hearing on a similar case, Sharp v. Murphy, the state contended the Creek Nation never had a reservation, even before Oklahoma became a state, and said the tribe was instead a “dependent Indian community.”

“Oklahoma has jurisdiction over the eastern half of the state because it never was reservation land, and is certainly not reservation land today,” Mansinghani said.

Justice Clarence Thomas noted he was “very interested” in the new argument.

“I’d like you first to say … why you think that and why it matters, and opposing counsel seems to think that it’s ir-relevant and as he said, as I recall, that is also wrong, your assessment of that,” Thomas said.

Mansinghani said the land doesn’t meet the definition of a reservation and cited a previous case, Hagen v. Utah, say-ing restoring land to the public domain ends a reservation.

“If what created the land was the fee patent, the opposite of that, the conveyance of the fee patented, disestablish-es that thing in accordance with this Court’s decision in Hagen v. Utah, where it says reservation is reserving land from the public domain. So restoring land to the public do-main ends a reservation,” Mansinghani said.

Ian Gershengorn, attorney for McGirt, made several points in his opening statement: The Creek Nation had a reservation, Congress did not disestablish the reservation, Congress didn’t turn over criminal jurisdiction to Oklaho-ma, and “Oklahoma’s rhetoric about disruption does not change the result.”

Gershengorn argued Congress established the historical boundaries of the Creek Nation, and only Congress can undo them.

“The reason we have a plain text requirement has less to do with whether you call it a reservation or a dependent Indian community and everything to do with the fact that these boundaries were set up by Congress,” he said. “And so if you are going to undo that, Congress needs to speak, and Congress needs to speak clearly. We’re talking about transfers of sovereign rights. And that has to be done clear-ly in the text, and you can call it a reservation or dependent Indian community. The test would be the same.”

There were also a number of questions that focused on the practical outcomes should the court decide in favor of the tribe.

One of the outcomes the justices questioned was the im-pact on cases that may have to be retried in federal court.

“What makes this case hard — there have been hun-

dreds and hundreds of prosecutions of very heinous offens-es,” Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said. “On this state law, on your view, it will all become undone.”

Gershengorn said an increase of cases hasn’t material-ized for a couple of reasons, one being that federal court has higher penalties for certain crimes, and many of those convicted have already served a large portion of their sen-tence.

“While we’ve been hearing ... both in the Murphy ar-gument and here about, you know, murderers and rapists getting through, in fact, there is no evidence that the state has put forward that there will be ... the kinds of habeas petitions that one would expect to see. The kind of tsunami that has been predicted just hasn’t materialized,’ Gershen-gorn said.

Mansinghani later said 178 people are seeking to be re-tried under Murphy, “even though the Murphy mandate has been stayed and the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals decision is still binding on state courts.

“So that 178 cases are just the initial cracks in the dam,” he said.

Yet Justice Neil Gorsuch suggested those consequences might be overstated.

“I would have thought that ... we might have seen a tsu-nami of cases, if there were a real problem here, that we haven’t seen,” Gorsuch said.

Forrest Tahdooahnippah, Comanche, is a partner at the law firm Dorsey & Whitney who specializes in tribal and non-tribal businesses in Indian Country. He listened to the entirety of the morning’s arguments and said it was well argued on both sides but it’s difficult to tell which way the court will decide.

Based on the justices’ questions, Tahdooahnippah thinks Justices John Roberts, Samuel Alito, Brett Kavanaugh and Thomas are leaning toward ruling in favor of the state, while Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Gorsuch are leaning in favor of McGirt.

“Justices Ginsburg and (Stephen) Breyer’s asked point-ed questions of both sides, and appear to be the ‘swing vot-ers’ in this case,” he said.

In his closing rebuttal, Gershengorn said when it comes to arguments of the case that are based on interpreting law and statutes, it should be open and shut for McGirt.

“This court may not be able to determine which party has the better reading of events on the ground 120 years ago but it is surely well-positioned to determine which par-ty has a better reading of the text, and on that score I submit this case is not close,” he said.

In an email to Indian Country Today, the Muscogee (Creek) Nation said its attorneys made their case, and it has confidence in the Supreme Court process.

“We feel tribal representation made our argument today with brevity and clarity,” said the tribe through its press secretary. “The decision is now in the hands of the court, and we will wait for that decision.”

Normally, the court issues decisions throughout May and June. With COVID-19 pushing cases back and argu-ments heard via teleconference, it is unknown how long it will take for decisions to be handed out this term.

By Kolby KickingWoman, Indian Country Today

U.S. Supreme Court weighs ‘transfers of sovereign right’

McGirt v. Oklahoma examines whether a large swath of eastern Oklahoma should be considered tribal jurisdiction

Tsistsistas & Hinonoei Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribal Tribune

Cheyenne and ArapahoT r i b a l T r i b u n e

Latoya Lonelodge, Reporter/Advertising Sales405-422-7608 / [email protected]

1600 E. Hwy 66, Suite 8, El Reno OK / P. O. Box 38, Concho, OK 73022 Fax: 405-422-8204

2010-2019 NATIVE AMERICAN JOURNALISTS ASSOCIATION MEDIA AWARD WINNER & 2012-2017 AWARD WINNER OF THE OPA BETTER NEWSPAPER CONTEST

DISCLAIMER: Letters to the editor, opinions and commentaries do not reflect the views of the Tribal Tribune unless specified. Correspondence must be signed and include a return address and telephone number for verification, otherwise it will not be published. The Tribal Tribune reserves the right to edit letters for clarity and length. Submission of a letter does not guarantee its publication. Photographs, news stories or other materials in this publication may not be reprinted without prior permission. Printed by Lindsay Web Press, Lindsay, Okla.

Oklahoma Press Association member Native American Journalists Association member

Rosemary Stephens, Editor-in-Chief405-422-7446 / [email protected]

Society of Professional Journalists members

Max Bear peered down at the red earth, moving carefully. He was searching for signs of his ances-tors’ presence in the shells and beads that had found their way to the surface from a century-old gravesite.

Bear, director of the Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribes Historic Preservation Office, had been going about his daily routine in January when he received a call from tribal citizen George Levi about the items seen at a potential oil well site.

Levi, who came upon the site while hunting, thought it possible that the land was part of an old gravesite, so Bear, Cheyenne Cultural Coordinator Chester Whiteman and Arapaho Cultural Coordina-tor Fred Mosqueda went to check it out. With the help of archaeologists from the oil company and the use of ground-penetrating radar technology, their suspicions were confirmed.

Today the site a few miles from Bear’s office in Concho is marked with a wrought-iron fence, fin-ished in August, to honor those who were buried there, and to prevent any damage to the graves.

“Those are the kinds of things we do as part of our preservation efforts,” Bear said.

Though federally recognized as one tribe, the Cheyenne and Arapaho were once distinct Nations that called lands far from Oklahoma home.

Both were Algonquian-speaking, agricultural people residing in the Great Lakes region along the Mississippi River. The two tribes spoke similar lan-guages but each had their own unique culture.

Eventually, both were pushed out of the area and adopted the breeding and herding of horses, be-coming nomads who followed the buffalo. The two likely came together in the late 18th or early 19th century.

Gordon Yellowman, one of the tribe’s 44 peace chiefs, said it’s difficult to put a date on when the two tribes first came in contact.

“I think we started encountering one another be-cause we were always together closely from our or-igins,” Yellowman said. “As far as starting out and origin stories, history, where we came from, how we believe this earth was made, our stories are similar.”

The tribes camped together and battled common enemies, but preserved their own languages and traditions, Yellowman said. Also around the 19th century, the Cheyenne and Arapaho each split into groups, Northern Cheyenne, Southern Cheyenne, Northern Arapaho and Southern Arapaho.

After continually being pushed from their home-lands and signing multiple land cession and peace treaties with the U.S. government, the Cheyenne and Arapaho experienced a day that changed everything.

On Nov. 29, 1864, a band of U.S. soldiers at-tacked a peaceful encampment of Cheyenne and Arapaho women, children and the elderly. It became known as the Sand Creek Massacre, and the Nation-al Parks Service describes the day as “eight hours that changed the Great Plains forever.”

Maj. E. W. Wynkoop investigated the incident and wrote a re-port including his interviews of the soldiers, who agreed that the vio-lence was atro-cious.

“Women and children were killed and scalped, children shot at their mothers’ breasts,” Wynkoop wrote.

After the massacre, outraged Cheyenne warriors carried out a series of raids on the U.S. military, Bear said.

In the fall of 1865, the Southern Cheyenne and Southern Arapaho tribes, along with the Comanche, Kiowa and Plains Apache, signed the Little Arkan-sas Treaty, which gave them land in Kansas and Oklahoma. However, the Little Arkansas treaty was only in effect for less than two years and much of the land it promised was never actually given to tribes.

Finally, the Cheyenne and Arapaho were forced into Indian Territory by the Medicine Lodge Treaty

in 1867. Many died on the journey from disease, Yel-lowman said.

“There were many of them that fought to stay where they were,” Yel-lowman said. “But in the end, they lost their lives through that fight. And then when they were marched here forc-ibly, there was sickness, disease that the whites brought us. Our immune system couldn’t adapt to those diseases, and that’s what killed us off on the way here.”

The treaty created the Cheyenne and Arapaho lands in Oklahoma, with the capital in Concho, and the two eventually became known as the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes.

Through it all, the tribes have held onto their histories and cul-tures.

One example is the 44-chief system, given to the Cheyenne by the prophet Sweet Med-icine. It is said that Sweet Medicine went into a sacred open-ing at Bear Butte, a mountain-like fea-

ture in South Dakota, and returned with rules for the Cheyenne to live by, as well as prophecies predict-ing the coming of the white man.

The Council of 44 is a group of chiefs who are in charge of keeping the peace within the tribe and taking care of the women, children and the elder-ly, Yellowman said. Though being on the council is not hereditary, Yellowman’s father and grandfather were both chiefs.

“When I was taken in as a leader, the older chiefs ... taught me how to do things, how you’re supposed to serve your people,” Yellowman said. “You’re supposed to assist the elderly, assist the children. And most of all, you’re supposed to look out for the

infant children that are abandoned or orphaned.”Another important part of the Cheyenne & Arap-

aho Tribes today is storytelling — recalling the oral histories of the people and passing them from one generation to the next.

In order to be part of, and keep alive, a “living, breathing culture,” you need to know your people’s history, Yellowman said.

“You have to keep the stories because they’re a part of your identity, of who you are, where you came from, and where you’re going,” Yellowman said.

Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes keep culture and traditions alive

By Jana Allen, Gaylord News

George Levi (standing right) shows Max Bear, Historic Preservation officer, Arapaho Cultural Coordinator Fred Mosqueda and Cheyenne Cultural Coordinator Chester Whiteman, all of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, items he found while hunting on land in Concho, Okla. (Submitted photo)

Gordon Yellowman works for the Department of Education at tribal headquarters in Concho. (Photo / Jana Allen)

A sweat lodge for ceremonial use by Cheyenne and Arapaho citizens sits at the Concho campus. (Photo / Jana Allen)

You have to keep the stories because they’re a part of your identity, of who you are, where you came from, and where you’re going.”


CASINOS REOPENcontinued from pg. 1

County with 114 posi-tive COVID-19 cases, Custer County with 12 cases and Blaine Coun-ty two cases.

“The health and safety of our commu-nity and employees is always our highest pri-ority and through this pandemic we have re-lied on facts from the CDC and health ex-perts to guide our de-cisions,” Gov. Wassana said.

Gov. Wassana stated the employees will be required to wear masks and gloves, with both being provided for pa-trons who wish to wear masks and gloves in-side the casinos.

“We are starting slow with 50 percent occupancy, our em-ployees are all being screened and we will be taking customers’ temperatures using an infrared thermal ther-mometer upon entering as well as monitoring any health issues some-one may be displaying upon entering,” Andy Rednose, Lucky Star Casino Chief Operat-ing Officer said.

Rednose said each casino will be deep cleaned in house night-ly and will have bio-hazard deep cleaning once a month by Or-kin. Plexiglass has been installed at all cashier stations, play-ers club and every

place where customer/employee interactions occur. In addition, all Lucky Star Casino em-ployees were tested for COVID-19 prior to the reopening.

“We highly encour-age our customers to wear a mask and gloves, but it will be entirely up to them to do so. We will be following all CDC Guidelines and will monitoring dai-ly health departments’ data for new cases of COVID-19. We want our employees and our customers to be safe and have taken pre-cautions to ensure their safety,” Rednose said.

As of press time, Thunderbird Casino in Norman and Shaw-nee, Okla., and Osage Nation’s gaming fa-cilities were open also opening for business. Among those choosing to wait until the end of May, first of June to reopen their gaming facilities include Choc-taw Nation, Chickasaw Nation and Muscogee Creek Nation.

Operating hours for Lucky Star casinos will be 10 a.m. – 2 a.m. on weekdays, and 24-hours on the week-ends. Table games will not be reopened at this time, with a tentative reopening date of June 1 being discussed for table games.

ing, with the tribes using their grant funds to clean up buildings and reserve properties, both of which have been vacant since 1981.

“Thank you, I appre-ciate being here with you today and I would like, first of all, to thank Damon Dunbar, he’s our director of our Planning & Development Program here at the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, and I know he has worked dil-igently on this project.” Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes Gov. Reggie Was-sana said.

According to the EPA Website, since its begin-nings in 1995, the EPA’s Brownfields Program has grown into a proven results-oriented program that has changed the way communities address and manage contaminated

property. A brownfield is a property hindered by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant that prohib-its the expansion or rede-velopment of that prop-erty. EPA estimates there are more than 450,000 brownfields in the United States. Cleaning up and reinvesting in these prop-erties will increase local tax bases, facilitates job growth, utilizes existing infrastructure and pro-tects the environment.

“The tribes have been trying since the ‘90s to get a brownfields grant and I’m thankful and feel fortunate today that it has occurred. I would like to thank all those who were involved,” Gov. Wassana said. “We feel very for-tunate and we are hoping to move that property

into clean, green viable productive property, part of our footprint for our campus and we can make moves to help with ser-vices and productivity, as well as clean up some of our areas that needs to be cleaned up. Hopefully we gain a better perspective and become better guard-ians of all our properties.”

The other four tribes to receive Brownfields grant funding were, in Region 8, the Blackfeet Tribe, the Northern Cheyenne Tribe and Ft. Peck Assiniboine & Sioux Tribes, and in Region 10, the Coquille Tribe.

“I would like to say a big thank you to to She-lia Sevenstar and the In-ter-Tribal Environmental Council who helped as-sess the school buildings and gave us updated re-ports to be used in the

grant application. Am-ber Nelson who was the grant writer that put it all together and did an ex-cellent job. Crystal Creek Environmental Company who assisted with several reports and attended our public hearing before the grant was due, and New Fire Native who helped with the vision draw-ings we presented at the public hearing,” Damon Dunbar, Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes Planning & Development director said. “This was a team effort that will help the tribes to help the environ-ment and public safety with the grant funds.”

For more informa-tion about the Brown-fields project visit www.epa.gov/brownfields/overview-epas-brown-fields-program.

LAND REVITALIZATIONcontinued from pg. 1

(OKLAHOMA CITY) The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Econom-ic Development Admin-istration (EDA) awards a $700,000 grant to the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes in Concho, Okla.

The grant will advance long-term economic re-covery and resilience plan-ning efforts following the 2018 wildfires. The EDA grant will be matched with $307,604 in local invest-ment.

“The Trump Administra-tion is working diligently to help tribal communities im-pacted by natural disasters, including those devastated by wildfires in Oklahoma in 2018,” said Dana Gartzke, Performing the Delegated Duties of the Assistant Sec-retary of Commerce for Eco-nomic Development. “This project will allow the Chey-enne and Arapaho Tribes to

develop master plans and update their Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) so they can best engage in long-term economic development ac-tivities that will attract pri-vate investment and create jobs.”

This project is funded by the Additional Sup-plemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act of 2019 (Pub. L. 116-20), which provided EDA with $600 million in additional Economic Adjustment As-sistance Program funds for disaster relief and recov-ery for areas affected by Hurricanes Florence, Mi-chael, and Lane, Typhoons Yutu and Mangkhut, wild-fires, volcanic eruptions, and other major natural di-sasters occurring in 2018, and tornadoes and floods occurring in 2019, under the Robert T. Stafford Act.

EDA awards a $700,000 grant to the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes

Lucky Star Casino employees were all tested for the coronavirus COVID-19 prior to the reopening of casinos.

(Photo/ Rosemary Stephens)


enough masks to give each person at least two. We have had sev-eral people step up and volunteer, which we are so grateful for them doing so and as of right now we have about 175 masks ready to be dis-tributed,” Klinekole said.

The Health Board is providing all the mate-rials, delivering the ma-terials and sewing ma-chines to volunteers and picking up the masks ready to be distributed.

Volunteer Quannah Goin has decided she is on board for as long as she is needed.

“Since this pandem-ic started I have been making masks for fam-ily and friends. I started off with a very hard to make mask, but now I am making an easier to do mask. I feel honored to make masks for peo-ple who need them and I will keep making them

until I am not needed anymore,” Goin said.

In addition to sew-ing masks, the tribes’ Health Board is also ac-cepting donations from anyone willing to do-nate masks to distribute to tribal elders, families and children.

To donate masks or to volunteer to sew masks contact Klinekole by calling 405-421-3752 or email sklinekole@cheyenneanda rapa -ho-nsn.gov.

Quannah Goin volunteers to make masks during the COVID-19 pandemic for the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes Health Board face mask sewing project. (Courtesy photos)

FACE MASK PROJECTcontinued from pg. 1

Quannah Goin holds up a finished mask.

How long does the coro-navirus last on surfaces?

It is not certain how long the virus that caus-es COVID-19 survives on surfaces, but it seems to behave like other coronavi-ruses. Studies suggest that coronaviruses (including preliminary information on the COVID-19 virus) may persist on surfaces for a few hours or up to several days.

Who is most as risk for the coronavirus disease?

People of all ages can be infected by the new coro-navirus (2019-nCoV). Old-er people, and people with pre-existing medical condi-tions (such as asthma, dia-betes, heart disease) appear to be more vulnerable to be-coming severely ill with the virus.

The World Health Or-ganization (WHO) advises people of all ages to take steps to protect themselves from the virus, for example by following good hand hy-giene and good respiratory hygiene.

What is the incubation period of the coronavirus disease?

The “incubation period” means the time between catching the virus and begin-ning to have symptoms of the disease. Most estimates of the incubation period for COVID-19 range from 1-14 days, most commonly around five days. These es-timates will be updated as more data become available.

What does COVID-19 stand for?

In COVID-19, ‘CO’ stands for ‘corona,’ ‘VI’ for ‘virus,’ and ‘D’ for disease. Formerly, this disease was referred to as “2019 nov-el coronavirus” or “2019-nCoV”. There are many types of human coronavirus-

es including some that com-monly cause mild upper-re-spiratory tract illnesses.

Is the coronavirus dis-ease new?

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a new strain that was discovered in 2019 and has not been previously identified in humans.

Is coughing a symptom of the coronavirus disease?

The most common symp-toms of COVID-19 are fever, tiredness, and dry cough. Some patients may have aches and pains, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat or diarrhea. These symptoms are usually mild and begin gradually.

How can you prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease?

There are simple things you can do to help keep yourself and others healthy.

Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especial-ly after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing; going to the bathroom; and before eating or preparing food.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.

Stay home when you are sick.

Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.

The CDC has also recent-ly stated wearing masks in public, avoid touching sur-faces with hands and then touching your face, and rec-ommends social distancing from others, a minimum of 6 feet.

ICTV announced “severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)” as the name of the new virus on Feb. 11, 2020 aka COVID-19.

What can I do to prevent

the coronavirus disease at home?

Remind everyone in your household of the importance of practicing everyday pre-ventive actions that can help prevent the spread of respi-ratory illnesses:

Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

Stay home when you are sick, except to get medical care.

Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue.

Clean frequently touched surfaces and objects daily (e.g., tables, countertops, light switches, doorknobs, and cabinet handles) using a regular household detergent and water.

Is there a vaccine for the coronavirus disease?

When a disease is new, there is no vaccine until one is developed. It can take a number of years for a new vaccine to be developed.

Can you contract the coronavirus disease by touching a surface?

People could catch COVID-19 by touching contaminated surfaces or objects – and then touching their eyes, nose or mouth.

Can antibiotics treat the coronavirus disease?

No, antibiotics do not work against viruses. The 2019-nCOV is a virus and, therefore, antibiotics should not be used as a means of prevention or treatment.

Can cold or hot weather prevent the coronavirus dis-ease?

Cold weather, snow or warm weather CANNOT kill the new coronavirus. There is no reason to believe that cold or hot weather can kill the new coronavirus or other diseases.

How can I care for a family member with the

coronavirus disease at home?

Avoid sharing personal items like food and drinks. Provide your sick house-hold member with clean disposable facemasks to wear at home, if available, to help prevent spreading COVID-19 to others. Clean the sick room and bathroom, as needed, to avoid unnec-essary contact with the sick person.

What is the recovery time for the coronavirus disease?

Using available prelim-inary data, the median time from onset to clinical re-covery for mild cases is ap-proximately 2 weeks and is 3-6 weeks for patients with severe or critical disease.

Are masks effective against the coronavirus dis-ease?

In light of this new ev-idence, CDC recommends wearing cloth face cover-ings in public settings where other social distancing mea-sures are difficult to main-tain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies) especially in areas of significant commu-nity-based transmission.

Is the coronavirus dis-ease more severe than the flu?

COVID-19 caus-es more severe disease than seasonal influenza. While many people glob-ally have built up immu-nity to seasonal flu strains, COVID-19 is a new vi-rus to which no one has immunity. That means more people are suscepti-ble to infection, and some will suffer severe disease. Globally, about 3.4% of reported COVID-19 cases have died. By comparison, seasonal flu generally kills far fewer than 1% of those infected.

COVID-19: Questions / Answers

Diabetes Wellness Program

Tara Conway, MS, RD, LD, CDE &Kayle Tyson, MS, PD

C&A Diabetes Wellness Program

T h e Diabetes Wellness Program has been open since April 20th.

The program sent out 230 letters to members on the Diabetes Registry inform-ing them of the hours and that buffalo is available by appointment on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 am to 2 pm.

They also received information regard-ing care during COVID-19. In April, we gave 13 people buffalo, sent out 20 appli-cations to the Clinton Living Center for distribution in May. We had several letters that were returned because of incorrect addresses. If you are an Elder or a person with diabetes and did not receive a letter, please contact us to ensure you receive your buffalo and important care informa-tion.

We also received our tomato plants

for the GHW Healthy Lifestyle Programs porch garden program. Those will be ready for distribution in the near future. If inter-ested in the porch garden program, please contact Tara Conway.

Remember your handwashing tech-niques, scrubbing for at least 20 seconds. Remember to wash all surfaces daily and don’t forget to clean your cell phone, door knobs, car handles and steering wheel.

For a personalized weight management plan that meets your individual needs, consult a registered dietitian either at the Diabetes Wellness Center or the Clinton Service Unit.

For more information and tips on health and wellness contact Tara Conway at the Diabetes Wellness Program 405-422-7685/1-800-247-4612 ext. 27685 or email [email protected].

Cheyenne and Arapaho

Tribes

(405) 262-0345 / (800) 247-4612

P.O.Box 38Concho, OK

73022

cheyenneand-arapaho-nsn.gov


OBITUARIESEdwina Nell ‘Sissy’ Blackowl-MelendezEdwina Nell “Sissy”

Blackowl-Melendez, 57, made her journey to be with her beloved son, father and brothers on April 25, 2020. Sissy was born in El Reno, Okla., on Feb. 26, 1963.

She was raised and sur-rounded by a large family that consisted of two daugh-ters and seven brothers along with her father Clar-ence “Scorp” Blackowl and mother Ann Sidonia (Osage) Blackowl. Sissy initially grew up at Concho, Okla., until the family moved to El Reno when she was at a very young age. Sissy was a lifelong El Reno area res-ident and attended El Reno Public schools and worked in various occupations and was primarily a stay at home mother. She was a talented athlete while growing up and enjoyed and excelled at play-ing basketball and fast pitch softball. Sissy loved attend-ing her children’s and grand-children’s’ basketball games and any and all other activ-ities that they were involved with. She also loved going to the casinos and greatly

missed playing bingo with her mother.

Edwina also had a large family and is survived at home by her loving hus-band Thomas Melendez, her amazing and wonderful mother Ann Sidonia (Osage) Blackowl. Also survived by her two awesome brothers, Sam Blackowl and Donnie Blackowl, her beloved chil-dren, sons, Kelly Dean Blac-kowl, Steven Lee Blackowl, Matthew Scott Blackowl and Joel Don Blackowl, daugh-ters, Tiffany Ann Blackowl, Katie Sue Blackowl, and Abbie Blackowl, grandsons, Stavion S. Black, Xavion Joseph Blackowl, Phoenix Blackowl, Xavier Blackowl, James Blackowl and Solo-man Blackowl, granddaugh-ters, Ashley Woods,Trinity Blackowl, Ciera Blackowl, Brooklyn Blackowl, Tee Blackowl, Dreamer Blac-kowl, Bryhanna Blackowl and Maria Blackowl. And great-granddaughter Airean Blackowl. Also her extended family of aunts, uncles, niec-es, nephews, cousins and nu-merous close family friends

that are regarded as family and included as her family members.

She was preceded in death by her grandparents, paternal, John and Susie Blackowl, maternal, Don and Katie Osage, father Clar-ence ‘Scorp’ Blackowl, son James Blackowl, brothers, Richard H. Wood Sr., Clar-ence L. Blackowl Jr, Wil-liam E. Blackowl Sr., John T. Blackowl and Charles J. Blackowl Sr., and sister Catherine A. Blackowl.

Graveside services at the Concho Indian Cemetery was held under the direction of Huber-Benson Funeral Home with Rev. Gerald Pa-nana officiating.

Iwannah Lynn Whitebird JonesIwannah Whitebird Jones

was born Jan. 2, 1963 in Holdenville, Okla., to the late Laverne and Lillie Whitebird. She passed away on May 8, 2020 after battling lung cancer. She was very loved and will be missed.

She was absolutely de-voted to her grandchildren and great-grandchild. She attended all the sporting events and school events. Iwannah helped out every-body who needed it and was known for her cooking and helping people at the VFW.

She is survived by her

husband Kester Jones of Bullard, Texas, children, Sasha and Mitch Ballew of Rusk, Texas, Marshall “Bubba” Lucas of Bullard, Koty Jones of Lufkin, Tex-as, Nikki Jones of Lufkin, many grandchildren and one great-grandchild, broth-ers, Bobby Whitebird of California, Kenny White-bird of Oklahoma City, Steve Whitebird of Cush-ing, Okla., and sister Evet-ta Whitebird of Lindale. Funeral Services were held May 12, 2020 at the Har-mony Missionary Baptist

Church under the direction of Wallace-Thompson Fu-neral Home with Bro. Brad Turlington officiating.

Suni Katheleen MeatSuni Katheleen Meat was

born June 1, 1989 in Clin-ton, Okla. to Richard Web-ster and Janita Meat. She departed this life to join her heavenly Father on April 30, 2020 in Harrah, Okla.

Suni was raised in Can-ton, Okla. and graduated from Canton High School with the class of 2008. She had worked at the tribal smoke shop, the Feather Warrior Casino and as a teacher’s aide at the Canton Head Start. Her Indian name was “Little Bird.” Suni en-joyed going to the casino, concerts, backroading, and pulling a ditch on people. She liked to hang out with

her friends and was a guar-anteed good time. She loved watching “The Voice” show on television. Suni was also a big OU football and Okla-homa City Thunder fan. She loved her kids so very much.

Suni was preceded in death by her father Richard Webster and grandfather Charles Surveyor Jr.

She is survived by her six children, Alexus Meat, Meghan Meat, Kris Ruiz, Briah Meat, Aria Meat and Charlotte Ruiz; mother Jani-ta Meat; sister Jessica Web-ster and brother Torre Meat and Abbi Ford; grandmother Renee Meat; many cousins, aunts, uncles and extended

family and friends.Graveside services were

held May 6, 2020 at the Canton Cemetery under the direction of Pierce Funeral Home.

Agnes Old BearAgnes Old Bear, age 92,

went home to be with the Lord on Sunday, May 3, 2020, due to heart compli-cations. She had lived at the El Reno Grace Living Center for the past five years.

Agnes was born Aug. 22, 1927 in Longdale, Okla. and raised in the Fonda and Longdale communities. Her parents were full blood Cheyenne, her mother was Katie Hamilton Osage and her father was Don Osage. She has one surviving sis-ter Sidonia Blackowl of El Reno, Okla. Four brothers and two sisters have preced-ed her in death. Agnes went to school at Longdale and then on to the Concho Indian Boarding school, where she met and married Jimmy Old Bear (full blood Arapaho), had eight children, two de-ceased, James Jr. (as a baby), Robin (teenage year).

Surviving children are

Louella Oldbear (son-in-law Deswood Koshiway), Del City, Okla., Wesley Old Bear of Kingfisher, Okla., Ronald Old Bear Sr. (daugh-ter-in-law Zola Old Bear), Longdale, Harvey Old Bear, Longdale, Maria McBrayer, Idabel, Okla., and Adrian Davis, Marble Falls, Texas.

Agnes has seven grand-children, Joseph Koshiway, Gerald Koshiway, Louella Kay Old Bear, Victoria Old Bear, Ronald Old Bear Jr., Kyle Davis, and Maria’s son and 19 great grandchildren. She also has many more grandchildren, great-grand-children, nieces, nephews, relatives, and friends whom she has appreciated and loved in her lifetime.

Graveside services were held May 8, 2020 at the Can-ton Reinterment (Chief’s) Cemetery with Reverend James Scott officiating.

We would like to thank

everyone for your prayers, caring about our mother, the kindness you showed her and the many helpful gestures you had done for her over the years. She had always told us she wished she could have repaid your kindness somehow. God Bless you all. We give the Lord all the praise for her long life. We also would like to thank the hospital staff, nursing home and funeral home for taking good care of her.

Daryl George Tabor HorseChiefDaryl George Tabor Hor-

seChief was born on Nov. 29, 1970 in Clinton, Okla., to Al-fred HorseChief Jr. and Peg-gy Tabor. He passed away on May 5, 2020 in Albuquerque, N.M. at the age of 49.

Daryl attended school in Oklahoma and in Greeley, Colo. Daryl lived in Okla-homa and New Mexico. He worked as a HVAC Techni-cian. Daryl loved sports and he played football in school. He was a member of the Baptist Church and was bap-tized in Oklahoma City.

He is survived by his chil-dren, Chanel Angel Tabor of N.M., Christian Tabor of New

Mexico, Emilio Darrell Ta-bor, and Sequoia HorseChief Tabor of New Mexico, his father Alfred HorseChief Jr. and his step-mother Deb-orah Ann (Yates) of New Mexico and mother Peggy Tabor Dawson of Calumet, Okla., his siblings, John Levi HorseChief, Geneva Jose-phine HorseChief-Hamilton, Rebekah Ann HorseChief, Mary Christina HorseChief, Randilee Warheshe Hor-seChief, Daya Jazlyn Hor-seChief, as well as many oth-er relatives and friends.

He was preceded in death by his grandparents, Oscar Tabor and Rose Lumpmouth

Tabor.Graveside Services were

held at the Concho Indian Cemetery on May 11, 2020 under the direction of Turn-er Funeral Home with Rev. Waylon Upchego officiating.

Arlen Francis RhoadsArlen Francis Rhoads

was born Jan. 18, 1953 in Shawnee, Okla., to Arleigh and Julia (Eagle) Rhoads. He passed away May 9, 2020 at the Baptist Hospital in Okla-homa City.

Arlen was raised in the Shawnee area and graduated from Shawnee High School in 1971. He also received de-grees from Haskell Universi-ty and Southwestern Oklaho-ma State University.

Arlen loved to MC at powwows, and play/watch fast pitch softball.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Pat and one brother Paul Rhoads.

He is survived by one daughter Mikki Rhoads of Lawton, Okla., one son Brady Rhoads of El Reno, Okla., sister Alice White-cloud of Tulsa, Okla., and seven grandchildren, Braden Rhoads, Ruby Rhoads, Bos-ton Rhoads, Darryn Rhoads, Junior McLung, Aureila Mc-Lung and Euria McLung.

Graveside services were held at the Clinton Indian Cemetery on May 13, 2020

under the direction of Kie-sau-Lee Funeral Home with Gordon Yellowman officiat-ing.

OBITUARIES

The Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes’ Dept. of Housing distributes care packages to trib-al citizens. Inside are masks, gloves, hand sanitizer and small bottles of soap.

Tribal Tidbits: Caring For Others

Getting helpful health information out to tribal citizens has been an on-going mission for the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes Health Board and the Dept. of Health.

Utilizing technology, print media, teleconferencing and other avenues, the messages all include helpful tips to stop the spread of the coronavirus and staying healthy.

“I am just thankful Lucky Star Ca-sino’s marketing staff helped us by putting messages out on their digital signs and I am appreciative of this administration’s ongoing proactive approach in education tribal citizens on different health tips,” Charlene Wassana, Dept. of Health executive director said.

DisseminatingHealth Tips


Happy 62nd BirthdayBob Lamebull

Love from your familyand friends

Happy 14th BirthdayAmber Lynn

May 10Love all your family & friends

Happy 4th BirthdayDaralis RedShin

May 16Love your family

Happy 17th BirthdayLeslie Marianne

May 7We hope you had a blessed day

& good birthday!Love your family & friends

Happy 50th Birthday Ruth Bearshield!

We pray Maheo blesses you with many more!With all our love,

your son and husband

Who would have though it would all amount to this, me here and you there. Nev-er able to hear your words of comfort or feel your touch to encourage me. For these last few years I real-ly have been lost. Really, it’s like I lost my way ever since you have been gone. I know you see me trying to find my footing each time I stumble. With you gone I had to pick myself up each time I fell. In my heart I can hear you say what doesn’t kill me only makes me stronger. I understand that but losing you hurts like hell. Just though I’d let you know you are really missed.

Love your Son Jimmy

Happy Heavenly Mother’s Day Momma

How are you doing out there beautiful? I hope all is well out there with you and the boys. I know you are out there dealing with a lot so I have been praying for you. You’re a strong woman and I al-ready know you can han-dle yourself. But we all have our braking point. I just want you to know that I’ll always be here for you no matter what. I’ll be home soon. I love you until the casket drops.

Stay safe – All my love Jim

Happy Mother’s Day Magda My Love

maiyun maiyunoNissi hatomah

Where the grey heron stands on one legAt dusk on coyote hill

Where the spirit lights shimmer alongThe north Canadian river at darlington

Where motzehoiv watches from the water reedsAt dawn

Along the washitaWhere the water drum and crescent moon encircle the

midnight worldWith peyote songs and prayer

Maheo nissi hatomaMaheo nissi hatoma

May our hearts waken to healing fieldsOur hands open to the one prayer of life for all thingsOur eyes watch the cleansing power of rain upon the

peopleWe have pierced the universe with the beak of woodpeck-

erThe warmth of its knowledge flowing through the sage

beneath usInto the earth blessing face

Where our dreaming selves found the healing threads of life

Gathering in the medicines of dawnMaheo shivadom tsistsistas

Nissi hatomahNissi hatomah....

Henahaneh Mahgodomiutz ehiwoh.

This is what I can offer for the people at this time.Stay safe and well.Lance Henson

Submitted By Rodney CandyfireOnce upon a time a long time ago a girl, her brother and

her mother decided to go to the State Fair. So they loaded up and took off. As they drove to the fair they laughed and listened to music. The moon was full and they decided to take the scenic route. They had a blow out and the car turned on its top slowly spinning. When it stopped the girl jumped out of the vehicle, checked on her family and they were scared but okay. The girl told her mom to stay with her little brother and she would go for help. She started walking. She was scared and a white dog showed up, be-friended her and led her to a lighted house. She knocked on the door and a lady opened up and invited her in. The lady woke her husband up after the girl explained what had taken place. The man of the house started his truck and offered to help the girl in any way possible. The two of them loaded up and were on their way to the accident. The girl spoke up and said you have a nice white dog sir, he led me to your place. The man said what white dog? I don’t own a white dog.


(OKLAHOMA CITY) As state officials say Oklahoma is starting to “flatten the curve” on COVID-19 infection rates, nursing homes and other senior care centers are scrambling to contain the spread of the disease and worry they won’t be able to financially stay afloat.

Elderly people who get the novel corona-virus are at much higher risk for complica-tions and death. And that’s not long-term care facilities’ only worry, some facility owners and industry leaders worry the industry is po-tentially facing financial devastation.

About one in three COVID-related deaths in Oklahoma have been connected to a long-term care facility, according to the state health department.

As of May 7 there were 41 confirmed COVID-related deaths reported to be asso-ciated with care centers and a total of 131 fatalities in the state. There were 446 cases identified in almost 40 facilities.

The spread of the disease in these facili-ties was compounded by the state’s slow start to begin widespread testing, industry leaders have said.

Facilities are on lockdown. Visitations to centers have been suspended. Communal dining and extracurricular activities have been canceled.

Kimberly Green is the chief operating of-ficer at the Diakonos Group, which operates several skilled nursing and rehabilitation fa-cilities in the state.

About three weeks ago, workers tested positive for COVID-19 in Franciscan Villa, a long-term care facility in Broken Arrow the group manages, Green said. They were quick to test all staff and residents because unless the disease is quickly identified, it can spread out of control.

“It can spread like wildfire,” she said. “It’s like trying to stop the wind.”

Franciscan Villa had 32 confirmed cases of COVID-19, 13 residents and 19 staff, and three people had died.

Walk into the facility now, and you’ll see workers walking through zippered-off hallways donning full personal protective equipment, Green said. Residents are stuck in their rooms from the moment they wake to the time they go to sleep. There’s lit-tle to no staff camaraderie and several health care workers are living in the facility in an effort to stop the spread.

“Here we have people coming to work for

such little money to face a deadly virus and if that virus spreads in one of our facilities, the whole public is all over us,” she said. “The biggest frustration is we need support.”

Green, who has been in the industry for more than 32 years, said similar to many in-dustries, facilities have struggled to secure protective gear while hospitals seemingly get first priority for the equipment.

Care facilities are now facing the extra costs of markups on protective gear, and in some cases additional staffing and hazard pay, Green said. For example, for hospital gowns the group would normally pay 99 cents for, they are now paying $10, she said.

The industry is underfunded as it is, and most facilities even in normal circumstances don’t make enough to cover expenses, Green said. The pandemic has severely compound-ed the issue.

The underfunding of facilities can be seen across the U.S., Green said. But Oklahoma is on the low end for Medicaid payment rates to facility owners, and even though the state saw an increase in rates earlier this year, it’s still not enough to break even on costs, she said.

“We just developed the 2020 budget — those budgets don’t even exist anymore and those budgets are spent to the penny,” Green said. “Now you have a 1,000 percent markup (on PPE) and a food shortage and cleaning product shortage and staffing shortages.

“And it’s just absolute devastation.”Gov. Kevin Stitt during a press confer-

ence on Friday announced he authorized the Oklahoma National Guard to “deep clean”

care facilities across the state and that teams with the health department would start test-ing in centers that had yet to see a confirmed COVID-19 case.

And the Oklahoma State Department of Health this week said it was forming a task force to help long-term care facilities through “consultation, assessment and training” to

help prevent the spread of COVID-19. The agency also is expected to distribute person-al protective equipment to facilities over the weekend.

At the Grove Nursing Center, 46 resi-dents and 21 workers have tested positive for COVID-19, and two people have died.

The biggest hurdle for the facility has been getting protective equipment and main-taining staffing, said Larry Cain, owner of Phoenix Healthcare, which operates six care facilities in the state.

Because many employees at the center have tested positive for the disease, staffing has been depleted, Cain said, though the fa-cility so far has managed to maintain proper staffing levels.

Cain also has faced markups for protective gear, and has spent $12 for face masks that usually cost $1 each.

“No one in the nursing home business has planned for anything anywhere close to this,” he said. “I think the assumption was always that FEMA or some other federal agency would be there to assist and help in any way that we needed in the event some crisis like this did occur.

“But in this case it ended up being not enough.”

Preventing the spread of COVID-19 in care facilities is tricky because many people don’t show symptoms. A worker could easily enter a center unaware they have the disease,

said Steven Buck, president and executive director of Care Providers Oklahoma, which represents the interests of residents and work-ers in long-term care facilities.

“It’s well documented we (the state) didn’t have a great deal of testing,” Buck said.

As the state’s testing capacity increases, the care community warrants more testing, he said.

To slow the spread of COVID-19 in facili-ties, the state is in the process of establishing intermediate care centers for nursing home residents returning from the hospital. A wing of Franciscan Villa has been outfitted for that purpose, another facility is available in Enid and spaces will soon be open in Oklahoma City, Buck said.

With the heightened use of personal pro-tective equipment, additional staffing and overtime, financial assistance for the industry will be needed.

Care Providers Oklahoma last month in a letter requested financial relief from the state. Since then, the group has discussed the issue with the Oklahoma Health Care Authority and members of the governor’s cabinet, Buck said.

“I have been encouraged by some of the early response, but nothing definitive has been offered at this time,” Buck said. “And I would just underscore that it needs to pick up some urgency.”

Coronavirus cases spread in nursing homes as facilities face ‘absolute devastation’ By Kassie McClung, The Frontier

“It can spread like wild-fire. It’s like trying to stop the wind.”

may 15, 2020 -vol. 16, issue 10 casinos in western ... · 5/10/2018 · ization through...

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