Smoke Signals, Newsletter, 2020 May

 
SIP SMOKE SIGNALS 
Society of Indian Psychologist - May Update 
NEWS and KUDOs:
 
1. Congratulations to Brooke Sullateskee-Rincon who 
obtained her MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling 
at Western Washington University this year! She 
interned at Lummi Nation Behavioral Health. 
 
2. Hearty Congratulations to Erica Ficklin, Devon 
Isaacs, and Sallie Mack. ALL three of these young 
women earned their Masters degrees at Utah State 
University.  
 
3. Welcoming Chesleigh Keene who will assist with  
SIP archival work. 
 
4. Announcing Charlotte McCloskey as our new SIP Fellow for the 2020-21 cohort of the 
Leadership Development Institute (LDI) of the Council of National Psychological 
Associations for the Advancement of Ethnic Minority Interests (CNPAAEMI) with APA. 
 
5. Thank you to Art Blume, Past SIP President, for his Warrior Path Work at Division 45 of 
APA. He keeps Native initiatives at the forefront! 
 
Special Thank you and Acknowledgement
 
1. A (Niawen:kowa) great big THANK YOU to Denise Newman and her wonderful team for 
shepherding the SIP mentoring program into a new and exciting format. She has grown the 
program into a vital, educational and FUN group!  
 
2. Many thanks to Wendy Peters for all her hard work creating the new SIP webpages located at 
http://www.aiansip.org/                They are beautiful!!! 
 
SIP CIRCLE OF SUPPORT
 
Don’t forget our SIP Circle of Support on Fridays @ 2 PST/ 3 MST/ 4CST/ 5 EST. Remember for safety 
reasons the ZOOM link will be sent out on Friday and we don’t share the link outside of SIP members.  
May-2020-SmokeSignals 2 
 
Note from the President
 
The following story I posted on Kyle Hill’s Facebook group “Indigenous Traditional Story Library.” 
It reminds me of the novel “The Red Tent.” The red tent was symbolic of empowerment. It is not an 
unfamiliar concept among many of our tribal nations. The novel’s focus was on females yet it has 
broader application. It represents through strength and independence we are in control of ourselves. 
How do we choose to respond to unpredictable circumstances? 
Enjoy the story and don’t hesitate to partake in many of the free web-based coping 
presentations and strategies for psychologists. 
Miigwetch, 
Iva 
 
Grandma, how can I live this quarantine? 
     “My daughter, quarantine is a special, mysterious and sacred period. In my days, newborn children 
could only leave the house for the first time after their 40th day of life. It is a period of waiting and 
preparing for a new life. It is the period that produces a great change." 
 
And how do you prepare for this change? 
     "With simple, genuine and loving actions. Every morning comb your long hair with dedication and 
untie all the knots, even the most hidden ones that you have always neglected. It is time to put all the 
knots in the comb. Then dedicate yourself to untangling even your beloved ones skeins. With patience 
and you will try to find the end of the skein, the exact starting point of the thread. Already with these 
simple but powerful actions you will create order outside and inside of you. Undoing physical knots with 
your hands you will begin to touch your internal knots." 
 
And after undoing the knots, what can I do, grandma? 
      
‘Remove all parts of you that are no longer fertile. In many funeral rites of ancient peoples it is 
believed that the deceased leaves the body entirely on the 40th day after his death. In these 40 days, my 
daughter, cut your hair, eliminate clothes that you have not worn for a long time or that you no longer 
want use, open the windows of your home well to let the stale air out, cultivate new thoughts by 
abandoning the old, dedicated to creating new habits, new customs, new traditions." 
 
Grandmother, I'm afraid that after this isolation nothing will change. Man quickly forgets... 
     "How others will react to this quarantine is none of your business. Make a commitment to change 
and not forget. Make sure this storm shakes you up so much that it completely revolutionizes your life." 
 
―Elena Bernabé, Indigenous Peoples Cultures. April, 2020 
 
 
 
May-2020-SmokeSignals 3 
 
Hello from the President- Elect
 
As you may know, the COVID-19 pandemic has led the SIP Executive Committee (EC) to prepare for a 
virtual online convention for this coming June (organized as usual by our colleagues at Utah State 
University). This shift has implications for our SIP election as well. Our election typically involves in-
person voting during the SIP business meeting at convention each year. This year, SIP is scheduled to 
elect a Secretary, Treasurer, and Student Representative (if you are willing to serve in any of these 
capacities, please email Gayle Morse by May 20 at morseg@sage.edu). 
 
Our shift to a virtual convention complicates our tradition of in-person voting at convention; however, it 
also provides an opportunity for SIP to shift its election process to an online format that will afford 
more SIP members with the opportunity to participate. This shift is also consistent with our current 
Society bylaws. The major challenge to sponsoring SIP’s online election is not technological, but rather 
informational. 
 
As you are aware, SIP is an all-volunteer Society that completely depends on the participation of its 
members to thrive. Many of you have contributed in heroic ways over the years, but there remains 
much more work than there are volunteers. One limitation has been our ability to maintain a complete 
and accurate roster of dues-paying SIP members in “real time.” And yet, our upcoming election depends 
on this information so we can ensure that all current SIP members receive an online ballot in time to 
vote by the June 29 deadline (additional election details will follow in May). 
 
SIP membership is effective for a given calendar year (Jan. 1 through Dec. 31). We recently updated our 
SIP membership records based on the best information available to us (these records date back to 2018 
only). If you paid your annual dues through the SIP website/PayPal link for 2020, then we are likely to 
have recorded your current membership status. But if you paid in other ways (e.g., mailing a personal 
check, purchasing a lifetime membership), then we may not have your current information. You can 
check on your membership status by emailing our SIP membership chair, Dr. Marsha Tafoya 
(marsha.tafoya@gmail.com). 
 
The SIP EC decided that only members whose SIP dues have been paid for 2020 will be eligible to vote 
in this election. If you are interested in voting in this election, then please ensure that your dues for 
2020 are paid by May 31. Please note that the preferred way to pay your SIP dues is through our 
website/PayPal link here: http://www.aiansip.org/membership.html). (The SIP membership website also 
includes options for retiree memberships, special circumstances, and financial hardships.) 
 
Thank you for your ongoing support for SIP! We apologize in advance for any hassles and snafus that will 
likely arise during the next two months, but these may be inevitable as we shift to an online election 
format. 
May-2020-SmokeSignals 4 
 
REMINDER: Elections are coming!
 
We are excited about the upcoming elections. We have the elections for Treasurer, Secretary, 
and Student Representative.   
If you are interested, kindly submit a short statement (no more than 250 words) that indicates 
your interest, your tribal affiliation, and willingness to serve.  
Please send your statement to me, Gayle Morse at morseg@sage.edu . 
Please send your willingness to serve by May 12, 2020 at midnight. 
Position Duties: 
Student Representatives 
The student rep position will be for a two-year term. The student representative will work with a 
student rep team. We have elected two student reps in the past when we were able to include 
an undergraduate student. Student reps are asked to participate in monthly executive 
committee meetings, as well as regular planning meetings with each other (bimonthly?).  
Student Representative Duties: 
1.Coordinate student rep interactions and planning regular student rep meetings 
2.Attend EC meetings as student rep 
3.Undertake student outreach and advocacy projects  
4.Attend SIP convention and host convention events as needed 
5.Serve as student presence at APA (e.g. SIP student hour provided by APA 
Division 45) 
6. Be a student voice in SIP listserv 
7. Build community and model service 
8. Increase visibility of SIP via social media 
9. Promote and market of EC approved SIP events 
10.Advocate for building student chapters 
 
Treasurer 
The Treasurer position will be for a two year term and the treasurer will meet with the Executive 
Committee at least 2 times per month.  
 
Treasurer Duties: 
1.Budget balancing 
2. Quarterly reports 
3. Attend EC Meetings & Convention 
4. Balance checking account 
5. Maintain Bank CDs 
6. Maintain Banking relationship 
7. Maintain incoming funds and paying bills 
8. Stay connected with Membership committee regarding dues paying members.  
 
Secretary 
The Secretary position will be for a two-year term will meet with the Executive Committee and 
Trio at least weekly. 
1. Attend EC and Trio meetings, and Convention. 
2. Writing and maintaining meeting minutes 
3. Archive and maintain past business meeting minutes 
4. Schedule all EC meetings using virtual technology (Zoom). 
5. Send Election call and Compile Election nominations. 
May-2020-SmokeSignals 5 
 
 
INVITATIONS AND NOTICES
 
 
1. If you are interested in volunteering for anything in SIP please let Gayle Morse know at 
morseg@sage.edu. We need help with the newsletter, and nearly any committee. So if you have any 
special interests please let me know!!! 
 
2. Please note that our Excecutive  (EC) meetings are on the Third Friday of the month at 4pm EST 
(3CT, 2MT, 1PT & noon AlaskaT) 
If there is anything you need to bring to the EC please send to Iva GreyWolf by the SECOND Friday of 
the month so there is time to incorporate it in a very packed schedule. 
If you would like to have the ZOOM connection please contact Gayle Morse.