LETTERS TO THE EDITOR AND CANDIDATES’ STATEMENTS
To the editor:
Ohau red people of the great
tiyospaye. As always, my heart rejoices
at the opportunity to communicate with
the people of my spirit.
Written word is not the medium
normally used to pass on knowledge and
yet it is the avenue that is open to me. It
sits in my heart as the correct thing to
take pen in hand and share
these thoughts.
We are a spiritual and not
religious people by nature and there is
no right or wrong way to be Indian. We
do not have a church that encompasses
all Indian peoples. We do not have
documentation of and do not offer
authentication for our spiritual leaders.
To us, traditional life entails a spiritual
foundation and a oneness with mother
earth and all of the creator’s creations.
Ceremonies
often
have
variances based upon the many different
nations of native peoples. The one
constant, however, is the foundation for
our beliefs that we have used to build
and continue our way of life since the
beginning of remembering.
At this time, part of an ongoing
struggle for rights and recognition within
the Oregon Department of Corrections
in general and the Snake River
Correctional Institution in particular
involves issues such as:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Fair and equal treatment to
people of other races.
Rights concerning medicines,
including but not limited to the
pipe, drum, inipi, smudging,
feathers, talking circles, etc.
Rights concerning cultural
celebrations such as pow-wows.
Volunteers,
community
involvement, etc.
Native
American-oriented
educational and treatment
services.
By limiting our ability to gather
unto ourselves, to learn from each other
and especially our elders, they have
effectively limited our ability to become
the best native people we can become.
I ask you to help us and one
another. Although the battleground may
have changed, the struggle remains the
same. Survival - survival - survival!
4
Posting of Certified Tribal
Council Candidates
for 2000 Election
The following tribal members are
certified as eligible Tribal Council
candidates.
Name
Roll Number
Gerald D. Ben
Bensell Breon
Reginald Marcus Butler Sr.
Clifford W. Case Sr.
Michael L. Darcy
JoAnn Miller
L. Keith Taylor
#66
#110
#164
#183
#229
#661
#922
CERTIFIED Dec. 23,1999
David L. Bartels
Election Director
Dear Tribal Members,
My name is Reggie Butler Sr. I
am married to Lillie Logan Butler. I have
four children: Gary Sr., Ralene, Reggie
Jr. (wife Shelly), and Lee (wife Vicki); and
seven beautiful grandbabies: Tausha,
Gary Jr., Halona, Lee Jr., (Brother),
Bobby, Logan, and Cecillie. My
grandchildren, and the grandchildren of
all Tribal Members, are the primary
reason I am competing for a seat on the
Siletz Tribal Councillfor it is the young
people who are our future leaders and it
is our responsibility to assure that each
are equipped, early in life, with the
instruments to eventually lead our Tribe
in a progressive and productive manner.
Goals of the Siletz Tribe
A goal of the sitting Council is not,
apparently, planning for the future of our
grandbabies, because enhancement to
our programs is not occurring. The Tribal
Council is concentrating, instead, on
terminating qualified staff, and amending
job descriptions to minimize the
qualifications of existing jobs, to ensure
that friends or family can satisfy these
requirements. To me, we are taking a
step backward instead of progressing
forward; and this does not assure a
positive future for our children and
grandchildren, a primary goal of our
families. Such should be a primary goal
of our Tribal Council.
Today, tomorrow, and forever, we must
take care for one another as ourselves
and educate each other and our children.
We must seek answers from one
another and listen with our spirits and
hearts as well as our ears.
We are the first people, the
caretakers of earthmother. The future of
our children is the responsibility of all of
us. We must start today to heal the
sacred hoop and work toward building
a future where red peoples not only
Independent Representation
The sitting Council speaks with
survive but are truly sovereign and self-
sufficient. We must not ignore the needs one voice...that of the Chairman. The
of one another lest we empower others cohesiveness of the Council is such that
to continue imprisoning and inflicting they voted unanimously to misuse your
suffering on us.
money (timber and casino revenues), by
The time is now to raise our voices granting the Chairman the power to
and reach out to one another. To find out negotiate questionable settlements to
how you can help, please contact family and friends. This action costs the
Delbert Handsaker, Sid#8813846, and/ membership thousands of dollars. In
or Stuart Boyd, Sid#6952044, c/o Attn.
defense of their collective action, the
John Saunders Club Supervisor, Native Tribal Council could not produce
American Club SRCI, 777 Stanton Blvd.,
ordinances or policies to support any
Ontario, OR 97914.
authority to engage in these decisions.
It is only the beginning, my
people. The red road is calling.
Protection of Tribal Sovereignty
Ohau Mitakuye Oyasin
The sitting Council jeopardized
the sovereignty of the Siletz Tribe by
Ricky Lowry, Sid# 10983649
Mahto Ciqala
attempting to acknowledge, utilize, and
abide by state law regarding employment
Editor’s Note: This letter was edited
for length.
(Continued, see top of page 5)