Siletz news /, March 01, 2000, Page 2, Image 2

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
To the editor:
At the General Council meeting
of Feb. 5, 2000, I presented an idea
regarding changing the structure of our
tribe. Our confederation is a
conglomeration of 12 different tribes and
numerous bands of those tribes
What I propose is that we adopt
a mode and structure of government that
recognizes the different tribes that were
placed here in 1855 and after. Each tribe
and its members would still be a part of
the confederation, but would elect one
member to sit on what is now called
Tribal Council. These individuals would
be responsible for carrying out the
wishes of those who elected them from
those individual tribes.
We have a very good record of
which tribes were placed here. There are
various reasons why I am suggesting
this. The main three are:
1.
The
treaties
and
aboriginal rights of those individual
tribes would be better protected. It is very
easy now to waive treaty and aboriginal
rights as the ownership of those rights
has not been claimed. As an example:
The Consent Decree strictly reduced
hunting and fishing rights of all tribes and
tribal members of this confederation.
The Tillamook Indian Tribe has identified
aboriginal rights to fish the streams and
ocean from Neahkanie Mountain to the
Alsea River. This translates to millions
of dollars of fish, yet due to the Consent
Decree, we have lost those revenues. By
doing this, we would also protect the
legal and cultural authority of those
tribes, which isn’t being protected now.
2.
If each tribe had one vote,
then no single large faction or family
could maintain control of the tribe as a
whole. It doesn’t matter which faction
does so. There has been much fighting
between families and tribes due to this
and has been since the inception of this
reservation. I believe that if this problem
isn t addressed, then we will destroy
ourselves from within as we did
at termination.
3.
I believe this would
increase participation within our tribe.
Many of our tribal members have no idea
which tribe they are descended from. It
2
To the editor:
Rogue River Tututnis should
really try for our gold repayment during
President Clinton’s administration. As
149 years of “compound” interest is
prohibitive for all, just request the
principle of the thing for faster payment.
Too much inter-marriage for
serious “trys.” Shun lump sums for trust
fund monthly payments. A fund to the
side for health, education, and welfare;
one new home and car withdrawn from
the Confederation and timber should
keep others better.
As Towner elders described it to
me as a child, “In 1851 the government
took three shiploads of gold from Gold
Beach, Ore. The women were watching,
the shipping records are clear. From
Sutter Fort, Calif., it was transported
overland, Pony Express route to the
National Mint. After it arrived at the Mint,
the story was published in all the papers
of the day - The San Francisco
Chronicle, The Watchover, California
Farmer, etc. We were sent to Siletz
Reservation in 1856 ‘to learn reading,
writing, and arithmetic to manage our
own affairs.’”
Coos surveyor George Wesson
left off 12 miles North and 4 miles South
on surveys of our land. We never signed
those treaties. The Civil War followed
and the others. No more major wars. We
should pursue our independent funds.
For our own respect, only fresh money,
interest is tarnished.
Sincerely yours,
June La Grew (nee Towner)
LETTERS, DEADLINES
AND SUBSCRIPTIONS
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Siletz, OR 97380
541-444-8291
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j
I
Please note:
The general I
manager of the Siletz Tribe is the editor-
I in-chief of Siletz News.
Editor-in-Chief: Brenda Bremner
Editor: Diane Rodriquez
Deadline for the April
newsletter is March 10. Photos are
encouraged. Everyone loves to see I
photos of events, tribal members, and
especially babies. Don’t forget those
birthday or anniversary wishes for I
loved ones.
The newsletter is free to enrolled
would require that each member find out
I Siletz Tribal members. For all others, a
who and where they came from and
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out this form and mail it with $12 (make
check payable to Confederated Tribes of
Yes, there are many questions
Siletz) to Siletz News.
and details to be worked through, but I
feel this would protect our rights as
Name:_________
_____ ______
individuals, protect the legal rights Address:
I
attached to each of those tribes, and
)
I
make it more difficult for factions to gain Phone:(
control of tribal politics. If there appears
to be some support for this idea, I will be
Change of address on your I
setting up some meetings to discuss it.
newsletter: Tribal members call Lisa
If you would like to discuss this Norton,
enrollment
clerk,
at
more, my phone is 444-7046 and my 541-444-8258; all others, call the I
email is Rjblack@techemail.com
newsletter office at 541-444-8291 and
Raymond J. Blacketer
leave your new address with the editor