NOTICES/ORDINANCES
Butler Traces
Path to Music
Comment on Tribal Ordinances
Administrative
Procedures
by Quiss (Snoball) Butler Jr.
I was bom on Nov. 19, 1945,
on the Siletz Indian Rez. For the
first 10 years of my life, I learned
to hunt and fish with father like
all the other Indian children from
our rez.
In the mid-1950s, the big
timber corporations wanted our
trees, so the big problems started
happening to our reservation. It was
once 1.1 million acres of virgin, old
growth. Termination became the
big talk on our homeland. How I
understand it today is that the big
timber bought our tribal
government. A few who were in
power got very rich.
A lot of our children, myself
included, were sent away. I was sent
to The Children’s Farm Home in
Corvallis, Ore. There I spent four
or five years of my life. I was
severely abused both mentally and
physically by the staff, to the point
where I came back at a later date
and had a gunfight with the police.
I was 14 at this time.
At The Farm Home, I was
becoming a problem because I ran
home a lot. I was then sent to
Maclaren School for Boys, a reform
school. I was there until I was 18.
I ran away just about every chance
I got, for I had no idea why I was
there. At 18, when I got out, I was
a very bitter person. I had no idea
of v'hat was going on inside of me.
I got a year in the county jail for
figh ing with an officer! In and out
of jail until I was 21, then off to the
Oregon state prison system. I got a
full release “out of solitary
confinement’’ in 1973.
This was the year Wounded
Knee came down in South Dakota
and this is what I was looking for!
( had a few problems I wanted to
work out with the system, so off I
went. I was old Grandpa Crow
Dog’s main bodyguard, which was
one of the biggest blessings in my
life. He lit old memories of my
20
The cover of "Dancing Girl ”
grandmother, who was one of the
great gifted women of our time.
From Wounded Knee I ran to
Alaska for parole violation.
In 1975, Dino had become
active in the Sundances and bought
. jne ajquart of beer to go with him
to sundance. From then on, I
traveled with the Peltier Defense
Committee. In 19781 went on “The
Longest Walk’’ with the committee.
These are the years I learned about
the Red Road. I started sundancing
in Nevada with the Manning family
in honor of Tina Trudell. I then
sundanced at Mt. Hood for 10
years. There I saw the need for
singers and moved on to the
Sundance drums. This is where my
music gifts came to the surface.
Over the years as a singer and
songwriter, I have been able to
experience many miracles. In 1990,
I wrote and recorded my album
“Five Hundred Years We’ll Cry No
More.’’ This is the year I became a
lead singer on the Sundance drums.
In 1990,1 started to look to my own
people. I had a big problem
teaching other ways to my children,
so I learned our own songs
and ways.
In 1996, we began putting
together the plans to build our own
dance house. The tribe gave us
$15,000 to work with. It took two
years, but we built it. Those were
some lonely years. The tribe
any department order or decisions
deny the tribal member a right or
privilege, unless the action is
governed by another ordinance or
law. Personnel matters will not be
governed by this ordinance, but
instead will continue to be subject
to the personnel handbook and
other personnel regulations.
The Tribal Council has
completed the first and second
reading
of the
proposed
Administrative
Procedures
Ordinance. The proposed ordinance
establishes clear procedures for
resolving disputes regarding
administration of tribal programs
Cultural Resources
with the authority to determine the
The Tribal Council has
rights, duties, or privileges of
completed the first and second
individual tribal members. The
readings of the proposed Cultural
proposed ordinance requires tribal
Resource Lands and Sacred Sites
departments to develop regulations
Ordinance. The proposed ordinance
for the administration of any
formalizes the Cultural Resources
program with authority to
determine the rights, duties, or Protection Program in the Law and
Order Code and defines and
privileges of tribal members. Tribal
describes its duties.
departments will be required to give
Upon enactment of the
the public notice of proposed
ordinance, any person proposing a
regulations and an opjjortunity to
land use action involving ground
comment upon them.
disturbing activity on tribal lands
The proposed ordinance
must obtain a permit from the
allows individuals to request that a
Cultural Resources Protection
department issue an opinion stating
Program prior to commencement of
whether a rule or regulation applies
such activity, with certain
to that person, property in which
designated exemptions. Any person
the person has an interest, or upon
proposing
to
conduct
a discrete statement of facts. The
archaeological activities on tribal
proposed ordinance further outlines
lands must also obtain a permit,
appeal procedures that must be
which will ensure greater tribal
followed by tribal members should
oversight of such activities. The
proposed ordinance also established
criminal and civil penalties for
insured it for $80,000 and it was
violations of the ordinance,
appraised at $120,000. The Spirits
including fines up to $5,000 and
gave me 25 songs while I was
one year imprisonment.
building that dance house.
“Dancing Girl” comes from those
Research
lonely days. This year I turned elder
The Tribal Council has
at 55 and this is the year I plan to
completed the first and second
retire, singing my songs and
readings of the proposed Research
becoming an old folk singer.
Ordinance. The proposed ordinance
May the Spirits t>e with you
is intended to ensure that tribal
and all you pray for.
members
are
free
from
unreasonably harmful, intrusive, ill-
“Dancing Girl”
conceived, or otherwise offensive
Ordering information:
research and investigation
Quiss “Snoball” Butler
procedures. Types of research
732 NW 17th
included in the proposed ordinance
Corvallis, OR 97330
Telephone: 541-738-2978
(See Ordinances on
E-mail: rockwater777@aol.com
page 21)