CHAIRMAN S REPORT
Tribal Council Members,
Officers Elected
On Feb. 3, the Siletz Tribe held
its annual general election that resulted
in the election of two incumbents, Dolly
Fisher and myself, and a former Council
member, Lillie Butler.
For those not familiar with our
political system, our Constitution provides
for a Tribal Council of nine members, three
elected each year on a staggered-term basis
that helps lend continuity and stability to
our tribal government.
On Monday following the general
election, the Council elected its officers.
I appreciate the confidence the Council
placed in me by electing me once again
as chairman, a position that I know carries
with it awesome responsibilities and
challenges. I would like you to join me
in congratulating the election of Jessie
Davis as vice chairman, Dolly Fisher as
secretary, and Jane John as treasurer.
On behalf of these newly elected
officers and other Council members, I
assure you that we will do our utmost in
conscientiously carrying out our tribal
leadership responsibilities and challenges.
NIGA Summit
An essential part of our
responsibilities is being involved in
national Indian issues and attending
meetings of national Indian organizations.
The Siletz Tribe does not, after all, live
in a vacuum. We are directly affected by
what happens in the U.S. Congress and
by the current administration, and we
must do our part in affecting national
Indian policies and programs.
During the week of Jan. 15, four
Council members, including myself, were
in Washington, D.C., to attend the National
Indian Gaming Association (NIGA) annual
summit and make other important contacts.
More than 300 tribal leaders from across
the country attended the summit.
National
Indian
Gaming
Commission (NIGC) Chairman Montie
Deer addressed the summit on the issue
of adopting Minimum Internal Control
Standards, which are intended to provide
uniform regulatory standards for Indian
gaming nationwide. Commissioner
Elizabeth Homer addressed the
commission’s proposed Environment,
Public Health, and Safety Regulations.
A major topic of discussion was
how NIGA and the tribes should deal
with these controversial NIGC
initiatives. The tribes believe that the
proposals go beyond the authority and
intent of the Indian Gaming Regulatory
106th Congress. Congressman Dale
Kildee, who founded the caucus four
years ago that now numbers about 100
members, addressed the summit.
While we have many Democratic
advocates and also friends in the GOP
in powerful positions, the assault on
tribal sovereignty from the anti-Indian
and anti-Indian gaming forces will
continue unabated.
Inaugural Activities and
Congressional Contacts
Chairman Delores Pigsley
Act (IGRA). Various work groups have
laid the groundwork on which concrete
plans will be formulated.
Bipartisan Congressional
Activities
The summit brought out the fact
that through bipartisan congressional
effort and tribal involvement, some
important legislation was passed in the
106th Congress that helps strengthen
tribal self-determination. These include
re-authorizing the Indian Tribal Justice
Act through 2007, enacting the Native
American Housing and Self-
Determination Amendment P.L.
106-554 and 569, promoting economic
development on Indian lands, and
strengthening various Indian Health
Service programs.
The assistance of a bipartisan
group of legislators helped tribes to
successfully get a bill passed to treat
tribes as governments under the Federal
Unemployment Tax Act.
When I prepared my February
chairman’s report, we didn’t yet know
who President Bush would appoint to
key posts affecting Indian affairs. I
commented, however, that “although
Indian tribes have generally supported
Democratic candidates for national
offices, we should keep in mind that
some of our staunchest Indian advocates
have been Republican ... We need to
work to actively educate, work with,
and make an effort to gain the support
of these government officials,
whichever side of the political fence
they are on.”
The Native American Caucus, a
group of congressmen dedicated to
fighting legislative attacks on tribal
sovereignty, helped pass legislation
favorable to Indian tribes and defeat
various anti-Indian measures in the
With these thoughts in mind, we
continue to be actively involved with
NIGA and NCAI. And once again with
this in mind, we contacted the offices
of our congressional delegation to bring
our own legislators up to date on Siletz
and other Indian issues.
The NIGA Summit coincided
with the Inauguration, so we were able
to attend part of the Inaugural activities
at the Lincoln Memorial and the
Inaugural ball. My grandson, Timmy,
accompanied me. The opening
ceremonies included introduction of all
tribal chairmen.
We also took advantage of networking
with various officials, including outgoing
Assistant Secretary Kevin Gover, housing
officials at the Amerind reception, and
representatives at Sen. Smith’s Native
American reception.
Siletz Tribal Involvement
in State, Federal, and
Other Meetings
Today, many Indian organizations
and federal and state agencies are
involved in Indian issues. To keep
abreast of current issues and have input
into proposed legislation and programs,
the Siletz Tribe must be involved.
These include meetings of the
Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians,
NCAI, Self-Governance, National
Indian Education Association, National
Indian Housing Association, and the
National Indian Health Board, many of
which hold regional as well as national
meetings. Many state, city, and county
meetings also affect the tribe.
It’s not possible for all Council
members to attend all these meetings;
we would be neglecting important
business at home. We must therefore
prioritize and balance critical state and
national issues with our own tribal
issues because the two usually are
interrelated. Attendance is assigned to
Council members based on their areas
of responsibility and interest. I believe
we have been successful in coordinating
our
individual
agendas
and
accomplishing both.
Siletz Basket Exhibit
and Gathering
. Promote our cultural and religious beliefs and to
pass them on in our own way to our children,
grandchildren, and grandchildren's children forever”
Siletz Constitution
Siletz Tribal Community Center, Government Hill
April 7, 2001 - 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Everyone is welcome!
We encourage you to bring your basket(s) and materials
for display and interpretation.
For more information, call Bud or Cheryl Lane
at 541-444-1258 or 541-444-8215.
March 2001
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Siletz News
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