TRIBAL PROGRAM NEWS
Siletz Youth Present at
Northwest Conference
Portland, Ore., was the host site for
the 2001 Northwest Substance Abuse
Prevention Conference “Making the
Connection: Prevention and Treatment
in the Northwest” held May 3-4.
As invited presenters, tribal staff
and the Siletz Youth Prevention Group
traveled to Portland to participate in the
two-day event. Attending were
Prevention Coordinator Lisa Brown,
Youth Center Shift Leader Rusty Butler,
volunteer chaperone Sara Martin, and
six youth from Lincoln County -
Megan Blacketer, Brad Bogart, Andrew
Foster, Rocky Gonzales, Dustin Nelsen-
Martin, and Nikki Strong.
The conference included 36
workshops addressing four issues -
community, youth, treatment, and
policy. The Siletz Youth Prevention
Group’s presentation focused on
community and youth.
The prevention group was invited
to present after a favorable program
review conducted in early March by the
state Office of Alcohol and Drug Abuse
Programs (OADAP). OADAP repre
sentatives had previously observed the
prevention group in its role as instructors
at the tribe’s summer Cultural Camp.
Under Brown’s instruction and
supervision, the youth are teachers for the
“Four Directions Bracelets” project. In
making the bracelets, youth instructors
relate the story represented by the
different colors of beads - a message of
respect for the earth, other people and
ourselves, and how substance abuse
undermines this goal.
Youth facilitate discussion of these
concepts and how they are represented
in our environment and personal lives.
Bracelets made through the project are
sold to raise funds to support prevention
group activities.
The prevention group held two
sessions of its workshop. As presenters,
our youth spent six hours planning and
preparing, four hours presenting, and
one-and-a-half hours debriefing the
process. During debriefing, the youth
discuss what went well and what was a
problem, and make suggestions for
improvements. Four youth from the
Burns-Paiute Tribe attended the first
session and apparently enjoyed
themselves so much that they stayed
through the second one, volunteering
as assistant instructors.
Youth also distributed handouts to
participants, took photos, helped
participants sign up, assisted
with icebreaker activities, and
answered questions about the youth
group’s mission.
Brown noted that youth learn
several skills in the process of
presenting - planning, evaluating,
teamwork, public speaking, and
teaching. She is very proud of the youth
who participated in the conference. She
watched them go from being nervous
and unsure before their presentations to
excited and confident afterwards.
Their success also was apparent to
others. The prevention group received
several requests to be presenters at
future conferences, including the
Oregon Department of Education’s
Violence Prevention Conference in mid
July and the Oregon Student Safety on
the Move’s (OSSOM) upcoming all-
night conference.
The Siletz Youth Prevention Group
was started through the Siletz Tribe’s
Prevention Program, which is funded
through a State Incentive Cooperative
Agreement (SICA). The SICA contract
funds a prevention coordinator to
develop community partnerships to
raise awareness about use and abuse of
alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs, and
to promote prevention activities.
Youth wishing to join the Siletz
Youth Prevention Group or who are
interested in starting a group in their
area can contact Prevention Coordinator
Lisa Brown at 1-800-600-5599 or
541-444-8238.
Siletz youth lead a session at the conference on the “Four Directions
Bracelets" (clockwise from left): Burns-Paiute youth, Lisa Brown, Oregon
Partnership evaluator, Rocky Gonzales, Rusty Butler, John Spence, a counselor
from the Klamath Tribe, and an unidentified participant. x
Walt’s Words of Wit and Wisdom
Long time ago, Rabbit went to the Great Spirit. “Would you give me courage?”
asked Rabbit. The Great Spirit said, “You will have to do some things first.”
Rabbit said, “I will do anything.”
The Great Spirit said, “You will have to bring me a rattlesnake.” Now Rabbit
was dismayed. How will I catch a snake? I’m afraid of snakes, he thought. They
will eat me.
While walking and thinking of how he would catch a snake, especially a
rattlesnake, Rabbit came up with a plan. He gathered a stick, went to Rattlesnake’s
den, and yelled, “Snake, Snake come here. I have something to tell you.”
Now Rattlesnake couldn’t figure this one out, a rabbit coming to him?
Rattlesnake came out of his den and Rabbit whopped him with a club and killed
him. Rabbit drug Rattlesnake to the Great Spirit.
“Now do I get my courage?” asked Rabbit. The Great Spirit answered, “Now
you must bring me an alligator.” Now Rabbit was really scared, there’s no way he
could get an alligator. They are big, fast, and like to eat rabbits.
As Rabbit was walking he thought, well, the club worked on the snake, it
surely will work on the alligator. Rabbit arrived at the swamp and yelled, “Alligator,
Alligator come here. I have something to tell you.”
Alligator swam from the little island and came to Rabbit. Rabbit hit him
across the head and Alligator went back into the swamp. Rabbit had failed, now
what was he going to do? He thought for a while then devised a scheme.
Rabbit sharpened the club and made a spear. Then he went back to the swamp
and again yelled, “Alligator, Alligator come here. I have something very important
to tell you.” Alligator replied, “Why, so you can hit me again with a stick?”
“No,” said Rabbit, “That’s why I must talk to you. That was my evil brother
and we must find a way to stop him before he hurts someone.” Alligator swam
across the swamp and crawled up on shore. Rabbit leaped in the air with his spear,
drove it right through Alligator’s heart and killed him.
Rabbit drug Alligator to the Great Spirit. “Now do I get my courage?” asked
Rabbit. The Great Spirit answered, “My child, my child, I cannot give you what
you already have. You have proven to yourself that you have great courage.”
Speaking of alligators, this cute, little, petite blond said she wanted a pair of
alligator shoes. Two alligator hunters said that they would get her some later.
Now, that was not good enough for her.
Three days later the hunters were in the swamp looking for alligators. They
came across this cute, little, petite blond feeling pretty blue with two alligators at
her feet. “What are you doing here?” they asked. “I’m looking for alligator shoes
and neither of these have shoes,” she replied.
June 2001
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Siletz News
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