CHAIRMAN’S REPORT/LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Former Gov. Vic
Atiyeh Honored
page 4). Following a traditional feast
sponsored by the Siletz Tribe, the Siletz
Feather Dancers, coordinated by Bud
Lane, performed traditional Siletz
dances at the tribe’s dance house.
On May 24, officials of the Oregon
tribes and the state of Oregon gathered
at the state Capitol to celebrate the 25th
anniversary of the Commission on
Indian Services.
Former Gov. Vic Atiyeh was
honored and presented with a Pendleton
blanket for his leadership in establishing
the commission, a legislatively
established arm of the state government.
In addition to recognizing Atiyeh, a
print by artist Peggy O’Neal was
presented to Speaker of the House Mark
Simmons and a shell necklace to Sen.
Kate Brown in appreciation of their
efforts on behalf of Oregon Indians.
With offices and staff located in the
state Capitol, the commission is
composed of state legislators, tribal
council members from each of the nine
Oregon tribes, plus at-large members
representing urban Indians. During the
past 25 years, it has become an
important vehicle for addressing Indian
issues in Oregon.
Gov. John Kitzhaber not only has
given his support to the commission,
but also has given substance to the
meaning of tribal sovereignty. His
executive order mandates that state
agencies must interact with Indian tribes
on a government-to-government basis.
It is a further extension of the effort that
Hosted by the Siletz Tribe, the
Native American Fish and Wildlife
Society (NAFWS) held its annual
conference at Chinook Winds on May
21-24, attended by tribal representatives
from across the country.
The agenda included a wide variety
of subjects, including a panel of Siletz
elders who talked about natural,
wildlife, and cultural resources issues
from their perspective (see photo on
To the editor:
For several years the policy for the
Siletz News publication has been
overlooked. Personal attacks, libelous
statements, and non-substantiated
statements have been published. This
is in violation of the policies set by the
Tribal Council.
One woman, P.D., has a letter in
almost every paper about the Tribal
Council spending dollars. We have a
budget and line items, which we watch
carefully. We do all we can for our elders
and educational needs are met if the
application is complete and on time. I
have been told about students not
getting tribal education money. When I
check it out. I find the application is
incomplete or comes in late.
P.D. was tribal chairman a few years
ago; what did she do? Hold secret
meetings with five Tribal Council
members. They fired the lawyer, fired
the general manager, hired a new
general manager, and hired a law firm
in Portland that cost the tribe $300,000-
$400,000 in a few short months.
Those dollars were used to fight the
recall that was going on. Those five Tribal
Council members were recalled and
replaced. They should have been expelled.
We have two on the Council now who
were very much a part of those private
meetings. Four of us didn’t know about
the meetings and were shocked when
unscrupulous things came up for a vote
at the next Council meeting. We were
always outvoted 5 to 4.
Our tribe is a tribe to be proud of;
we have come a long way since 1977.1
have been on the Council for 26 years.
I was there on the Interim Council in
1973 when we worked hard for four
years to get Restoration. Where were
National Foundation for
Women Legislators
Chairman Delores Pigsley
Atiyeh initiated 25 years ago. The
commission’s continued viability
depends on continued active
involvement of tribal officials and state
legislators like Simmons and Brown.
NAFWS Conference
I was privileged enough to take part
in the 2001 Women Lawmakers’
Networking Day, held in Washington,
D.C., on May 31-June 3. It was an
opportunity for tribes to establish
relationships with and provide
information to some of the nation’s
most influential decision-makers on
Indian issues.
I co-chaired an education section
that worked on a policy statement,
which will be presented at a follow-up
meeting in Puerto Rico, based on
President George W. Bush’s theme,
“No child must be left behind.”
In the White House, we met with
Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton
and attended a forum in the Russell
Senate Office building with various
congressional staff members. Sue
Masten, NCAI president, did an
excellent job of making sure that Indian
issues were brought to the attention of
these congressional representatives.
NIGA and NCAI sponsored the get-
together as an opportunity for
the radicals then? They were not there
to help out.
I hope our editor follows the
policies of the newspaper from now on.
Tribes and non-tribal persons get our
newspaper too. They call some of us
and ask what is going on? They get the
true facts.
In 1977, we had 929 persons on the
tribal roll. I worked for enrollment at
the time; much research went into
updating those 929 persons. Many of
them were deceased. Now we are
almost 4,000 strong and the best is
being done for our people.
Sincerely,
Mary “Dolly" Fisher
non-Indian legislators to learn about
Indian issues.
We also participated in a forum with
various congressional staff members
and although it involved both Indian and
non-Indian political issues, Sue made
sure that Indian issues were especially
targeted for discussion.
Together with other tribal officials
from across the country, including
Grand Ronde and Klamath, 1 attended
the National Press Club luncheon. You
may already know that this is an
organization of the nation’s leading
news people. Again, Sue took the
opportunity of talking about critical
Indian issues. It was an opportunity for
us, the tribal representatives, to make
our presence and issues known.
Oregon Tribes Meeting
On May 25, representatives of the
Oregon tribes met at Chinook Winds.
The main topics included fee-to-trust
issues and gaming legislation in
Oregon. As we have reported in
previous issues of Siletz News, there is
a persistent effort through the state
Legislature to directly or indirectly
negatively impact Indian gaming.
We discussed the need for the
Oregon tribes to always be vigilant
about these threats and to work
cooperatively to prevent damaging
legislation from happening.
General Council
Meeting
Siletz Tribal Community Center
Aug. 4, 2001 '
Agenda
1 p.m.
Call to Order
Invocation
Roll Call
Approval of Agenda
Approval of Minutes: May 5, 2001
Program Presentations:
Housing Program
Education Program
Tribal Member Concerns
Chairman’s Report
Announcements
Adjourn
July 2001
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Siletz News*
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