LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
To the editor:
A big thank you to the Portland Area
Office for contacting the Bureau of Indian
Affairs and having six Siletz Tribal youth
participate with our organization for a
period of five to six weeks.
Six tribal youth were employed at
the Bureau of Indian Affairs, working
in conjunction with the Siletz Tribal
Summer Youth Employment Program.
They include Selina Washington (18)
and her brother Derrick Washington
(16), who both worked in the Roads
Department under Joe Bonga. Sophie
Kaady (Simmons) (15) and Greg DePoe
(15) were employed in the Appraisal
Department. Michelle McKelvey
(McCollam) (16) worked in Personnel,
supervised by Danelle Dutt, and
Zachery Anderegg (Simmons) (15)
worked in Resources under Jim LeBret.
All six students attend various high
schools in the Portland-metropolitan
area and are enrolled tribal members of
the Confederated Tribes of Siletz
Indians. I received many comments on
their professionalism. They really
helped out while they were working in
the regional office.
Sophie and Greg came to the
appraisal/realty group at a time when
we really needed them. Our secretary
was on two weeks leave and they
answered phones, filed reports and
microfilm, and helped with the mail.
They really did a great job.
Again, thank you to all the Summer
Youth kids and to the tribe for funding
the program.
G. Ben
To the editor:
What if the BIA managed our 638
contracts and gaming facility, and was
comping relatives? When confronted
about comps for personal use, what if
the BIA said, “We are the board of
directors and can do as we like,”
ignoring the fact they were managing
those funds in trust. After spending
thousands of dollars in legal fees, they
maintained they had been cleared of all
allegations by NIGC, but in their
settlement, they complied with NIGC
demands? Review the tribal settlement
agreement at: http://www.nigc.gov/
siletzsettle.htm
What if they were writing
ordinances that limit tribal court’s
jurisdiction and ordinances that favored
the BIA? If they were restricting
funding so court couldn’t threaten their
control, which eliminates the checks
and balance system of our government?
What if General Council told the
BIA that tribal member employment
and promotion were high priorities and
the BIA adopted policies limiting tribal
member employment? If they refused
to set up a recruitment and training
program for tribal members? If they
refused to pass a TERO ordinance
and the TERO drafts written
specifically excluded tribal member
hiring preference?
If they placed BIA supporters on
our budget, planning, economic
development, and other committees,
who then negatively influenced projects
and plans?
If they used BIA employees in the
hiring process and refused to hire tribal
members they didn’t like, but hired
family and friends? If the people
promoted to management positions
were BIA supporters?
Who rewrote the personnel manual,
eliminating tribal member preference,
making themselves the final authority
in administrative actions, and
eliminating court’s ability to review
those actions?
What if we instructed the BIA to
pursue our treaty lands that were taken
without payment and they ignored
our request?
If they underspent program dollars,
didn’t expand program services using
those unspent dollars? If they took over
other tribal organizations, used indirect
and grants money for their pet projects,
and didn’t inform tribal members
“what” they were using them for?
If they managed gaming’s $100
million budget and small amounts of
money returned to the tribe?
If these activities were creating
anger, low morale, high employee
turnover, low tribal member
involvement, and a feeling of a lack of
ownership by tribal members, wouldn’t
we protest? We can see these actions as
harmful when done by others, but when
done by council, we permit it. Why?
The solution?
A goal to have every job/position
in our tribe held by a tribal member.
By making this our goal, we would have
to confront and deal with our prejudices,
our discriminatory practices we use
against each other, and the negative
beliefs regarding tribal member
abilities, and will begin to create unity.
Ultimately, without unity, we will face
termination. Again.
Raymond J. Blacketer
To the editor:
I honor my father, I honor my
mother, honor myself and above all, I
honor the Divine in us all.
I have once again read a letter from
a distraught tribal member who can’t
get past so many self-imposed rules that
she is almost on her knees crying.
What is the difference, from those
days when we had to go in the cold and
with starving bellies to the Great White
Father in Washington, D.C., to tell him
of our plight. Once there, we were
mainly just paraded around the town
square and given empty promise after
empty promise. Thus was born the
stereotypical Native American Indian
standing with his hand out.
As for my personal history, I swore
to the Almighty that I would never
become an Indian with her hand held
out, never. I am independent, put myself
through some college, and have been
employed in the professional field since
I was 19, always advancing and
bettering myself.
(See Vicki Downey on page 3)
LETTERS, DEADLINES AND SUBSCRIPTIONS
Siletz News Letters Policy
Siletz News, a publication of the
Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians
of Oregon, is published once a month.
Our editorial policy encourages input
from readers about stories printed in
Siletz News and other tribal issues.
All letters must include the
author’s signature, address, and phone
number in order to be considered for
publication. Siletz News reserves the
right to edit any letter for clarity and
length, and to refuse publication of any
letter or any part of a letter that may
contain profane language, libelous
statements, personal attacks, or
unsubstantiated statements.
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Please type or write legibly. Letters
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for length as approved by Tribal Council
Resolution #96-142.
Please note: The general manager
of the Siletz Tribe is the editor-in-chief
of Siletz News.
Editor-in-Chief: Brenda Bremner
Editor: Diane Rodriquez
September 2001
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