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About Siletz news / (Siletz, OR) 199?-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 2003)
CHAIRMAN S REPORT Siletz Tribe Commemorates Rogue River Treaty An event of great significance took place on Sept. 10, 2003, when 150 Siletz Tribal members gathered at Table Rock near Medford, Ore., to com memorate the signing of the Rogue River Treaty exactly 150 years ago. I would like to share my thoughts on the significance of this event for all our readers of Siletz News. September 10 was a beautiful day and the ceremony was held in a beautiful place. As beautiful as the setting was, however, it was not without a great deal of pain that we recalled the tragic events 150 years ago that led to the signing of the treaty and what happened afterward. The United States promised in the treaty of Sept. 10,1853, that the Rogue River tribes would be moved to a temporary reservation at Table Rock and then to a permanent reservation in exchange for the tribes’ ceding of their aboriginal lands. It was the hatred and violence of the settlers and their lust for Indian land that drove the Indians from their homeland to Table Rock, the temporary reserve where the Rogue River Treaty was signed. From Table Rock, our ancestors were removed to what was promised to be their permanent 1.1-million-acre Siletz or Coast Reservation, extending To the editor: This is an open letter to the Ben family, especially Mrs. Rodney Ben. I was speaking with Ed Ben at the doings at Table Rock, trying to relay my condolences to him. Ed was relating to me how the wife of Rodney wanted to contact me to have me sing at Rod’s funeral. I really feel bad about that. I never hear about our people leav ing us until I read about it in our paper. It’s no secret that I live in Lapwai - and I’m in the “book.” Mrs. Ben, it would have been my high honor to sing for Rod and I would have made my w ay home, some way. And I pray for all the Ben family. It is so hard to lose a loved one. The happy times that he had with his family Chairman Delores Pigsley 100 miles along the coast and 20 miles inland. The reservation was approved by executive order on Nov. 9,1855. But permanence not to be! The voracious hunger for Indian land by Oregon legislators and steadily encroaching settlers caused President Johnson to issue an executive order on Dec. 21, 1865, to illegally gouge 220,000 acres out of the center of our reservation for white settlement. It wasn’t enough, however, to split our reservation in two, with the Alsea Reservation in the south and the Siletz in the north. Next came the further reduction of the Coast Reservation by the removal of the Indians from, and abolition of, the Alsea Reservation by the act of March 3, 1875. This was followed by other congressional acts that further diminished the Coast should be remembered and not the hard times of sickness. None of use has a guarantee about tomorrow, so we must love one another, forgive and forget. Gilbert Towner Reservation to the point that virtually nothing of the original reservation was left by the early 1950s but a few scattered parcels. Those were dark, dreadful days. They included massacres perpetrated against our people in the 1850s and ‘60s about which little is known or talked about today, but about which the historical evidence is there for anyone to read and reflect on. On that beautiful but solemn day when we recalled the tragic circum stances surrounding the signing of the treaty, we also were reminded of the resilience and spiritual strength of our predecessors that brought us to where we are today. I believe the remarkable thing is that despite what our tribe has had to endure throughout our history, including termination in 1953 and what is known as the consent decree of 1980 that unjustifiably took away our hunting and fishing rights, our people have maintained an inner strength and dignity. The evidence is all around us. Since we were restored as a federally recognized tribe in 1977, we have moved steadily forward and have much of which to be proud. As chairman of the Siletz tribe, it’s my hope that in the name of justice, the many wrongs committed against the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians will someday be fully rec ognized and addressed. Siletz Tribal Budget Process During the week of Sept. 15, the Siletz Tribal Council and Siletz administration underwent three days of program review, goal setting, and budget discussions. Program managers were invited to appear before the council to present their program needs and justification for program funds. These managers then described their needs for the next funding year, based on their goals. The Tribal Council’s task is a difficult one - to develop an overall tribal budget, based on the many (and sometimes conflicting) needs of individual programs and in view of limited tribal financial resources. Program managers must do at the program and service level exactly what the council must do at the tribal level - evaluate and prioritize programs and allocate funding accordingly. In performing this function, the council endeavors to obtain meaningful input from tribal members. Information provided by the tribe’s comprehensive plan, input from tribal committees, and a variety of other ways assist the council in making budget decisions. The Budget Committee makes recommendations to the Tribal Council on all budgets. Once the budgets are passed, they are then posted in Siletz News and comments are requested. General Council Meeting Nov. 1,2003 Siletz Tribal Community Center Siletz, Oregon Agenda 1 p.m. Call to Order Invocation Roll Call Approval of Agenda Approval of Minutes Program Reports Education: Bev Youngman Revolving Credit Program - Lisa Norton Tribal Member Concerns Candidates for Council Declarations Chairman’s Report Announcements Adjournment October 2003 □ Siletz News □ 3
