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About Siletz news / (Siletz, OR) 199?-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 2004)
SCfì OrColl E 7Ö .06 S523 V. 32 no. 11 November 2004 Apprenticeships, all-stars, new babies, and retirements Pages 10-13 Restoration agenda; celebrate wellbriety Pages 5 and 8 S iletz Flu shot update and ways to help avoid getting the flu Page 19 Professional billiards, concerts, and comedy Page 21 N ews Vol. 32. No. 11 November 2004 lerated Tribes of Siletz Indians of Oregon Siletz Group Attends NMAI Opening by Ed Ben The brand new National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., was scheduled to be dedicated Sept. 21, 2004. A procession of more than 500 tribes was to walk, in alpha betical order, from the Capitol Mall to the museum as part of the dedication. I am both proud and thankful to have the opportunity to represent our Siletz Tribe at the dedication. I walked in the procession with the following members and friends of the Siletz Tribe: Don and Dee Pigsley, Alfred (Bud) Lane III, Alfred (Brother) Lane IV, Alan and Dona James, Leslie Ralston, Kenny Ralston, Randy Lane, Selene Rilatos, Robert Kentta, LeRoy and Doni Wilder, and Randy Fuson. We arrived early at the Capitol Mall staging area to ensure our place in the lineup. Hundreds of Indians already were milling around in the staging area. Dee and Bud conferred with one of the coordinators and we were immediately placed in the lineup and began the walk. Part way through the walk, I heard a familiar voice say, “Hey you Siletz Indians, look over here.” There in the crowd stood my son, Gerald, camera in hand. He and his friend, Randy, joined us for the remainder of the walk. He has told several people he was not sure he could ever find us in all those feath ers and leathers. We walked with tribes around us singing song after song. Bud and Rob ert honored our group with several songs. Selene and I sang a song during one of the stops of the procession. Our contribution to the procession was well documented by the hundreds of cameras and video cameras in the hands of people standing shoulder-to- shoulder, five to 10 deep, lining the parade route. We finally arrived at the seating area to await the arrival of the remaining tribes and organizations. Our early arrival at the seating area provided us the time to see the other tribes as they entered. We visited with many people, Indian and non-Indian, who came to our area to take pictures and/or say hello and question where we were from. One man who honored us with a visit introduced himself as a grandson of Aggie Pilgrim. Emotions ran deep as the program of speeches and acknowledgments be gan with an Indian Color Guard and drumming group entering the speaker’s stage. It was awesome to see thousands of people standing in unison to the sing ing of a flag song. Some estimates place the attendance at the dedication at up wards to 80,000 people. Some of us attended a preview of the museum on Sept. 20. It’s everything the critics have described. If you went there expecting a “skull and bones” exhibit, you probably went away disappointed. If you expected a positive spin on the uniqueness of the different tribes, you probably went away satisfied. With representatives of What’s Inside Letters to the Editor Chairman’s Report Vice Chairman’s Report Tribal Program News Tribal Member News 2 3 5 6 10 Notices Tribal Council Timesheets Siletz Clinic Chinook Winds Passages 14 15 18 20 23 Kenny Ralston, Selene Rilatos, Bud Lane, LeRoy Wilder, Leslie Ralston, Dona James, Robert Kentta, Delores Pigsley, Ed Ben, and Buddy Lane stand in front of the Washington Monument while awaiting the procession to the National Museum of the American Indian. See more photos on pages 15-17. 500 tribes passing through the museum, one can expect a variety of opinions. Likewise, we Indians can always rely on the media to exploit the negative. My ability to attend the dedication was made possible with the help of sev eral tribal members. Thank you to Bud Siletz News Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians of Oregon P.O. Box 549 Siletz, OR 97380-0549 and Gerald for helping me find an air line ticket that fit my retirement bud get. Thank you to Buddy for giving up his bed rather than having me sleep on a $25-a-night rollaway bed. Thanks to Sonja for making me a new ribbon shirt and breechcloth to wear in the procession. Delores Pigsley, Tribal Chairman Brenda Bremner, General Manager and Editor-in-Chief of Oregon Library University oT « Received on: Siletz news PRESORTED FIRST Cl ASS U.S. POSTAGE PAID SILETZ, OR PERMIT NO. 2
