VICE CHAIRMAN’S REPORT
NARCH Project Involves
Four Oregon Tribes
All relevant details of the socio/
cultural/mental health research and
training project known as NARCH have
been worked out and the project has
been launched under U.S. Public Health
Service sponsorship and funding.
Participating in the project are the
Bums Paiute, Colville, Warm Springs,
and Siletz tribes.
Faculty members from prestigious
Johns Hopkins University will train
designated tribal members of the four
tribes to accomplish the basic project
goals, which are:
1.
2.
To increase the research capacities
and research infrastructures of the
participating tribes
To develop tribally specific, cultur
ally relevant, and historically sen
sitive models of American Indian
behavioral health leading to a sci
entific method of investigating the
following five factors:
a. Intergenerational trauma and
unresolved grief: This topic
looks at how historical events
have had and continue to have
an effect on the mental well
being of American Indians.
Each tribe’s history will be
examined and the impact
that wars, disease, forced
assimilation, etc., have had on
Indian people.
b. Substance abuse and the trans
mission through families of
cultural values: The question
here is why there are such high
levels of addiction. Many tra
ditional family prevention tools
are no longer being used, thus
addictive behavior goes un
checked. The focus here is to
develop culturally appropriate
research to gain understanding
of how and why addiction
develops in Indian Country.
c. Communicative norms for
expressing emotional distress:
This involves evaluating who
speaks to whom about what
and under what circumstances.
Often, cross-cultural commu
nications are misunderstood
because neither party under
stands the true meaning of what
the other is saying. The goal
here is to develop a behavioral
3.
Vice Chairman Jessie Davis
model that will help better
understand verbal and non
verbal communications.
d. Complicated bereavement and
culturally competent clini
cians: Traditional death, dying,
grief, and bereavement beliefs
and practices of Native com
munities have not been ad
equately studied. The goal here
is to come up with culturally
appropriate descriptions of
rituals and ceremonial prac
tices that will help clinicians
understand better how to be more
effective in their helping roles.
e. Spirituality and rehabilitation:
There is evidence that practic
ing spirituality can help prevent
re-incarceration. There’s only
one study that explores this, so
the goal here is to develop ad
ditional information on how
spirituality can reduce depres
sion, disciplinary issues, and
re-arrests for adult offenders.
To increase the research capacity of
early career Native American scien
tists through individual training and
presentations at university seminars.
The Siletz Tribe has accepted the
role of providing administrative ser
vices to the project, which is funded for
a two-year period by a U.S. Public
Health Service grant of $700,000.
Lisa Norton has been appointed
to serve as NARCH coordinator and I
have been designated the Tribal
Council’s representative to the NARCH
Advisory Board.
Further information will be pro
vided in Siletz News and Nesika Illahee
as the project unfolds.
Nuu-wee-ya’
Royalty Crown Proposals Due
The Pow-Wow Committee is now
accepting proposals for the 2005 roy
alty crowns, which are for Miss Siletz,
Jr. Miss Siletz, and Little Miss Siletz.
Crowns do not include years but do
include separate barrettes that are ap
proximately 3 inches in diameter with
the year “2005” on them and matching
the colors on the crown.
All proposals must be submitted
with a proposed design, including color
scheme, size of beads, size of crown(s)
and total cost. Preference will be given
to crowns containing the state of Or
egon with treaty date, cursive
writing, and a minimum bead
size of 11 or smaller.
Proposals must be re
ceived by Jan. 31, 2005.
You can submit proposals
for as many crowns as you would
like. Payment is made after the
crown(s) and barrette(s) are
completed. Crowns must be
completed by July 31, 2005.
Please mail proposals to
Siletz Pow-Wow Committee,
P.O. Box 549, Siletz, OR 97380.
Questions? Please contact
Kelley Ellis at 1-800-922-1399,
ext. 1227, or 541-444-8227.
(our words)
Introduction to the Athabaskan Language
Open to tribal members of all ages
Siletz
Salem
Siletz Tribal Community Center
Jan. 10-6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Feb. 15 — 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Salem Area Office
Jan. 11-6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Feb. 8-6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Portland
Eugene
Portland Area Office
Jan. 4 — 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Feb. 14 — 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Eugene Area Office
Jan. 3-6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Feb. 7-6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Tribal members who need help or instruction on cultural projects should
contact the Siletz Culture Department. We can assist you prior to the
language classes.
For more information, contact Bud Lane at the Siletz Cultural Department
at 1-800-922-1399, ext. 1320, or 541-444-8320, ore-mail budl@ctsi.nsn.us;
or Selene Rilatos at the Siletz Culture Department at 1-800-922-1399,
ext. 1246, or 541-444-8246, or e-mail selener@ctsi.nsn.us.
January 2005
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Siletz News
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