CHAIRMAN’S REPORT
I recently attended the Minnesota/
Great Plains Indian Gaming Association
annual meeting in Minneapolis. Off-
reservation gaming was an important
topic of discussion at the tribal chairman's
roundtable discussion.
Sen. John McCain has stated that he
intends to reopen 1GRA because the off-
reservation language is not good enough.
There is constant pressure on Indian gam
ing and the senator also stated that it’s
not properly regulated. Therefore, the
National Indian Gaming Commission
(NIGC) needs more authority.
Tribes have used the Harvard study
to prove otherwise, but Sen. McCain is
not listening. There are those who feel that
he has his eyes on the presidency and is
trying to distance himself from gaming.
Some tribes have enjoyed great suc
cess and that is why some in the non
Indian world attack it so vigorously. They
forget that tribes had to give up their
To the editor:
I would like to congratulate Van
Peters, teachers, support staff, and the
Siletz Valley School Board on the won
derful article that ran in the News-Times
on June 10. It’s great to know that our
students are well taken care of and learn
ing up to their potential.
Keep up the good work. We, the com
munity, are very proud of all that you have
achieved.
To the editor:
It’s good to hear that ICW is working
hard or has the ability to work to their
potential. What saddens me is what one has
to do to receive this type of work or help.
The negative experiences that people
have had with ICW are in fact real and
have happened to real people. This is not
a popularity contest.
To comply, to speak up for what is
right, makes no difference to ICW if judg
ment has already been placed about the
individual or their family. What happened
to standing up for what is right for all
people from all walks of life (without
prejudicial judgment or conflict)?
Reunification starts from the family.
No person can break that bond! To our
people who feel lost, don't give up your
young spirit to any man. Pray.
Don't give up. as we will all reunite
again!
Sincerely.
Florieene Hutchinson (Flo)
Frank used the term. “Where's the
beef?” for those who claim that bad things
are happening. No one has stepped up
and said what bad things are happening
homelands and certain rights to live on
reservations, that is, where the U.S.
wanted tribes.
Now that tribes have found a way to
be successful, people are trying to put
restrictions on that success. Tribes did not
want IGRA because it did restrict, but it
was imposed and everyone made the best
out of it.
Tribes have been urged to write to
Sen. McCain and express their concerns.
If IGRA is re-opened for any reason, it
will be unfairly used to add other provi
sions that will not be helpful to tribes. At
the roundtable discussion of tribal chair
men. not one single tribe was in favor of
re-opening IGRA.
Frank Ducheneaux, former tribal lob
byist, was the keynote speaker. He very
eloquently expressed exactly how he felt
about gaming regulations and re-opening
IGRA.
He said that there was much discus
sion about the need to re-open IGRA
because of the off-reservation issues that
have been in the news. He says the pro
cess is clearly defined in the law; it
couldn’t possibly be defined better.
To the editor:
Everything looks good from a dis
tance. But somewhere there is a toxic
poison that has seeped into our commu
nity and snatched the minds and bodies
of the people we used to know and love.
Somebody out there has been hang
ing out with people who spend their time
in a toxic kitchen pouring drain cleaner,
rat poison and cold medicine together to
make this poison to get high.
I live a simple life and try to maintain
it. I work hard to help kids have a sense of
identity so they don’t need drugs or alco
hol to feel like somebody. I try to get eight
hours of sleep at night and 1 keep crank
out of my life (crystal meth, speed, ice).
Yet as I try so hard to keep it out, how
did it creep into my backyard, smash out
my car window with an ax, and ride off
into the full moon street on my wallet full
of irreplaceable photos and prescription
sunglasses, plus cash that I worked for?
If only drug addiction could be a per
sonal choice - to each their own, but it’s
become an epidemic, with good people
getting caught in the proverbial crossfire
of passive violence. This is not a victim
less crime. Drug use has immense conse
quences and horrific violence is involved
- economically, spiritually, physically,
emotionally, socially.
I feel like our community is quickly
morphing into a science fiction horror full
of pod people and shells of people who
once were and now are taken over by a
virus that must continuously feed itself
this poison.
How beautiful are you when your
soul is shattered into hollowness from a
drug that will permanently alter your
brain function into a state of irrevocable
atrophy? How beautiful are you when you
need to steal from other people to main
tain your addiction, your disease?
I feel sad and from a distance I see
this once genuine and beautiful tribal and
hometown community disintegrating
from law enforcement and legislation
lacking the power to stop this epidemic.
This most recent incident that made
me a victim (again) of this epidemic has
upset me. If someone thought it would make
me shy away - you're wrong! I’m com
mitted much more now than I was before.
I'm talking to everyone, even people
who are using this drug now! Please give
my stuff back - and get help. The last time
this happened, my camera got returned
and the person is on a better path now.
Remember, by not taking action you
give no resistance to the problem or the
people who are the problem. Please be
come a part of the solution; call and see
what you can do to help.
Respectfully, and with thanks to Kesa
Emi Nomiyama of Eugene, whose phras
ing in a letter in Eugene Weekly helped
inspire this letter.
Lisa Brown
541 -444-1290 or nadosh2@yahoo.com
Delores Pigsley
or where.
Tribes also spend more money regu
lating than Nevada or New Jersey. The
fallacy that tribal regulation is not satis
factory is just not true. He challenged
NIGC to tell where the problem is, if there
is one, which he believes there is not.
10th Anniversary
During the weekend of June 25, Chi
nook Winds celebrated its l0,h anniver
sary. All of you remember the tense years
prior to acquiring the property when our
tribe actively sought a site for the casino.
We all can be proud of the opening
of the tent and then the grand opening of
the casino. 1 hope you visited the casino
and helped celebrate 10 years of success.
General Council
Meeting
Aug. 6, 2005 -1 p.m.
Siletz Tribal Community
Center
Siletz, Oregon
Most Often Requested Numbers
Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians
Salem Area Office
Salem Finance Office
Portland Area Office
Eugene Area Office
Springfield Siletz Tribal Head Start
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Siletz Community Health Clinic
Siletz Alcohol and Drug
Chinook Winds Casino Resort
Chemawa Health Clinic
Bureau of Indian Affairs
1-800-922-1399
503-390-9494
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503-238-1512
541-484-4234
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I-8OO-323-8517
Web Site
www.ctsi.nsn.us
Agenda
Call to Order
Invocation
Roll Call
Approval of Agenda
Approval of Minutes
Program Reports:
Tribal Council Committee Reports
Tribal Member Concerns
Chairman's Report
Announcements
Adjournment
July 2005
Siletz News
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