CHAIRMAN’S REPORT
Our longtime friend, Rudy Clements,
was remembered at services at the
Simnasho Longhouse. For those who
may not be aware, Rudy, a longtime
official of the Warm Springs Tribe and
a very good friend of the Siletz Tribe,
died in December.
Starting from before Siletz Resto
ration in the early 1970s, Rudy was in
volved in helping our tribal members gain
employment and training under the old
federal CETA program, which he was
responsible for coordinating statewide.
When the Siletz Tribe launched its
effort to be restored, Rudy was there
for us, contributing his encouragement
and advocacy. Wc were honored to
have him as our guest speaker at a re
cent Restoration Celebration. He was
a true and faithful friend until his un
timely death just a month ago.
Rudy was a proven leader not only
in his own tribe, but also in the state of
Oregon and the Northwest. He was
knowledgeable about major Indian is
sues and was articulate in expressing
them on behalf of all tribes.
Most recently. Rudy worked on
Indian gaming issues and was the lead
person in the Warm Springs’ effort to
establish a casino at Cascade Locks.
I know personally with what pas
sion and commitment he worked to
ward achieving that objective. Al
though I am sad that he could not live
to see that dream fulfilled, the Warm
Springs Council continues to work to
establish a Cascade Locks casino. The
Siletz Tribe is committed to render its
Delores Pigsley
support to see that his - and his tribe’s
- dream comes true.
At his funeral, Rudy was warmly
remembered as a trusting, faithful, and
devoted employee and tribesman who
brought people together to work toward
common goals and solutions. That is
how 1, and many Siletz, members, will
always remember him as well.
Tribal Council Calendar of
Activities and Issues
The Tribal Council has established
its calendar for 2006 with fixed dates
for meetings and other activities. In
February, following the general election,
the Tribal Council will elect its officers
and appoint committee members.
Any tribal member who is inter
ested can volunteer to serve on any one
Some Siletz Tribal Children
Need You!
The Indian Child Welfare Program
needs good homes for temporary and
long-term placement for some of our
Siletz Tribal children. Foster homes and
homes for relative placements are
needed, both locally and within the 1 1 -
county service area.
If you are thinking of becoming a
foster parent or relative placement, or
just have questions, contact Sandra
Simmons at 1-800-922-1399, ext. 1275,
or 541-444-8275. Packets on the
certification process and information
sessions are available upon request.
Most Often Requested Numbers
Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians
1-800-922-1399
Salem Area Office
503-390-9494
Salem Finance Office
1-888-870-9051
Portland Area Office
503-238-1512
Eugene Area Office
541 -484-4234
Springfield Siletz Tribal Head Start
541-747-0161
Contract Health Services (CHS)
1-800-628-5720
Siletz Community Health Clinic
1-800-648-0449
Siletz Alcohol and Drug
I -800-600-5599
Chinook Winds Casino Resort
I-888-244-6665
Chemawa Health Clinic
1-800-452-7823
Bureau of Indian Affairs
1-800-323-8517
Web Site
www.ctsi.nsn.us
of a variety of committees of his or her
area of interest. Serving on committees
is a golden opportunity for tribal members
to become more knowledgeable about
- and have a direct input in - policies
and programs, whether it's in the area of
education, health, forestry, culture, etc.
One problem has been that over the
years, the tribe has had difficulty fill
ing committee vacancies. As a result,
some tribal members have ended up
serving on more than one committee.
In order to spread the load, we need
more volunteers to serve. I encourage
all interested members to look over the
list of committee vacancies and to ap
ply on the appropriate form.
Being Informed About
Tribal Issues
Another matter of concern involves
something that happens during every
tribal election. Some candidates for
council complain they are kept in the
dark about tribal issues, pointing to what
they perceive as the Tribal Council's
failure to keep them informed.
Their concerns, however, are typi
cally about issues that have already
been covered - sometimes thoroughly
in Tribal Council and General Coun
cil meetings as well as in Siletz News
or Nesika Hlahee.
I regret if there arc lapses in com
munication. The council tries to keep
our lines of communication open and
information about tribal issues avail
able through various means. Tribal
members are encouraged to attend
Tribal Council and General Council
meetings and to obtain copies of min
utes and other written documents.
Tribal members need only take the
time to take advantage of these sources
to be kept informed. Information also
can be obtained from council members
by phone, e-mail, and regular mail.
Although tribal members often are
reminded they are welcome to attend
Tribal Council and General Council
meetings where issues are aired, few do.
And further, although any tribal member
can obtain the minutes of council meet
ings upon request, very few ask for them.
Minutes can be received electronically.
In the end, the Tribal Council’s re
sponsibility is to make information avail
able to our membership. It's our mem
bers' responsibility to take advantage of
the information that's available to them.
Siletz Policies
Governing Nepotism
Finally, many of you have asked
that I comment on the issue of nepo
tism - that is, issues involving favorit
ism shown to a relative as in giving an
appointive job, preference in promo
tions, demotions, supervising of em
ployees, etc., based on relationship.
I am pleased to report that over the
years, the Siletz Tribe has developed
personnel policies and ethics codes that
have effectively addressed this issue.
The policy of the Siletz Tribe is that
no tribal employee can supervise another
who is related to the employee as a moth
er. father, brother, sister, child or some
one living in that person's household.
If we were to go further with this
policy and ban nieces, nephews, aunts,
uncles, and cousins, we would end up not
having any tribal members employed.
Under our current established policy,
all Tribal Council members are involved
in the evaluation of high-echelon person
nel that includes the general managers
of the casino and tribal administration,
the gaming commission executive
director, the Siletz Tribal economic
development executive director, our
internal auditor, and the council secre
tary. Their evaluations are rated on very
detailed criteria on forms that each
council member is required to complete.
The Tribal Council itself is subject
to the ethics policy and tribal staff
members are subject to the tribe's
personnel and operations policies that
govern issues of nepotism. Those who
work for the tribe and at the same time
serve on the council are subject to both.
No one to this date has challenged
these policies.
Nuu-wee-ya’
(our words)
Introduction to the Athabaskan Language
Open to tribal members of all ages
Siletz
Siletz Tribal Community Center
Feb. 7-6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
March 7-6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Salem
Salem Area Office
Feb. 13-6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
March 13-6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Portland
Portland Area Office
Feb. 14-6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
March 14-6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Eugene
Eugene Area Office
Feb. 6-6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
March 6-6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Tribal members who need help 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 Culture Department
at 541-444-8320 or 1-800-922-1399, ext. 1320; or e-mail budl@ctsi.nsn.us.
February 2006
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Siletz News
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