LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Melvin Ashue, Shirely Walker, Tiffany Stuart-Miss Haskell 2005-2006, Tasha
Rilatos-Miss Siletz 2005-2006, and Thomas Stuart at the Haskel! Indian
Nations University Pow-Wow to feather dance for Tiffany ’s Miss Haskell
giveaway. (photo hy Tim Stuart)
To the editor:
The circle has now been completed
for my year as Miss Haskell 2005-2006.
I attended over 150 events. High
lights include the National Indian Edu
cation Association Conference in Den
ver; Miss NCAI Pageant in Tulsa; Amer
ican Indian Higher Education Consor
tium Conference in Green Bay; Nesika
lllahee Pow-Wow, Siletz; Pi-Ume-Sha
Treaty Days. Warm Springs; Lawrence
St. Patrick's Parade; Sac and Fox Pow-
Wow. Kansas; and KU Pow-Wow.
Haskell events included freshman
orientation/enrollment. convocations,
tours with visitors/high school groups,
Haskell Earth Day, Miss Haskell and
Haskell Brave Pageant Week, fall and
spring commencement, scholarship
ceremony, Haskell Homecoming, Wel
come Back Pow-Wow, ACCES Stomp
Dance, and Spring Fling. As with all roy
alty, it costs to attend events. My esti
mated out-of-pocket cost was $3,400.
Haskell president's office spon
sored me to attend the Al HEC confer
ence and a photo (poster size) for the
Miss Haskell wall (started in 1969) in
Navarre, the president's office.
I served on the Haskell Royalty,
AIHEC, Constitution, Student Life
Policy and Procedure. Vision Quest,
and Homecoming committees this past
year. I attended University Council
meetings to represent students. I was a
club member of KNEA-SP and
children's church teacher at Calvary
Temple Assembly of God.
I also graduated with my para
educator elementary education degree
on May 12 with all A's and B's. My goal
now is to make all A's in the next two
years.
The crowning of Miss Haskell
2006-2007 took place after the pow
wow grand entry and Siletz Feather
Dance exhibition for my giveaway. The
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Siletz News
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new Miss Haskell is Rebecca Jamison
(Yakama/Seneca) from White Swan,
Wash. The new Haskell Brave is
Darren Altaha (White Mountain
Apache) from White River, Ariz.
I’ve been accepted into the School
of Education at Haskell. I qualified by
making 170 or above on all three
PPSTs (Pre-Professional Skills Test). I’ll
graduate in May 2008 with my elemen
tary education degree and start teach
ing K-6.
This October. I'll travel to Anchor
age to attend the NIEA conference. I'm
running for the student board position.
If you're an NIEA member and cannot
attend the conference, please request
an absentee ballot and vote for Tiffany.
Thanks to the Haskell School of Edu
cation for sponsoring my trip.
I’d like to thank my great-aunt
Shirley Walker, cousin Tasha Rilatos,
brother Thomas, and Melvin Ashue for
feather dancing for my giveaway.
Thanks to my parents Thomas and
Marlene Stuart, brother Thomas and his
wife Cheryl, brother Tim, cousins
Lynette and Heidi Hibdon and Tasha,
aunt and uncle Vai and Larry Hibdon,
grandma Maxine Rilatos. great-aunt
Shirley, and Mike Wisdom, who came
and supported me during this time of
graduation, pow-wow. and passing on
my crown.
Thanks to Elliot Bryant (Dine),
Haskell Brave 2005-2006. for all your
encouragement and advice during my
year of reign. Thanks to aunt Selene
Rilatos, Robert Kentta. and Bud Lane
for all the information you provided for
my events and schoolwork.
God will bless you tenfold what you
have blessed me with during my life.
Hvm'chi,
Tiffany Dawn Stuart
Miss Haskell 2005-2006
www.haskell.edu
June 2006
To the editor:
Every day, people deal with life
issues of varying caliber. In most cases,
these problems are strictly our own and
with the right approach can be alleviated.
Sometimes problems exist that
seem to have no definitive answer and
with time grow more complex, prob
lems with money, health care, elder
care, or education. Higher education
should be given to all of our graduates,
but currently is not.
What do you want? What do we want
as a tribe? What do we need but don't
have? Arc our leaders really doing their
best? Is there really not enough to ever
cover basic services to tribal members?
Do we really need a shopping cen
ter in Keizer? Is our casino making
enough money? Is there strict account
ability? Is every trip our representatives
take really necessary?
These are just some of the ques
tions I hear every day by our General
Council, meaning my people! What
can be done about the negatives in this
tribe? We can come together as one -
one thought, one heart, one action.
With our yearly revenue after taxes,
we have enough to cover every need
in this tribe and then some.
Education: If we educate tribal
members to our highest standards, we
can provide gainful employment to all.
Private Tribal Member Entrepre
neurial Enterprises: If education is in
place for all adult tribal members and
funding is right, we could make personal
revenue per family and as a tribe together.
Profit-sharing: Other tribes have
shown that profit-sharing is an excel
lent source of individual non-taxable
revenue on top of what individual tribal
members make who work or go to
school. With our annual casino rev
enue, if we invested right, we could see
quarterly profit-shares per tribal mem
ber of over $3,000. We could ensure
that all of our people are working or in
school by stipulating that in order to
receive individual shares, they must be
working or be in school, whether col
legiate or vocational.
Excess spending and neglect are
real, everyone has complaints about it.
Nepotism is also real and an appalling
tactic that has no place in this tribe.
Leadership is a privilege, not a right.
Our elected officials have been
blamed for several problems with ICW.
elder care, health care, and Contract
Health; ignorance, spite, and sheer dis
respect on all levels, also for spending
money from tribal accounts for their
own gain. Maybe it’s true, maybe not,
but let them all prove their innocence
in a public forum.
If they’re doing the best job pos
sible, let all tribal members see it. But
if they’re not. let them give way to real
leadership and savvy business profes
sionals with a desire to share the wealth!
Any questions or comments can be
addressed to me at (cell) 503-309-9436
or 408 E. Wilson St.. Yacolt. WA 98675.
Until next time, thank you.
Ronald V. Belgard
For more information, please contact Angela Ramirez
1-800-922-1399, ext. 1225; 541-444-8225; or angelar@ctsi.nsn.us
Attention All Siletz Tribal Elders
Chinook Winds Casino Resort pro
vides a limited number of complimen
tary tickets for Siletz Tribal elders.
There has been a change for calling in
for these tickets.
Starting with the Clint Black concert
tickets that go on public sale July 13,
tribal elders now can call in on the day
before the public sale date of the tick
ets. This is in order to provide better
service for those calling in.
The elder must still say they are
calling in for elder tickets, the name of
the show, and their roll number. Elders
must call in for themselves.
If there comes a time when the el
der has received tickets that they will
be unable to use, they should contact
the box office to have their name re
moved from the list.
If they already have picked up the
tickets, the box office can re-issue tick
ets in order to give the tickets to an elder
on the waiting list. There are always
elders with their names on the waiting
list for the concerts or who are at the
casino the night of the show who need
a ticket.
If you have any questions regard
ing this change, contact Angela
Ramirez at I-800-922-1399, ext. 1225,
or 541-444-8225.
Upcoming Ticket Call-in Dates for
Siletz Tribal Elders
Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons:
June 22
Clint Black: July 12
Dionne Warwick: July 26
Howie Mandel: Aug. 16
Charlie Daniels Christmas Show:
Sept. 7