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About Siletz news / (Siletz, OR) 199?-current | View Entire Issue (April 1, 2008)
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR To the editor: Thank you to all Tribal members who voiced your interest in acquiring acupuncture and/or chiropractic ser vices. Also I’m pleased to have been present at the Tribal Council meeting (2/16) to hear Dee Pigsley say, "We need to look into funding acupuncture for members.” I’ve been aggressively advocating for this service to be available to mem bers for almost 5 years. It was good to hear Dee Pigsley say it brought relief to her son and alleviated a number of pain medications that otherwise would have been prescribed for treatment. My deep est sympathies to Dee and others who have suffered losses and watched family and friends struggle with adverse health conditions and pain-related symptoms. I serve on the Health Committee with a number of very informed and attentive Tribal members. I wish to thank Judy Muschamp, Clinic Direc tor, for her time to share information with me so I can be informed and pro vide info to interested members. I'm pleased say just a couple weeks prior to Dee Pigsley’s suggestion to look into funding services, I was able to work on brainstorming a plan/process of how to fund/provide acupuncture services for Tribal members. I must give thanks to Marci Garrett, Clinic QI Coordinator, who has such a well- rounded knowledge of needs and re sources for endeavors such as this. My intent is specific, regarding funding of this service. I accessed data from Loraine Butler, Enrollment Clerk: Based on these figures, I continue to aggressively advocate for policies that will ensure funding will be allo cated to provide services on an equi table basis, so all members can have the opportunity to receive services. In the recent past, Tribal Council (TC) has denied that the present process to allocate health care/funding is inad equate to provide services on an equal basis. I've been contacted by a number of members and speak of their opin ions, but with nothing in writing, it's been the practice of our elected leaders/ administration to ignore that the present process needs modification. I sug gested a lottery-type process, which TC said "was not a good idea,” and there fore wouldn't be pursued. Later, I shared with the Health Committee, and TC, about the State of Oregon using a “lottery” process to determine who would receive health coverage/services. As ever, please, if you have ques tions, contact me. My mailing address is: PO Box 586, Siletz, OR 97380. Or by phone: 541-444-1290, or 541-351- 0003 (cell), e-mail nadosh2@yahoo. com. I welcome your feedback and can assure you 1 11 do my best to call you back as soon as possible, on my dime. Yours truly, Lisa Brown, CPS To the editor: Recently I was reading an article about Indian casinos and the revenue that they get and the stipend that the tribal members receive. My question for the tribal counsel is how come other tribes are getting thousands of dollars a month in stipends when we are only getting less than $2.()()().00 per year. While some of these tribes distribute 10, 15, even 40 thousand dollars a month per tribal member and I realize that we do not have the income in bil lions that they do I know that our ca sino is making money. We also have timberland, where is our stipend from that. Is it poor investments? Is it lack of intelligent handling of our money? Is it lack if knowledgeable money man agement within the counsel? Or are we just being cheated? Even Grande Ronde gets approximately 3.()()().00 per person. Way more than we do and our tribe has been around longer. $1,400 per year as of last year just does not add up at all. Where is our money? Who is controlling it and why is it not being distributed to our tribal members. 1 do not want to hear we pay for this and we pay for that ... basically the buildings are not really benefiting us. I live out of state and I am currently unemployed and struggling. What ben efits out there are helping members of our tribe that work every day and still cannot make ends meet. I am not see ing that. By economist reports, gamblers will lose more money in Indian casi nos that in Las Vegas. Why are the members of this tribe not seeing any of that money? What is in order here? An audit? An investiga tion from an external company. The reports I get each quarter show me more and more going into the pockets of people driving and making trips. How are those trips benefiting the mem bers of the tribe. Show us some proof, give us peace of mind. Give us our share of the profits. Or at least explain to us why we aren't getting what the other tribes are getting. You can't tell me that our tribe is doing more than any other. Sincerely, Jeff Fish A concerned Tribal Member Enclosed is my email address in case someone should want the info on the article I was reading howl i ngcoyote © hotmai 1 .com 4 • Siletz News • Elders/IN Service Area: 249 or 51.9% Elders/OUT of service area: 231 or 48.1 % April 2008 Hello Family & Friends, I wanted to inform you of the an nual World Beat Festival held in Salem’s Waterfront June 29th and 30,h. This year's festival will have the big gest Native American village to date. There will be storytelling, Native American food vendors, crafts and possibly a dance competition. This two- day event is a great tool for Native ven dors to market the crafts and businesses because on average, 48,000 to 50,000 people visit the World Beat Fair for the food, fun, and to experience world cultures. If we can increase the num ber of sponsors and vendors from last year, there might be a dance competi tion with prize money. If anyone would like to sponsor the Native Village, their business name will be displayed for all the visitors to see, or if you might want to have a booth, new and existing ven dors are always welcome. For more information, contact Joaquin Serna at 503-580-2863. Hope to see you all there, Barry Kessinger To the editor: Re: My Philipino family? I seen my Grandpa’s report card from Chemawa dated 1917. Grandma's written word helped some get enrolled. I don't believe The Siletz would've let her speak the way she did if she were anything other than who she was. People stood for their word and that represented their name. “I love you," “forever,” "I promise,” and “I'm sorry" weren't used like today. If Mamie and Norman knew this family, maybe they chose not to speak because they obvi ously lived harmoniously among us or because they recognized they would then carry this? (Intention) We'll have to leave that "bubble” and behavior for the simpleminded who cannot see past the end of their nose. We'd come to Siletz, gel Joel's old comics, eat Aunty Wilma's chowder. Uncle Fred and Aunty Molly (Scott) would have oys ters, eels and salmon. (Mom's demand ing cheeks and eyeballs) Can't do that so much anymore for the same reason the “beds” and “D” River are what they are. Dad and Unk might go clammin'. Troy Kessinger’s frantic "Hey Unk - wait up!” Maybe cut some Sea Rose (anemones) too. Memorial lime, Dad'd be on the hill cleaning old graves. Mom’s lifetime friend, who shared the same maternity clock. Aunty Dodda (Larvie), my parents, Aunty Polly and Uncle Chet would be “making plans for a little later on tonight." Returning, Dad'd “check on his patches.” (clear cuts cornin' on fern, bugs and seeds) Stopping for bundles of hazel or dig roots (baskets) Namin’ every tree (still don't know pine from cherry!) The re spect and loss talk cedar and moss, barks, berries, cabbage, utensils, rope, marking my way, the thorny plant to peel if without water and medicinal plants. (There’s a reason why these feel don’t leave cement!) Deer - had to eat a salted raw piece (didn't get it and still don’t). Nighttime - an “ol' boy" was hitchhikin’, he'd welcome him to din ner. sleep in the truck, (all females) feed him breakfast, make lunch and drop him at a “good spot.” I just didn't get it - a stranger? Don't know if I do now. Hey, didn't I mention my father was a redheaded, freckle-faced, loggin' white boy who was a chaplain in the Marines? Yeah. “Rusty” Clawson taught me some “simple things.” Mom, full- blooded Tolowa, Tootootney, Chetco, taught me some things. Tried to learn to catch a bird using a box, a stick, siring and bread. Summers, she'd try to teach me how to catch crawdads. Did you know when the sun’s over your shoulder, it casts a shadow? Yep. I did learn to “walk tall" and stand up for what I believe and I didn't believe l‘m Philipino. If I was, I'd scream that from a mountaintop too! Proud half-breed, Jolynne Clawson Cut Wood for the Elders Day The Tribal Natural Resources Com mittee and Natural Resources Depart ment will sponsor another “Cut Wood for the Elders Day” on April 12. The woodcut will be held at the old log yard at the tribe's Toledo Mill property. We need lots of volunteers to help cut and split firewood for tribal elders. Bring your chainsaws, hydraulic wood splitters, splitting mauls, axes and lots of energy. Even if you don't have any of those, we can use the moral support! Lunch, drinks and snacks will be provided. We will meet at the tribal administration building at 8 a.m. and caravan to the mill. For anyone wish ing to come later, directions to the mill will be posted on the front door of the building. The goal of this event will be to stockpile firewood for future delivery to elders. Elders’ Coordinator Angela Ramirez maintains a list of elders who burn wood for their winter heat. People willing to haul firewood to elders out side of the Siletz area should contact Angela at 800-922-1399, ext. 1225, or 541-444-8225 and she will pair you up with an elder in need. We especially need folks who can haul wood to the Eugene, Salem and Portland areas. If you have parents or grandparents who burn wood in the winter to stay warm, you need to help out at this event!
