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
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Siletz News
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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!