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About Siletz news / (Siletz, OR) 199?-current | View Entire Issue (May 1, 2009)
TRIBAL PROGRAM NEWS Nuu-wee-ya (our words) Introduction to the Athabaskan Language Open to Tribal members of all ages Siletz Salem Siletz Tribal Community Center May 5-6 p.m. to 8 p.m. June 2-6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Salem Area Office May 12-6 p.m. to 8 p.m. June 9-6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Portland Eugene Portland Area Office May 11-6 p.m. to 8 p.m. June 8-6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Eugene Area Office May 4-6 p.m. to 8 p.m June 1 - 6 p.m. to 8 p.m Come and join other members of your community and Tribe in learning to speak one of our ancient languages. For more information, contact Bud Lane at the Siletz Cultural Department at 541-444-8320 or 800-922-1399, ext. 1320; or e-mail budl@ctsi.nsn.us. Siletz Tribal Language Project The Siletz Tribe is pleased to announce the award of a two-year Administration for Native Americans Native Language Preservation and Maintenance Category II grant to develop an Athabaskan language curriculum for Head Start through fifth grade. As a Tribe, we have lost more than 90 percent of the ability to speak the Native language, Athabaskan. This is the first step of many on a long path to address this trag edy. It is the goal that the curriculum developed at the pilot project site, Siletz Valley School, will be largely available upon the completion of a successful project. We currently are seeking community input at the following Language Community Meetings held at each area office at 5:30 p.m.: Eugene - May 4 Siletz - May 5 Portland - May 11 Salem - May 12 This will be an opportunity for interested individuals to provided feedback on the curriculum development process. It is the interest of the Siletz Tribal Language Project to address the needs of the community the Language Project is intended to serve. Please bring your comments to any of the meetings above or contact Bud Lane at 541 -444-8230 or 800-922-1399, ext. 1230; or Cova St.Onge at 541 -444-1036. Hvm’-chi’ Apply Now for Tribal Scholarships Pow-Wow Committee Vacancies Applications are now available for the Arthur S. Bensell Memorial Scholarship, the Pepsi-Craig Whitehead Scholarship and the Siletz Scholarship. Deadline for applications for all three scholarships is June 12, 2009. Scholarship applications are available at the Tribe’s website — www.ctsi.nsn.us — and from the education specialists in each Siletz Tribal office: If interested in applying for the Pow-Wow Committee, please contact the Tribal Council executive secretary at 541-444-8203 or 800-922-1399, ext. 1203. Portland - Katy Kaady, 503-238-1512 or katyk@ctsi.nsn.us Salem — Sonya Moody-Jurado, 503-390-9494 or sonyam@ctsi.nsn.us Eugene — Nick Sixkiller, 541-484-4234 or nicks@ctsi.nsn.us Siletz (and out of state) - Alissa Lane, 541-444-8373 or 800-922-1399, ext. 1373; or alissal@ctsi.nsn.us All scholarships will be awarded at the Nesika Illahee Pow-Wow in August. Chairman, con’t from previous page Evidence from various Tribal mem bers included several e-mail complaints, letters and Tribal Council minutes where several members testified about Lisa’s racist remarks and actions. There was much discussion and ap propriate time given to review the evi dence at the initial hearing on March 19, 2009. With the agreement of the council and Lisa, a follow-up hearing date was set for March 28, 2009, to give Lisa ad ditional time and opportunity to prepare her defense and refute the charges. Since this process has only occurred once since Restoration during the Tribe’s 30-year history, the council was very care ful and meticulous in following proper procedures to give Lisa every opportunity to present her evidence to refute the charges. In defense of her actions, Lisa said she was unaware of her responsibilities and the laws and ordinances of the Tribe and fur ther, she had a right to freedom of speech and the expulsion violated her rights. She alleged that five council members were driven by the chairman’s political ambitions and family. She said she was “picked on from the moment she was elected." She also thought the punishment for her actions should be “punitive” and not expulsion. In defense of her actions, Lisa accused and blamed others, making accusations that were totally unjustified. Significantly, Lisa never once denied the underlying facts - namely, her written statements, her racist comments or the fact that she tried to hold meetings with casino supervisors and employees. Unfortunately, she also never apologized for her actions. When Lisa completed her presenta tion, council deliberations began. Each council member had the opportunity to discuss his or her individual views and interpretations of Lisa’s actions. In response to Lisa’s statement that the chairman abused her authority to hire/fire and take other actions that were truly outrageous, council members re sponded that the chairman does not have authority to hire/fire and in fact exercises only one vote out of nine. The duties of the chairman are identi fied in the Council Rules and Procedures, specifically to set agendas, chair meet ings, maintain order and speak on behalf of the Tribe when necessary. Regarding the issue of interfering in casino management, although Lisa was advised by the Tribal attorney and by me as Tribal chairman that such interference was inappropriate, she chose to ignore that advice. It was clearly stated that once elected, council members must follow the laws and processes as they exist. Lisa tried, however, to blame the chairman, the general man ager and others for her offensive remarks and actions and she never denied nor ac cepted responsibility for her actions. With regard to the supervision of the general managers, whether Tribal admin istration or casino operations, they are evaluated by the Tribal Council that meets with them on a monthly basis, where council members have every opportunity to address personnel issues according to established processes. They should not be addressed on an individual and per- sonal basis and certainly not in a private siletz.net website. The fact that this case involved a mem ber of the Tribal Council presented a most sensitive case to discuss and decide. As stated above, Lisa decided to appeal the council’s as well as STGC’s decisions according to Article VII of the Tribal Constitution. Appropriation Hearing in D.C. in Washington, D.C., where they normally languish for years. Charles Wilkinson Historical Book The Tribal Council has scheduled time to spend with Charles Wilkinson to discuss the last two chapters of the histori cal period on which he is writing. He has worked on the project for the past three years, during which time he and his staff completed many personal interviews with Tribal members. Charles has reviewed numerous historical documents and maps in order to give a true picture of the history of our Tribe. We are all looking forward to the completion of the book, which we antici pate will go to press on June 1, 2009. In order to once again visit with Oregon’s congressional delegation and Senate Indian Affairs Committee staff and attend congressional hearings specifically on essential appropriation and other issues of vital importance to the Siletz Tribe, Vice Chairman Bud Lane and I made a return trip to Washington, D.C., on March 24,2009.1 testified on behalf of the Tribe on the funding of Bureau of Indian Affairs and Indian Health Service programs. Although it was a fast trip, much was accomplished on the legislation that we started working on more than a year ago The Tribal Council held meetings in the last Congress. The Tribe is seeking with the Willamette and Siskiyou National authority to engage in 99-year leases for Forests to discuss/review our Memoran business purposes. Currently, Tribes can dums of Agreement. only convey leases for 25 years, which is Historically, we have worked well self-limiting for a number of reasons. with the national forests. They updated The other important issue is the pro us on how we can participate in their cess by which we have land taken into student summer jobs program under trust. We believe action is needed to have which exist many opportunities for sum land taken into trust in a shorter time pe mer employment. riod. We also are asking that the BIA be Those interested are encouraged to given authority to approve our fee-to-trust contact our Education Department for transactions in the Northwest Regional further information about the application office vs. being sent to the central office process. Willamette and Siskiyou National Forests May 2009 • Siletz News • 3
