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About Siletz news / (Siletz, OR) 199?-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 2010)
By the time this issue of Siletz News is published, distributed and in your hands, the Tribal election either will be imminent or will be over and three candi dates will have been elected to the Tribal Council. Details will be published in the March issue of Siletz News. The Siletz Tribal Candidate’s Fair held this year at Chinook Winds on Jan. 9 had a record attendance. Each can didate was given the opportunity to make an opening and closing statement as well as to answer questions. As you know, it’s very important for every eligible Tribal member to exercise his or her right and responsibility to vote in Tribal elections. Unlike some Tribes which elect all council members at the same time, we elect one-third of our council each year. Membership on committees is an op portunity for Tribal members to learn about, discuss and make recommendations to the Tribal Council. Some committees meet monthly and others quarterly. It’s an im portant way for Tribal members to express their views and interact with government. As we move into the new year, the council looks forward to working on criti cal Tribal issues. Our council made our views known on various bills, including one on which we were actively involved that enables our Tribe to enter into 99-year leases for business purposes. Delores Pigsley Chairman’s Report * , Health Care Reform The Tribal Council also was involved with the Northwest Portland Indian Health Board (NPAIB) and with other Tribes to achieve better health care through enact ment of the Indian Health Care Improve ment Act (1HCI A). Along with other Tribes, we were successful in getting 1HCIA included in the current national health reform bill passed by the U.S. House. Most Often Requested Numbers Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians Siletz Community Health Clinic 800-922-1399 800-648-0449 Salem Area Office Siletz Alcohol and Drug 503-390-9494 800-600-5599 As the legislative process moves forward and the bill finally is negotiated between the House and Senate, it will be a challenge to keep intact the health provi sions that affect Tribes. The dedicated hard work by the Northwest Tribes and NPA1HB contributed significantly to the progress made thus far throughout this process. Our Siletz Council representatives also strongly lobbied for a change in the process by which land is taken into trust. We brought this issue to our congressional representatives as well as to the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Specifically, our request was to have our trust applications processed in the Northwest Regional office of the BIA instead of by the BIA central office, where they have languished, sometimes for years, with no action taken. As a result of our efforts, we have been advised that the process will change. At a recent hearing held in the Senate Indian Affairs Committee on this very issue, although I was unable to testify because of a serious illness in my family, we did provide written testimony. It was important to bring this issue forward as it affects all of our trust applications. Chemawa Indian School In regard to Chemawa Indian School, Oregon Tribes have asked the BIA to take the Chemawa property into trust status to protect it from future encroachment by roads and other development by non- BIA/Tribal entities. The request has been pending for a few years. Recently, the Oregon Department of Transportation moved forward with a plan that may include the development of some part of the Chemawa property. The Siletz Tribe passed a resolution asking that the campus be developed to serve all Tribes as a vocational school and community college. The resolution was sup ported and approved by the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians as well as by the National Congress of American Indians. The issue will now go forward so all Tribes can participate and assist in the future development of the school. On a personal note, Chemawa has been an important part of my life as it has been for others, including Tribal people throughout the country. We have a vital vested Tribal and cultural as well as personal interest in what happens to the Chemawa property. As 2010 moves forward, the Tribe will continue to face a multitude of critical is sues while, at the same time, feel the impact of major state and national political, eco nomic and other events and challenges. As we have throughout our long and dif ficult Tribal history, our tribe will continue to deal with whatever challenges come our way with resilience and determination. Indigenous, con’t from page 1 • Indigenous peoples experience disproportionately high levels of maternal and infant mortality, malnutrition, cardiovascular illnesses, HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis. Suicide rates of indigenous peoples, particularly among youth, are considerably higher in many countries, for example, up to 11 times the national average for the Inuit in Canada. Salem Finance Office Chinook Winds Casino Resort 888-870-9051 888-244-6665 Portland Area Office Chemawa Health Clinic 503-238-1512 800-452-7823 Eugene Area Office Bureau of Indian Affairs 541-484-4234 800-323-8517 Contract Health Services (CHS) One of the most significant threats facing indigenous peoples identified in the publication is the displacement of indigenous peoples from their lands, territories and resources. The publication details several examples of displacement, separation and eviction, including in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Hawaii, Rwanda, Burundi. Uganda, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Colombia. Website 800-628-5720 Displacement, Dispossession Destroying Indigenous Communities www.ctsi.nsn.us "When indigenous peoples have reacted and tried to assert their rights, they have suf fered physical abuse, imprisonment, torture and even death,” states the publication. For more information, visit www.un.org/indigenous. Nuu-wee-ya’ «swords) Send letters to: Introduction to the Athabaskan Language Open to Tribal members of all ages Siletz Salem Siletz Tribal Community Center Feb. 2-6 p.m. to 8 p.m. larch 9-6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Salem Area Office Feb. 9-6 p.m. to 8 p.m. March 16-6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Portland Eugene Portland Area Office Feb. 8-6 p.m. to 8 p.m. March 15-6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Eugene Area Office Feb. 1 - 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. March 8-6 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. I or more information, contact Bud Lane at the Siletz Cultural Department at 541-444-8320 or 800-922-1399, ext. 1320; ore-mail budl@ctsi.nsn.us. 2 Siletz News • February 2010 Siletz News P.O. Box 549 Siletz, OR 97380-0549 541-444-8291 or 800-922-1399, ext. 1291 Fax: 541-444-2307 E-mail: pias@ctsi.nsn.us Siletz News is free to enrolled Siletz Tribal members. For all others, a $12 annual subscription fee applies. Please make checks payable to CTSI and mail to Siletz News. Name: Address: Deadline for the March issue is Feb. 10. Submission of articles and photos is encouraged. Please see the Passages Policy on page 20 when submitting items for Passages. Member of the Native American Journalists Association Phone: Change of address: Tribal mem bers - call the Enrollment Department at 541-444-8258 or 800-922-1399, ext. 1258; all others — call the newspa per office.
