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About Siletz news / (Siletz, OR) 199?-current | View Entire Issue (July 1, 2011)
Strickler joins the Youth Volunteer Program at Oregon Coast Aquarium Courtesy photo Victoria Strickler From Kevin and Ann Strickler Congratulations, Victoria! We would like to congratulate Vic toria Strickler on being accepted into the Youth Volunteer Program at the Oregon Coast Aquarium and for just being an all- around super kid. She had to complete a youth vol unteer application and also select two non-family members to send in letters of recommendation on her behalf to the youth coordinator at the aquarium. From there, youth are selected for an interview as part of the program selections process. About a week after her interview, we were notified she had been selected. She is moving through the six-week mandatory training program she must complete prior to volunteering this summer. Victoria’s dedication in school and the values she carries with her are beyond her years. She is in the top 10 percent of her eighth-grade class and already has been recommended by her writing and reading teachers to be in honors writing and reading classes next year as a fresh man. A student can only be in honors classes via a teacher recommendation. She already has completed two years of algebra and will be in geometry next year as well. Victoria is very active in her school athletic program as well, partici pating in a sport each season throughout the school year. We as parents are so proud of her and could not have ever asked for anything else but her. The joy she brings to our family is incredible. I hope you all look for her this summer when you visit the Oregon Coast Aquarium. Help at Cut Wood for the Elders Day Election Board Application The Tribal Natural Resources Committee and Natural Resources Department will sponsor a Cut Wood for the Elders Day on July 30. The woodcut location hasn’t yet been determined but will be posted at the Tribal offices and on the Tribe’s website the week before the woodcut. 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. Deadline for consideration to be appointed to the Lunch, drinks and snacks will be provided. We will meet at the Tribal administration building in Siletz at 8 a.m. and caravan to the cutting site. For anyone wishing to come later, directions to the cutting site will be posted on the front door of the building. The goal of this event is to deliver firewood to as many Elders as possible. The Elders Program maintains a list of Elders who bum wood for their winter heat. Elders in need of firewood should contact the Elders Program clerk at 800-922-1399, ext. 1261, or 541-444-8261 to get their name on the delivery list. People willing to haul firewood to Elders outside of the Siletz area should contact the Elders Program clerk to be paired up with an Elder in need. We espe cially need folks who can haul wood to the Eugene, Salem and Portland areas. If you have parents or grandparents who bum wood in the winter to stay warm, you need to help out at this event! Come help replenish those wood piles after a long, wet winter and spring. Election Board is 4:30 p.m. on Aug. 17,2011 Tribal members interested in serving on the Election Board must fill out the following form and return it to the address below prior to the end of business on August 17, 2011. All applications are to be mailed to Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, Attn: Executive Secretary to Tribal Council, P.O. Box 549, Siletz, OR 97380- 0549; or submitted by fax to 541-444-8325. Name:___________________________ ________ Roll No:________________ Address:___________ City:_____________________ State:_________________ ZIP:___________ Telephone: Day ( )__________________ Evening ( )_________________ Marks, con’t from page 1 Case also reminded Garcia that “Siletz is not my only Native blood, that my grandfather Clifford Case comes from the Yakama Nation as well.” Those words made her think - really think - about the final decision. Garcia sought acceptance from her husband, children and grandmother in her decision-making process because “it was important to me that I had their love and support.” Garcia first decided to wear the marks in henna, a temporary tattoo, for three months to get a feel for what it would be like to permanently carry the marks. The last deciding factor was the man who did the actual tattoo, Nathan Gray, owner of Nate’s Tattoo in Toledo, Ore. “Nate had told me he’s never tattooed a face before it was one of his personal rules not to,” said Garcia. Soon after, Nate told her he’d been praying about it and he “would be honored to tattoo our traditional marks on her.” With that, Garcia ended up in his shop for the next three hours. “I want to represent my culture and Tribe every day and what better way to do 6 * Siletz News • this than by bringing back ancient tradi tions of our women,” she said. Garcia hopes “more women will get the courage to get their marks and some day soon this will once again be a natural part of Siletz women’s appearance. “To me it is more than just a tattoo, it’s who I am, where I come from, it’s my mark of beauty, pride of my culture and letting people know that I am in the spot in my life where I am ready and I will work every day to live a healthy, traditional life that other mothers, wives, daughters and granddaughters in my Tribe can look up to and respect. These marks represent my family and who we are. One day my daughter will carry the same marks that I do.” Tasha Mason comes from the Rilatos and Ben families. She is the daughter of Rollie Rilatos and Correnna Armstrong, granddaughter of Maxine and Robert Rilatos, great-granddaughter of Victoria and Archie Ben and Pearl and Tuton Rila tos. She is married to Justin Mason and has two children, Sahaylee and Connor, as well as one on the way. July 2011 To Mason, her marks mean to live a culturally, spiritually and healthy lifestyle. Since age 4, she has been involved in feather dance and pow-wows. When she first considered getting the marks, she wanted to wait until she was about age 40. “Then watching my friend do it, it gave me the courage to take a stand and say this is who we are,” said Mason. She prayed long and hard for the right choice and says, “I love it and have no regrets!” When asked by others what the marks are, she simply tells them it signifies womanhood. Mason strongly encourages others in the community who are debating about whether or not to carry the marks. “The feeling when you’re getting tat tooed is unbelievable and breathtaking,” she said. Kentta says that when thoughtfully and purposefully done, “I think the marks are beautiful and I have respect for the decision to do it... I’m so proud of those who have, for doing it and that you have done it for the right reasons.” General Council Meeting Aug. 6,2011 *1 p.m. Siletz Tribal Community Center Siletz, Oregon Call to Order Invocation Flag Salute Roll Call Approval of Agenda Approval of Minutes Programs: Housing Cultural Department - Pow-Wow Tribal Members’ Concerns Chairman’s Report Announcements Adjourn * ______
