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
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Siletz News
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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
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