Firefighters from Siletz and Toledo (left) help conduct a training session on fire
investigation on Sept. 23 at a Tribally owned house in Siletz (left) that was ready to be
tom down. Fires were started in several areas of the house with different materials
so the investigators-to-be could learn to “read” a fire to determine its origin. Other
participants included firefighters from Depoe Bay, Newport and as far away as Coos
Bay and Eugene, the Oregon State Police, the state fire marshal's office and the
Department of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Will Ewing, Toledo fire chief and
incident commander, thanked the Tribe for partnering with the fire departments on this
activity. “Anytime we get these opportunities, it benefits all our firefighters," he said.
Photo above by Diane Rodriquez
Photo right by Natasha Kavanaugh
Firefighters from Siletz and Toledo
work to complete a “practice bum”
(right) on Oct. 22 at the same house
in Silez. Siletz Fire Chief Dave Lapof
(left in photo) helped the firefighting
crew go through the preparations for
the bum, the bum itself and then the
mop-up activities that take place after
a fire. Members of the community
were able to watch the firefighters in
action as the house burned.
Tribal leaders call for increased focus on pressing issues in Indian Country
Hundreds stand together
on Capitol Hill to protect
Tribal lands, the budget
and Native women
WASHINGTON - American Indian,
Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian lead
ers stood in front of the U.S. Capitol on
Oct. 10 and called for immediate action
on the most pressing issues facing Native
nations and people.
In launching Tribal Unity Impact
Week, the leaders called on Congress to
acknowledge and recommit themselves to
protect Tribal land, the safety of Native
women and the federal trust responsibility
to invest in and support Indian Country.
In a media event held in front of the
U.S. Capitol, NCAI President Jefferson
Keel was joined by Sen. Daniel Akaka
(HI), chair of the Senate Committee on
Indian Affairs, as well as elected officials
from Tribal nations and leaders of Indian
organizations.
“We are here on Capitol Hill with a
loud and clear message for all members
of Congress to hear. The federal trust
responsibility must be respected and, as
Tribal leaders, we will continue to protect
what is most important to us: our land, our
families and our economic vitality,” said
Keel in a statement following the event.
“We have asked members of Congress to
do more than listen; we call on them to
stand with us on these issues. Together we
will be stronger.”
In a letter to Congress, participants
of Tribal Unity Impact Week called on
Congress to acknowledge and recommit
themselves to the most pressing issues
facing Indian Country.
“Tribes and Tribal entities have
patiently participated in the political pro
Courtesy photo by the National Congress of American Indians
Sen. Daniel Akaka, chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, stands with Tribal leaders on Oct. 10 as part of Tribal
Unity Impact Week on Capitol Hill. Representatives from leading Tribal organizations and Tribes across Indian Country,
including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian leaders, called on Congress to take immediate action on the most pressing issues
facing Native nations.
cess, but recognizing the urgency of these
pressing issues, we are now increasing our
call for congressional action,” reads a let
ter signed by 12 leaders from the nation’s
leading Tribal and Native organizations.
“We call on U.S. Congress members to
stand with us today so we might stand
together stronger in the future.”
As the nation’s oldest, largest and
most representative American Indian
and Alaska Native organization, NCAI
brought together leading inter-Tribal
organizations to organize the event.
Leaders who attended the week of
meetings represented the unified voice of
hundreds of Tribal nations and indigenous
communities from around the United
States, including Alaska and Hawaii.
In addition to NCAI, the following
inter-Tribal organizations partnered to
organize Tribal Unity Impact Week:
Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians,
Alaska Federation of Natives, All Indian
Pueblo Council, California Association
of Tribal Governments, Council for
Native Hawaiian Advancement, Great
Plains Tribal Chairman’s Association,
Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona, Navajo
Nation, United South and Eastern Tribes,
and United Tribes of North Dakota.
November 2011
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Siletz News
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