Chairman’s Report
Tribal Council has been busy with
many activities in the past month.
We still hope to get a hearing on our
reservation boundary legislation. Con
gress, as you all know, has been busy
dealing with major national issues that
affect us all.
The Chemawa legislation has
not yet been introduced. Eight of the
Oregon Tribes are supporting this as well
as the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest
Indians and the National Congress of
American Indians.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs has
indicated there are no environmental
issues, which was an earlier concern. Bud
Lane and Robert Kentta visited with our
congressional delegation, asking them to
go forward with the introduction of the
proposed legislation.
The good news - our cell tower is in
place in Siletz. You now will be able to get
AT&T cell coverage in the area.
I would like to personally thank our
Tribal veterans, organized by Tony Molina,
for excellent representation at Tribal events
and other events, like the Celebration of
Honor that recently took place at the casino
in Lincoln City. The weather doesn’t
always cooperate but we can count on our
veterans to be present whenever asked.
They truly are an honorable group.
Restoration Celebration
Our 34th Restoration Celebration will
take place Nov. 19 at Chinook Winds. Our
guest speaker this year will be Billy Frank
of Frank’s Landing in Washington state.
He was an early activist in the salmon
wars and continues as an activist today.
You definitely will enjoy listening to Billy
on Restoration Day.
According to the website billyfrankjr.
wordpress.com:
“Billy Frank Jr. of the Nisqually Indian
Tribe has been chairman of the Northwest
Indian Fisheries Commission (NWIFC)
for 22 years. In this capacity, he “speaks
for the salmon” on behalf of 20 treaty
Indian Tribes in Western Washington.
“Under his leadership, the Tribal role
over the past 30 years has evolved from
that of activists fighting the state to secure
fishing rights reserved in treaties with the
United States government to managers of
the resource. Supported by the NWIFC,
the Tribes are unsurpassed in their abili
ties as natural resource managers.
“In the 1960s and early ’70s, Frank
was a grassroots political activist who
was frequently jailed for his role in civil
disobedience, which involved taking part
in numerous ‘fish-ins’ in opposition to
state authority over the Tribes.
“Years of resistance finally paid off
when federal court ruled in favor of the
Tribes in U.S. v. Washington, the ‘Boldt
Decision’ of 1974. The ruling, supported
by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1979, reaf
firmed the treaty-protected fishing rights
of the Tribes. Among other things, the
ruling stated that the Tribes have a right to
catch up to 50 percent of the harvestable
resource and that the state and the Tribes
must manage the resource as co-managers.
“NWIFC was formed in 1975 to
support Tribal fisheries management
activities and to enable the Tribes to
speak with a united voice. In addition to
helping the Tribes develop cooperative
fisheries plans, the NWIFC board of com
missioners and the commission staff help
coordinate such programs as enhancement
and habitat management.
“This example of state/Tribal coop
eration has had its challenges, but it has
been fundamentally successful and has
inspired similar efforts in other parts of
the U.S. and the world. With Frank’s
leadership, the NWIFC and the Tribes it
serves are working to protect and restore
the salmon resource for Indians and non
Indians alike.
“Celebrated regionally, nationally
and internationally as an outstanding
Delores Pigsley
Native American leader, Frank has been the
recipient of numerous recognition awards,
including the 1991 Albert Schweitzer
Prize for Humanitarianism and 2004
Indian Country Today Inaugural Ameri
can Visionary Award.”
As Tribal elections are upon us, please
be sure you have your correct address on
file with the Enrollment Department and
that you are registered to vote.
Lha’ Cha’! (Once Again!), Tribe receives language preservation grant
By Cova St. Onge, Language Project
Coordinator
On Aug. 22, the Siletz Tribe was awarded
its second Administration for Native Amer
icans Language Preservation Grant for cur
riculum development and implementation.
Year one is packed with curriculum
implementation for Head Start through
sixth grade. Multiple lessons have been
developed for each grade with the inten
tion of integrating them into the daily
activities of the classrooms.
Each lesson is documented for align
ment with the benchmarks teachers are
required to adhere to, which makes inte
gration easier for them. All lessons are
accompanied by an activity the students
do using the language, which makes the
language lesson fun, interesting and func
tional for them.
The end of the school year will
include a Spring Performance showcas
ing the accomplishments of SVS students
with the Dee-Ni curriculum, bringing our
accomplishments to the community.
It is the goal of the language project
to develop more speakers through imple
mentation of curriculum in the school and
through the community language classes,
and complete curriculum development
during the non-academic school year
months. The language project will con
tinue to look for guidance from our Elders
to help the language project successfully
complete its goals.
At the conclusion of the three-year
grant, we will have curriculum for Head
Start through high school, language
speakers documented and an immense
pool of young emerging speakers.
Please visit our website at silez-
language.org for language materials
or contact me at 541-444-1036 or Bud
Lane at 541-444-8320 or 800-922-1399,
ext. 1320.
Nuu-wvn srxii-xe xuu-srxii-xe hii-
chu xuu-srxii-xe hii-chu xaa-ma
(For our children, their children and
their children)
Hvm’-chi’
Elders Council Meeting
Nov. 12 • 1-4 p.m.
Chinook Winds Casino Resort
For more details, contact Rachelle Endres at
800-922-1399, ext. 1261; 541-444-8261; or rachellee@ctsi.nsn.us
Nuu-wee-ya’ <our words»
Introduction to the Athabaskan language
Send letters to:
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.
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
Name:_____________________________
Address: ___________________________
Deadline for the December issue is
Nov. 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
2
*
Siletz News
•
Phone:_____________________________
Change of address: Tribal mem
bers - contact the Enrollment Depart
ment at 541-444-8258; 800-922-1399,
ext. 1258; or angelam@ctsi.nsn.us. All
others - call the newspaper office.
November 2011
Open to Tribal members of all ages
Eugene
Portland
Eugene Area Office
Nov. 7 - 6-8 p.m.
Dec. 5 - 6-8 p.m.
Portland Area Office
Nov. 14 - 6-8 p.m.
Dec. 12 - 6-8 p.m.
Siletz
Salem
Siletz Tribal Community Center
Nov. 8 - 6-8 p.m.
Dec. 6-6-8 p.m.
Salem Area Office
Nov. 15 - 6-8 p.m.
Dec. 13 - 6-8 p.m.
Classes begin with basic instruction and progress over the year. They also
are a refresher course for more-advanced students. Come and join other members
of your community and Tribe in learning to speak one of our ancient languages.
We also have equipment in the Cultural Department available for use in
grinding and drilling shell or pine nuts or other applications. If you need to use
the equipment, call the number below to set up an appointment.
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.