Siletz news /, May 01, 2012, Image 1

SILETZ NEWS
Siletz News
Confederated Tribes of
Siletz Indians
P.O. Box 549
Siletz, OR 97380-0549
Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians
Delores Pigsley,
Tribal Chairman
Brenda Bremner,
General Manager
and Editor-in-Chief
Vol. 40, No. 5
May 2012
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KNIGHT LIBRARY
SERIA l S DEPARTMENT
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EUGENE OR 974C3-12Î
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No. 178
Salem, OR
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Photos by Natasha Kavanaugh
Youth activities abound in April as Sahaylee Mason (top left) gets ready for the Easter egg hunt at the Tribal Community Center in Siletz on April 7 as Maya Harrison
(right) doesn't seem to be sure of just what she’s supposed to do at the Easter egg hunt. At the Elder Honor Day at Chinook Winds Casino Resort on April 3, the Sree-Xvsh
Singers (above), including Kateri Whitehead, Jocelyn Hernandez, Jazmyn Metcalf, Allivea Hernandez, Clarinda Black, Shee-ne DePoe-Aspria and Tehya Woodruff, follow
Cova St. Onge’s lead in entertaining Elders from throughout the Pacific Northwest who attended the event.
Salazar, Holder announce
settlement of trust accounting and
management lawsuits filed by Tribes
$1 billion will go to
more than 40 Tribes,
including Siletz
WASHINGTON - Secretary of the
Interior Ken Salazar and Attorney Gen­
eral Eric Holder announced in April the
settlement of lawsuits filed by 41 feder­
ally recognized Tribes against the United
States, in which the Tribes alleged that the
Department of the Interior and the Depart­
ment of the Treasury had mismanaged
monetary assets and natural resources
held in trust by the U.S. for the benefit
of the Tribes.
The Confederated Tribes of Siletz
Indians has been involved in this lawsuit,
as have several Tribes in Washington state.
The announcement followed 22
months of negotiation between the Tribes
and the U.S. that has culminated in settle­
ments between the government and Tribes
totaling approximately $1,023 billion.
These settlements resolve claims
dating back more than 100 years. End­
ing these long-running disputes about
the United States’ management of trust
funds and non-monetary trust resources
should help the U.S. and the Tribes move
beyond the distrust exacerbated by years
of litigation.
“These settlements fairly and honor­
ably resolve historical grievances over
the accounting and management of
Tribal trust funds, trust lands and other
See Settlement on page 5.
Siletz Response
Nez Perce v. Salazar Settlement
On April 12, 2012, the United
States announced the settlement of 41
Tribal trust claims against the United
States in a case entitled Nez Perce v.
Salazar in the United States District
Court for the District of Columbia, for
a total settlement amount of $1,023
billion. The Confederated Tribes of
Siletz Indians of Oregon was one of
the Tribes which were parties to this
settlement agreement, agreeing to a
settlement amount of $9.14 million.
The United States admitted no liability
in the settlement. Payment of the settle­
ment amount will be made to the Tribe
within the next 30 days.
The Nez Perce v. Salazar litigation
involved Tribal trust claims against
the United States for mismanagement
of Tribal land resources and Tribal
financial assets. Settlement amounts for
each Tribe varied between $25,000 and
$193 million, with the large land-based
Tribes receiving the largest settlements.
For the Siletz Tribe, the settlement
figure was based mostly on alleged
mismanagement of the Tribe’s land
and timber resources since the Tribe’s
restoration in 1977, and alleged failure
to obtain the maximum return on Tribal
financial assets held in trust, such as
timber revenues and claims judgments.
The Siletz Tribal Council is extremely
pleased with the amount offered by the
United States in settlement of its claim.
The Native American Rights Fund
represented the Siletz Tribe and most
of the other Tribes in this litigation.
See Response on page 5.