Courtesy photo
Siletz Elder Chewescla
DePoe dances at the
Morongo, Calif.,
pow-wow.
Photos by Diane Rodriquez
Destiny Matthews and Gaven Patrick win the canoe race, coming in ahead of
Savanna Rilatos and Clarinda Black, during the Siletz Tribal Youth Conference held
at the B’nai B’rith Camp near Lincoln City, Ore., on Oct. 12-14. Other activities
included an Amazing Race-style challenge course and a round dance.
Bud Lane leads a Feather Dance
demonstration at the Youth Conference in
October, joined by Halli Lane-Skauge,
William Whitehead, Clarinda Black,
Frankie Rilatos II, Savanna Rilatos,
Treigh Parr, SuSun Fisher and Ebyn
Jackson. Other activities during the
conference included presentations by
Gerry RainingBird on Native True
Colors: Chiefs, Tricksters, Warriors
and Healers; Ken Miller on youth
trust accounts; Sharla Robinson on the
Healthy Traditions project; Dean Azule
on suicide prevention; members of the
Change Team on the LGBTQ/Two-Spirit
community; and a Youth Council/Tribal
Council session.
eagle, con’t from page 1
to striking the right balance in enforcing
our nation’s wildlife laws by respecting
the cultural and religious practices of
federally recognized Indian Tribes with
whom the United States shares a unique
government-to-government relationship.”
The department is issuing this policy
to address the concerns of Tribal mem-
bers who are unsure of how they may be
affected by federal wildlife law enforce-
ment efforts and because of a concern
that this uncertainty may hinder or inhibit
Tribal religious and cultural practices.
The department first announced it
was considering formalizing a policy on
eagle feathers in October 2011 and sought
Tribal input at that time. The department
held formal consultations with Tribal
leaders in June, July and August 2012.
“From time immemorial, many
Native Americans have viewed eagle
feathers and other bird parts as sacred
elements of their religious and cultural
traditions,” said Ignacia S. Moreno,
assistant attorney general of the Justice
Department’s Environment and Natural
Resources Division. “The Department of
Justice has taken a major step forward by
establishing a consistent and transparent
policy to guide federal enforcement of
the nation’s wildlife laws in a manner
that respects the cultural and religious
practices of federally recognized Indian
Tribes and their members.”
“The Justice Department’s policy
balances the needs of the federally recog-
nized Tribes and their members to be able
to obtain, possess and use eagle feathers
for their religious and cultural practices
with the need to protect and preserve these
magnificent birds,” said Donald E. “Del”
Laverdure, principal deputy assistant
secretary for Indian Affairs.“Its reasoned
approach reflects a greater understand-
ing and respect for cultural beliefs and
spiritual practices of Indian people while
also providing much-needed clarity for
those responsible for enforcing federal
migratory bird protection laws.”
“This policy helps to clarify how fed-
eral law enforcement goes about protecting
these special birds and also should reas-
sure federally recognized Tribal members
that they do not have to fear prosecution
for possessing or using eagle feathers for
their religious and cultural purposes,” said
Brendan V. Johnson, U.S. attorney for the
District of South Dakota and chairman of
the Native American Issues Subcommittee of
the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee.
“Eagles and other native migra-
tory bird species are a vital part of our
nation’s natural heritage and we remain
dedicated to providing every American
with the opportunity to experience them
in the wild,” said Dan Ashe, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service director. “This new policy
honors the past while looking to the future,
contributing to the preservation of these
species and ensuring that Tribal members
can continue their religious and cultural
practices for generations to come.”
The policy provides that, consistent
with the Department of Justice’s tradi-
tional exercise of its discretion, a member
of a federally recognized Tribe engaged
only in the following types of conduct will
not be subject to prosecution:
•
•
•
•
Possessing, using, wearing or car-
rying federally protected birds, bird
feathers or other bird parts (federally
protected bird parts)
Traveling domestically with federally
protected bird parts or, if Tribal mem-
bers obtain and comply with neces-
sary permits, traveling internationally
with such items
Picking up naturally molted or fallen
feathers found in the wild, without
molesting or disturbing federally
protected birds or their nests
Giving or loaning federally protected
bird parts to other members of fed-
erally recognized Tribes, without
compensation of any kind
•
•
Exchanging federally protected bird
parts for federally protected bird
parts with other members of federally
recognized Tribes, without compen-
sation of any kind
Providing the feathers or other parts
of federally protected birds to crafts-
persons who are members of federally
recognized Tribes to be fashioned
into objects for eventual use in Tribal
religious or cultural activities
The Department of Justice will con-
tinue to prosecute Tribal members and non-
members alike for violating federal laws
that prohibit the killing of eagles and other
migratory birds or the buying or selling of
the feathers or other parts of such birds.
The policy expands upon longstand-
ing Department of Justice practice and
Department of the Interior policy. It
was developed in close coordination
with the Department of the Interior. The
Department of Justice’s Environment
and Natural Resources Division and U.S.
Attorneys’ Offices work closely with the
Department of the Interior’s U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service and Bureau of Indian
Affairs on enforcement of federal laws
protecting birds.
To view the policy and a fact sheet on
the policy, visit justice.gov/tribal.
November 2012
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SiletzNews
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