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About Siletz news / (Siletz, OR) 199?-current | View Entire Issue (April 1, 2014)
Chairman’s Report ICw Each month the Tribal Council receives a report on our Indian Child Welfare (ICW) Program and the status of each case. The report contains no names, only children’s ages, the status and reason for ICW involvement. There currently are 41 families covered in the program and 75 children receiving services. The reasons for removing children from their homes are many, but the top three reasons are substance abuse, neglect and lack of parenting skills/supervision. ICW works to get help for the parents so the children can be returned, but in many cases the parents are non-compliant with the program, which results in the children being placed in foster homes and sometimes leads to parents permanently losing custody. The program works very hard to keep the children in a safe home while all the details of placement are worked out. ICW also works to keep siblings placed together, although that isn’t always pos- sible. There is a great need for additional Tribal foster homes in our Tribe. I recently attended a fundraising event in Lincoln City sponsored by the Congre- gational Church and Catholic Community Services. The purpose of these two orga- nizations, which has been several years in the making, is to establish a Lincoln County Community Home for Children. The home will be on the property of the Congregational Church in Lincoln City. Several testimonials about this need came from several community folks who experienced living in foster homes during their lives. One young lady was moved through 40 homes as she was growing up and after several years finally was united in a home with her sisters. The event in Lincoln City was well- attended and guests were asked to make a pledge. There will be additional events such as this to successfully reach the goal of establishing this needed service. Com- munity support is very much needed. State Legislature Our state lobbyist, Michael Mason, gives the Tribe a monthly report on all activities that take place in the State Legislature. I will share his report on the Tribal mascot issue Compromise mascot bill passes House, signed by governor Both Senate and House members introduced bills for Tribe-school district agreements on mascots and Native imag- ery after the veto of Senate Bill 215 last year. Faced with the threat of another veto of a mascot-by-Tribal agreement bill and a letter from Chair Pigsley and other Tribal chairs calling out the governor for his failure to consult with Tribes on the issue, negotiations led to Senate Bill 1509. The compromise adopted by the Sen- ate Education Committee sends the issue back to the Board of Education to adopt rules for Tribe-school district agreements in consultation with Warm Springs and the other eight Oregon Tribes. Any mascot or imagery used by a school must be associ- ated with or significant to a Tribe. The rule must be adopted by Jan. 1, 2017, so that agreements may be finalized before the mascot ban rule takes effect that July. Consultation also opens the door for discussion of curriculum on Tribes today and throughout Oregon history. Sen. Jeff Kruse (R-Roseburg) car- ried the bill to unanimous passage by the Senate. The House Education Committee voted 7-2 to send the bill to the House floor, with nays from Reps. Chris Gorsek (D-Gresham) and Jeff Reardon (D-E. Portland). Vice-Chair Sherrie Sprenger (R-Albany) carried the bill to passage on the floor. The oddest moment of the debate was when Rep. Reardon opposed the bill because it only gave authority to school districts to enter into agreements with the “nine dominant Tribes of Oregon,” in his words. He felt the “other Tribes” he represents should not be left out. The bill passed on a 40-18 vote, with most liberals and one moderate Republi- can voting against. Coast legislators all voted aye. The governor signed SB 1509 on March 6, with a statement thanking Tribes for working on a compromise and urging citizens who are not members of Oregon Tribes to participate in the agreement process. The bill is now law and the long overdue consultation process can begin.” Delores Pigsley good news as it can now be passed by the full House of Representatives. We thank Congressman Kurt Schrader for introduc- ing the legislation and Congressman Peter DeFazio for moving it. We now look to the Sen. Ron Wyden to re-introduce the legislation in the Sen- ate, where it was previously introduced and had a hearing by the Senate Commit- tee on Indian Affairs. Fee to trust legislation HB 931 Siletz Tribe Fee to Trust legislation was reported out of the Natural Resource Committee and placed on the Union Calendar on Feb. 28, 2014. This is For more information about the Siletz Tribe, please visit ctsi.nsn.us. elders Council Meeting April12•1-4p.m. Chinook winds Golf Resort 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. Name: _______________________________________________________ Siletz elder potlucks are held monthly at 6 p.m. on the Monday before the regularly scheduled elders meeting. Please bring a potluck dish you would like to share. For more information, contact Dee Navarro at 800-922-1399, ext. 1261; 541-444-8261; or deen@ctsi.nsn.us. Address: _____________________________________________________ Phone: _______________________________________________________ Change of address: Tribal members – contact the Enrollment Depart- ment at 541-444-8258; 800-922-1399, ext. 1258; or covas@ctsi.nsn.us. All others – call the newspaper office. Deadline for the May issue is April 10. Send information to: Submission of articles and photos is encouraged. Siletz News Please see the Passages Policy on page 20 when sub- mitting items for Passages. P.O. Box 549 Siletz, OR 97380-0549 541-444-8291 or 800-922-1399, ext. 1291 Fax: 541-444-2307 email: pias@ctsi.nsn.us 2 • Siletz News • Member of the Native American Journalists Association April 2014 Nuu-wee-ya’ (our words) Introduction to the Athabaskan language Open to Tribal members of all ages eugene Eugene Area Office April 7 – 6-8 p.m. May 5 – 6-8 p.m. Portland Portland Area Office April 14 – 6-8 p.m. May 12 – 6-8 p.m. Siletz Siletz Tribal Community Center April 8 – 6-8 p.m. May 6 – 6-8 p.m. Salem Salem Area Office April 15 – 6-8 p.m. May 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 email budl@ctsi.nsn.us.
