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
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Siletz News
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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.