You’re going to have to change your
nickname to Big Jared 30 now that you’re
having a birthday!
Love you – Mom, Dad, Justin, Jalen
and Jessica
I just want to say Happy Holidays
to my family. Thank you so much to my
mom, Liz Barrabas, for being my rock
and a great mom and oma. I don’t know
what I’d do without you – me and Louis
(Bub) love you very much. Thank you to
my sisters, Amanda and Giesela Barrabas,
for being here for us. Thank you to my
niece, Olivia, for being a great cousin.
Thank you to my dad, Clemens Barrabas,
for being a great dad and opa. I miss you
Fawn Metcalf, Trish Bowers, Eugene
Johnson, Roxanna Morsman, Ferrol Wal-
ton, Samantha, Mathew and Clint. Louis
Bubbi and I love you all and we hope our
entire family has a great New Year.
Love always, Triston Louis-Kodiak
Barrabas and Jennell Meadow
Passages Policy
Submissions to Passages are
limited to two 25-word items per
person, plus one photo if desired.
All birthday, anniversary and holiday
wishes will appear in the Passages
section.
Siletz News reserves the right
to edit any submission for clarity
and length. Not all submissions are
guaranteed publication upon submis-
sion. Please type or write legibly and
submit via e-mail when possible.
NCAIhailsGooglechangestobetteracknowledge
TribalnationsonGoogleMaps,makesearcheseasier
Wanting to wish Bear a Happy Birth-
day on Jan. 1. We love and miss you so
much, and are counting down the days
until you come home.
Love always, Kassi and the cubs
WASHINGTON – On Dec. 19, the
National Congress of American Indians
(NCAI) announced the results of joint
efforts with Google to ensure better
visibility for Indian reservations in the
United States on Google Maps.
Over the past year, Google launched
several improvements for the way reser-
vations appear on Google Maps, includ-
ing labeling reservations, highlighting
reservation borders in search results and
ensuring that their reservation dataset is
as comprehensive as possible.
The most recent update was rolled
out in November to coincide with Native
American Heritage Month.
In welcoming the development,
NCAI President Brian Cladoosby released
the following statement:
In 2012, NCAI and the Google
American Indian Network co-hosted a
summit at the Googleplex in Mountain
View, Calif. At the summit, Tribal leaders
underscored the role of Tribal nations as
first American governments, explained
the significance of land to Native people
and urged Google to consider closer part-
nerships with Native people as the first
American innovators.
“NCAI congratulates Google on this
important innovation to acknowledge the
place of Tribal nations in the American
family of governments. America’s 566
federally recognized Tribes are acknowl-
edged alongside foreign nations and state
governments in the U.S. Constitution and
they have jurisdiction over a land base of
over 100 million acres. This land base is
larger than all but three American states.
As a result of those discussions,
Google Maps now makes it easier than
ever to search for federally recognized
Tribal reservations.
“Thanks to the partnership between
NCAI and the GAIN and GEO teams,
the lands of America’s first governments
are now clearly highlighted on Google
Maps. We look forward to our ongoing
partnership to improve the representation
of Tribal lands on Google Maps.
The project was led by the Google
American Indian Network (GAIN) and
the Google Earth Outreach (GEO) team
in close collaboration with NCAI and the
Tribal Technology Taskforce.
“This is a great step forward to
acknowledge the place of Tribes in the
past, present and future of the United
States, but it is not the last. NCAI will
continue to build partnerships with tech
companies like Google to ensure the first
American innovators remain on the front
lines of 21 st century innovation.“
Including reservations on Google
Maps is an important part of creating a
comprehensive map of the United States
and the world. Google and NCAI worked
together to accurately represent reserva-
tion labels, borders and additional details
in a way that was respectful of indigenous
communities.
Be a Foster Parent–Help a Child in Need
“When the Children Grow Old…
We Want Them to Know We Fought for Them”
~
There are many ways to fight to protect our children.
One of those ways is by being a foster parent.
The Siletz Tribal Indian Child Welfare Department
is accepting and recruiting foster homes
on behalf of our Tribal children.
~
If we see a child in need,
We meet the needs of that child.
It is the way of our people.
~
For more information and an application, call:
Leah Suitter, Case Manager lll
Foster Parent Certifier, CTSI-ICW
800.922.1399, ext #1275, or 541.444.8275
20
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Siletz News
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January 2015