Portland Area Office staff honors Bluehorse-Skelton and her PSU students
Judy Bluehorse-Skelton, senior
instructor of the Indigenous Nations Stud-
ies program at Portland State University,
and her students came to the Portland
Area Office (PAO) in July.
Bluehorse-Skelton demonstrated how
to extract essential oils from the branches
of Western Red Cedar and other plants,
which has been used medicinally for
thousands of years by Tribes of the Pacific
Northwest Coast.
Western Red Cedar also was used
for constructing homes and ceremonial
objects. The roots, leaves and bark were
used for baskets, ropes and clothing.
Today, Western Red Cedar essential
oil is known to be nourishing to the skin
and hair, and contains a high percentage
of ketones, which stimulate cell regenera-
tion; are helpful with such conditions as
dry asthma, colds, flu and dry cough; and
are largely found in oils used for the upper
respiratory system.
While we waited for the extraction
process to complete, PAO Supervisor
Sherry Addis shared a brief history of the
Tribe, our Healthy Traditions program and
the work we do today to improve the health
and economic welfare of Tribal members
and their families.
Addis and Verdene McGuire, Con-
tract Health advocate, then presented
Bluehorse-Skelton with a copy of the
Siletz history book The People Are Danc-
ing Again as a token of appreciation, and
presented handmade necklaces to her and
all of her students for all that she and these
students have accomplished through the
years (i.e. the Portland Area Office-Lori
Johnson Memorial Learning Garden) as
community partners with the Siletz Tribe
and Healthy Traditions.
Maori Weavers to
Visit Siletz
On Sept. 27, a group of Maori
weavers from New Zealand
will visit Siletz.
There will be sharing of Siletz
and Maori culture at the
Tribal Community Center on
Government Hill
The event will run from
11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Tribal members and your
families – Come be a part of
this event and learn about
Maori culture.
For more information, contact Bud
Lane in the Tribal Culture Department
at 541-444-8320 or 800-922-1399,
ext. 1320; or budl@ctsi.nsn.us.
Time to go
gather basket
materials
Spring is here and very soon hazel
sticks will be ready to pick and peel.
Hazel stick gathering is a must for
anyone interested in making traditional
Siletz baskets. Spruce root can be dug all
year round and is used for the weavers or
weft of Siletz baskets.
Bear grass and maidenhair fern are
used for overlay to make our traditional
designs or marks in our baskets and both
are picked in late summer.
Any Tribal members interested in
gathering can contact Bud Lane at 800-
922-1399, ext. 1320, or 541-444-8320; or
budl@ctsi.nsn.us.
Just a reminder – basket materials
must be gathered in a timely fashion. Here
is a general breakdown of gathering times
for different materials:
September
Bear grass, maidenhair fern, woodwardia
fern, spruce roots
Accounting
technician
position open
at STBC
The Siletz Tribal Busi-
ness Corporation is seeking
an accounting technician
for its Lincoln City office.
Please visit stbcorp.net
or call 541-994-2142 for
more information.
Timberland Access
In accordance with the Siletz
Tribal Timberlands Access Policy,
access to Tribal timberlands that
are located behind closed gates is
by permit only. This pertains to the
Tribe’s Bulls Bag, Reed Creek, Arnold
Creek and Tahkenitch properties.
Tribal members can obtain a
free permit at the Tribe’s Natural
Resources Department office in
Siletz. The permit includes a map of
the property and a listing of the rules
governing use of the property.
Tribal members also will receive
a key to the lock on the gate after
providing a $20 refundable key
deposit. The deposit will be returned
to the Tribal member upon return
of the key to the Natural Resources
Department.
A link to the full text of the Siletz
Tribal Timberlands Access Policy
can be found on the Tribe’s website
(ctsi.nsn.us) under the Natural
Resources section.
Questions regarding the policy
should be directed to Natural
Resources Manager Mike Kennedy
at 541-444-8232 or 800-922-1399,
ext. 1232.
Courtesy photo by Andrew Johanson
Sherry Addis (right) and Verdene McGuire (left) present Judy Bluehorse-Skelton
with the Siletz Tribal history book.
USDA distribution dates for September
Siletz
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Monday
Tuesday
Salem
Sept. 1
Sept. 2
Sept. 3
Sept. 4
Sept. 7
Sept. 8
9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Holiday
9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Sept. 21 1:30 – 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 22 9 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 23 9 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 24
9 – 11 a.m.
These are so good and easy to make on a warm summer/fall evening.
Black Bean & Corn Quesadillas
2 teaspoons olive oil
3 tablespoon finely chopped onion*
1 can (15.5 ounces) black beans (drained
and rinsed)*
1 can (10 ounces) whole kernel corn,
drained*
1 tablespoon brown sugar
¼ cup salsa
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoon butter, divided*
8 tortillas
1½ cups shredded cheese, divided*
1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over
medium heat. Stir in onion and cook
until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in
beans and corn, then add sugar, salsa
and pepper flakes; mix well. Cook
until heated through, about 3 minutes.
2. Melt 2 teaspoons of the butter in a
large skillet over medium heat. Place
a tortilla in the skillet, sprinkle evenly
with cheese, then top with some of
the bean mixture. Place another tor-
tilla on top, cook until golden then
flip and cook on the other side. Melt
more butter as needed and repeat with
remaining tortillas and filling.
*Indicates food available in our food box
Joyce Retherford
FDP Director
541-444-8393
Lisa Paul
FDP Clerk/Warehouseman
541-444-8279
Corrections
In the August issue of Siletz News, both Leslie Simmons and Chase Loveall
were misidentified. Siletz News regrets the errors.
September 2015 •
Siletz News •
3