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About Siletz news / (Siletz, OR) 199?-current | View Entire Issue (May 1, 2016)
Chairman’s Report Charles Wilkinson symposium Recognizing Charles Wilkinson’s contributions to our Tribe and Indian Country in general was most rewarding. I was asked to participate on a panel at the University of Colorado Law School to talk about his work with Siletz in the early restoration days as well as his in-depth knowledge and writing of The People Are Dancing Again. Participants included a wide variety of folks throughout the U.S. and Indian Country who have worked with Charles, students he mentored and public officials. Charles was working on Siletz res- toration back in 1975 when I was first elected to the Tribal Council. He was a professor at the University of Oregon and had developed an early relationship with our Tribe after working on the successful legislation to restore the Menominee Tribe to federal recognition. He spearheaded the legislation and in working with the Native American Rights Fund, was successful in helping to get restoration legislation introduced and a hearing scheduled on the Tribe’s behalf. Once the Siletz Restoration Act was passed by Congress, Charles resumed his teaching career. Although Charles’ career took him to Colorado, he always stayed in touch with our Tribe. He attended Tribal events such as our pow-wows and participated in Run to the Rogue. He was very thoughtful in sending letters and notes acknowledging events and the passing of Tribal members. When the council wanted our history to be documented, Charles was the likely person to ask. I had the privilege of invit- ing him to lunch and posing the question of a documentary or a book. He was very excited about the pros- pect and had a year to undertake the task. He was so inspired by the history that the book took much longer to complete because he felt the whole story needed to be told. Charles sent his research students to Siletz to begin interviewing Tribal mem- bers and search out historical records. He also made several visits. The reward for the Tribe was our book, The People Are Dancing Again. Ramah Settlement Many of you may know that the courts have settled a long-standing issue that Tribes have raised for years. When the Tribe contracts for pro- grams and services from the federal government, administrative support dol- lars should accompany most programs. Over the years, Tribes have been allowed to contract but have been shorted on the contract support costs (CSC). Northwest Tribes have been allocated $204 million in the settlement; Siletz has been allocated $3.5 million from the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and approximately $800,000 from the Indian Health Service (IHS). Delores Pigsley The IHS funds recently were received, but the BIA funds have not yet been paid and it is unknown at this time when to expect the payment to be made to the Tribe. The Tribal Council will have a dis- cussion and a decision to be made in the very near future on the disposition of these funds. It was an honor and privilege to be one of the many participants to speak about the contributions Charles has made to Indian Country. We are grateful for his friendship and devotion to our Tribe. Elders Council Meeting May 21 • 1-4 p.m. • Chinook Winds Casino Resort 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 the Elders Program at 800-922-1399, ext. 1261, or 541-444-8261. Hazel Sticks (k’vn) 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: _______________________________________________________ Tribal members interested in gathering hazel sticks for making Siletz bas- kets should send their contact info to budl@ctsi.nsn.us or call 541-444-8320 or 800-922-1399, ext. 1320. Hazel bark will begin slipping sometime in April or May. Because of the changing weather, we will notify people who send their contact info in when the time is right to pick and peel hazel. 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 June issue is May 10. Send information to: Submission of articles and photos is encouraged. Siletz News P.O. Box 549 Siletz, OR 97380-0549 Please see the Passages Policy on page 20 when sub- mitting items for Passages. 541-444-8291 or 800-922-1399, ext. 1291 Fax: 541-444-2307 Email: pias@ctsi.nsn.us 2 • Siletz News • May 2016 Member of the Native American Journalists Association Nuu-wee-ya’ (our words) Introduction to the Athabaskan language Open to Tribal members of all ages Siletz Tribal Community Center May 9 – 6-8 p.m. June 6 – 6-8 p.m. Portland Portland Area Office May 16 – 6-8 p.m. June 13 – 6-8 p.m. Eugene Eugene Area Office May 10 – 6-8 p.m. June 7 – 6-8 p.m. Salem Salem Area Office May 17 – 6-8 p.m. June 14 – 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.
