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About Siletz news / (Siletz, OR) 199?-current | View Entire Issue (June 1, 2016)
SILETZ NEWS Delores Pigsley, Tribal Chairman Brenda Bremner, General Manager and Editor-in-Chief Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians Vol. 44, No. 6 Presorted First-Class Mail U.S. Postage Paid - Permit No. 178 Salem, OR Siletz News Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians P.O. Box 549 Siletz, OR 97380-0549 June 2016 Human remains found, Tribe called late to investigation in Lincoln City On Friday, May 6, 2016, work was being done under a home near the turn- around in the Taft area of Lincoln City, Ore., when human remains were found. Some missteps were initially made in following state law and the State/Tribal Cultural Resources Cluster Position Paper on Treatment of Inadvertent Discoveries of Human Remains (available at Oregon State Historic Preservation Office [Ore- gon SHPO] website). The Siletz Tribal Cultural Resources director / Native American Graves Pro- tection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) representative, Robert Kentta, should have been contacted right away by the OSP State Agency key contact on such matters. The position paper stresses that Tribal contacts should be made early in the pro- cess to help law enforcement determine whether the remains are associated with an ancestral burial or pioneer grave vs. a modern crime scene. Local OSP and Lincoln City Police did the best they could, in the absence of Tribal assistance, by consulting with the State Medical Examiner’s Office in Clackamas, Ore. The Siletz Tribal rep was not contacted until much later, initially by Editor Rick Mark from The News Guard rather than through official channels. By then, the contact with the State Medical Examiner’s Office had provided assur- ance that the remains were associated with a Native burial and were not part of a crime scene. Oregon’s Cultural Resource and Native Burial Laws apply to state and private lands in Oregon; federal laws such as the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAG- PRA), National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and Archaeological Resources Protection Act (ARPA) apply to federal lands and project locations that are using federal funds, federal permits, etc. Oregon’s laws are strong in protect- ing history for all Oregonians. No one can remove an artifact from the ground if a tool or equipment had to uncover it (without a permit from SHPO – which includes property owner consent). One cannot knowingly alter, deface or destroy a Native burial, cairn, archaeological site, etc., without similar clearances. Discovery of burials raises significant special con- cerns that must be addressed. Provisions to handle the discovered remains must be taken, which may include protection in place, relocation with approval and supervision of the Tribe, or other options. Once an inadvertent discovery is made, such as occurred on May 6, standard pro- cesses are supposed to kick in. All ground- disturbing activity is to halt – nothing is to be further removed or disturbed – until the proper contacts have been made and clearances have been given. State law says that the OSP key contact (Trooper Chris Allori), SHPO (either Dennis Griffin or John Pouley, both state archaeologists) and the Legislative Commission on Indian Services (Karen Quigley, executive director) all should be contacted immediately, and contact then should be made with the appropriate Ore- gon Tribe or Tribes. That determination is made by the LCIS executive director based on historical connections and Tribal expressions of areas of interest. Once all are informed and have the opportunity to respond, then decisions can be made. As stated earlier, the first business is to determine whether a crime needs to be investigated and Tribal reps gener- ally can assist in quickly reaching that See Remains on page 19 Portland Area Office celebrates 30 years of serving Tribal members 1986 to 2016 Confederated Tribes Of Siletz Indians Portland Area Office Celebrates 30 You and a guest are invited to join the Siletz tribe as we honor those who have helped us accomplish our work. Date: Thursday, June 9, 2016 Time: 11 AM — 6 PM Where: Portland Area Office 12790 SE Stark St Portland, Oregon RSVP: Andrew Johanson: Call (503) 238-1512 or andrewj@ctsi.nsn.us Photo by Diane Rodriquez Eann Biggar aims a ping pong ball at bowls filled with dyed water in an attempt to win a prize during a carnival held for Siletz Tribal Head Start students at the Siletz Recreational Center on May 23. Creating opportunities in education, employment, and wellness for the Native community in Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington County YEARS By Andrew Johanson and Sherry Addis It’s hard to believe that 30 years have passed since the Siletz Tribal Council voted to add Multnomah, Clackamas and Washington counties to our service area. Throughout the years, it has been our privilege to serve Siletz Tribal members, members of other federally recognized Tribes, Alaskan Natives and Hawaiian Natives and help them attain their education, employment and wellness goals. To commemorate this achievement, the Portland Area Office will host an open house on June 9 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Portland Area Office, located at 12790 SE Stark St., Suite 102, in Portland, Ore. We hope you can join us!
