SILETZ NEWS
Delores Pigsley,
Tribal Chairman
Brenda Bremner,
General Manager
and Editor-in-Chief
Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians
Vol. 44, No. 11
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
November 2016
File photos
File photos
Chewescla DePoe (left) and Lexi
Jackson (above) in 2015
Gladys Bolton (left) and two young Owl
Dancers (above) in 2015
Tribe invites community to help celebrate 39 th annual Restoration Pow-Wow
The public is invited to join the
Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians on
Nov. 19 as it holds its annual Restora-
tion Pow-Wow at Chinook Winds Casino
Resort in Lincoln City, Ore.
This free event begins with a grand
entry at 6 p.m. American Indian vendors
with jewelry, beadwork and other items for
sale will be available throughout the day.
Additionally, Chinook Winds will
host Williams & Ree (The Indian and the
White Guy) on Nov. 18 at 8 p.m. Tickets
to this free comedy show are available
at the Chinook Winds box office while
supplies last.
This is the 39 th year the Siletz Tribe
has celebrated the signing of Public Law
95-195, which re-established government-
to-government relations between the
Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians and
the federal government. The Siletz Tribe
was terminated from federal recognition
in August 1954.
In the late 1960s, it became apparent
that the only way to preserve and revitalize
Siletz Tribal sovereignty, community and
culture was for the Siletz Tribe to regain
its status as a Tribe recognized by the
United States.
In November 1977, after years of
intense lobbying, Congress and Presi-
dent Jimmy Carter approved Public Law
95-195, which reinstated recognition of the
Siletz as a federal Indian Tribe. The Siletz
Tribe was the second in the nation – and
the first in Oregon – to achieve restoration.
Dedicated to improving the quality of
life of its more than 5,000 members, the
Tribe puts strong emphasis on the educa-
tion, health and social well-being of all
its members.
Significant Tribal accomplishments
since Restoration include opening the
original health clinic in 1991 and a new
much larger clinic in 2010; building more
than 150 homes and multiple dwellings
for Tribal members, including 28 units at
Neachesna Village in Lincoln City that
have opened since 2009, 19 apartments in
Siletz that opened in 2010, and 12 homes
in the Tillamook subdivision in Siletz that
have opened since 2013; completing the
Siletz Dance House in 1996; opening the
Tenas Illahee Child Care Center in 2003;
opening the Tillicum Fitness Center and
a new USDA food distribution warehouse
in Siletz in 2008; and opening the Siletz
Rec Center in 2009.
Through its economic development
division, the Siletz Tribal Business Cor-
poration, the Tribe purchased the Lincoln
Shores office complex in Lincoln City in
2001 and opened the Siletz Gas & Mini-
Mart in Siletz in 2004, the Logan Road RV
Park in Lincoln City in 2004 and the Hee
Hee Illahee RV Resort in Salem in 2006.
The Tribe purchased the Imprints
printing business, now called Siletz Tribal
Prints & Gifts, in Lincoln City in 2008.
Tribal offices in Portland, Salem and
Eugene are housed in Tribally owned
buildings. The Eugene office moved to
its current location in 2005, the Salem
office did the same in 2006 and the Port-
land office moved to its current location
in 2008.
The Tribe also played a lead role in
opening Siletz Valley School in 2003
and Siletz Valley Early College Academy
in 2006.
The Siletz Tribal Arts & Heritage
Society (STAHS) was formed in 2013 as
a nonprofit to enhance the Tribe’s ability to
develop the Siletz Tribal Cultural Center.
STAHS also helps the Tribe with acquiring
object and archival collections.
Chinook Winds Casino in Lincoln
City opened in May 1995. In June 2004,
the Siletz Tribe purchased the former
Shilo Inn adjacent to the casino and
See Restoration on page 8
Wyden nominates Edenfield to key federal committee
WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Ron
Wyden announced on Sept. 30 the nomi-
nation of Sharon Edenfield to the U.S.
Department of Treasury’s Tribal Advisory
Committee, which provides advice on
taxation, training of IRS agents as well as
training and assistance to Native Ameri-
can financial officers.
Edenfield is a Tribal Council member
for the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz
Indians and serves as its Tribal administra-
tive manager. She has more than 30 years
of experience working directly on Tribal
tax, financing and insurance issues.
“I am extremely proud to nominate
Sharon because I have no doubt from my
conversations with her that the knowledge
and direct experience she brings on Tribal
tax matters will prove a valuable addition
to the Treasury Tribal Advisory Com-
mittee,” Wyden said. “She will provide
a beneficial and unique Oregon Tribal
perspective to the committee’s important
work applying Tribal tax provisions.”
The Treasury Tribal Advisory Commit-
tee was established pursuant to the Tribal
General Welfare Exclusion Act of 2014.
The committee’s role is to inform and
advise the Treasury on issues related to
the taxation of Indians. The committee
also helps to educate and train IRS agents
working directly with Tribes to ensure IRS
laws relating to Tribes are properly applied
and enforced.
As ranking member on the Senate
Committee on Finance, Wyden can nomi-
nate one person to the committee.
“I am very honored to be selected
and would like to thank Sen. Wyden for
his nomination,” Edenfield said. “I look
forward to serving on the Tribal Tax
Advisory Committee to make a positive
impact to Native people in Oregon and
across the country.”
File photo
Sharon Edenfield