ODE supports Native American curriculum, Educator Advancement Council
From Education Update, Oregon Depart-
ment of Education, February 2017
Feb. 9 was Tribal Government Day at
the State Capitol, which was appropriate
since Senate Bill (SB) 13 was heard that
day in the Senate Education Committee.
Deputy Superintendent Salam Noor
and Indian Education Specialists April
Campbell and Ramona Halcomb were
among the dozens of people testifying in
support of the bill, which would create a
curriculum relating to the Native Ameri-
can experience in Oregon and also provide
professional development for teachers on
the subject.
The meeting time was almost doubled
in order to make sure that everyone who
wanted to support the bill could give their
testimony to the committee.
Modesta Minthorn, director of edu-
cation for the Confederated Tribes of
Umatilla and also a State Board of Edu-
cation member, testified that having a
Native American curriculum will result
in increased academic achievement.
“It provides an opportunity to tell
Oregonians who we are as a people,”
Minthorn said. “Native American students
will get a reinforced sense of identity,
which affects test scores.”
Valerie Switzler, Tribal Council rep-
resentative for the Confederated Tribes of
Warm Springs, told the committee the bill
has been a long time coming.
“We don’t have connection with com-
munities surrounding us anymore,” she
said. “They don’t know who we are as
Tribes. Because knowledge of who we are
isn’t there anymore, it’s getting lost, even
with our children. We need to educate all
children to recognize who we are as people.”
State Rep. Tawna Sanchez, only the
second Native American legislator in
Oregon history, testified it’s past time to
teach about Native Americans.
“The history of Oregon deserves to be
told from the perspective of all residents,
especially its first residents,” she said.
“Every day, non-Native kids see them-
selves in history. How amazing would it
be for our Native students to hear about
their culture and contributions?”
After nearly two hours of testimony,
Noor thanked the Tribal leaders and others
who spoke in support of SB 13.
“We have heard the clear need for this
curriculum in our state,” he said. “From
ODE’s perspective, we are excited to work
with the Tribes in consultation.”
At that same meeting, Noor spoke on
behalf of SB 182, which establishes the
Educator Advancement Council, created
through an executive order by Gov. Kate
Brown. Noor said he hears from teachers
the need for mentoring and culturally
relevant professional development, which
the council recommended.
Noor also testified on behalf of SB
183, which would establish an Early
Indicator and Intervention System to help
students get back on track to graduation
before it’s too late. He told the committee
“This focuses efforts on what works, it
validates what we know and makes the
commitment to continue investment in
what works.”
Funding available to rebuild long-lost Tribal housing on Columbia River
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jeff
Merkley (D-OR), Patty Murray (D-WA)
and Ron Wyden (D-OR), along with
Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR3),
announced on Feb. 13 that the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers (Army Corps) has
dedicated funding to begin the process of
replacing long-lost Tribal housing along
the Columbia River.
The Army Corps will immediately
dedicate up to $1.56 million for a village
development plan to replace housing that
was lost during construction of The Dalles
Dam, with plans to dedicate $1.49 million
more, depending on congressional fund-
ing for the rest of fiscal year 2017. The
current funding bill runs through April
28, 2017.
“With this funding, we are beginning
to right this historic wrong for Tribal
members,” Merkley said. “Leaving our
Tribes displaced, without relocation assis-
tance, was simply wrong. We are another
step closer to making good on the federal
government’s obligation for housing and
infrastructure. I will continue fighting to
honor this decades-old promise, ensuring
Tribal members have the safe, reliable
housing they deserve.”
“This is another promising step
toward fulfilling the federal government’s
obligation to the Tribes along the Colum-
bia River, but this is not the end of the
road,” said Murray. “I commend the Army
Corps for its recent work and urge fast
action to use this much-needed funding to
develop plans to provide Tribal members
with safe, sanitary housing and related
infrastructure near The Dalles Dam.”
“I am gratified an injustice that’s lin-
gered far too long for Native American
communities in Oregon will take this
**** NEW LOCATION ****
needed step to get the resources to reverse
a deeply troubling history,” Wyden said.
“Native children and families deserve
safe housing that can protect them from
serious health and safety hazards along
the Columbia River.”
“It’s about time that the federal gov-
ernment put some much-needed fund-
ing towards fulfilling its obligations to
the Lower Columbia River Tribes,” said
Blumenauer. “I’m encouraged that those
impacted by the Dalles Dam will be able
to move forward, but this is only a drop
in the bucket for what is needed. I urge
the federal government to move quickly
to remedy this situation.”
Beginning in the 1930s, the con-
struction of the three lower Columbia
River dams displaced members of the
four Columbia River Treaty Tribes –
Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs,
Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla
Indian Reservation, Nez Perce Tribe
TRADITIONAL POW WOW
formerly at Covington Middle School
Natural Resources
Department
Contractors List
Please join us for our traditional powwow sponsored
by Evergreen, Vancouver & Battle Ground Schools,
Native American Education Program Title VI and Native
American Parent Association of Southwest Washington.
For more information call NAE Program at 360-604-6757.
MC:
BOB TOM
Host Drum:
FOUR DIRECTIONS
Color Guard:
NIVA
Arena Director:
ED WULF
All Dancers and Drummers Welcome!
12:00 pm - Doors Open to the Public
1:00 pm - Grand Entry
5:00 pm - Presentation/Dinner Break
6:00 pm - Grand Entry
10:00 pm - NIVA Retire the Colors
Head Male:
TBA
Head Female:
TBA
Vendor Contact:
DAVE JOLLIE
360-601-3764
Drug & Alcohol Free Event ~ Committee is not responsible for lost, damaged or stolen items.
14
•
Siletz News
•
March 2017
The Tribal Natural Resources
Department periodically solicits bids
from contractors for a variety of work.
If your company would like to
be included on our lists to receive
requests for bids/proposals for any
of the services listed below, please
contact Natural Resources Manager
Mike Kennedy at 541-444-8232 or
800-922-1399, ext. 1232, to be put
on the appropriate list.
Tree Planting
Precommercial Thinning
Hazard Tree Removal/Tree Trimming
Mechanical Brush Cutting
Logging Road Construction/
Maintenance
Logging
Log Hauling
Timber Falling
Herbicide Spraying
Concrete Construction
Statistical Analysis
Macroinvertebrate Identification
Water Quality Monitoring/Analysis
and Yakama Nation. These Tribes have
a treaty-protected right to fish along the
Columbia River in their usual and accus-
tomed places.
The senators and congressman have
been fighting to address the urgent need
for adequate housing and infrastructure
at Tribal fishing access sites constructed
by the Army Corps following construc-
tion of The Dalles, Bonneville and John
Day dams.
The Army Corps designed the sites
to be used primarily for daily, in-season
fishing access and temporary camping.
In many cases, however, Tribal members
now use the areas as longer-term or even
permanent residences.
A Fact-Finding Review on Tribal
Housing prepared by the Army Corps
found that as many as 85 Tribal families
who lived on the banks of the Columbia
River prior to construction of the Bonne-
ville and The Dalles dams did not receive
relocation assistance, despite the fact that
several non-Tribal communities inundated
by dam construction did receive such
assistance.