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About Siletz news / (Siletz, OR) 199?-current | View Entire Issue (May 1, 2017)
Renee Lanette Metcalf – Nov. 24, 1965-March 24, 2017 Renee made her career as the Bingo manager for Chinook Winds Casino. Dur- ing that time, she changed the department for the better and was happy and proud to see her ways being honored to this day. Renee was an avid reader since she was just a little girl. She loved sharing her books with family and friends. Renee had a passion for creative writing, from journaling to encouraging quotes. Her soft kind words were inspirational, which touched the lives of so many. Renee lived for her five children and loved being part of and watching her nine grandchildren grow. They made her so proud and filled her heart with a love only a mother and grandmother would know and she cherished every moment. Family truly was everything to her. Renee enjoyed countless adventures with her soul mate. Renee loved going on journeys with her mother, seeing beautiful places all around. She enjoyed the quality time with her as she was her best roadie. She had a passion for photography and capturing nature and the beauty around her, not knowing she was the true beauty. Renee was preceded in death by her father, Willard “Babe” Metcalf. She is survived by her mother, Loraine Butler of Siletz, Ore.; her sons, Farrell Cockrum of Washington and Jarron Brown of Siletz; daughters, Rhiannon Hamel- Fox, Rachelle John and Leslie Brown of Siletz; grandchildren, Ts-eennelh “Turtle” Metcalf, Tommy Metcalf, Neva Hamel, Thomsus Cockrum, Holly Marie, Nakita Fisher, Ezahbella Mosqueda, Katia Cock- rum and Cruz Cockrum; brothers, Nathan Metcalf and Rusty Butler of Siletz; sisters, Martha “Michelle” Metcalf and Misty Butler of Siletz; and her soul mate, Jarrod Brown of Logsden, Ore. All were invited to celebrate the life of a woman who was full of such uncon- ditional love, so caring, so selfless, so beautiful inside and out, a woman who truly saw the good and positive in every- thing. From her many quotes of inspira- tion: “Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.” A Celebration of Life was held April 1 at the Siletz Tribal Center in Siletz. All who knew Renee were welcome. A potluck followed. Courtesy photo Renee Lanette Metcalf Springing into life at the Inter-Tribal Gathering Garden From NAYA eNews; originally pub- lished April 4, 2017 Land stewardship and honoring our connection to our environmental relatives are values that bridge indigenous cultures across the continent and around the world. NAYA’s Community Engagement team drew on these values March 25 as they shared their experience in creating a new park in the Cully “NAYAborhood.” Thomas Cully Park has been a com- munity work in progress for over a decade (in Portland, Ore.), most recently in col- laboration with Living Cully partners (Hacienda CDC, Habitat for Humanity, Verde) and Portland Parks and Recreation. It is scheduled to open in September 2017. The interactive workshop showcased the community-aligned, co-managed park project as one that heals land and people. NAYA staff Cary Watters (Tlingit) and Donita Fry (Shoshone-Bannock) were eager to share this precedence-setting project model, with the hope that other groups in the region can adapt the project to their context. As Mother Earth renews herself this spring, participants learned about the benefits of Native plants at the Inter-tribal Gathering Garden and how the commu- nity-driven design process helps to honor the history of those who have lived here since time immemorial and the diversity of the current community. Staff and participants shared freshly gathered forest tea and scattered seeds at the highest point of the park, the medicine wheel feature. Folks also checked out the outdoor classroom and learning garden. When the park opens, visitors will be able to learn about local, wild, harvest- able plants in hopes that first foods and medicines can be used more widely throughout the region. This is the first in a series of three green infrastructure workshops funded by East Multnomah Soil and Water Conser- vation District. The second is at Zenger Farms, in partnership with Wisdom of the Elders and Black Food Sovereignty, on May 13. The third will be at June Key Delta Community Center on May 27 and will focus on the environmental, social and cultural benefits of parks. For more information, contact Cary Watters at carryw@nayapdx.org. Degree, continued from page 1 an address from Sandra McDonough, presi- dent and CEO of the Portland Business Alliance. The Atkinson Graduate School of Management ceremony begins at 9 a.m. Commencement for the university’s College of Law will begin at 11:30 a.m. and features an address by Michael D. Levelle, president of the Oregon State Bar and Willamette Law alumnus from the class of 1990. For more information about all of the university’s commencement ceremonies, including schedules, speaker biographies and live-streams, visit willamette.edu/ events/commencement. The following is from willamette. edu/events/commencement/cla/honor- ary_degrees/index.html: Honorary Doctor of Laws Delores “Dee” Pigsley Delores Pigsley is the chair of the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz. She was born in Toledo, Ore., the youngest of eight children and lived and grew up at the Chemawa Indian School, where her parents were employed. She is a graduate of North Salem High School. Pigsley was elected as a Siletz Tribal Council representative in September of 1975. In 1954 the U.S. Congress passed the termination statute selling off all Siletz Tribal lands, abrogating all treaties, cutting off all federal benefits, meaning the Siletz were no longer recognized as a sovereign Indian nation. In the early 1970s, the Tribe reorga- nized and launched their effort to restore federal recognition. The Native American Rights Fund stepped forward and provided legal services. The Tribal Council and a core group of Tribal members worked tire- lessly to publicly make their case. Delores was a leading figure in this extremely contentious battle and when the restoration was achieved through fed- eral statutes of 1977 and 1980, the Siletz became only the second tribe nationwide to achieve repatriation. Pigsley has been Tribal chair since 1986. As chair, Pigsley has worked with city, county, state and federal officials to represent the Tribe’s position on many issues. She has negotiated agreements, testified before congressional hearings and continuously advocated for adequate funding for Indian programs. Her efforts to build Tribal sover- eignty have resulted in improved law enforcement, housing, education, cultural resources, health care and environmental and natural resources management. Envi- ronmental protection has been a priority under her leadership and the Tribe has been recognized for their timber manage- ment practices. In the face of local and state opposi- tion, she led her Tribe in the establishment of the Chinook Winds Casino and Conven- tion Center in the mid-1990s. Today, the casino not only provides Tribal and local community members with jobs, but revenue from the casino provides funds for govern- mental programs as well as for contribu- tions to nonprofit organizations statewide. Temporary Tribal Student Assistance Program By Jessica Garcia, Rental Assistance Program Coordinator/Resident Services Advocate The Siletz Tribal Housing Depart- ment’s Temporary Tribal Student Assis- tance Program (TTSAP) will soon accept applications for the 2017-2018 academic year. Applications will be accepted from April 3, 2017, to May 5, 2017, only. 8 • Siletz News • May 2017 Program Information The TTSAP assists Tribal students who will attend a college, university, vocational or trade school. The TTSAP is a time-limited program. Funding is for one academic year. The TTSAP helps students with rent or room and board in a dormitory. The student’s share of the rent is 30 percent of their adjusted annual income. Important Note: The student might be required to remit a portion of the rent. For example, if a student is working, the wages will affect the student’s share of the rent. Assistance is not transferable. To obtain an application, please stop by the STHD office at 555 Tolowa Court in Siletz; call 800-922-1399, ext.1322, or 541-444-8322; email jessicag@ctsi. nsn.us or download one from the Tribal website at ctsi.nsn.us.
