Siletz news /, March 01, 2018, Page 10, Image 10

Peter Hatch: Freedom from college loans made all the difference
By Diane Rodriquez
For Peter Hatch, college was a family
expectation. His grandfather, Ken Hatch,
graduated from Oregon State University,
joined the ROTC and graduated from West
Point. His dad, Dave Hatch, also graduated
from OSU. But Peter chose a different
path and attended Brown University in
Providence, R.I.
The Siletz Tribe helped pay for his
college education, which meant Peter
graduated from Brown in 2011 with a dual
major of anthropology/archaeology in the
ancient world – and with no loans to repay.
“The amount the Tribe offered covered
fully what otherwise would have been loans.
This is important because seeing so many
of my peers graduate with the prospect of
being poor for decades even if you get a
good job,” said Peter. “The freedom of not
having loans to pay off gave me the oppor-
tunities for internships, for moving back to
Oregon and taking a job with the Tribe.”
Peter’s first post-college job was an
internship at the National Museum of
the American Indian’s Cultural Resources
Center in Suitland, Md., working with the
collections management team and items
collected by George Gustav Heye.
“The museum tries to have collections
benefit the communities they come from,”
said Peter. “For example, the museum
loaned some regalia from Siletz, flew
someone out here with it so it could be
danced at the opening of the Dance House
in 1996.”
His most gratifying experiences
occurred several times each week when
community groups visited and sometimes
individuals saw objects made by relatives.
At times, this was the first time someone
in a family got to see something made by
his/her ancestors.
When his internship ended in 2012,
Peter drove to Arizona to help his mom,
Anna Jaimes, fix up her old adobe house.
Then “Robert Kentta reached out said
he was looking for someone new for the
Culture Department to be his assistant and
do technical research too.” Peter started
working for the Siletz Tribe in January
2013 and is the cultural research techni-
cian – historical research.
“I use my degree every day as (his
work) is related directly to archaeology,
excavating ancestral sites, figuring out
the likeliest probability of where they
Siletz Reservation Robe Blanket, Size 64” x 80”
Price: Tribal member - $153; Employee - $188; Public - $202
(remains, objects) would be,” said Peter.
“We’re trying to continue the historical
research project to give Tribal government
a fuller view of our own history and legal
rights that come from that and to make
sure that when the story of Native Ameri-
cans in Western Oregon is told, that the
Tribe has a seat at the table and can bring
resources to bear.”
Peter grew up away from Siletz, so
his connection to the Tribe then wasn’t a
strong one. But that’s changed.
“Working here has been its own edu-
cation about things I didn’t fully under-
stand, about what it means to be a Tribal
member, the challenges the Tribe as a
whole and Tribal members individually
face in overcoming oppression that Tribal
people have faced in Oregon for genera-
tions. There’s a lot you don’t learn. This
was its own valuable education to come
and work here.”
Peter is excited about the plans to
open a cultural center in Siletz in an effort
led by the Siletz Tribal Arts and Heritage
Society.
“The cultural center is an important
thing to be a hub for Tribal members, a
place people can come back to year-round
Photo by Diane Rodriquez
Peter Hatch
to feel connected to their ancestors and
the Tribe today is a really important thing.
I want to be connected to that effort in
some way.
“If it takes many years to get the
cultural center built, then I’ll be here for
many years.”
Siletz Reservation Saddle Blanket, Size 68” x 39”
Price: Tribal member - $105; Employee - $129; Public - $138
Contact April Middaugh at 541-444-8201 or 800-922-1399, ext. 1201, for more information and to purchase.
DePoe authors
book about life
as a drummer
From amazon.com
What do the King
Kong Beat, Redbone, a
possible induction into
the Rock and Roll Hall
of Fame and wild and
crazy stories all have in
common? (Siletz Tribal
member) Pete DePoe.
He single-handedly
created a new sound in the
rock drumbeat category,
a unique sound that is
dubbed The King Kong
Beat. DePoe is symbolic
in rock history because he
pioneered a completely
new sound, essentially
marrying jazz and rock
drumming through his
King Kong Beat.
His life has not only
been important in rock
history, but also a wee bit
wild. Perhaps most impor-
tantly, he’s a great story teller. Hear them from the man himself by buying Pete DePoe’s
book King Kong Pete: Redbone and Beyond , at amazon.com.
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Siletz News
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March 2018
Courtesy photo
We wanted to congratulate Jessica Phillips and Justen Hibler on their engagement
on Feb. 5, 2018. We are happy for you both.
Nora and Randy