Siletz news /, September 01, 2018, Page 7, Image 7

Siletz Tribal CARE Program
In May the CARE Program teamed up with the Indian Education Pro-
gram to join the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women movement.
This movement started in Canada as an effort to shine light on the
thousands of unsolved cases of indigenous women who have gone
missing or have been murdered, many on Canada’s Highway of Tears.
One of the major challenges in solving these cases is that there was no
national or international database where information on missing and
murdered indigenous women was compiled.
There are individuals and organizations gathering together to change
the culture of silence around this issue. The Canadian Broadcasting Cor-
poration (CBC) and Cree journalist, Connie Walker started a database in
2015. This database contains information on over 230 unsolved cases
of indigenous women and girls who went missing or have been mur-
dered in Canada. The CBC and Connie Walker have also embarked on a
mission to tell the stories of missing and murdered indigenous women
in Canada and the US through the use of a podcast titled Missing and
Murdered. The Missing and Murdered podcast shares the names of
First Nations women who have been missing for decades. This podcast
reminds those who listen that these women were someone’s daughter,
friend, sister or partner, and they are people who deserve to be re-
membered and honored.
The database and podcast give missing indigenous women names and
faces, making sure we don’t forget they all had hopes and dreams and
people who loved them. The podcast in particular is a sobering remind-
er that the women have never been forgotten by the people who care
about them, even when everyone else has.
Podcast listeners get to join in the search for the missing women and
girls through every twist and turn as the stories unfolds. We get to tag
along as investigators and families agonize over each heart-wrenching
detail together. The investigative team is very thorough, respectful, and
understanding, never wanting to push the family members and friends
too hard for details.
The first season of Missing and Murdered shares the facts and conjec-
tures surrounding the murder of Alberta Williams, a young indigenous
woman who went missing after a night out with friends and family. Lis-
teners get to hear about her from the people who loved her while they
search for answers. Her murder is still unsolved.
The second season shares the story of Cleo Semaganis who was adopt-
ed out to a family in the US. Cleo was one of the thousands of indige-
nous children who were taken from their families as part of the Sixties
Scoop. The podcast shares the devastating story of Cleo’s disappear-
ance and death. Connie Walker and her team speak with Cleo’s family
who are all heart-broken over their missing sister.
The CARE Program staff have all listened to the Missing and Murdered
podcast and we highly recommend it for anyone who wants to learn
more about the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women movement.
Please keep in mind that this topic is very heavy and may bring up some
strong emotions. CARE Program staff would be happy to speak with an-
yone who needs support after listening to these stories. Community
members are also welcome to attend our trauma support group every
Wednesday at 5:30pm in the Behavioral Health group room at the
Siletz Community Health Clinic.
Childhood Obesity Awareness Month
One in five children in the United States are obese. Childhood obesity puts kids at risk for health problems that
were once seen only in adults, such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. The good news
is that childhood obesity can be prevented. In honor of National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, the
Siletz Community Health Department encourages your family to make healthy changes together.
1) Try serving more fruit and vegetables at meals and as snacks.
- Utilize space in the Healthy Traditions Community Garden!
- Check out Newport farmer’s market on Saturdays from 9am-1pm or Toledo farmer’s
market on Thursdays from 10am-3pm!
2) Make sure drinking water is always available as a no-calorie alternative to sugary beverages.
3) Get active: Walk around the neighborhood, go on a bike ride, or play basketball at the park.
-Attend a class at the Tillicum Fitness Center (it is free for all tribal members!)
4) Limit screen time: Keep screen time (time spent on the computer, watching TV, or playing video games) to 2
hours or less a day.
September 2018
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Siletz News
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