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About Siletz news / (Siletz, OR) 199?-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 1, 2023)
Chairman’s Report Charles Wilkinson The news of Charles Wilkinson’s passing was shared by his family in Boul- der, Colo. Charles was a fiercely devoted friend to our Tribe since I first met him back in 1975. He supported and led Tribal resto- ration efforts even prior to that date. At the time, he lived in Eugene, taught at the University of Oregon and was very active in the Native community in Eugene. He attended most all of our early Tribal Council meetings, coordinating information with many organizations, including the Native American Rights Fund and with our congressional delega- tion. He played an extremely important role in Tribal restoration. Our first Tribal Council visit to Wash- ington, D.C., was in March 1976. Each council member and our general manager testified before the Senate Select Com- mittee on Indian Affairs. Charles assisted with all the testimony as we had only five minutes each to testify. We then made a huge lobby effort to members of the House of Representa- tives. Charles greatly assisted with his passionate pleas in the House. It was an unforgettable trip and the Tribe’s first time to testify before Congress. Charles attended many Tribal func- tions over the years, including our pow- wow, Tribal Restoration, Run to the Rogue and Nee Dosh. He kept in touch with all Tribal activities. It was those relationships that told us he would be the best person to write our story, The People Are Danc- ing Again. We contacted Charles to determine if he had the interest and the time to write about Siletz. We were pleased that he really wanted to undertake the job. He took a one-year sabbatical from the University of Colorado Law School in Boulder to do the writing. As it turned out, the book took more than a year to complete because he wanted to make sure it was absolutely correct. He gathered many Tribal members to be sure. After the book was complete, Charles, Bud Lane and I promoted the book to many places. It was well-received by the public and by scholars. Charles has famously written many books, his exper- tise in Tribal issues has been acclaimed by many Tribes and universities. He has received numerous awards and I have been lucky to be present at some of those. Charles is greatly missed, not only by his family, but by many people whose lives he has touched over the many years. Siletz Tribal Consent Decree The Tribe has worked for several years to find a way to rid us of the hunting and Legal Aid Services of Oregon and the Oregon Law Center, civil legal service providers for low-income Oregonians, operate a public benefits hotline where low-income Oregonians can talk to lawyers and paralegals to get advice on public benefits, including unemployment benefits: Oregon public benefits hotline: 800-520-5292 • Oregonlawhelp.org Siletz News is free to enrolled Siletz Tribal members. For all others, a $12 annual subscription fee applies. Please make checks payable to CTSI and mail to Siletz News. Name: _______________________________________________________ Address: ____________ _________________________________________ Phone: _______________________________________________________ Change of address: Tribal members – contact the Enrollment Department at 541-444-8258; 800-922-1399, ext. 1258; or enrollment@ctsi.nsn.us. All others – call the newspaper office. Deadline for the September issue is Aug. 10. Send information to: Submission of articles and photos is encouraged. Siletz News P.O. Box 549 Siletz, OR 97380-0549 Please see the Passages Policy on page 20 when submit- ting items for Passages. 541-444-8291 or 800-922-1399, ext. 1291 Fax: 541-444-2307 Email: PIAS@CTSI.NSN.US 2 • Siletz News • August 2023 Member of the Native American Journalists Association fishing restrictions that were necessary in order to be restored back in 1977. In the 1980 Reservation Plan, the Tribe had to agree to the Consent Decree that gave the state authority over hunting, fishing and gathering. The Tribe recently worked out an agreement with the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife and the ODFW committee approved the agreement in June. On July 19, 2023, the U.S. House of Representa- tives Natural Resource Committee passed our legislation by unanimous consent to amend the Restoration Act to remove the restrictions on hunting, fishing and gathering. On the same day, the U.S. Senate Com- mittee on Indian Affairs also unanimously passed the same legislation (see page 1). The legislation now needs to pass the full House and the full Senate, which we are hoping occurs before the August recess. Many hours have been spent to get us this far to justify the Tribe’s position on managing our own natural resources. Delores Pigsley We still have a ways to go and it will be a topic of discussion at our General Council meeting this month. We have reason to celebrate! Hope to see you all at the pow-wow! Elders Council Meeting The Elders Council will host an in-person/Zoom hybrid meeting on Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023, at 1 p.m. in the Shasta room at Chinook Winds Casino Resort in Lincoln City, Ore. If you have any questions, please contact the Elders Program at 541-444-8212.
