Siletz news II., November 18, 1992, Image 1

Siletz News II
November 18,1992
Vol. 4, no. 4
Sneak Preview
New Tribal Order
143 pages of new laws are pending before
Tribal Council. According to tribal officials, the new
ordinances will soon be sent to all Siletz tribal members
for review before final Tribal Council approval.
Right now, the new laws are sort of hard to g et
Neither the Springfield Area Office nor the Central
Office in Siletz had the proposed laws posted for public
review. Nelsen Witt, C.E.O. for the Tribe, had the only
copy of the ordinances that I could locate. Nelsen was
gracious enough to loan me his personal copy for the
weekend.
What follows is a preview of two new ordi­
nances coming down the chute.
Lawyer Rules
Lawyers like laws. Laws give lawyers a sense
of order. If there were just enough laws, lawyers
believe, justice would finally prevail.
If you share that mindset, you will likely find
the changes to the Tribal Court Rules and Procedures a
giant step toward a better future. The new ordinance
spells out the ins-and-outs of such legal maneuvers as
responsive pleading, interrogatories, penitent privi­
lege, summary judgement, and joinder of parties in
enough detail to make any attorney happy.
But if you’re a tribal member who wants a
simple and inexpensive way to bring a grievance to
Tribal Court, you will find the new code full of new
barriers. For instance, if you want a relative to help
represent you under existing law, all you have to do is
ask. Any tribal member who is over the age of 18 is
currently entitled to plead before Tribal Court free of
charge.
The new rules, however, call for the establish­
ment of a “Tribal Bar.” Tribal members will have to
“pass a prescribed test” and pay an admission fee of $50
in order to be a spokesperson before the Court. The
likely effect of this provision will, indeed, be to “bar
tribal" members from Tribal C ourt
And unless a shorter guide to Tribal Court is
prepared specifically for people who represent them­
selves in Tribal Court, the sheer bulk of the new
ordinance and its “lawyer-speak” style will likely prove
a hindrance (if not a direct form of intimidation) to
continued on page 2, "New Laws"
Last Year Words
“About$150,000.” C.E.O. Nelsen Witt, responding to
this reporter’s inquiry as to how much Craig J. Dorsay,
Tribal Council Attorney, was paid by the Tribe last
year. The amount appears to be a tribal record.
“Archeologists have taken over the Sacred Lands
Committee.” Michael Berry, Sacred Lands Commit­
tee member after being ousted as chair of the committee
midway through his term. Berry’s dismissal from
committee office was unprecedented.
Two tribal members who work for the Tribe,
Arliss Chatterson and Bev Youngman, reportedly sup­
ported Tribal Council member Bensell Breon in oust­
ing Berry. Both Chatterson and Youngman have
college degrees in archeology.
“The [Siletz Health] Clinic h as stopped taking new
non-Indian patients.” Judy Muschamp, Tribal Health
Director at the November 7, 1992 General Council
Meeting.
According to Clinic officials, over 1,000 non-
Indian patients have been treated at the Clinic in the last
18 months—nearly 50% of the clinic patient load.
“In consideration o f th e term s of this Development
Agreement, T ribe g ran ts Developer first right of
refusal for execution of a G am ing M anagem ent
A greem ent with T rib e fo r construction, operation,
m anagem ent an d m ark etin g of a gam ing operation
under the Indian G am ing R egulatory A ct when the
development phase o f this p ro ject h as been com­
pleted.” Contract between First Astri [Developer] and
the Siletz Tribe, dated September 23,1991 and signed
by Delores Pigsley and Jessie Davis, Tribal Council
Vice-Chair.
In the months since the agreement was signed,
First Astri is reported to have paid the Tribe over
$400,000 for gaming related costs [see page 3, "Open
Forum," for a breakdown as of July, 1992].
“The Gam ing Com m ission an d the T ribal Council
has been studying v arious options fo r the m anage­
m ent of the Siletz gam ing en terp rise. F irst A stri, a
firm which has been involved in the development
continued on page 3, "More Quotes"