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About Siletz news letter. (Siletz, Oregon) 1989-1997 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 1990)
SILETZ, OREGON . EeJwiH-y 1990 - W est," AMERICAN INDIAN LIFE-WAYS ARTIST By: S.A. Lees A Native A m erican Indian who has lived all over the W est, R.L. (Bob) Taylor says his "art is detail oriented" and that he "Hopes his pieces reflect his deep feelings." He w orks in pastels, an art m edium he began using twenty years ago. T aylor has shifted the em phasis of his art from detailed oil rig scenes and p o rtra itu re tha t "he did as com m issions years ago, and now works on pprtrayals of his native Indian heritage, scenes he calls "L ife -W a y s ." "My real love Is the historic Indian life w ays", said Bob, a m em ber o f the Confederated Tribes of Siletz, Oregon. "I get a lot o f satisfaction out of taking a moment out of tim e In the life of the Am erican Indian In the 1800's and portraying It in a r t." "So much of the A m erican Indian culture needs to be told. I'm now m ore aware that It should be shown and presented as It was. I .want to present Indians with the p rid e and d ig n ity th e ir d a lly life style warranted, to show that we were not ju st w a rrio r o rie n te d ." "I have been am azed and extremely pleased by the acceptance o f my "Life- W ays" pieces by the Indians. They have com e to me w ith Ideas, stories o f the ir fam ilies that were handed down to them, fam ily items, photographs and so on. They are very Interested In my pieces, and the portrayal of their history; a way of life that really is no more, a way o f life that we've all lost." A lot o f research Is done for each piece. T aylor states " I don't ju st rely on my heritage, I do my best to research clothing, tools, tribal custom s at the time, even the area the event took place in. Each piece brings me closer to m y heritage. It isn’t ju s t o u r h e rita g e — it is a ctu a lly p a rt o f the h is to ry o f A m e ric a , arid definitely a large part o f the history of the "I use every type o f pastel (hard, soft, m ixed m edium s} and I. m ix my own pastels. I can achieve so many subtledies in shading and blending by using variou s pastels, and I get my skin tones to come out better", said Taylor. An e xa m ple o f w h at T a y lo r so sincerely believes in is his 22 by 28 inch pastel "M aking Buffalo M edicine", w hich has m ystic q u a litite s, both in the subtle shading of the buffalos In the background coming out of the mist, as well as the Indian In the foreground, standing In a rock strewn landscape making his buffalo medicine. T he w o rk Is no w a v a ila b le in Lim ited E d itio n , sig n e d and num bered p r in ts . Taylor, although Incredibly detailed In his art, said "I enjoy using the freedom of pastels." Some say his medium is too d is c ip lin e d and r e s t r ic t iv e . An International artist com m ented that Taylor "has total control of pastels." A man with intense introspection and a very quiet manner, Taylor, who spent much of his early years In the Indian Com m unity on the northern coast of Northern Oregon, is w orking on a s e rie s o f Indian "Life- W ays" pieces, presenting Indians "as they lived and w hat com prised their daily lives, what they really were In the 1800’s. LELOOSKA LIVING HISTORY ’ The w o rld -fa m o u s L E L O O S K A LIVING HISTORY PRESENTATIONS began their fall season on Octobee 21, 1989. The S a tu rd a y e v e n in g p ro g ra m s fe a tu re traditional Northwest Coast Indian m asks and costum es, and take place In a fire-lit replica of a Kwakiutl long house. A Lelooska Fam ily m useum and g a lle ry are open p rio r to the program . They open at 6:30 P.M. and the programs begin at 8 P.M. Tickets are $4 for general adm ission and $3.50 fo r children under 12. The Lelooska foundation is located at 5618 L e w is R iv e r R o ad In A rie l, W a sh in g to n w h ich Is in ' the C ascade foothills ju st east of W oodland, W ashington. For fu rth e r in fo rm a tio n , ca ll (206) 225- 8522. SIUETZ NEWS DEADLINE FEBRUARY 15, 1990 mail articles and B/W photos to: Siletz News, P.0. Box 549, Siletz, Oregon 97380 PAGE, 7 ABOUT THE CENSUS... W E NEED YOUR HELP..TO MAKE THIS NATIO N AL CO M M UN ITY EVENT A COMPLETE SUCCESS! W E'RE TALKING ABOUT THE 1990 DECENNIAL CENSUS OF POPULATION AND HOUSING WHICH TAKES PLACE ON SUNDAY, APRIL 1. It is im p ortan t th a t everyone in your com m unity be counted because so much depends on an accurate count. The Importance of the uses Cf census data cannot be understated. Census data collected in the Decennial Census are used to apportion the seats In the U.S. House 'o f , Representatives and to determ ine boundaries for state and local electoral districts. Census data, also, has m a jo r- Im p lic a tio n s fo r lo c a l com m u nity pro gra m s. Som e o f the se p ro g ra m s a re h e a lth , e d u c a tio n , em ploym ent, senior citizen care, day care centers, low income housing, highway and stre e t c o n s tru c tio n , and tra n sp o rta tio n . The responses collected In the Decennial Census are the basis for funding allocated for these services. Not only are census data important o n a local level for the funding o f these services but local com m unity organlzatlons m ay fin d ce n su s d a ta u se fu l fo r th e relocation o r expansion of Its program s. For exam ple, population dem ographics as collected by the census .provide block-and tra ct data which docum ents the num ber of p e rso n s livin g in a g e o g ra p h ic are a s e rvice d by a p a rtic u la r o rg a n iz a tio n . These dem ographics on age, race, income, size of families, employment, and education can be useful tools in the decision making for size and type of program s needed for that organization. T he N a tio n a l A m e ric a n Ind ian Council (NAIC) realizes the im portance of census data and has been working to inform u rb a n a n d o ff- r e s e rv a tlo n A m e ric a n In d ia n s and A la s k a N a tiv e s o f th e Im portance o f answering the census. To form ally announce its support, NAIC passed a resolution of endorsem ent for the goal o f an accurate count o f all people in the 1990 census and to urge Its m em bership to work w ith the C ensus B ureau to raise th e ir com m unity's awareness o f the census. N A IC 's c o m m it m e n t 'I n c lu d e s assistance in recruitm ent and referral o f q u a lifie d ca n d id a te s fo r te m p o ra ry jo b s with the Census Bureau. April 1, 1990 is not the end o f the census but is ju st the start of the m assive effort to insure that all p e o p le have been c o u n te d . C e nsu s enum erators will be needed to do follow-up In th o s e lo c a tio n s w h e re census questionnaires have not been returned. Rem em ber: The census is' only as accurate as those who answer it. Answer the census and be countedll
