SILETZ, OREGON
S million was four times the size
K of the budget.
This year has been the-
. best yet. The Siletz started a
| smokehouse that sells salmon
| to tourists in Depoe Bay. A
medical clinic, serving Indians
% and non-Indians alike, has just
$ opened. The tribe realized a
| longstanding dream and built 54
:§ new houses, some them with
iiiii five bedrooms, bay windows
| and two-car garages.
More than almost any
iiiii other tribe that has been
g restored, the Siletz have
|i prospered.
But even tribes
is that have not done as well say
coming back from termination
has been a second chance at
life.
"The significance of
restoration is that this is the
first time in American history
that a major Indian policy
actually began with Indian
people," said Aida Deer, an
educator at the University of
W is c o n s in
w ho
w as
instrumental in helping her
native M enominee Indians
regain their reservation in
Wisconsin. "We achieved a
ve ry h is to ric reversal of
policy."
Given the history of
Federal policy, many Indians
never thought they could get
th e ir
tr ib a l
s ta tu s
or
reservation returned, Ms. Deer
said.
"The
sm a ll
trib e s
pulled
th is
off,
through
strength and courage, and I
th in k
e v e ry b o d y
w as
surprised," she said.
"When
term ination occurred, what
people forgot was that Indians
wanted to be Indians."
Don Miller, a lawyer
with the Native American
Rights Fund in Boulder, Colo.,
said restoration has been a
rare success story in Indian
January 1992 -
PAGE 13
country, but it should be placed
in perspective.
"The tribes that were
term inated have benefitted
greatly from restoration, "
Mr. M iller said.
"But, of
course, this doesn't mean they
got very much of their land
back. Only a sliver."
Looking at the big new
houses here in Siletz, Mr.
Rilatos, who was born here in
1923, said:"We went from a
million acres to a graveyard,
to this here. We are just now
seeing some light."
The Back Page
by carl shaw
Quite a story it is that is in the Nov. 25
edition of the New York Times. "Back
From Oblivion, A Tribe Forges A
Future" reads the headline. Reporter
T im o th y Egan's lengthy story traces
the Siletz Indian Tribe of Oregon, its
termination in the 1950's, restoration
in 1977, to its new community of big
hom es
and
b ro a d
s tre e ts .
"Unemployment is well below the
national average," according to Egan's
story and I am not so sure that any
other tribe can make that claim if we
are to believe BIA's annual labor force
statistics report. The story goes on to
say that drugs and alcohol are not
allowed on the reservation and the
budget, enriched by tribal businesses
and a portfolio of outside investments,
is show ing
a healthy surplus.
According to E g a n , the Siletz tribe
decided against paying out per capita
payments and elected to put the money
into a community trust, and invest for
the future.
The timber enterprise
grew, as did a business that sells
native plants to nurseries. Money was
put into the stock market and last year,
revenue of about $2 million was four
times the size of the budget.
< >
The story goes on to say that this year
has been the best yet.
The Siletz
started a smokehouse that sells salmon
to tourists in Depoe Bay. A medical
clinic, serving Indians and non-Indians
alike, has just opened.
The tribe's
realized a longstanding dream and built
54 new houses, some of them with five
bedrooms, bay windows and two-car
garages. It is not the success of the
tribe that surprises this writer, or
even that it has done it following the
federal government's shameful and
disastrous policy of termination. The
surprise is that we have a story about
the successes in the New York Times. I
wish more of the media would seek out
those successes and print them. If they
did, it would make my job a lot easier.
Then we would not have so many
unknowing members of the public out
there who continue to believe that the
typical Indian is in a drunken trance out
on the reservation looking for a
government handout.
Unfortunately,
some of the media perpetrate that
illusion itself!
Siletz Tribe Receives National News Coverage
An NBC National News Team was here, in
our small community of Siletz, December 11
through
14, taping
the
S iletz Tribal
accomplishments. The news report, which will
be run on the NBC nightly national news, was
prompted by an article ran in the New York Times
November 25. A news crew of 4 spent 3 1/2 days
taping at the Siletz Community Health Clinic,
Friday night BINGO, the Headstart Classroom,
Siletz Tribal Smokehouse, Paul Washington
Cemetery, the Indian Housing, Walt Klamath's
sweatlodge and interviewing Tribal Chairman,
Dee Pigsley.
The exact date of airing of the 3 minute
segment is not yet known. We have been told that
we will be notified when the date is set.