2
February 1994
Letters to
the Editor
Letters to the Editor :
All letters received will be
printed. Please type or write
legible, no profane language will
be p rinted. The opinions
expressed are souly those of
individuals writing in.
The
Siletz Newsletter and Tribal
G o v e rn m e n t
accept
no
responsibility for statements
made in the letters to the
editor. LETTERS THAT EXCEED
350 WORDS IN LENGTH WILL BE
EDITED as approved bv Tribal
Council Resolution #91-04. All
letters must include vour name,
address and signature. Send
letters to : Siletz News, P.O.
Box 549, Siletz, Oregon 97380.
Attn: Teresa Miller, Managing
Editor.
PLEASE
NOTE: The Chief
Executive O fficer of the
Siletz Tribe is the Chief
E d ito r
of
th e
S ile tz
N e w s le tte r.
TO THE EDiTOR:
Well, New Year's and
Christmas are over. I got the
best Christmas ever. My son
Philip Walter Rilatos III called
me. I love you, my son. His
birthday is April 19.
Can't
wait to see you, Phil. My other
son Joshua Lennon Rilatos'
birthday is February 8. Happy
birthday, sons. Sherry and I
are expecting the arrival of our
baby around August 8....a pow
wow baby.
Lord knows I'll
have a. lot to dance about!
Last year and the year
before I found many owls. At
Bobby Simmon’s passing I found
a red tail hawk..... a sign I hope
that 1994 will be a year of life
for all our families.
I was talking to Frank
Simmons and we were talking
about what many have said.
Let's all pitch in an get Bobby
and Uncle Edwin a headstone.
Maybe Frank will accept the
family donations or one of the
girls and pick out a headstone.
God bless the Siletz
Nation and all our families far
and wide.
Phil Rilatos Jr.
THANK YOU:
I wish to extend my
h e a rtfe lt g ra titu d e to the
doctor, nurses and staff at the
Siletz Clinic for striving to
make my husband's last days as
comfortable as possible. Dr.
Forsyth, who kept Bobby going
when even we had given up, I
thank you and am grateful for
the extra time we were allotted
to be together. A very special
thank you to Kathy Heinen and
her helpers who came out to our
home daily to administer and
advise us.
A very big thank you to
B e v e rly
Y ou n g m a n
who
contacted and arranged for the
drummers for me. A heart full
of gratitude to the drummers
themselves. It was a beautiful
and
po w e rfu l
trib u te
to
Grandfather and Bobby.
Many thanks also to the
paramedics, the ambulance, and
Siletz Fire Department who
rushed to our aid at odd hours
many, many times.
I wish to thank all of
you so much who came to pay
your last respects at the
funeral and to those who
couldn't attend but sent your
thoughts and prayers. To all of
you who sent flowers and
cards, thank you. I would like
to extend my love to Mary Jane
Robb for the tender and
beautiful thoughts of Bobby in
her poem she wrote for him. To
Pastor Burkey, many thanks for
making the trip from Albany to
officiate at the services. Love
and thank you to Grace Castle
for her tales of she and her
mischievous cousin growing up
together and for writing the
obituary.
I would especially like
to extend my thanks to the
Siletz Community Center for
the use of the lovely setting for
the services. Also thank you
for the use of the kitchen
facilities and all those who
helped prepare and serve.
Lastly in my thanks, I'd
like to include the courteous and
caring people at Bateman's
Funeral Home. Once again, to
all of you, if I have left
someone out, please accept my
apologies, my deepest and heart-
full gratitude. God Bless.
Sincerely,
Dottie Simmons & Family
•••••
•••••
Happy Birthday Madge
Mason on February 11 from
everbody who loves you!!!
Happy Birthday Stephanie
Morrow, 13 years old
February 3 from all your
fam ily!!!
TO THE EDITOR:
From the registered
letters each of the 70 member
Martin Family received in-
November, it seemed obvious
the Tribal Council had initiated
action to research all members'
blood quantum. As we learned
later, this was not the case.
Only the Martin family, was
targeted fo r this adverse
action.
Because this action
would result in the expulsion of
26 Martins from the Tribe, a
h e a rin g
w as
re q u e s te d
November 3 . This request has
never been acknowledged.
None of the Martin's
letters to Nelsen Witt and the
T rib a l C ouncil has been
acknowledged. These are our
elected and appointed officials,
in office to assist and execute
business on behalf of the
membership.
If our elected
officials refuse to answer,
explain or even acknowledge
legitimate requests, then our
only recourse is to use this
medium as our forum.
My
question is: How many of our
current generation can stand up
under the same scrutiny as the
Martins?
Should only one
family have members relegated
to the ranks of the non-Indian?
Abbie Wilson had seven
children:
Arthur ' Bell, Bruce
B u tle r,
C h ris tin e
M artin,
Aurilla Tom; Griffin, Clark, and
Lindsay John.
Christine and
Aurilla had the same father,
both
m a rrie d
n o n -S ile tz
Indians:
Wilbur Martin and
Abraham Tom respectively.
Gladys Tom Staggs knows this.
B ecause
re q u e s ts
fo r
information were ignored, we
must rely on rum or and
hearsay. Hearsay has it that
Gladys said she would "go along
with the investigation only if it
was confined to the Christine
Martin family". I think we need
to look hard at any Council that
would agree to such a demand.
To Gladys I say: when
you investigated my Mother and
all her descendents, you also
investigated your Mother and
all her descendents.
To the
Tribe:
If you believe the
original roll should remain as-
is, then make your views
known. If an AD HOC committee
can investigate and target for
expulsion one family, then it
can happen to any sim ilar
family.
If justice is to be
equally applied, it must treat
all members alike.
I'm sure
people higher up than I would
agree.
Clark Wilbur Martin
TO THE EDITOR/TRIBAL
MEMBERS:
I am constantly asked i f
I can "teach a few words in
Spanish, or "help the souple
that speaks ho English". I am
approached and expected to
understand this language.
I
think many of us that are Indian
can relate and although some
situations render amusement,
there is $lso the opposite
reaction to our heritage.. I
know, some of you understand
when the word DISCRIM
INATION appears. I have heard
the Elders speak, and I have
felt it also. I feel very honored
to listen to the E lder's
experience and sacrifices,
th e ir struggles and th e ir
sorrows, and I understand. For
I am not only discriminated by
the "outside world", I am
discriminated against from my
own Tribe. For sixteen years I
have been told that I am being
denied
my
rig h t to
be
recognized.
The rest of my
family is "real", they exist,
but my sister and I do not.
Other relatives have been
raised in blood quantum without
contest. What if this were you,
or
your
c h ild re n
being
wronged? I urge you to listen,
and not just hear; to think and
not automatically judge. How
would you feel if your Tribe
ignored you?
No tribal job
opportunities, no rights for
your children to obtain aid for
college, not able to compete for
the Miss Siletz title, or to
compete in dances for many
years?
I have a profession,
and I have no need or wish to
live off the Tribe. My wish is
to live for the Tribe and help
support it.
I w ant the
discrim ination to end.
I
BELONG. If you wrong me again
and vote me away; you not only
dishonor and not recognize my
heritage and a fellow tribal
member, you dishonor OUR
heritage.
My family and I are not
asking you to vote us special
privileges. We are asking for
equality and fairness; so that
all the brothers and sisters of
my father can finally be the
same blood quantum. This is
the fair-judgement and equality
we seek and deserve.
Sincerely,
Samantha Hatfield
SILETZ NEWS DEADLINE
February 15, 1994
mail articles and photos to:
Siletz News, P.O. Box 549,
Siletz, Oregon 97380