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May 1994
Letters to
the Editor
Letters to the Editor :
All letters received will be
printed except those which are
determined to be slanderous.
Please type or write legible, no
p ro fa n e la n g ua g e w ill be
p r in te d .
The Siletz News
letter and Tribal Government
accept no responsibility for
statements made In the letters
to the editor. The opinions
expressed are souly those of
in d iv id u a ls
w r itin g
In .
LE TTE R S T H A T
EXCEED
350
WORDS
IN
LENGTH
WILL BE EDITED as approved
bv
Tribal Council Resolution
#91-04.
All lettersuJm U5l
include vour name, address and
s ig n a tu re .
Send letters to :
Siletz News, P.O. Box 549,
Siletz, Oregon 97380. Attn:
Teresa Miller, Managing Editor.
PLEASE
NOTE; The C hief
E x e c u tiv e O ffic e r o f th e
S ile tz T rib e Is th e C h ie f
E d it o r
of
th e
S ile tz
N e w s le tt e r .
Dear Editor,
I would like to take a
moment to express my (and my
family's) appreciation to a few
people. First of all, I would like
to thank the Tribal council for
their decision to allow the roll
to be opened. I am glad to see
that my votes were cast for
the right people who would
REALLY represent the wishes of
the tribe!
But there is someone
that I would like to say a very
special "thank you" to, and that
person is my Aunt Gladys
Bolton. She has kept this issue
alive and before everyone's
attention for so long. She has
d ilig e n tly fought to allow
children on the roll who will, in
turn allow the Siletz Tribe to
continue and not die out. We all
know this is not a popular issue
with everyone, and there has
been some heated opposition to
this issue so that makes Gladys
support on this issue all the
more appreciated.
I'm sure I speak for
others when I say that it makes
me feel good to know that even
though I don't live in Oregon, I
can rely on Gladys Bolton to
look out for my interests and
well-being when it comes to
Tribal Issues. THANKS SIS! We
love you!
Sincerely,
Cindy Lane Hill
Brothers and Sisters:
We as people are
engaged in a political struggle
of existence. To carry on as an
assim ilated manifestation of
conquest is not going to be
appropriate.
Our burden as
representatives of Earth and
her life is real. The discontent
we have in our community we
must strive to heal.
We, as indigenous
people, are at a time in our
e x is te n c e
never
b e fo re
experienced.
We, along with
many other parts of creation
including mankind and our
sacred w ater, are at the
threshold of extinction.
You,
the people, are just that..."the
people". There is no other that
have the magneto you have with
Earth and Sky here upon your
Mother, the Earth. You have
heard many times, "you cannot
bring back the old ways, you
want to live in a tee pee, you
w ant
to
run
with,
no
c lo th e s "
a ll
fo rm s
of
In te m p e ra te
in te llig e n ts ia
brought forth from a culture of
cults, be it religious, political
or educational.
All believing
they are right and they should
be the one to be respected more
than the other and yet the
Native theoretician is given no
acknowledgement.
Yet, if
learned, respected, and lived,
it would bring about calmness in
chaos, govern the masses with
equality, and set standards of
respect, honor and dignity.
These are the old ways.
The value system of the
ancestors of the indigenous
p e o p le s
of
the
w estern
hemisphere, a concept of
c iviliza tio n that has been
corroded by wantonization.
It's our time now to
walk this earth. The ancestors
of those yet to come, we are
the teachers. We must teach
ourselves the basis of survival
is unity with honor and respect
of one another.
Through us and only
through us, will our nations
survive. Our young people are
w hat w ill
d e te rm in e , our
existence and if we will become
myth or reality. The world is
swooping away faster than can
be explained. We cannot last
a n o th e r
g e n e ra tio n
of
separatism...two at the most.
We must strive to bring back
simple morals among ourselves
as people.
You have the
strength, you can still cry, you
have the strength.
Brothers & Sisters
in Resistance
Robert Van Pelt
Vfiawk g«u
I would like to take this
opportunity to thank everyone
for their out-pouring of love
and prayers, during my recent
stay at the Sacred Heart
Hospital. I had a triple by-pass
surgery and was pretty sick
for a few days. I am now home
and doing fine.
A special thanks to the
Health Clinic and to Dr. Leman
for giving me a call and words
of encouragement, and to the
Mentorship Program for their
nice homemade card. Also the
A ccounting O ffice, Central
Office, Elouise, and Elders. I
would also like to thank the
Springfield and Portland Area
Office for their nice cards.
And to all my cousins
and friends that visited me in
the Hospital and called to see
how I was doing and sent gifts,
Thank you so much.
A Special "thank you"
to my dear brother Delbert and
wife Sharon for taking care of
me for a week. Also my dear
sister Clarice and niece Judy
and Caroline Easter for all the
help and love. Also my Husband
Chuck and my son Randy and
wife Karen for their love and
support. And my niece and
nephews from Springfield and
brother-in-laws John Hudson
and Walt Easter.
I Love
each
and
everyone of you .
God Bless,
Pauline Ricks
To Tribal Members:
I writing in regards to
Bensell Breon's statement on
his disappointm ent that the
blood quantum level couldn't be
lowered to desendency. I know
his disappointment first - hand,
because, myself and a lot of
others won't be able to call
themselves a member of the
Confederated Tribes of Siletz.
Yet when the Chetco's
were marched to Siletz, my
G re a t-G re a t-G re a t
G ra n d
mother, (Lucy Dick) walked
with her father (the Chief),
they had hope. Hope that their
blood would survive generation
upon generation, father to son,
mother to daughter. Well, half a
dozen generations later left me
a tablespoon short - (1/32) of
being an eighth.
I think another vote
should be reconsidered. The
s tre n g th and future of your
generations depend upon it.
Thank you Bensell, it's good to
see somebody cares.
Allan Huffman
* y « y y w « z
)ear Editor, >
In response to Jay Gray's
letter in the April edition of the
Siletz Newsletter:
Dear Mr. Gray,
I do not own a teepee or
building a sweat lodge. I have read
many books about "Indians" and by
"Indians". I attend Pow Wows, but
not regularly. I am an Oregon
"Indian".
It amazes me how people
are able to explain my situation to
me, and other Oregon "Indians". The
tragedy of today is that past
history still dictates the future of
all Oregon "Indians".
It really offends me that
people who are not Native American
try to explain Native American
traditions to me. It's a shameful
fact that Anthropology Is taught
m ajorally by Anglo-Am ericans,
with the Native American view
often being overlooked. The
Government has gone from telling
us to be white, then to telling us
we're not "Indian" enough with
blood quantum regulations.
I respect that you can
admire our traditions. Please do not
think that partaking in them
qualifies you as being Indian.
I listen to Rap music; I
w a tch
O p ra h
and
M ontel
occasionally; I eat BBQ. I have read
many "Black" books and have seen
many "black" movies. This does not
mean I am an authority on Blacks,
and does not make me and African-
American. I respect their way of
life. I do not and will not, in my best
ability, try to tell "Black" people
who they are!
By the way, I am an
enrolled member of the Coquille
Tribe, and I am also on the Oregon
State University Longhouse staff. I
am unfamiliar with who you are. If
you wish to become involved with
the Longhouse, please feel free to '
donate your time. Unfortunately,
people always talk about helping out
and never do. This seems to be
existing Government Policy.
My family has lived in the
same area my forefathers did since
the beginning of time, and they, the
Coquille, will remain till the end of
time. This is what makes Oregon
Natives, and all Native Americans
"In d ia n s ",
not
blood
te sts,
"teepees", "books", "flute music",
"drumming", or attending "Pow
Wows".
Truly an OREGON "Indian"
Sincerely,
Shirod Younker
(edited for length)
"Most mothers are
instinctive philosophers/
— Harriet Beecher Stowe