2
February 1995,
Chairman's Report
From: Delores Pigsley
By the time you receive this
Newsletter, another election may be
over.
I may be your councilman for
another term; then again, I may not.
Whatever the outcome, I feel I can
reflect on the past 10 years with
satisfaction that we made significant
accomplishments.
It would please me greatly to b e .
able to continue to serve for another
term - to follow through on the
important programs and issues that we
began. That, however, is/has been up
to you, the General Council.
Whatever the outcome, this is an
excellent opportunity for me, as your
current Tribal Chairman, to share with
you, a few of my thoughts about the
Tribe and the Tribe's future.
I would like to begin with a few
words about "respect for Elders" -
about which we have heard so much
lately. Those are just empty words
unless they are translated into action.
The question is: what can we do
to express our respect for our Elders....
to give those words real meaning for
the lives of our Elders? We, on the
Tribal Council, have been sensitive of
the fact that because of our limited
resources, we have been unable to do
all that needs to be done. And because
of declining timber resources, the need
is getting even greater.
Our struggle to develop a gaming
enterprise was to generate revenues
that would help improve thé life of our
people. And it goes without saying that
out children and Elders have been high
on our list of priorities. Our gaming
center is becoming a reality and within
the next year, we will be able to begin
addressing these pressing needs in a
meaningful way....not just by empty
words.
But while meeting the current
needs of our people, our Council must
also weigh what is needed to meet
future needs. As I said three years ago,
when we first launched our gaming
effort, "gaming is only the means to an
end; it is not the end in itself."
We
must
ensure
that
a
substantial amount of our gaming
revenues are invested for the future -
including property and
economic
enterprises. We must not be caught
with all our eggs in one basket. We
must diversify. The future of gaming is
promising for the immediate future but
it may not be ten years from now. The
market may be saturated or the gaming
laws affecting Indians may change.
Just a few years ago, timber was
thought to be the best tribal resource
available until the endangered species
suddenly appeared.
While keeping our focus on our
own tribal needs and issues, we must
not lose sight of, and be actively
involved in, national issues that impact
us. It was only after the US Congress
adopted Termination as a national
policy and after the Siletz Tribal
Termination Act was passed, that the
Termination Policy was reversed. It was
because tribes across the country
joined forces to reverse that misguided
policy.
And more recently, it was the
coalition of tribes in the ’ National
Indian Gaming Association, fighting
against the Anti-Indian gaming forces,
that prevented IGRA from being
severely weakened or Indian gaming
destroyed. The Siletz Tribe contributed
to that effort.
Our members must understand
that the Council's active participation
in these national organizations is an
obligation - to ensure that our tribal
sovereignty, which is constantly being
threatened, is preserved.
Finally, I would like to say
something about being a Council
Member. We often hear on the one
hand that being on the Council is a
thankless job; and on the other , that
we are in it for the money. At eight,
dollars an hour, we certainly aren't in it
for the money (and most council
members don't submit claims for all the
time contributed).
And as for being vilified with
irresponsible charges hurled at us, at
times, we feel it is a thankless job,
frustrating and discouraging.
But the truth is, there are
rewards that can't be measured in
monetary terms - it is in seeing that the
time and effort devoted to the work of
the Council bear fruit.
In that connection, this has been
a spirited, emotionally charged election,
It's unfortunate that there were, at
times, damaging, irresponsible charges
made against certain candidates and
staff.
Just as our Tribe must be
constructively involved on a national
level to protect tribal rights and
sovereignty, each of us in the Tribe, has
a
responsibility
to
be
involved
constructively in the tribal government
- to make sure we understand, preserve
and strengthen our own Tribe - not to
tear it apart.
Too many tribes have been
weakened, some virtually destroyed,
because their members have lost
respect for each other and have tom
their tribes apart by sheer negativism.
We must now put aside our
personal animosities and endeavor to
work together in accomplishing our
goals - to continue the work of the
Council in achieving a better life for our
people.
Positive support for the Chinook
Winds Gaming Center has been
evidenced by several letters of support
I have recently received. Following this
report are just a few I would like to
share with the Tribal Membership.
Dear Ms. Pigsley,
Thank you and the
Tribe's members for
caring about the opinions
of Lincoln City residents
regarding the new gaming
center.
My only concern at
this time is the traffic
problem. I live in the Taft
area and is very difficult
at the present time
(especially in summer) to
go north out of town. My
family and roots are in
Tillamook County. Even
though I often travel East
Devils Lake Road in the
heavy traffic times, it's a
bad situation.
Knowing that
changing traffic patterns
is a long term item, it
needs to be dealt with the
sooner the better.
My family were
early settlers in South
Tillamook County (early
1870's) and my parents
and grandparents always
spoke highly of the
coastal Indians.
I'm happy for you
to have this chance to
improve your livelihood. I
can see no reason to
oppose what the state
allows. My personal
opinion is that we have all
reached a sorry state
when we can no longer
fund our government and
government entities
without gambling which
seems to take much of it's
monies from the poorer
families.
However, go for it!
Audrey Knotts