2
May 1995
Chairman's Report
From: Delores Pigsley, Tribal Chairman
The Siletz Tribe is involved in some
very important programs and issues which I
would like to highlight for your information.
Self Governance
On June 20th thru the 22nd in
Albuquerque, we will participate with other
tribes in pre-negotiations with the BIA for our
share of BIA funds. Specifically we will be
addressing issues involving Contract Support,
General Assistance, Judicial Services and
Housing Assistance.
Previously, funds for these Bureau
programs were distributed on a formula basis.
Because allocations will be made according to
negotiated shares, and become part of the
Tribe's base funding, it is essential that we
make certain that the funds are allocated
equitably.
The Albuquerque meeting will give us an
opportunity to have input into the allocation
process.
During the last Congressional session,
Self-Governance became a permanent program
and was expanded. In addition to the BIA and
IHS, tribes can now negotiate for programs and
funds from Bureau of Reclamation and Bureau of
Land Management.
This expanded program will enable
tribes to have maximum input into these other
federal programs and to operate them under
compacts similar to those negotiated with the
BIA and IHS.
Misinformation About the Self-
Governance Program
Recently, the Tribal Council has been
criticized for negotiating Self-Governance
compacts. They claim that Self-Governance is
"term ination".
Nothing can be further from the truth.
Prior to the 1950s,
under patern
alistic policies, the BIA had virtually all the
authority and control over Bureau programs
and services. We must remember that some
tribes were terminated because they were
unable to exercise true self-determination.
In the 1960s, the BIA instituted what
was then called the Community Development
Program.
It was a major effort to transfer
decision making authority from the BIA to the
tribes.
This effort was met with strong
resistence among BIA employees who cried
"term ination".
But the concept of Indian self-
determination caught fire and culminated in the
Indian Self-Determination and Education Act of
1974. The Act enabled tribes to undertake
Bureau programs under federal contracts. Once
again, many BIA and IHS employees cried
"termination" and resisted the idea, throwing
roadblocks in its path whenever they could.
Today, Indian Self Determination is
universally accepted as a positive reality by
the BIA as well as the tribes. A change that has
not been accomplished without strong BIA
resistance.
The Self Governance program, the
logical extension of the principles embodied in
the Indian Self Determination act, is once again
being resisted by some BIA and IHS employees.
They spread m isinform ation about Self-
Governance to undermine its true objectives.
The fact is that Self Governance
enables tribes to secure their shares of BIA and
IHS funds and allow for maximum flexibility to
design programs to meet their unique tribal
needs.
Tribes can obtain waivers of specific
regulations if such regulations impede the
ability of tribes to meet their needs.
Self-Governance, like the Indian Self
Determination Act, has built-in safeguards.
Tribes are still bound to use federal funds in
compliance with federal laws - there is no
latitude to change the laws. And, of basic
importance is the fact that the federal
government is bound by law to continue to
exercise trust responsibility.
Streamlining The Federal Government
All Federal agencies have been
mandated by the Administration and Congress
to reduce federal positions and costs - a
streamlining process that began earlier with
Clinton/Gore.
The objective is not only to
reduce administrative costs, but to provide
more direct funding and other resources to the
local tribal level.
There will be on-going negotiations with
the BIA to acomplish this objective.
It is
essential that the Siletz Tribe be actively
involved in these negotiations.
Tribal Court and Child Welfare Issues
During the past several months, there
has been concern expressed about the
operations of the Social Services program,
specifically, Child Welfare.
In carrying out oversight respon
sibility for such programs, the Tribal Council
authorized a review be conducted by Terry
Cross of the American Indian Child Welfare
Association which has conducted program
reviews of other tribes.
T erry w ill be w orking
w ith
a
committee established by the Council comprised
of Council member JoAnn Miller who will serve
as Chairman and members Geneva Johnson, Joe
Lane and Ralene Butler. •
Another area that needs a thorough
review and possible restructuring is the Tribe's
court system. With this in mind, the Tribal
Council has requested Joe Meyers of the
American Indian Justice Association to conduct
a review and make recommendations for
stengthening the Tribe's judicial system.
Appointed to the committee to assist in
this effort are Council Member Rosemary
Landis, and members Ralene Butler and Cheryl
Lane.
Gaming
For a more detailed account of the
status of the gaming project, I refer you to
Jessie Davis' Gaming Report.
Regarding our relationships with the
City of Lincoln City, we regret that some
adverse publicity has been disseminated by the
media about our negotiations.
We were astonished that the Mayor
chose to use the Letter to the Editor as a forum
for communicating with the Siletz Tribe. We
were in the midst of negotiations and felt the
Mayor's letter to be inappropriate contributing
only to confusion and ill-will.
We have been, and still stand, ready to
negotiate in good faith with the city on any and
all unresolved municipal service issues.
REMEMBER MAY 25TH - TEMPORARY
CHINOOK WINDS OPENS FOR TRIBAL
MEMBERS - AND MAY 26TH FOR THE
PUBLIC!
Gaming Report
By: Jessie Davis, Ad Hoc Gaming
Committee Chairman
Construction Wearing Completion
As you can see from the photo
on the front page, the construction of
the temporary gaming facility is 50%
complete. The concrete pad has been
laid and the SPRUNG structure erected.
By early May, the structure will
be completely enclosed, the entiyway
attached, the parking areas, sidewalks
and curb cuts for parking completed.
According to the SPRUNG super
visor, his crew which included five
Tribal members did an "excellent job"
erecting the structure.
Recruitment o f Personnel
The hiring of employees - about
200 needed to operate the gaming
center - is proceeding at a very rapid
pace.
John Fultz, the General Manager
and
Bev
Youngman,
the
newly
appointed Human Resources Director,
have been spending an enormous
amount o f time - 12 to 14 hours a day
including weekends - to fill the required
positions.
Fultz is also responsible for
coordinating the acquisition o f 1500 to
2000 pieces of equipment and supplies
that must be in place in time for the
opening.
Burgess
Harmer,
General
Manager of Comstock, will be sending
two of his top managers to Siletz for the
training o f our gaming employees.
We are on a very fast track and
barring an unforeseen catastrophe, we
will open the temporary facility on
schedule!
Gaming Commission Undergoing
Basic Orientation
The Gaming Commission has
been undergoing basic training relating
to their responsibilities. Craig Dorsay,
Tribal Attorney, met with the group on
the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, the
Cabazon decision, the Tribal/State
Compact, our Gaming Ordinance and
Regulations. The Commission also met
with Comstock officials and toured the
Comstock Casino and Hotel, viewing
first hand, the internal operations of a
major casino.
Sharon House, who serves as
attorney for the National Indian
Gaming Association and the Oneida
Tribe, was suddenly hospitalized and
unable to keep her appointment. Her
session will be rescheduled when she
recovers.
On the agenda for the week of
April 24th was Lynn Hillman o f the
Continued on page 22