Page 6 September 2 9 ,1 9 8 1 _______________________________________ ___________ ________________________________
September 29, 1981 Page 7
Siletz tribe celebrates coming home
Beaming with pride and tears welling
in happiness, Siletz tribal members
emanated satisfaction and triumph as
they held their first restoration and
reservation powwow on their own land.
After 29 years without a home base they
were celebrating coming home.
The sunny weekend was busy for
those who were trying to make
everything perfect for their celebration
and the incoming well-wishers. Tribal
council member Pauline Ricks, a
resident of Springfield, Oregon, had to
sit down several times to cry tears of joy,
she said. She took upon herself the
responsibility of clearing an area at the
top of Government Hill, the site of the
powwow. Before the event it was
overgrown with weeds and brush. With
the aid of volunteers the area was made
ready. There were times, though, when
she was frustrated but never willing to
give up the task.
Such was the attitude of those who
worked long and hard to get a
reservation established after having
worked as long and hard to have the tibe
restored to its original status after
termination caused the disintegration of
the tribe and the loss of the Siletz tribe’s
land.
There were many times when
obstacles stood in the way according to
Siletz tribal council chairman Art
Bensell. Hunting and fishing rights had
to be settled between the tribe and the
sta te . T h e re had to be m any
compromises.
But the joy of the end result was not
diminished as a result of those
compromises. The Siletz tribe now has a
land base, a reservation consisting of
land that once belonged to the Siletz
people. Art Bensell says, “We own the
property and we are celebrating the fact
that the land is ours.” And along with
the land base they have once again
regained their status as a tribe. It is a
time for celebration.
“We are celebrating the fact
that the land is ours”
-
(S iletz Tribal Council chairman—Art Bensell)
Siletz History on page 11
A young Siletz tribal member surveys the recently developed reservation plan. It is her people and her land, now.
Carline Easter o f Springfield, Oregon was one o f many exhuberant Siletz tribal members wno
Coined in the powwow festivities. Carline has represented the siletz tribe at many socialfunctions
nv*r t h f n a s i 7 vears.
Spilyay Tymoo photos and text
by
Marsha Shewczyk
rAe cemetery on Government HUI in the city o f Siletz was the only remaining possession of theSUetz
ribe after their termination in 1954.
Siletz tribal members led the grand entry as the first Siletz powwow opened celebrating restoral o f tribal status and
restoration of tribal land.