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SILETZ NEWS

Delores Pigsley,

Tribal Chairman

Kurtis Barker

Chief Executive Officer

and Editor-in-Chief

Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians

Vol. 51, No. 8

Presorted

First-Class

Mail

U.S. Postage

Paid - Permit

No. 178

Salem, OR

Siletz News

Confederated Tribes of

Siletz Indians

P.O. Box 549

Siletz, OR 97380-0549

August 2023

Tribe invites you to pow-wow as 3-day event returns with dancing, singing, parade

The annual Nesika Illahee Pow-Wow,

held by the Confederated Tribes of Siletz

Indians, takes place this year on Aug.

11-13 in Siletz, Ore. The public is invited

to attend this free family-friendly event, a

tradition for the Siletz people and other

American Indians, sponsored by Chinook

Winds Casino Resort and Pepsi Bottling

Company.

All events, except the parade, take

place at the Pauline Ricks Memorial

Pow-Wow Grounds on Government Hill

in Siletz.

“Everyone is invited to experience

our pow-wow and learn about American

Indian culture and dance,” said Buddy

Lane, Tribal cultural education manager

and pow-wow coordinator. “Come join us

at our annual celebration.”

The celebration will start with the

crowning of the 2023-2024 Siletz Royalty

on Friday, Aug. 11, at 6 p.m. Participants

dressed in all dance styles will enter the

arena at 7 p.m. during the first Grand

Entry, followed by preliminary rounds of

competition for youth and teens.

A parade winds through downtown

Siletz at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 12.

This hometown event includes Tribal royalty, drummers, dancers, equestrian units,

vintage cars and floats.

Pre-registration is available by accessing a registration form on the Tribe’s

website – ctsi.nsn.us; picking one up at

the Tribal administration building, 201

SE Swan Ave. in Siletz; or by contacting

Lane at 541-444-8230 or 800-922-1399,

ext. 1230.

Registration also is available the

morning of the parade at 8 a.m. at the

Tribal administration building.

The parade is followed by a Grand

Entry at 1 p.m. at the pow-wow grounds.

Competition dancing for youth and teens

continues in the afternoon. Competition

dancing after the 7 p.m. Grand Entry

continues with Golden Age and adult categories and the finals for youth and teens.

On Sunday, Aug. 13, the final day of

the pow-wow, a Grand Entry takes place at

noon. This session includes a Team Dance,

Women’s Basket Cap Special, Round

Bustle Special for men and a Jackson

Fancy Dance Memorial. It will end with

awards for the Golden Age, adult, teen and

youth category winners. Prizes range from

$25 to $600.

A variety of food, Native arts and

crafts, and jewelry will be offered for sale

by more than 50 vendors on the pow-wow

grounds.

“Come and see the variety of vendors

at our annual summer pow-wow. Many

facets of indigenous America are represented both in craft and food,” said Lane.

“There’s a lot to look at and experience,

there’s something for everyone here.”

A free shuttle will be available from

various parking lots in Siletz to the powwow on Government Hill. Signs will be

See Pow-Wow on page 5

Hoyle, Merkley bills

to restore fairness for

Siletz Tribe pass through

committee

WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Val

Hoyle’s (OR-04) and U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley’s identical bills to restore fairness for

the Siletz Tribe passed out of committee

in both the U.S. House and U.S. Senate

on July 19. The legislation would remove

a discriminatory legal clause that has

severely limited the hunting, fishing,

trapping and gathering abilities of the

Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians.

The U.S. House version of the bill,

H.R. 2839, passed unanimously by voice

vote in the House Natural Resources Committee. An identical version of the bill, S.

1286, passed out of the Senate Committee

on Indian Affairs.

“The Siletz Tribe never should have

been forced to give up their sovereign

right to hunt and fish on their ancestral

lands. Passing this bill in committee is

one step closer to getting a vote on the

House floor and eventually being signed

into law,” said Hoyle. “As a member of the

Natural Resources Committee, we have a

responsibility to right this historic wrong

and ensure the Siletz are treated as other

Tribes are. I’m grateful to have had this

opportunity.”

“The Confederated Tribes of Siletz

Indians were forced to give up their traditional ability to hunt, fish and gather

on Tribal land as the price to restore

their homelands. This historic injustice

has stood for far too long,” Merkley said.

“Committee passage was a critical first

step toward finally giving the Tribes the

legal ability to renegotiate the restrictive

agreement and I will continue working

alongside Rep. Hoyle to bring justice to

the Siletz community.”

“The Confederated Tribes of Siletz

Indians is extremely grateful to Rep. Hoyle

See Bills on page 12

Photo by Andy Taylor

Chantele Rilatos works on a cradleboard at Culture Camp. See more photos on pages 10-11.

FY 2022 Indian gaming revenue breaks records at $40.9 billion, up 5% over 2021

WASHINGTON – The National

Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC)

has released Fiscal Year 2022 (FY 2022)

Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR) numbers

totaling $40.9 billion, an increase of 4.9%

over FY 2021.

Chairman E. Sequoyah Simermeyer

and Vice Chair Jeannie Hovland made

the announcement July 19 in Thackerville, Okla.

Gaming revenue for FY 2022 is the

highest in Indian gaming history. Seven

of NIGC’s eight regions showed an

increase over FY 2021. The overall FY

2022 GGR increase was $1.9 billion,

about 5% higher than the historic FY

2021 GGR of $39 billion as operations

emerged from the pandemic.

It is important to note the year-overyear GGR change by region should not

be used as a direct indicator of the local

economy in any specific region. Many

See Gaming on page 12

Siletz Tribal offices will close at noon on Friday, Aug. 11, for the Nesika Illahee Pow-Wow

and will be closed Monday, Sept. 4, for the Labor Day holiday.

Chairman’s Report

Charles Wilkinson

The news of Charles Wilkinson’s

passing was shared by his family in Boulder, Colo.

Charles was a fiercely devoted friend

to our Tribe since I first met him back in

1975. He supported and led Tribal restoration efforts even prior to that date. At

the time, he lived in Eugene, taught at the

University of Oregon and was very active

in the Native community in Eugene.

He attended most all of our early

Tribal Council meetings, coordinating

information with many organizations,

including the Native American Rights

Fund and with our congressional delegation. He played an extremely important

role in Tribal restoration.

Our first Tribal Council visit to Washington, D.C., was in March 1976. Each

council member and our general manager

testified before the Senate Select Committee on Indian Affairs. Charles assisted

with all the testimony as we had only five

minutes each to testify.

We then made a huge lobby effort to

members of the House of Representatives. Charles greatly assisted with his

passionate pleas in the House. It was an

unforgettable trip and the Tribe’s first time

to testify before Congress.

Charles attended many Tribal functions over the years, including our pow-

wow, Tribal Restoration, Run to the Rogue

and Nee Dosh. He kept in touch with all

Tribal activities. It was those relationships

that told us he would be the best person

to write our story, The People Are Dancing Again.

We contacted Charles to determine if

he had the interest and the time to write

about Siletz. We were pleased that he

really wanted to undertake the job.

He took a one-year sabbatical from

the University of Colorado Law School

in Boulder to do the writing. As it turned

out, the book took more than a year to

complete because he wanted to make sure

it was absolutely correct. He gathered

many Tribal members to be sure.

After the book was complete, Charles,

Bud Lane and I promoted the book to

many places. It was well-received by

the public and by scholars. Charles has

famously written many books, his expertise in Tribal issues has been acclaimed

by many Tribes and universities. He has

received numerous awards and I have been

lucky to be present at some of those.

Charles is greatly missed, not only

by his family, but by many people whose

lives he has touched over the many years.

Siletz Tribal Consent Decree

The Tribe has worked for several years

to find a way to rid us of the hunting and

Legal Aid Services of Oregon and the Oregon Law Center, civil legal service

providers for low-income Oregonians, operate a public benefits hotline where

low-income Oregonians can talk to lawyers and paralegals to get advice on public

benefits, including unemployment benefits:

Oregon public benefits hotline: 800-520-5292 • Oregonlawhelp.org

Siletz News is free to enrolled Siletz Tribal members. For all others, a $12

annual subscription fee applies. Please make checks payable to CTSI and mail

to Siletz News.

Name: _______________________________________________________

Address: ____________ _________________________________________

Phone:_ _______________________________________________________

Change of address: Tribal members – contact the Enrollment Department

at 541-444-8258; 800-922-1399, ext. 1258; or enrollment@ctsi.nsn.us. All

others – call the newspaper office.

Deadline for the September

issue is Aug. 10.

Send information to:

Submission of articles and

photos is encouraged.

Siletz News

P.O. Box 549

Siletz, OR 97380-0549

Please see the Passages

Policy on page 20 when submitting items for Passages.

541-444-8291 or

800-922-1399, ext. 1291

Fax: 541-444-2307

Email: PIAS@CTSI.NSN.US

•

Siletz News

•

August 2023

Member of the Native American

Journalists Association

fishing restrictions that were necessary

in order to be restored back in 1977. In

the 1980 Reservation Plan, the Tribe had

to agree to the Consent Decree that gave

the state authority over hunting, fishing

and gathering.

The Tribe recently worked out an

agreement with the Oregon Department of

Fish & Wildlife and the ODFW committee

approved the agreement in June. On July

19, 2023, the U.S. House of Representatives Natural Resource Committee passed

our legislation by unanimous consent

to amend the Restoration Act to remove

the restrictions on hunting, fishing and

gathering.

On the same day, the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs also unanimously

passed the same legislation (see page 1).

The legislation now needs to pass the full

House and the full Senate, which we are

hoping occurs before the August recess.

Many hours have been spent to get

us this far to justify the Tribe’s position

on managing our own natural resources.

Delores Pigsley

We still have a ways to go and it will be a

topic of discussion at our General Council

meeting this month. We have reason to

celebrate!

Hope to see you all at the pow-wow!

Elders Council Meeting

The Elders Council will host an in-person/Zoom hybrid meeting on

Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023, at 1 p.m. in the Shasta room at Chinook Winds

Casino Resort in Lincoln City, Ore.

If you have any questions, please contact the Elders Program at

541-444-8212.

Election Board Application

Qualified Tribal members interested in serving on the Election Board are

encouraged to fill out this application. The Election Board consists of three regular

and two alternate members (this year’s appointments will be staggered terms for

one, two and three years and thereafter each year’s appointments will be a threeyear appointment).

Compensation: Election Board members are compensated at an hourly rate

set by the Tribal Council in its annual budget for their time spent performing the

duties as a member of the board.

Return applications to: Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, Attn: Executive Assistant to Tribal Council, P.O. Box 549, Siletz, OR 97380-0549; or email

celestal@ctsi.nsn.us

Deadline: Applications for consideration will be accepted through Sept. 6,

2023.

Name: __________________________________________ Roll No.: _________

Address: __________________________________________________________

City: ________________________ State: _______________ ZIP: __________

Telephone: Day ( ) _________________ Evening ( ) ________________

Email: ___________________________________________________________

CTSI Jobs – Employment information is available at ctsi.nsn.us.

Note: “Open Until Filled” vacancies

may close at any time. The Tribe’s Indian

Preference policy will apply. Tribal

government will not discriminate in

selection because of race, creed, age,

sex, color, national origin, physical

handicap, marital status, politics,

membership or non-membership in an

employee organization.

CTSI constantly is looking for

temporary employees to cover vacancy,

vacations, maternity leave and extended

sick leave. If you are looking for temporary work that can last from 2-12

weeks, please submit an application for

the temp pool.

Elders meet to prepare

for 2024

Siletz Tribal elders have two days

scheduled at the Hee Hee Illahee RV

Resort in Salem, Ore., to work on projects for Elder Honor Day 2024. The

first was July 23 and the next is Aug.

27 from 1-5 p.m. You’re encouraged to

bring snacks and drinks if you’re able.

These meetings are potluck-style, so

please bring a delicious dish to share!

We look forward to making some

fun projects, sharing stories and creating some beautiful art and memories

together. For more information please

call 541 444-8261.

The Elders Team

August 2023

•

Siletz News

•

For information about the Siletz Tribe, visit our website at www.ctsi.nsn.us.

Vital foods: Smell, taste, texture contribute to nutritional benefits, food vitality

By Nancy Ludwig, MS, RDN, LD, Head

Start Consulting Nutritionist

What attributes do you look for when

you buy produce or fresh food? When

I buy produce, I’m looking for the most

vital food. Vital is hard to describe in

words, however, even though I believe I can

sense it. This month, I want to explore the

concept of vitality and vital foods as well

as growing practices that support vitality.

I offer information for families in my

role as consultant nutritionist to Siletz

Tribal Head Start.

Let’s start with some definitions:

Vital: 1. Absolutely necessary or

important; essential. 2. Full of energy; lively.

Vitality: 1. The state of being strong

and active; energy. 2. The power giving

continuance of life, present in all living

things. 3. Energy and strength.

Vital signs in health: Doctors measure

vital signs, like body temperature, heart

rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure and

oxygen saturation to understand how a

body is functioning and to detect and

monitor health issues.

How can we apply the concepts of

vital, vitality and vital signs to our food?

What are the vital signs of our food and

how can we notice or measure vitality?

With so much summer abundance,

I invite you to wonder and explore, with

each food encountered, how and where

you notice vitality. What does it look like?

How does it feel when you experience it?

In what situations do you notice vitality?

This may be clear to you or it may seem

strange. I encourage this topic as a family

conversation at the dinner table, grocery

store, farmers market or in the garden.

I enjoy farmers markets where I can

sense the food before purchasing. I grow

some of my food and I also shop at grocery

stores. Buying food online hasn’t appealed

to me because there is something I want

to experience before I select an item,

particularly produce.

What do you notice and what is

important to you when selecting your food

items? Is it visual? Is it the colors, the texture, the way it smells? For me, much of it

starts with the visual, yet some of it, I feel.

•

Siletz News

•

For example, if it’s lettuce, it might be

the shade of green, the variegated tones of

red and green, or the watery crispness in

the leaves. Sometimes I smell it.

While at home in the garden or at

the farmers market, I can taste it. This

exercise might be similar with a piece of

fresh fruit, yet the experience would be

different. For me, smell and texture are

very important for fruit.

Over the course of my life and nutrition career, I have learned to see “vitality” as a predictor of food quality and the

benefits it has to offer. Vitality isn’t easy to

measure in the lab. I see vitality as ancient

truth or knowing.

I believe vitality includes nutritional

benefits, even if we cannot prove increased

nutrient levels. The divide between

evidence-based science and traditional

approaches is highlighted by the concept

of vitality, which can be observed, but

not clearly measured, within the current

limitations of science.

I see vitality as a relevant nutrition

concept, despite the lag of science. Scientific findings are generally last, not first.

Scientific methods attempt to confirm

truth or find to correlation.

When modern culture dismisses years

of Indigenous observation and looks only

to evidence-based science, I believe this

reveals a lack of understanding of the

limitations of science. The natural world

is more complex than science can tease

out with its methods.

Trained in science myself, I see its role

and its limitations. Right now, with health

as our goal, let’s go a bit deeper.

With my interests in growing food and

my time spent in the organic movement as

an inspector for organic certification, I’ve

noticed that some of the methods emphasize vitality. Biodynamic agriculture is one

of those approaches. This integrated system was founded by Rudolf Steiner nearly

100 years ago. It works with the rhythms

and cycles of nature and the cosmos as a

system to support life and vitality.

At the opposite end of the range is

modern chemical agriculture and the goal

of maximum production. This approach

tends to stress or deplete the system and

balance of the soil.

August 2023

Organic is another approach that

spans a wide range within the extremes,

depending on the emphasis on holistic

systems, beyond what is allowed and not

allowed under the rules for certification.

I recently read an interview with Gaby

Gonzalez in Biodynamics, a publication

of the Biodynamic Demeter Alliance

(Biodynamics Summer 2022 #302). In

this article she shared her experience as

a third generation Mexican farmer.

She had watched her grandfather grow

food in natural ways that included healing

people with plants and animals. Then when

her father took over the farm, he thought

the modern ways he learned were superior.

After five years of industrial chemical production, however, her father and his nine

brothers decided to sell the ranch.

Gaby, knowing the advantages and

disadvantages of each approach, entered

into the world of organic agriculture to

learn, to read and to practice. While in

a composting course 15 years later, she

discovered biodynamics, which filled in

some missing pieces for her.

She began to understand the importance of biodynamics in life where plants

were not the only factor to consider for

high quality production. Also important

is the soil, animals, elements, environment and cosmos – everything that occurs

around us that allows us to be alive.

Within the interview, I was delighted

with this question: “What is the connection between biodynamics and traditional

Indigenous agriculture?” Gaby explained

that they share a basic cosmovision, or

worldview, an approach that acknowledges

a connection with the whole.

She explained that in her tradition

there are certain plants or animals that

are considered as deities. The people are

able to maintain a connection with the

sacred beyond the concept of minor rank

that humans give to a simple plant or a

simple animal.

These beings, by becoming food and

medicine, keep us alive within the sacred

aspect of the intangible and our relationship with the whole. As human beings,

whether we express it or not, whether we

agree or not, we all know, on some level,

this wisdom also exists inside of us. This

Indigenous worldview, discipline and philosophy of how human beings work with

nature is shared in biodynamics.

To be clear, agriculture per se is not

natural; it has been created by humans

and technified. Techniques have evolved

over time to meet the needs of various

peoples, times, cultures and places. The

word “agriculture” lacks culture in reality,

which is what gives meaning to the connection between the Indigenous worldview

and biodynamics.

The culture of life is recognized as

being something bigger than we are,

something we must honor with practices

and processes that support life. In the

same way, Indigenous cultures have their

rhythms of planting corn and beans, using

wise and intimate ways of working with

each crop.

They are constantly observing, feeling

and understanding the natural processes

through which these sacred plants pass

and that keep them alive. This allows them

to visualize, to sense what works and what

doesn’t in order to revitalize their crops

over time. Through this deep relating with

the land, Indigenous peoples become

resilient and independent. Modern-day

agriculture does not value these practices.

The possibilities of establishing a

relationship with one’s environment are

profound, which gives one what is necessary to restore it and support it to cultivate

more vigor, more life. This connection is

our biggest evolutionary responsibility.

We are a part of the earth and we

must earn our place. If we decide to put

ourselves first before anything else in

nature, we lose our connection to the

whole. Vitality arises from this connection

to the whole.

Vitality is a term I believe is critical

as we move forward with our roles, connecting with the whole and finding health.

Siletz Tribal Head Start offers nutritional support at no cost to Head Start

families. If you have nutrition concerns

about your Head Start child or want to

discuss family nutrition concerns, please

contact your teacher or the director and

ask for a phone call with the nutritionist.

Congratulations

and on to

Nationals!

Congratulations to the Firecats

fast pitch softball

team and Tribal

m e m b e r Ba i l ey

Owen. These girls

won the Oregon

state title in their

10U division.

USDA distribution dates for August

Siletz

Thursday

Friday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Aug. 3

Aug. 4

Aug. 7

Aug. 8

Aug. 9

12:30 – 3:30 p.m.

9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Sammy Hall, USDA Program Director

541-444-8279 or 541-390-0763;

sammyh@ctsi.nsn.us

Fax: 541-444-8306 or 503-391-4296

Royalty says

thank you

The family of Kendall

and Beyonka Bell-Tellez

would like thank everyone

for the support they have

received over the last year

as Junior Miss Siletz and

Little Miss Siletz. We have

enjoyed traveling all over

the state, meeting new people and having some great

experiences.

By the time they give up

their titles, these girls will

have represented the Tribe

at more than 25 events.

Thank you again for all the

support and encouragement

over the year!

Salem

Tuesday

Aug. 22 9 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday Aug. 23 9 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.

By appt only

Thursday Aug. 24

LIKE us on Facebook at Siletz

Tribal FDPIR. We would like to

see more people sharing their

recipes on our FB page.

Pow-Wow, continued from page 1

posted. Parking is extremely limited at the

pow-wow grounds, so the shuttle is the

best way to get there.

This is an alcohol- and drug-free

event.

Listen carefully to the pow-wow

announcer, who will tell you when you

can and when you should not take photos. The announcer also will explain the

significance of the events taking place in

the dance arena throughout the pow-wow.

Pow-Wow Schedule

Friday, Aug. 11

6 p.m. – Royalty Crowning

7 p.m. – Grand Entry

Saturday, Aug. 12

10 a.m. – Parade

1 p.m. and 7 p.m. – Grand Entry

Sunday, Aug. 13

Noon – Grand Entry

August 2023

•

Siletz News

•

Scan QR code with your

phone. This will pull up

a calendar of events

from CEDARR.

Salem-Area Walking Group

When: Every Tuesday

Time: 11:15-12:15 p.m. (up to 1 hour)

Walk your way to better health!

Where: For the month of August we will be at

Keizer Rapids Park

1900 Chemawa Road N, Keizer, OR 97303

Choose your comfort level. Any pace is the right pace!

Participants receive a raffle ticket each week they

attend walking group. The drawing for a prize will

be held on the last Thursday of each month.

*** Note: Please contact me if you would like to

participate as we will need at least 1 participant

each week in order to meet for walking groups.

Cecilia Tolentino, Community Health Advocate at

541-484-4234

Or by email at Ceciliat@ctsi.nsn.us

•

Siletz News

•

August 2023

Children’s Eye Health and

Safety Month

Jamie Boe, Community Health Advocate, EAO

While children prepare to go back to school, please remember that

good vision is important to academic and social success. Untreated

eye diseases only become more difficult to correct as a child grows.

Vision problems that can affect children include amblyopia (lazy

eye), strabismus (crossed eyes), and the most common forms of

refractive errors (blurred vision) include myopia (nearsightedness),

hyperopia (farsightedness) and astigmatism. The earlier a vision

disorder can be identified and treated, the stronger start to

learning and development a child will have.

A Few Facts



Vision disorders can negatively impact a baby’s ability to bond

with their parents, their ability to explore the world, and also

impede development of fine and gross motor skills.



One in every 4 school-age children and 1 in every 17

preschool-age children have some form of vision problem

requiring treatment.



24% of teens with correctable vision have the wrong

prescription.



80% of all blindness and vision impairment is either preventable or treatable.

For more information, visit:

Hepatitis C Facts for Elders



How does age affect hepatitis?

Compared with younger people with hepatitis C, older adults are at a

disadvantage. People who are initially infected with hep C when they

are older tend to have worse prognoses than those who acquire it while

young. Adults over age 50 who acquire hep C have a high risk of

developing cirrhosis within 15 years.



Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is the most frequent cause of acute viral hepatitis in older people. Acute hepatitis C is usually a mild disease in this age

group. Because many older patients with chronic HCV infection have

compensated liver disease, they could benefit from antiviral therapy.



Hep C can cause serious problems like liver failure, cirrhosis (scarring

of the liver) and liver cancer if left untreated for a long period of time.



Hepatitis C can remain dormant in a person’s body for decades before

showing signs. And by the time it does show signs, its already done

major damage to the liver



According to a CDC report, more than 75 percent of the adults currently

living with hepatitis C were born between 1945 and 1965 – meaning

older adults are five times more likely to have the disease than any other

age group. This is why it’s important to get tested even if you haven’t

shown any signs of having the disease.



How contagious is Hep C?

It's highly contagious, very dangerous and usually exists without presenting any symptoms at all. Hepatitis C can be transmitted in many

different ways, so it's important to do what you can to help prevent contracting or spreading the disease whenever possible, such as avoiding

sharing needles at any time. People with hepatitis C often worry about

https://preventblindness.org/

giving it to others with whom they live. It would be very hard to transmit HCV,

however, unless there is direct blood-to-blood contact. Things like razors,

toothbrushes, nail clippers and other personal hygiene items can spread

hepatitis C, but it is difficult to do so.



These are some reasons why it’s important to get tested even

if you are not showing any symptoms. Our Harm Reduction

Program does testing events twice a month where you can

come and get tested. Or if you don’t feel comfortable getting

tested at one of our events, you can call or text

Shawnee 541-270-6732

Sheila 541-272-9083

August 2023

•

Siletz News

•

Hands on Food for Youth

Located:

Siletz

Fitness

Youth will

learn

how toCenter

make

July 2ndnutritious, easy,

July 16th healthy meals

20thlunch, and/or snacks!

forAugust

breakfast,

11:30am - 1pm

Harvesting Juncus at

Farm

August 19th

Dates: Wed.

July 26th

August 2nd

August 16th

Time for

Mountain Huckleberries

in the

Cascade Mountains

Healthy Traditions

at the Siletz Tribal Community Garden

541-444-9627

This event is open to Siletz Tribal members

and their families

541-444-9627

This event is open to Siletz Tribal members

and their families

For more information, email Kathy at

kathyk@ctsi.nsn.us or call

Healthy Traditions

•

Siletz News

•

August 2023

For more information, email Kathy at

kathyk@ctsi.nsn.us or call

August 2023

•

Siletz News

•

Culture Camp • July 11-13, 2023

Photos by Andy Taylor

Above: Jula Krewson and Marleen Wynn make a matish.

Below: Head Start Lead Teacher Robin Limbert helps Penelope Myers and Creed

Taylor paint shirts as Tenaya Cordova helps other children.

Bottom: Drew Viles works on a project.

Courtesy photo by Samantha Chisholm Hatfield

Top: Crystal Chulik helps her daughter, Aiyahna, with a fish.

Photos by Andy Taylor

Below left: A basket is in the works

Below right: Sharla Strong starts a cedar bark project.

Bottom: A moccasin is in the works

10 •

Siletz News

•

August 2023

Culture Camp • July 11-13, 2023

Photos by Andy Taylor

Courtesy photos by Samantha Chisholm Hatfield

Top left: K’Sea Chulik-Ruff presents his

fish.

Above: Another fish is caught.

Photos by Andy Taylor

Left: A sun catcher in the making

Above: Chelcy Villanueva and Lilianna Garcia tie cedar.

Below right and bottom right: Children take time out to play dodgeball and get a

drink of water.

Below: Melissa Butler works on a matish.

Bottom left: A drumstick in the making

Below: Chloe Regalado and Zakhara

make dream catchers.

Bottom: Elders take a break in the

shade.

August 2023

•

Siletz News

•

Gaming, continued from page 1

Missing Moccasins

other factors could have an impact on the

GGR at the regional level, such as new

gaming operations, expansions or renovations to existing operations, temporary

or permanent closures, or changes in a

gaming operation’s fiscal year.

“This year’s historic revenue reflects

the resiliency of many Tribal gaming

operations and how Tribal gaming continues to rebound and remain strong. Tribal

governments and the operations they

license continue to explore new and innovative ways to expand and deliver world

class experiences to cultivate sustainable

economies. Across Indian Country, Tribes

pursue economic sustainability through

gaming by relying on the robust regulatory

reputation for which Indian gaming is well

known and made better when supported

by efficient and effective measures,” said

Simermeyer.

Hovland noted this year’s GGR

reflects Indian gaming geographic and

financial diversity, with 55% of Tribal

gaming facilities reporting less than $25

million in revenues (5% of the total GGR).

Indian gaming’s success also often means

benefits to surrounding communities and

regional economies.

“We have cause to celebrate the

opportunity successful Indian gaming

operations affords Tribes to invest in the

future and improve the quality of life for

individual Native people, and their families and their communities,” Hovland said.

The FY 2022 revenues are calculated

from the independently audited financial

statements of 519 gaming operations

owned by 244 federally recognized Tribes.

Indian gaming operations are located on

Indian land in 29 states.

To view the FY 2022 GGR report, visit

https://www.nigc.gov/images/uploads/

GGRFY22_071923_Final.pdfvisit.

Bills, continued from page 1

for introducing this legislation. It reverses

a historic wrong against the Siletz people

and removes an unconscionable restriction to fish, hunt and gather foods in our

ancestral homelands,” said Tribal Chairman Delores Pigsley.

This legislation will allow the Siletz

Tribe to return to federal court to request

the termination or modification of the

consent decree from 1980 that unfairly

forced the Siletz to give up their traditional

hunting and fishing activities. While the

Oregon Fish & Wildlife Commission

recently approved a historic new hunting

and fishing agreement with the Siletz

Tribe, the state of Oregon can choose or

be forced by litigation to return to the

previous unconscionable agreement. The

legislation is necessary to invalidate the

consent decree.

The Confederated Tribes of Siletz

Indians and the Confederated Tribes of

Grand Ronde are the only Tribes in the

country that have consent decrees that

legally prevent them from negotiating for

traditional hunting and fishing activities

on their land. Hoyle also supports similar legislation, H.R. 2850, which would

address the consent decree that restricts

the Grand Ronde Tribe. Merkley also leads

the Senate version of this bill.

12 •

Siletz News

•

August 2023

Graduates!

Most Often Requested

Numbers

Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians –

800-922-1399

Salem Area Office – 503-390-9494

Portland Area Office – 503-238-1512

Eugene Area Office – 541-484-4234

Purchased Referred Care (PRC) –

541-444-9677

Tribal Veterans Rep – 541-444-8330

or 541-270-0569

Siletz Community Health Clinic –

800-648-0449

Siletz Behavioral Health – 800-600-5599

Chinook Winds Casino Resort –

888-244-6665

Chemawa Health Clinic – 800-452-7823

Bureau of Indian Affairs – 800-323-8517

Website – www.ctsi.nsn.us

Lincoln County Jail

seeks volunteers

The Lincoln County Jail in Newport, Ore., is seeking additional

cultural practitioners to provide

services to American Indians who

are incarcerated. They are seeking

both female and male practitioners to

provide online, one-on-one and group

guidance (once it is safe to hold inperson meetings).

If you have questions, please contact Lisa Norton at lisan@ctsi.nsn.

us. If you want to volunteer, contact

Dennis Buckmaster (dbuckmaster@

co.lincoln.or.us) to start the process.

This process does include a background check, but all situations will

be considered individually.

“Hi, I can help

with OHP.”

Aiden Sifford

Nestucca Valley High School

Tillamook Bay Community College

I would like to congratulate Aiden

Sifford on his graduations! Aiden graduated from Nestucca Valley High School

(Cloverdale, Ore.) as class valedictorian

with a 4.444 GPA. He simultaneously

graduated from Tillamook Bay Community College magna cum laude with three

associates degrees.

Aiden was chosen as one of 51

Oregon college students to receive the AllOregon Academic Award. He is a member

of the Phi Theta Kappa International

Honor Society.

Aiden has been accepted to Dartmouth to continue his studies. He plans to

take a premed track with a focus on biochemistry while also studying economics.

He hopes to one day work in the medical

and research fields.

We wish him the best and are so

proud of him. We can’t wait to see what

he does next.

Do you need help with OHP?

You don’t have to leave your home

to apply!

Applications can now be done

online or over the phone.

Marnie Griffin

Portland State University

Sharing our proud congratulations to

our daughter and sister, Marnie. You’ve

achieved a huge accomplishment in

obtaining your bachelor’s degree. Way to

not give up!

Marnie is the granddaughter of Ila

Mae Hoiness (Downey) and daughter of

Marleen Wynn. Thank you for being a part

of the graduate club (with your sisters) and

adding to the resiliency of our community.

Lub, Mom, Andrea and Jula

Kyler MaeAnne Nitzel

Cascade High School

Kyler graduated from Cascade High

School in Cascade, Idaho. She is the

daughter of Beau and Brandee (Logan)

Nitzel, and the granddaughter of Kendall

Logan of Neotsu, Ore., and Vicki JantziKonop of Eddyville, Ore.

Kyler will attend TVCC (Treasure

Valley Community College in Ontario,

Ore.) in the fall and play volleyball for the

Lady Chukars.

For more information about the Siletz Tribe, visit ctsi.nsn.us.

Siletz Tribal Vocational Rehabilitation Program

(STVRP)

STVRP is here to help members of ANY federally recognized Tribe (living within the

Siletz Tribe's service area) with barriers to employment. We work with individuals

who have disabilities.

Examples of Services

• Guidance and counseling

• Culturally relevant and

• Referral to employment services

individualized services

• Résumé writing

• Evaluations, assessments and training

• Interviewing techniques

placement opportunities

• Job coaching

• Adaptive equipment

The Health Care Marketplace is

open now through May 15, 2021.

541-444-9611

Shop for health plans at

https://or.checkbookhealth.org/

or call direct at 855-268-9767.

Siletz Tribal Behavioral Health Programs

Prevention, Outpatient Treatment, and Women’s and Men’s

Transitional Living Center

Siletz: 800-600-5599 or

541-444-8286

Eugene: 541-484-4234

Salem: 503-390-9494

Portland: 503-238-1512

Narcotics Anonymous Toll-Free

Help Line – 877-233-4287

For information on Alcoholics

Anonymous: aa-oregon.org

For more information about STVRP, please inquire at 800-922-1399. We also

maintain resource and employment boards, so please make an appointment if

you're interested. You can speak to VR staff in the following locations:

Makayla Jackson

Job Development Specialist

Eugene Area Office

2468 W 11th Ave.

Eugene, OR 97402

541-484-4234, ext. 1752

Toni Leija

Job Development Specialist

Salem Area Office

3160 Blossom Drive NE, STE 105

Salem, OR 97305

503-390-9494, ext. 1861

Tamra Russell

Self-Sufficiency Counselor 1

Portland Area Office

12790 SE Stark St., STE 102

Portland, OR 97233

503-238-1512, ext. 1411

Jamie Bokuro

Job Development Specialist

Siletz Area Office

201 SE Swan Ave.

Siletz, OR 97380

541-444-8266

August 2023

•

Siletz News

•

Sondenaa appointed to Northwest Forest Plan Federal Advisory Committee

PORTLAND, Ore. – The U.S. Department of Agriculture has appointed members to a new Federal Advisory Committee

to provide advice and recommendations

on modernizing landscape management

across national forests within the Northwest Forest Plan area in Washington,

Oregon and Northern California.

The committee will make recommendations focused on a climate-informed

amendment of the Northwest Forest

Plan to update management direction so

national forests are managed sustainably,

adapted to climate change and resilient to

wildfire, insects, disease and other disturbances while meeting the needs of local

communities.

“Establishing this committee is

another way for us to embrace climatesmart science, ensure we hear from diverse

voices and get a range of perspectives on

how to best confront the wildfire crisis and

climate change,” said Agriculture Secretary

Tom Vilsack. “This committee will also be

asked to help reshape ways we engage with

communities and deepen our connections

with Tribes as we go through the Northwest

Forest Plan amendment process.”

The committee’s recommendations

will incorporate traditional ecological

knowledge, the latest science and climate

resilience into its recommendations for the

17 national forests in the Northwest Forest

Courtesy phoeo

Congratulations to Dr. Angela Sondenaa

on her recent appointment to the Northwest Forest Plan Area Advisory Committee for the U.S. Forest Service. The

ancient forests of our homelands thank

you for your advocacy.

Plan area. The committee will also advise

how these planning efforts can complement the Wildfire Crisis Strategy and help

the Forest Service take more proactive

measures to reduce wildfire risk, restore

fire resilience and enable long-term ecological integrity for people, communities

and natural resources.

Establishing this committee is in

line with President Biden’s Executive

Order 14072 and Secretary Vilsack’s

Memorandum on Climate Resilience.

The national forests in the Northwest

Forest Plan area have significant ecologic

values, including for water, wildlife and

carbon, and contain important old and

mature forests. They are embedded in the

people and communities of the area and

are important for the social and economic

sustainability of those communities.

These lands are also culturally significant and the ancestral homelands

for Tribal nations. According to a recent

inventory conducted by federal researchers as required by the Executive Order,

the 17 national forests represented in

the Northwest Forest Plan contain one

quarter of the remaining old-growth forest

on national forests and grasslands in the

lower 48 states.

The committee represents a diverse

group from Tribes, local communities,

environmental groups, industry and academia across Northern California, Oregon

and Washington (see list below).

The Forest Service will work with

committee members to plan and conduct

its first meeting later this year.

The Northwest Forest Plan was first

implemented in 1994 and is a comprehensive plan for administering parts

of federally managed lands in Oregon,

Washington and California. The plan was

Name

Title

Location

Committee