Confederated Tribes of Siletz

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Flag of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz
Flag of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz

The Confederated Tribes of Siletz in the United States is a federally recognized confederation of 27 Native American tribal bands that once inhabited a range from northern California to southwest Washington.

Contents

[edit] Organization and Location

The tribe has 4287 enrolled members as of April 14, 2006. It owns and manages a 3,666 acre reservation located along the Siletz River in the Coast Ranges of central Lincoln County, Oregon approximately 15 mi (24 km) northeast of Newport.

The tribe owns and operates the Chinook Winds Casino and Convention Center, as well as the Chinook Winds Golf Resort in Lincoln City, the Siletz Community Health Clinic (Currently 15,000 square feet but will grow to 45,000 square feet between 2006-2016), the Siletz Tribal Police (With officers trained with the Oregon State Police), the Logan Road RV Park, the Siletz Gas & Mini Mart, and other commercial property (which include Offices for rent in Salem). The tribe also owns housing which it provides to its members.

The tribe is active in attempting to get old treaties ratified and is gradually accumulating additional property into the reservation, as part of a 2005-2015 Comprehensive Plan. There have also been attempts to retrieve the remains of tribal ancestors from the Smithsonian Institution and various other tribal artifacts distributed through-out the United States of America.

The current Tribal Council of 2006 includes Delores Pigsley, Chairman; Bud Lane, Vice Chairman; Lillie Butler, Secretary; Phil Rilatos SR, Treasurer; Loraine Butler; Robert Kentta; Reggie Butler; Frank Simmons; and Jessie Davis. The General Council's online member's forum, Siletz Net, publishes daily news and discussion from the tribal members at large, while the tribal government's Public Information Officepublishes the monthly Siletz News.

[edit] Cultural Activities

Artifacts and historical documents are stored and displayed at the Siletz Tribal Cultural Center, located on Government Hill, under the care of Cultural Specialist Robert Kentta and Cultural Activities Coordinator Selene Rilatos.

Tolowa is taught as a common tribal language. Beginning Athabaskan language will be taught at the Siletz Valley Charter School, opening in the fall of 2006.

The second August of every year the Tribe is host to its annual Pow-wow.

[edit] Feather Dance

Every summer and winter solstice for hundreds if not thousands of years, a dance has been held, called, the Feather Dance (or Naadosh), which would be held for 12 days at a place called, "Yonkentonket", which means, "The center of the earth".

In recent years a new tradition has been started. During the winter solstice dancers, singers, and tribal members from the Confederated Tribes of Siletz visit the Tolowa peoples near Smith River California cedar plank dance house. During the summer solstice dancers, singers, and tribal members of the Tolowa tribe visit the peoples of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz cedar plank dance house.

[edit] History

[edit] Pre-Contact

[edit] Contact

[edit] Gold

[edit] Conflicts

[edit] Interim-reservations

  • Table Rock reservation

[edit] Prelude to War

[edit] Treaties

[edit] The war of 1855-1856

[edit] After the war of 1855-1856

After the Rogue River Wars of 1855-56, most of the peoples were forced onto (at the time) one of three reservations, Coast, Siletz, and Alsea Reservations, where they were to form a single unified tribe, at each agency (Siletz agency and the Grand Ronde Agency). The three reservations (combined) originally comprised of 1.4 million acres, which was established by executive order (President Franklin Pierce) on November 9, 1855, only weeks after the start of the Rogue River Wars.

[edit] 1856-1954 The hard years

[edit] Treaties

[edit] The Termination act of 1954

The Termination act, Public Law 588, came into effect on August 13, 1954. The new law severed Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) supervision of trust lands and BIA regulation of services to the Indian peoples.

[edit] The Restoration Bills

In June of 1974, Rep. Wendell Wyatt started the path down to restoration, but the bill did not pass and ultimately failed.

On December 17, 1975 Senator Mark Hatfield introduced restoration bill, S. 2801. At the time Senator Mark Hatfield presented his restoration bill he was quoted as saying, that the Siletz People were "ill-prepared to cope with the realities of American society" when the Termination act went to effect and that they had been "tossed abruptly from a state of almost total dependency to a state of total independence" "to leave the only way of life they had known". The bill included wording to grant/restore hunting and fishing rights. Sadly this bill also did not pass.

Out of Senator Hatfields 1975 failed bill, he and Senator Bob Packwood introduced a new bill, S. 1560, in the month of May 1977. Unlike its 1975 predecessor, it did not include that the hunting or fishing rights be restored (although a companion bill was sent by Rep. Les AuCoin to the House, H.R. 7259, which the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commmission fought and helped stall). On August 5 1977 the Senate passed the restoration bill and on November 1 1977 so did the House. Which was then sent to President Jimmy Carter on November 3 and then approved November 18.

[edit] Important Events in Tribal History

  • On November 18, 1977, the Confederated Tribes of Siletz became the second tribe in the U.S. to have its federal status restored, and returned to being a sovereign government.
  • On June 2, 1979 tribal members adopted a constitution.
  • On November 1, 1979 people of the town of Siletz, voted 148 to 134, to give back (which the tribe had given to the city at the time of termination) to the Tribe approximately thirty-six (36) acres of former tribal land. Which was originally the site of the old Siletz Agency, called then and now, "Government Hill".
  • In 1994, the Tribe voted on lowering the blood quantum, to 1/16th, to allow new members to join. Which in conclusion passed.
  • In 1995, Artist Peggy O'Neal, was commissioned to paint the famous, trail of tears of the rogue river peoples, painting.
  • In 1995 the first, "Run to the Rogue", took place, in which tribal members take turns carrying an eagle flag staff from Government Hill in Siletz to Agnes, Oregon (Located on the Rogue River), on foot.
  • In 1995 The Siletz Tribe opened up a 157,000 square foot casino/convention center, called Chinook Winds Casino, which overlooks the Pacific Ocean from Lincoln City, Oregon.
  • In 2005 a 227-room hotel adjacent to Chinook Winds Casino was purchased and added to the casino.

[edit] Important People in Tribal History

  • Tipsu Tee (Name is in Chinook Jargon; Leader, Unknown Second name)
  • Tecumtum (Translated as: Elk Killer)
  • Toquahear (Translated as: Wealthy)
  • Apserkahar (Translated as: Horse Rider)
  • Quatley (Translated as: Unknown)
  • Anachaharah (Translated as: Unknown)
  • Josiah L. Parrish
  • Thomas Van Pelt
  • Sam Van Pelt
  • Joseph Lane
  • Hoxie Simmons
  • Joel Palmer
  • Delores Pigsley

[edit] General Information

The confederation takes its name from the Siletz River, which surrounds the reservation. It includes remnants of the Siletz, a Coast Salish people who inhabited the area up until the middle 19th century but who are no longer counted separately in the larger confederation.

Finding records of the ethnic and cultural history of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz is somewhat difficult. A partial attempt at the tribal population makeup before it was forced on reservation lands in the mid-19th century is as follows:

  • Upper Rogue River or Shasta Tribe:
    • John's Band 172
    • George's Band 222
    • Joseph James's Band 160
  • Coastal Tribes:
    • Joshuas's Band 179
    • Choallie's Band 215
    • Totoem's Band 202
    • Macanotin's Band 129
    • Shasta Costa 110
    • Port Orford (a Qua-to-mah band) 242
    • Upper Coquille 313

[edit] Tribes

A short list of indigenous groups forced onto the Siletz and/or Grand Ronde Reservations include, but are not limited to, the Rogue River tribe, Shasta, Scoton, Shasta Costa (or Shistakwasta), Grave Creek tribe, Chetco, Coquille (or Mishikwutmetunne), Tututni (or Tututunne), Tolowa, and likely a small number of Siuslaw, Coos, Latgawa, Dakubetede, Taltushtuntude, Takelmas, and Kuitsh peoples.

[edit] Suggested Reading

Here is a list of suggested books relating to or regarding subject material revelent to the Confederated Tribes of Siletz:

[edit] See also

List of Native American Tribal Entities in Oregon

[edit] References

    [edit] External links

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