Siletz Tribe Celebrates Restoration of Rights at Annual Powwow in Lincoln City, Oregon
LINCOLN CITY, Ore. – Heartfelt drumming and singing resonated through the Chinook Winds Casino Resort as hundreds of participants in tribal regalia celebrated the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians’ annual powwow. This year’s gathering held particular significance, coming just two weeks after a federal court lifted longstanding restrictions on the tribe’s rights to hunt, fish, and gather.
For 47 years, the powwow has marked the tribe’s federal recognition, but the recent ruling was a milestone in the tribe’s ongoing struggle for rights that were curtailed after the government’s 1950s and 60s “termination” policy stripped over 100 tribes, including the Siletz, of recognition and land. Siletz Chairman Delores Pigsley expressed relief at the restoration, stating, “We’re back to the way we were before.”
The Siletz Tribe, historically composed of over two dozen bands from western Oregon and adjacent regions, was forced onto a reservation in the 1850s. Over decades of fighting for recognition, the Siletz finally regained it in 1977. However, to reclaim a fraction of its land, the tribe had to agree to restrict its hunting and fishing rights for over 40 years.
Recent joint advocacy by the tribe, the state of Oregon, and federal representatives recognized the biases in the previous agreements, leading to the recent court decision. Now, the tribe hopes to sustain its cultural practices while nurturing healthy families through traditional food practices.
Among the celebrants at the powwow was Tiffany Stuart, who, alongside her young daughter, expressed the significance of dancing for their ancestors and the community. “You dance for the people that can’t dance anymore,” she emphasized, showcasing the intergenerational commitment to preserving their cultural heritage.
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