For the first time in three years, a commemorative pow-wow for the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians is coming back this weekend.
This year’s Restoration Pow-Wow marks 45 years since Congress and President Carter reinstated the Siletz as a federally-recognized tribe. The last pow-wow was in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic hit Oregon.
Robert Kentta is the tribe’s Cultural Resources Director. He told KLCC that before federal termination in 1954, the Siletz had already seen Congress reduce their land base from over a million acres to just a few thousand.
“So we had a very quick diminishment of a once large and resource-rich reservation,” said Kentta. “Kind of the final straw was termination policy rolling around in the late 40s and 50s.
“Here in the Siletz community there was probably a certain amount of, ‘Terminate what? You’ve almost taken everything that we have.’”
The Siletz have since regrown their reservation base to 16,000 acres.
Kentta said many tribal members are looking forward to socializing again, as they celebrate the restoration of their status and sovereignty.
The Restoration Pow-Wow will be held Saturday, Nov. 19 at the Chinook Winds Casino Resort in Lincoln City, with a grand entry starting at 6pm. Organizers say vendors will be present throughout the day, selling jewelry, beadwork, and other artwork.
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