[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 58 (Thursday, April 10, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5193-S5194]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. SMITH:
  S. 868. A bill to amend the Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw 
Restoration Act to provide for the cultural restoration and economic 
self-sufficiency of the Confederation Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, and 
Siuslaw Indians of Oregon, and for other purposes; to the Committee on 
Indian Affairs.
  Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce legislation that 
will restore to the members of the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, 
Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians a small portion of their ancestral 
homelands.
  The story of these Tribes' experience is well worth hearing. For many 
of my colleagues, parts of it will sound familiar, as it reflects the 
history of the early west. In 1850, gold was discovered at a place 
known as Eight Dollar Bar, near what we now call Cave Junction, OR. 
Within months thousands of miners with gold fever moved into the area. 
Indians struggled to protect their land while miners aggressively 
pursued their vision of the American dream.
  In 1855, Joel Palmer, an Indian Agent for the Oregon Territory was 
sent in by the Federal Government to negotiate treaties with Oregon 
tribes. Treaties with the tribes of the Rogue River, Umpqua/Cow Creek, 
and Calapooyas were established, but not the tribes of the central and 
southern Oregon coast. Much of this land is now in the Siuslaw National 
Forest.
  The Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians were not a warring people. 
They were prepared to share their ancestral homelands, which 
approximated about 1.6 million acres in the coast mountain range, 
living on a small portion of the land and receiving compensation for 
the balance. In 1855 and in good faith the tribes signed the Empire 
Treaty with the Federal Government. But, somewhere between Empire, 
Oregon and the floor of the U.S. Senate the treaty was lost. No land 
was allotted for their reservation and no compensation given.
  In 1856 the Rogue River War began and the Coos, Lower Umpqua and 
Siuslaw Indians were marched north and held prisoner in what was called 
the Coast Reservation. They were held against their will until the mid-
1870s. It was during this dark period in their history that over half 
their population died.
  With their release, tribal members returned to their homelands, only 
to find they had neither land nor resources left. At this point, the 
three tribes formed a Confederation. In 1954, by Presidential order the 
Confederation's tribal status was terminated. These decades were 
difficult ones for members of this Tribe. Lack of education and 
economic opportunities in the area, and racism by some of their white 
neighbors took a heavy toll.
  In 1984, the Oregon congressional delegation sought and achieved 
federal recognition for the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower 
Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians. At the same time, no reservation lands were 
granted to the tribe and no compensation offered. The Tribe received a 
donation of approximately 6 acres in Empire, Oregon. This is now the 
site of their tribal hall where services are provided to their members 
and tribal council meetings and tribal events are held. Small, 
additional tracts have been purchased over time.
  The Indian Self-Determination Act encourages tribes to develop plans 
to achieve the goals of cultural restoration, economic self-sufficiency 
and attain the standard of living enjoyed by other citizens of the 
United States. The Confederated Tribes have been working diligently 
since 1954 to attain those goals.
  An essential component in this effort is the Reservation Plan and 
Forest Land Restoration Proposal. It will provide a long-term source of 
revenue and lessen dependence on federal funding to operate Tribal 
government programs and to provide economic benefits to local 
communities. The Plan will revitalize Tribal culture by reconnecting 
Tribal people to their ancestral homelands and it will provide a net 
benefit to the environment by improving the health of ancestral 
watersheds.
  My staff and I began meeting with Tribal members soon after I was 
first elected to the Senate. Years of work with local citizens, 
communities and governments to gain understanding and support for the 
land restoration proposal have been successful. Hundreds of individual 
meetings, workshops and open forums have been held by the Tribes. 
Development of the Reservation Plan and Forest Land Restoration 
Proposal has led to a clear understanding of what activities can occur 
on these lands which is reflected in the legislation that I have 
introduced today.
  I am proud to introduce legislation today that will return 
approximately 63,000 acres of their ancestral homeland to the 
Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians. 
These U.S. Forest Service lands encompass a portion of the Siuslaw 
National Forest. Under the legislation, management of the restored 
lands would be transferred to the Bureau of Indian Affairs with title 
held in trust by the Secretary of the Interior for the Confederated 
Tribes.
  These lands contain significant cultural sites: encampments, 
spiritual and burial sites. My proposal will allow these people to meet 
their cultural goals, and provide economic and environmental benefits 
to all of the citizens of the region. The legislation ensures continued 
public access to these lands for hunting and fishing, recreation and 
transportation. Applicable

[[Page S5194]]

State and Federal laws will be followed. Payments to county governments 
will not be impacted under this proposal. Timber harvested from this 
land will be processed domestically by local mills. Twenty percent of 
the revenues from the land will be reinvested in watershed management 
activities to restore habitat. These lands contain some significant 
environmental sites. They will be preserved. These lands are not 
suitable for nor will the laws allow gaming to occur on them.
  Revenue gained from activities on these lands will help meet the 
self-sufficiency goals of the Confederated Tribes. It will be used to 
assist seniors through elder housing programs, youth through 
scholarships, low income housing for those in need and provide health 
care benefits for all of the Tribal members.
  The Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw are the 
only federally recognized tribe in Oregon that has never received any 
land or compensation for the loss of their homeland from the United 
States Government. This legislation works to right that wrong, to 
restore a Tribe, to restore a forest, and to restore a very special 
relationship between the two.
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