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The Roseburg News Review---March 2, 2008
Sue Shaffer, Chairman of the Cow Creek Band of the Umpqua Tribe of Indians since 1983, grew up with strong moral values, an intense work ethic and a sense of commitment to helping her family and friends, her neighbors and her community
"The Cow Creek mission is about building people, not about building dependency", says Sue Shaffer.
By Cara Pallone
Sue Shaffer's personal philosophy is listed on the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians' Web site.
"I have respect for a good argument and people's right to a difference of opinion. I have little tolerance for deviousness and innuendo.
In my community, and with people who know me, I am known to be fair and one who will ‘tell it like it is,' even if it is sometimes painful," reads the statement.
If you followed Shaffer for a day, you'd learn she has a phrase for nearly every situation.
She is a small but energetic woman; soft-spoken, yet opinionated. She stands no taller than 5 feet, however she seems to tower over daily challenges.
She has held the position of chairman of the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians since 1983.
She wakes at 6 a.m. and tries to get to sleep by 10 p.m., unless she's excited about something on the news or decides to conquer a two-inch stack of reading waiting at her bedside.
She prays for direction many times throughout the day; sometimes she prays to hold her temper, too.
She's known for her short fuse and lack of patience. She preaches equality and cannot stand an ingrate. She's a grandmotherly type, but is also possessed of an astute and energetic mind.
At 85 years old, Shaffer plans on remaining the tribe's leader as long as she is elected.
EARLY LIFE
Shaffer was born to David and Ellen Crispen on July 20, 1922, in Milo. She was a child of the Depression, but said she was "raised in Grand Central Station" with the doors to her grandmother's house always open and people coming and going at all times.
"It was nothing for us to wake up in the morning and somebody had put their horses in the barn and stoked up the fire and went to sleep on the couch. It was, looking back, pretty wonderful."
Shaffer grew up with strong moral values, something she attributes to her parents, community and her generation.
"There was a community commitment among all of our friends and neighbors of helping each other and I think those values are probably what governs a person's life the strongest," she said.
Her father had high expectations, with work as well as education, and told her early on if she accepted a job, she had better do her best at what she was hired to do. If not, she would be stealing from her employer.
At 18 years of age, Shaffer left Milo and moved to Washington, where she attended business school.
She met her husband, George, in 1941 while cashiering at a restaurant. They married in 1943.
George served in the South Pacific for two years as a combat engineer. After the war, the couple lived in Seattle and then moved to Canyonville shortly thereafter.
George and Sue have two children, Sherri and George, both of whom currently live in Douglas County, and two grandsons.
Even with her busy schedule, family is always first, said Shaffer. Surprisingly, she doesn't always have words of wisdom at the tip of her tongue for her children and grandchildren.
"I've lived long enough to learn you don't give advice.
I just think you need to set examples of moral decency and honesty. Those are two things you can instill in your children... and the quest for learning," said Shaffer. "You set the example by how you live and by how you treat everyone."
Her daughter, Sherri Shaffer, is the chief executive officer for the Cow Creek Tribe. She said as a consequence of how her parents raised her, she grew up never realizing whether her friends were wealthy or poor.
"The biggest thing they taught us was that you treat everyone the same whether they are a millionaire or have five cents in their pockets," said Sherri.
TRIBAL INFLUENCE
Shaffer said she has the minutes from a 1939 Cow Creek meeting lying around somewhere.
Raised in a matriarchal family — her great-grandfather was killed and her grandfather passed away — she grew up with her grandmother and mother, both of whom also recorded minutes from the tribal meetings that would occur at her house.
"It was Sue and her mother and her mother's mother that kept the records of the tribe and it was those records that were influential in getting the tribe recognition," said Sue Moran-Kaidme, a long-time friend of Shaffer's.
Congress officially recognized the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians in 1982.
Shaffer was not the chairman of the tribe at the time and insists she never wanted to be elected for the position, she just wanted "to get work done."
After a $1.5 million settlement in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims that was one of the largest property rights cases in Douglas County history, the tribe requested the judgment be invested, allowing the funds to accrue interest to be used for programs.
They wanted to avoid a one-time per capita payment, which Michael Rondeau, operations chief for the tribe, said was in part due to Shaffer's leadership. "We also had a lot of other tribal leaders during that time we call ‘children of the Depression,' that were quite fiscally conservative and subscribed to the idea of tribal self-sufficiency," said Rondeau.
The tribe later rerouted the money into a gaming gold mine, a bingo hall that would eventually become the Seven Feathers Hotel and Casino Resort in Canyonville.
Their 4,500 acres in South County now hosts several other facilities, including the Seven Feathers Truck and Travel Center, motels, a storage rental business and Umpqua Indian Foods.
The tribe has plans for several future investments as well, such as an additional 150 rooms off the east side of the casino and a theme and water park.
"We knew we were going to invest in building Douglas County and Oregon," said Shaffer, who has owned businesses in Canyonville for the last 30 years.
She then repeated her mantra, which has been quoted so many times before, "We cannot spend our money and invest it too
The Cow Creek mission is about building people, not about building dependency."
None of the Cow Creek properties are taxable or regulated by any authority beyond Shaffer and the tribe council.
"I read all of this complaint that Indians don't pay taxes."
"Governments do not pay taxes," said Shaffer. "It's not people's fault that they do not understand the tribe as a government."
"Tribal governmental status has been suppressed; the truth in Indian History has never been taught in schools."
THE FUTURE
Shaffer won't talk about who may take her place as tribal chair, but she will say she is eyeing a couple of great candidates.
It goes unsaid the person will have to be as tireless as Shaffer and "superhuman," as some people refer to her./p>
"People think being chairman is a piece of cake. It's constant reading and keeping up on things on a local level and a national level," said Shaffer
Active on the political front, Shaffer has testified before Congress several times and Rondeau said she has had long relationships with members of both political parties.
Aside from developing relationships with politicians over the years, Shaffer has bonded with many residents of Douglas County on a more personal level.
"I'm hoping people will think of her as a visionary not just for the tribe, but for the area," said her daughter.
After devoting two hours of time to questions, Shaffer became antsy. She'd missed a half-dozen calls since she sat down to reveal the details of her dayto- day life. The Rotary Club had called twice and Shaffer's "book," which she is never without, was full of appointments and meetings consuming the rest of her day.
The mother, wife, advocate and politician headed for the door. She had a tribe to lead.
"Sue believes so completely in herself," said Moran-Kaidme. "But she's always struggling. She wants to fix the world, and as long as there's a problem, she'll be struggling."
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