Annual cedar pulling event showcases cultural traditions and departmental coordination

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By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News ; Photos courtesy of Ross Fenton

Over the weekend of June 17, the Tulalip Tribes membership was once again afforded the opportunity to participate in the cultural upbringings of our ancestors; specifically by journeying into the woodlands and using traditional methods of pulling, gathering, and harvesting cedar.

“Tulalip Natural Resources Department (NRD) always works as a premier team annually to coordinate this culturally significant opportunity,” says Ross Fenton of the Tulalip Tribes Forestry Program. “The Tulalip Natural Resource’s Timber, Fish, and Wildlife Program (TFW) generally arranges a cedar site for the upcoming season by utilizing existing relationships with off-reservation landowners.

“This year, and in years past the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) was very cooperative in providing a good quality cedar and land access that favors children, elders, and all the types of vehicles as well.”

 

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Our Tulalip NRD education and outreach coordinator plays a key role in providing all the contact personnel information as well as any other special requests that the landowner may have to Tulalip Forestry staff and others involved. Tulalip Forestry staff then reviews the site boundaries and any other special requests from the DNR/landowner (i.e. no cedar pulling within stream buffers, etc.) in order to provide guidance to the tribal membership before and during the cedar bark harvest event. Leading large caravans of tribal members to the site, obtaining access through locked gates, and securing gates after the event are some of the roles that Forestry performs.

Tulalip Forestry staff also assists the membership by helping pull and/or separate inner bark, carrying bark up steep inclines for elders, and has also donating bark to tribal members who were not able to attend, if their time allows.

As Ross puts it, “the main goal and function of Forestry staff is primary oversight and logistical planning of this season’s event to ensure successful cedar procurement for many future Tulalip generation to follow.”

 

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During the cedar pulling event’s first day, tribal members braved some seriously wet weather to harvest a staple commodity of their ancestors. On the second day, those who returned were joined by even more tribal members and were rewarded with beautiful weather and pristine conditions for cedar pulling.

“There were three generations of family members pulling cedar bark together on the second day,” adds Ross. “It was a great experience to witness old traditions and teachings being shared.”

 

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