Author: Kim Kalliber

Adapting to Change: Tulalip Community Addresses Climate Change

Community members share their top five climate change concerns,.Natural Resources will utilize and refer to this data while developing the adaptation plan throughout the next six months.

 

“We’re going to be developing strategies to preserve tribal customs and culture first and foremost.”

– Colin Wahl,Tulalip Natural Resources Environmental Scientist

 

By Kalvin Valdillez, Tulalip News 

Countless studies have shown that since the 1900’s, the Earth’s heat has increased by about 1.33 degrees Fahrenheit. That is at an alarming rate considering that leading up to the Industrial Revolution, the planets heat only increased by about nine degrees over the span of 5,000 years.  Due to the burning of fossil fuels, excessive carbon dioxide has been released into the atmosphere over the last century. Carbon dioxide is produced by humans, animals and plants; but also by human activity such as generating electricity and using gasoline for vehicles.

Carbon dioxide traps radiated heat from the sun, at the top of the Earth’s atmosphere, causing the planet’s temperature to increase. The more heat that is trapped, the warmer the planet becomes. If the Earth’s population continues to burn fossil fuels at its current rate, over the next century, future generations will face extreme weather including draughts, floods and storms. Recent studies claim that in the year 2100, heat waves will last up to twenty days and will result in many deaths around the entire world.

Climate change is inevitable, however, many environmentalists believe the process can be slowed by means of conserving energy, utilizing other forms of transportation and recycling. The Tulalip Tribes are among the many tribal nations, environmentalists and scientists studying the cause and effect of climate change and how it will affect future generations.

Tulalip’s Natural Resource Department recently held a community dinner at the Tulalip Administration Building to discuss climate change and how it will impact Tulalip and its surrounding areas.

“It is a great honor to be here to start talking about climate change,” said Tulalip Vice Chairwoman, Teri Gobin. “We are beginning to look at what we can do to help better the environment. I really want to see us building green, utilizing solar power and really ramping up our recycling efforts and the reuse of materials. There’s a lot of things that we’re talking about, in regards to climate change, and we need to start taking those steps in the right direction.”

The community dinner included presentations by Tulalip Natural Resources Environmental Scientist, Colin Wahl, as well as guest speaker Clarita Lefthand-Begay of the Navajo Nation, who is an Environmental Professor at the University of Washington.

Colin’s presentation provided a brief overview of climate change, explaining ocean acidification, sea level rise and how global warming will impact salmon runs in the future.

“Salmon is one of the major issues of climate change we’re concerned about,” explained Colin. “As Patti [Gobin] said, the Tulalips are fish people and the tribal culture really relies on fishing and maintaining the salmon populations. We’re going to have to maintain our protection and restoration strategies in the future, but we might have to adjust some of those strategies to consider how climate change impacts salmon. Some of these strategies might include things like protecting cold water habitat in streams and rivers as well as generally trying to slow the progression of climate change through policies that actually decrease carbon dioxide emissions in the atmosphere.”

Colin stated that due to the impacts from sea level rise, various areas of the reservation will experience beach loss. Areas that will be affected include Tulalip Bay, Hermosa Beach, Priest Point and the Qwuloolt Estuary. Colin used charts to compare and contrast the areas today and the same area eighty years in the future. He also explained that the Natural Resources Department is in the early stages of developing a Climate Change Adaption Plan which will take approximately six months to complete before the implementation process begins.

“We’re going to be developing strategies to preserve tribal customs and culture first and foremost,” Colin stated. “We’re also developing strategies to protect tribal property and infrastructure. We’re working with all the different departments within the administration, including Planning in particular, they’ll be an essential element throughout the process. We also need to protect and restore treaty resources, or continue to do so, so that the Tribe’s customs and culture can extend into the future.

“Historically, Indigenous cultures are very resilient in the Puget Sound area,” he continued. “The ancestors of the Tulalip Tribes, like the salmon, have adapted to the changing environments for thousands of years. This is a little more difficult now, because in the past the people could follow the species wherever they went. Since treaty times, the tribes are tied to place, tied to a reservation, tied to these legally defined boundaries. So, there might be issues with species shifts where there’s more salmon up north compared to south.”

Clarita spoke with the community before leading an open forum discussion. During her presentation she spoke in detail about the dangers of climate change, stating that by the year 2100, the earth will regularly experience extreme heat waves, air pollution as well as water and food borne illnesses. She also states that the food of future generations including shellfish, fish, meat, fresh fruits and vegetables will all be negatively affected by climate change. Clarita explained that the populations most affected by climate change will be elders, children, pregnant women, individuals with compromised immune systems as well as poverty-stricken families.

The climate change dinner concluded with an open discussion for the community to voice their concerns regarding the impacts of climate change. Clarita and the Natural Resources team wrote documented the many concerns. Following the discussion, the participants were given five post-it stickers, each a different color, and asked to rate their top five concerns. Natural Resources will utilize and refer to this data while developing the adaptation plan throughout the next six months.

The value of your community college

By Jeanne Steffener, Higher ED

In a recent study published by the American Association of Community Colleges, college students attending a community college see a significant return on their financial investment.

Among the best attributes of community colleges include an open door policy. Most two-year colleges will accept a student with a high school diploma or GED, regardless of grades or test results. Most even offer GED programs which makes for an easy transition. This is a great opportunity for students who were not that focused on academic progress in high school. Community colleges also provide “developmental studies” courses which are designed to help bring students up to college level course work. This opens up opportunities for students who have had a less than perfect academic history. Due to the “Open Door Policy”, the average age of community college students has hovered in the 20 year old range for the past 30 years.

Another group of 2nd chance students are those who go off to four-year colleges and universities and find themselves in over their head academically, socially or maturity-wise. Now they are back home getting their grades up so they can return to the university setting better equipped.

Running Start and early college programs courses are one of the best values of American higher education. A good majority of these students are ready for college and end up transferring their credits to state universities where they do very well academically. Considering that the state picks up the tuition for these students, this introduction to the college atmosphere is very cost effective for students and their parents. In view of, the vast and growing amount of student debt in this country, this now becomes for students a very good option.

Community colleges offer some important academic advantages beginning with smaller class sizes, accessability to college that larger institutions are not offering and close proximity of the college to home and work for students.

One of the best things that community colleges do for their communities is providing access to higher eduation to populations who would not have the opportunity to advance themselves through education. In most communities, the two-year college is the center for the arts and performing arts, business, science, athletics and fitness.

Many students attending universities began their educational journey at a two-year college. For many, the community college is providing a liberal-arts foundation. The other important services that the community colleges offer are courses, degrees and certificates in high demand technical fields like information technology, health science, construction, manufacturing, trade skills, etc. These skill based trainings offer students a shorter timeframe to job readiness. This give students the opportunity to begin earning dollars while pursuing bigger educational goals.

If you are interested opening up your opportunities, pick up your phone and call 360-716-4888 to contact the Higher Education Department for more information or email us at highered@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov.

An evening of empowerment with 2017 graduates

Tulalip Tribes senior girl and boy student of the year are Myrna Redleaf and Carter Wagner.

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News 

On Friday, June 16, the Tulalip Resort’s Orca Ballroom was home to the Graduation Banquet held for the Tulalip tribal member graduating class of 2017. In all there were seventy-four high school graduates and sixty higher education graduates who, accompanied by their friends and families, convened for an evening to commemorate the rite of passage. There was entertainment, a catered buffet-style dinner, and plenty of motivational speeches from their peers and elders reminding the graduates this is just the first step on the path to success.

The Marysville Getchell High School band provided good music and lively tunes for the first hour of the celebration, while Board of Director Mel Sheldon controlled the mic as emcee.

“It is a privilege and an honor to be here with you all tonight on this special night where we come together and celebrate the academic achievement of our young ones,” stated Mel in his opening speech. “We are so proud of each and every one of our graduates for their commitment to education. We thank the parents, grandparents, extended family, and all the school faculty who were always there for the students and made it possible for them to be here today.”

Graduating seniors Keely Bogin-McGhie and Lukas Reyes, Jr. both took stage and offered encouraging words to fellow graduates. They each told a favorite high school experience, thanked their families for always supporting them, and shared their excitement for great things yet to come in their bright futures.

Educator, poet, higher education administrator, and voice for his generation, Christian Paige provided a truly memorable keynote speech that left many in the crowd feeling inspired. He is a first generation college graduate who has committed himself to empowering others to reach for goals larger than themselves.

“The individuals in this space are making room on their shoulders for the next generation. It is powerful to know that you are setting the example and paving the way for the people to come after you, for they will know where it is to go by witnessing what you have achieved,” said HOPE initiative founder Christian Page. “We come from cultures with a long, rich lineage of beauty and strength based upon overcoming adversity. The generations before us weren’t given access to traditional literacy, so they had to tell stories in order to keep our traditions and histories alive.

“It is so important to understand where you come from, the history of your ancestors, and the legacy you want to leave. Think of your life as a story and yourself as the main character. As the main character it is up to you to take the narrative of the trajectory and make it into what you believe it should be. This may sound difficult but really it’s not. Changing your world starts with the three-feet around you. If you are constantly changing yourself and constantly speaking life into the individuals around you, then it will be a short time before you actually get to see changes in your world. That is the power you have as the main character in your story.”

Following the keynote speech a special recognition ceremony was held to honor the Tulalip Tribes senior boy and girl student of the year.

Myrna Redleaf, a graduate of Tulalip Heritage High School, received the female student of the year honors. Myrna was very active during her high school years; participating in many student activities while being an ASB officer and playing varsity basketball and volleyball. Her teachers said she was “an exceptional individual and student in every way and it was a privilege to know her. She’ll be successful in any career field she chooses. Her ability to multi-task while maintaining priorities is exemplary, as evidence by her balancing a 3.9 GPA while being a two-sport athlete.” Myrna plans on attending Everett Community College in the fall to get her Associated Degree before moving on to a University.

“I’m so honored to be selected as a student of the year!” said Myrna as she acknowledged the crowd of community members. “Thank you to my community, my family, and all the teachers and staff who helped me make it here.”

Carter Wagner, a graduate of Lakewood High School, received the male student of the year honors. Carter was on the honor roll for his junior and senior years, was a member of his school’s drama program, and is an avid snowboarder. His teachers say “we wish we had more students like him. He’s a very thoughtful and intelligent young man who participated in class discussions and always did well on his tests.” Carter has received an academic scholarship to attend Pacific Lutheran University in the fall where he plans to get a degree in Business Administration.

“A huge thank you to the Tulalip Tribes and the community for giving me this award and allowing me to move on to attend University,” remarked Carter. “I’d also like to thank my awesome family who has loved and supported me every step of the way.”

Higher education graduates

Congratulations to all those Tulalip Tribal students who put in the hard work and dedication to earn their graduate status. Chasing a dream requires your efforts and passion. The hard work isn’t over now that you have graduated, it’s only the beginning as you now prepare for the new challenges waiting in the next chapter of life. Good luck and congratulations!

The Return of the King: Tulalip Celebrates Annual Salmon Ceremony

By Kalvin Valdillez, Tulalip News 

Tulalip Tribal members, dressed in traditional Coast Salish regalia, gathered at the longhouse overlooking Tulalip Bay on Saturday June 17, to welcome the return of the first king salmon to the community. The ceremony had an incredible turnout as hundreds of tribal members were in attendance, both performing and witnessing the ceremony. Tribal members from other nations also traveled to observe the ceremony including Natives from Nez Pierce, Colville, Lummi, Nuu-chah-nulth, Spokane and Yakima.

“We want to thank our elders, our ancestors and our community,” stated Tulalip Chairwoman Marie Zackuse. “I want to thank everyone of you for being here today to honor our culture and carry out our teachings. Harriet Shelton Dover laid the foundation a long time ago, so that this ceremony would not be forgotten. It’s so beautiful to see all our young people here today, all our young men and young ladies. Thank you Glen [Gobin], Scho-Hallem [Stan Jones Sr.] and Bernie ‘Kai-Kai’ Gobin for carrying on that teaching, it is so important to our people. Today as we honor our yubec coming, we thank everyone for participating in this ceremony because it is an honor to be one, as a people.”

Often referred to as the visitor, the first salmon of the fishing season is honored with a blessing by means of traditional song and dance. The visitor is brought ashore in a traditional canoe as the Tribe offers a welcoming song. Tribal members continue to sing as the visitor is transported to the longhouse, on a bed of cedar branches, where the festivities continue including a blessing for the tribal fisherman, to ensure safety and a good season.

The ceremony moves to the Don Hatch Youth Center, where a feast takes place. Once the feast concludes, the visitor’s remains are sent to the water, on the bed of branches, to return to its community to tell the salmon people of Tulalip’s hospitality. Many salmon will then navigate to Tulalip’s waters throughout the season, because of the honor and respect shown to the visitor during the ceremony.

This year Tulalip honored ceremony leader, Glen Gobin, with a paddle for all of his hard work throughout the years. During the ceremony Glen spoke to the youth of the community about the importance of carrying on traditions and protecting the environment for future generations. He also spoke about the revival of the Salmon Ceremony after the assimilation era.

“Through the boarding school years after the treaty, many things were lost. When the boarding schools came in, the people were prevented from speaking the language or practicing our culture and traditions,” explained Glen. “What’s left is from a handful of elders who kind of went underground, practicing in their own different ways, keeping it alive until it was the time to bring it back out. We may not do it exactly how it was done 200 years ago, but we do it the best we can with what we have left. If we do that with pure intentions, the real intent to believe in what we are doing, then the elders on the other side will respect that and take it as such.

“Before we revived the Salmon Ceremony in 1976, whenever we caught that first salmon, it was always a family thing,” Glen continued. “Always a family salmon bake, we’d get everybody together and share the blessing. It wasn’t until ’76 that we put everything together. That’s where those teachings come from. What we thought was almost lost, was actually being done individually – as a family. Today we’re doing it as a people, as a tribe, as a community; honoring and respecting our visitor.”

 

Schack Art Center Features Haida Art

Article and photos by Kalvin Valdillez

The National Basketry Organization (NBO) is a non-profit organization consisting of basket-makers, collectors, art gallery owners, students, schools and museums. Members from the organization recently traveled to the Northwest for a basketry conference held in Tacoma.

Fiber Artist, Jan Hopkins, wanted to host a Native American art gala at her home in Everett, for the NBO. Unfortunately, due to conflicting times, NBO members informed Jan that they would be unable to attend her event. The organization, however, originally scheduled time to tour Everett’s Schack Art Center, where Jan’s husband, Chris, frequently showcases his paintings. Jan contacted art collectors John Price and Nancy Kovalik as well as Haida Master Weaver, Lisa Telford, to see if they were interested in showcasing their Haida art collections at the Schack for the NBO.

With the art collectors and Lisa on board, the Art Center allowed Jan to guest curate Courtesy of: Extraordinary Basketry, Textiles and Sculptures from the Northwest Collections. The exhibit features paintings, carvings and weavings created by Haida artists Delores Churchill, Isabelle Rorick and Evelyn Vanderhoop – to name a few.

Lisa, who also works for the Tulalip TERO program, is a world renowned Haida Weaver. Her works are featured in museums nationwide including exhibits at the Burke Museum in Seattle, the Heard Museum in Phoenix, the Hallie Ford Museum of Art in Salem and the Museum of Arts and Design in New York.

“[Weaving] is my thread to sanity,” states Lisa. “When my older brother passed, the first person in my family to pass away that affected me, I didn’t weave for about six months. When I started weaving again, I went to work on Monday and everybody asked ‘what happened to you’ and when I said nothing, they said ‘yeah, something life changing happened to you this weekend because you’re glowing.’ I feel like it keeps me grounded and it makes me happy, so I just say it’s my thread to sanity, when I do it I’m happy, I don’t know how else to say it.”

“I come from a family of weavers; everybody wove,” continued Lisa. “My grandmother wanted to teach me when I was thirteen, but when you’re thirteen you’re too busy running around to settle down. My grandmother sat me down and said ‘I want to show you something,’ and I said ‘I don’t have time for that.’ I always regretted that. After she passed away, I moved to Washington and joined a dance group and I wore her hat. People would ask ‘where’d you get that hat?’ and when I said my grandma, they asked ‘can she could make any more?’ That’s what made me start weaving. I realized that I took it all for granted. I told my mom and she called my auntie and shortly after that I started apprenticing for my aunt Dolores.”

Lisa created six weavings for the exhibit. Her art submissions include a big spoon basket, a traditional hat, two small baskets as well as two pairs of cedar high heel shoes.

“I think it was probably in 1999, this fellow from the Heard Museum asked me if I would give a pair of shoes for this show called Sole Stories,” explains Lisa.

After trial and error, she created a pair of high heels, using BBs and a dress weight to shape the shoes. When submitting the shoes, the museum was shocked by her invention.

“I brought them to the show, the guy goes ‘Oh my God! I didn’t know you were going to make a pair of shoes. I didn’t even know that was possible! I meant a pair of your personal shoes.’ Now people keep wanting the shoes, even after I say I’m done with it. Every time I think I’m done, they pull me back in,” she states.

Many of the works that were provided by the art collectors, were weaved by Lisa’s family members.

“It really could be called my family’s show because the person who wove the tunic was my cousin Evelyn, the person who wove the canoe cape was my cousin Holly and the person who wove the robe was my aunt Dolores,” Lisa exclaimed.

The Courtesy of: Extraordinary Basketry, Textiles and Sculptures from the Northwest Collections exhibit is featured until July 29 at the Schack Art Center., 2921 Hoyt Ave, Everett, WA 98201. For additional information, please visit www.Schack.org

Steven Arthur Maxwell (1962 – 2017)

Steven’s blue light special ended on June 19, 2017. He spent over 20 years working for K-Mart. Steven leaves behind his wife, Candace; son, Cory; step-children, Lyle Brown and Monica Brown, parents, Art and Olga Maxwell; siblings, Michael (Alecia) Maxwell and John Maxwell; and father-in-law, Raymond Sheldon Sr. There wasn’t a pond, lake, or even a puddle that didn’t have a fish Steven could see. The last few years of his life, he spent traveling with his wife and son from Hawaii to the east coast. His contagious laugh will be missed by all. A funeral service will be held on June 22, 2017, at 10 a.m. at Schaefer-Shipman Funeral Home. Burial will follow at Mission Beach Cemetery.

Cedar bark harvest

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News. Photos courtesy of Ross Fenton & Natosha Gobin

Over the weekend of June 10, the Tulalip Tribes membership was once again presented with the opportunity to participate in the cultural upbringings of their ancestors; specifically by journeying into their ancestral woodlands and using traditional methods to pull, gather, and harvest cedar.

Led by Forestry staff from Tulalip’s Natural Resources Department (NRD), participating tribal members ventured into the 10,000-acre Reiter Foothills State Forest located in Snohomish County 30-miles east of Everett, between Gold Bar and Index.

The annual cedar harvest showcases a partnership between several agencies working as a team to coordinate this culturally significant opportunity. The Tulalip Natural Resource’s Timber, Fish, and Wildlife Program generally arranges a cedar harvesting site for the upcoming season by utilizing existing relationships with off-reservation landowners and the Washington State Department of Natural Resources.

“The relationships Tulalip Natural and Cultural Resources has nurtured over the years with outside agencies for cultural cedar bark gathering continues to go exceptionally well. For tribal members who base their household incomes on products they make from cedar bark, it’s crucial to maintain these positive relations,” explains Ross Fenton, Forestry Technician II. “This year, it was requested that only 1/3 of the cedar tree diameter be pulled in order to allow them to remain alive; this is how it was done traditionally in the past. The tribal members understand this, and respected the request.”

“There were many Tulalip tribal participants this year of all ages, it is great watching experienced bark pullers teach the future generations,” continues Ross, who was one of the Tulalip Forestry staff members on-site over the weekend. “Some tribal members traveled from as far as Hawaii to reunite with their Tulalip family to pull cedar bark. It’s a cultural activity membership truly yearns for.”

Ancestors of Western Washington tribes relied on cedar bark as a resource for making items for everyday use. Today, tribal members continue harvesting and teaching the handicraft to the next generation by making traditional items such as baskets, hats, regalia and tools.

Master weavers, elders, and youth alike all echo the very same cedar harvesting technique employed by their ancestors. With a small ax and carving knife, they skillfully remove strips of bark from designated cedar trees. They then shave off a small section of the rough bark, revealing a smooth tan inner layer. After harvest, the cedar strips are typically laid out to dry for a year before being made into baskets and hats or used in regalia.

Many Tulalip youth participated in the two-day cedar harvesting event, gathering strips for elders and learning techniques of separating the smooth inner bark from the rough outer bark. For some, this was their first trip to gather cedar.

Lushootseed teacher Natosha Gobin was one of the cultural leaders who made it a priority to pass on the teachings of cedar harvesting. She guided five first-time cedar gatherers whose energetic spirts and eagerness to learn made for a memorable experience. Kylee Sohappy, Martelle Richwine, Kane Hots, Oceana Alday, and Xerxes Myles-Gilford were among those first-time gatherers receiving instructional guidance while offering their support to stock pile cedar for future projects.

“Any opportunity for our community as a whole to learn our culture is important,” says Natosha. “Each time we have a cedar gathering opener, community members who wish to learn how to gather are encouraged to participate. Our Lushootseed department uses the cedar to make roses for funerals and for weaving projects taught in classes and at Language camp. We had asked if any volunteers wanted to join us this year and these youth stepped up to help us out. It is up to us to reach out to our youth and encourage them to learn these types of teachings for the survival of our culture.”