Author: Kim Kalliber

Board chair delivers State of the Tribes

Source: Marysville Globe

TULALIP — Tulalip Tribal Board Chair Mel Sheldon Jr. will give this year’s State of the Tulalip Tribes address during the Greater Marysville Tulalip Chamber of Commerce Business Before Hours monthly breakfast starting at 7 a.m. on Friday, April 26.

The presentation will take place in the Canoes Cabaret of the Tulalip Resort Casino, located at 10200 Quil Ceda Blvd.

The cost is $23 per person for those who preregister, or $28.00 at the door. Reservations made and not honored will be billed.

For other reservation information, contact the Chamber by phone at 360-659-7700 or via email at admin@marysvilletulalipchamber.com.

Tribe closes Lake Quinault to non-tribal fishing

Source: KOMO 4 News

TAHOLAH, Wash. (AP) – The Quinault Indian Nation is closing Lake Quinault on the Olympic Peninsula to non-tribal fishing until further notice.

President Fawn Sharp said Tuesday the emergency measure is aimed at protecting water quality in the tribe-owned lake.

She said tribal leaders are concerned leaky septic tanks owned by non-tribal residents in the area may have caused untreated sewage to get into the lake. The tribe has detected pollution in some areas of the lake and plans to conduct more water quality tests.

Sharp said the tribe plans to monitor any fish caught by tribal members. She said they are also worried about reports of illegal fishing by non-tribal members and docks being built illegally on the lake.

The lake is located on the southwestern edge of Olympic National Park.

Eight Great Healthy Reasons to Put On a Smile

By Melissa Cavendar, Occupational Health and Safety,  Tulalip Tribes
1. Smiling Makes Us Attractive
We are drawn to people who smile. We want to know a smiling person and figure out what is so good. Frowns, scowls and grimaces all push people away — but a smile draws them in, it makes them curious of why we are smiling and happy.
 
2. Smiling Changes Our Mood
Next time you are feeling down, try putting on a smile. There’s a good chance you mood will change for the better. Smiling can trick the body into helping you change your mood.
 
3. Smiling Is Contagious
When someone is smiling they lighten up the room, change the moods of others, and make things happier. A smiling person brings happiness with them. Smile lots and you will draw people to you.
 
4. Smiling Relieves Stress
Stress can really show up in our faces. Smiling helps to prevent us from looking tired, worn down, and overwhelmed. When you are stressed, take time to put on a smile.
 
5. Smiling Boosts Your Immune System
Smiling helps the immune system to work better. When you smile, immune function improves possibly because you are more relaxed.
 
6. Smiling Lowers Your Blood Pressure
When you smile, there is a measurable reduction in your blood pressure. Give it a try if you have a blood pressure monitor at home. Sit for a few minutes, take a reading. Then smile for a minute and take another reading while still smiling. Do you notice a difference?
 
7. Smiling Releases Endorphins, Natural Pain Killers and Serotonin
Studies have shown that smiling releases endorphins, natural pain killers, and serotonin. Together these three make us feel good.
 
8. Smiling Lifts the Face and Makes You Look Younger
The muscles we use to smile lift the face, making a person appear younger. Don’t go for a face lift, just try smiling your way through the day — you’ll look younger and feel better.Just smiling can require your body to use up to 53 muscles, but some smiles only use 5 muscle movements.

Delegation from Lummi Nation Visit Pacific Luther University

Pacific Luther University, Chris Knutzen Hall
 7:00pm, April 22nd, 2013

Source: Pacific Lutheran University

As part of Earth Day celebrations at Pacific Luther University during the week of April 21st, a delegation of representatives of the Lummi Native American Nation is being invited by PLU student club G.R.E.A.N. (Grass Roots Environmental Action Now) to visit Pacific Luther University on Monday April 22nd, 2013 and speak to the university as well as the wider community about a fight they are in the midst of waging.
Directly to the North of the Lummi Indian reservation, which is located near Bellingham, Washington, lays a forested and rocky shoreline known as Cherry Point, or Xwe’ chi’ eXen to the Lummi. It is at this site near the Straits of Georgia in the Salish Sea that SSA Marine, an international shipping company, has proposed building what would be the nation’s largest coal export terminal.  The forest would be convereted to mountains of coal and the waters off of Cherry Point would be converted to mooring space for up to three of the largest sized ships in the world.

 

The problem lies in the fact that the Lummi consider Cherry Point and the ajoining waters a sacred site. The Lummi point to burials grounds, ancient villages and fishing sites at Cherry Point as reasons for opposing the export terminal; the terminal would undermine the Lummi’s right to economic prosperity, cultural dignity and spiritual well-being. With SSA Marine spending tens-of-thousands of dollars a day on PR, the Lummi have been overwhelmed, unable to get their message to as many people as the corporations. Thus, this event seeks to give a forum to the Lummi, one where they can share their story, in their own words.

Please join us for an evening of listening, conversation, and solidarity.

Suquamish Tribe donates fry for release in Carkeek Park

Source: Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission

In its 10th year of a successful partnership, the Suquamish Tribe has donated 50,000 chum salmon fry to the Carkeek Watershed Community Action Project, supporting the effort to teach the public about salmon and why it’s important to keep streams clean.

“A few years ago, we released 70,000 fry and 164 came back last year, which is a good return for us,” said Bill Hagen, the volunteer coordinator for the community group.

Ben Carkeek Park Transfer April 2013 web

Suquamish natural resources technician Ben Purser takes a dip net of chum salmon fry from the tribe’s Grovers Creek hatchery near Indianola. The fry were transferred to Carkeek Park’s Piper Creek in Seattle. More photos of the transfer can be found on NWIFC’s Flickr page. 

 

“We appreciate volunteers all over Puget Sound who are excited about the salmon life cycle and teaching others about it,” said Jay Zischke, the tribe’s marine fish program manager. “These types of programs are key to helping stress the importance of clean water, for both fish and people.”

The fish were donated in March and kept in a large swimming pool at the end of a trail on Piper’s Creek until released in April. Volunteers, from retirees to entire families, feed the fish three times a day until they are released.

The creek and trail are popular with school groups learning environmental science and the salmon-watching public, especially in the fall.

About 700 people came up this trail last year, Hagen said, so it gets a lot of traffic and is a good place for both kids and adults to learn about salmon.

“This is enjoyable for everyone who comes up here and if it weren’t for the tribe, we wouldn’t have it,” Hagen said.

Senators Confirm Sally Jewell to Lead Interior; Predict She Will be Good for Indian Country

By Rob Capriccioso, Indian Country Today Media Network

Senators are speaking out after confirming Sally Jewell April 10 by a vote of 87 – 11 to become the next secretary of the United States Department of the Interior, saying she will be strong on American Indian issues as she encounters them in her new position—a position that includes oversight of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Jewell, 57, was most recently the CEO of an outdoor gear and clothing company called Recreational Equipment Inc., and she is a former commercial banker and oil company engineer, as well as a longtime advocate for conservation and outdoor recreation.

In her previous positions, Jewell hasn’t done a lot of specific work on Indian-related issues, which she admitted during her confirmation hearing, yet some Indian leaders say she has done enough to know that she will be a positive advocate. For instance, she was part of the Board of Regents at the University of Washington, which approved the construction of the university’s new $5.8 million longhouse.

Billy Frank, a Native American environmental advocate, has issued his strong support, as have Fawn Sharp, Chris Stearns, and other Indian leaders.

Several senators also say they believe Jewell will be good for Indian country.

Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), chair of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, has met with Jewell multiple times and has discussed a number of issues important to Indian country, according to the senator’s staff. On March 7, at Jewell’s confirmation hearing, Cantwell asked Jewell for her “comments on the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which will be part of your responsibilities. And whether you would commit to protecting treaty rights and incorporating tribal input into the Interior resource decisions?”

“I’m fully committed to upholding the sacred trust responsibilities that we have to Indian tribes and Indian nations,” Jewell replied. “And building and strengthening the nation-to-nation relationship that we have with tribes. I know this is a very important part of the Department of the Interior. … I’m certainly very interested in becoming more steeped in those issues and it has come up across the board in almost every one of my meetings with senators so far. So I very much look forward to taking this part of the role extremely serious.”

Cantwell further asked Jewell whether she supports energy development on Indian lands.

“Some tribes are blessed with natural resources and I think leaning into those resources to help the tribes economically as well as help the country by finding sources of energy development are really important,” Jewell said. “I know that businesses and tribes want certainty, in terms of the regulations. And I know that there have been issues with the Bureau of Land Management on how the leases occur. And I certainly will look into furthering that development.”

The comments from Jewell were not enough to convince Sen. John Barrasso (D-Wyo.), the vice-chair of SCIA, to vote for her confirmation. He was tough on her ties to conservation groups during her confirmation hearing, and he ended up being one of the 11 Republicans to vote against her confirmation.

Sen. Jon Tester’s (D-Mont.) office said he is interested in bringing Jewell to Montana to see firsthand the issues involving his state’s tribes. Based on conversations prior to her confirmation, Tester believes she will be a strong advocate for Indians, his spokeswoman said.

Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M), a member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, predicted in a press release that Jewell will be an “outstanding” secretary.

“As fellow engineer, I am confident that Ms. Jewell will use science as her guide in addressing the challenges that lie ahead, including managing our nation’s land and water, and expanding safe and responsible energy production,” Heinrich said. “Ms. Jewell shares my commitment to Indian country and to protecting our natural heritage for our children and for generations to come. And she knows firsthand that conservation and growing the Western economy are inextricably linked.”

On the House side, Don Young (R-Alaska), the leader of the Subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native Affairs, has not yet met with Jewell, but he has plenty of thoughts on how she can work to strengthen Indian country.

“One of the most important things she can do as Secretary is reorder the pecking order of the bureaus within the Department to give Indian Affairs equal standing with the others,” Michael Anderson, a spokesman for Young, said. “Additionally, one of the Department’s most solemn obligations is to ensure federal laws and policies dealing with tribes are beneficial to American Indians and Alaska Natives, and Congressman Young looks forward to promoting that message and building a strong relationship with Secretary Jewell in the days and months ahead.”

Rep. Colleen Hanabusa (D-Hawaii), the ranking member of the Indian-focused subcommittee is also interested in meeting with Jewell as soon as possible, according to the congresswoman’s staff.

President Barack Obama, upon receiving word that the Senate had confirmed Jewell, also mentioned her impending relationship with Indian country in a statement.

“Sally’s commitment to energy and climate issues, her belief in our strong government-to-government relationship with Indian country, and her understanding of the inherent link between conservation and good jobs ensure that she will be an exceptional Secretary of the Interior.”

Jewell was sworn in April 12 in a closed-door ceremony, immediately replacing outgoing Secretary Ken Salazar. She is the 51st Secretary of the Interior.

 

Read more at http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/04/15/senators-confirm-sally-jewell-lead-interior-predict-she-will-be-good-indian-country

Photographers caught Tulalip culture of early-20th century

A century ago, photographers recorded the tribal culture

By Gale Fiege, The Herald

Everett Public Library Northwest History RoomEverett photographer Norman Edson made this picture of himself with two Tulalip elders in 1905.
Everett Public Library Northwest History Room
Everett photographer Norman Edson made this picture of himself with two Tulalip elders in 1905.

TULALIP — There he is.

In 1905, Everett photographer Norman Edson, then 26, jumped into the middle of his shot, knelt on one knee and squeezed his shutter release.

With his newsboy cap, dapper suit and bowtie, Edson’s attire contrasts with the heavy shawls of the Tulalip women at his side. They are weavers, sitting cross-legged on mats on the ground. One smiles, the other concentrates on her work.

Edson was one of several pre-World War I photographers who captured life on the reservation, creating a valuable record of the Tulalip people more than 100 years ago.

Everett Public Library’s resident historian David Dilgard plans to talk about the photographers at a presentation set for 6 p.m. Thursday at the Hibulb Cultural Center.

The lecture examines the work of Edson (1879-1968), Marysville-based photographer Ferdinand “Ferd” Brady (1880-1967) and J.A. Juleen (1874-1935) of Everett. In addition, it was at Tulalip that the well-known Seattle photographer Edward S. Curtis (1868-1952) began his nationwide quest to photograph all the North American Indian tribes.

“Each of these men left important bodies of photographic work, remarkable images of the Tulalip tribal community a century ago,” Dilgrad said.

Of the three photographers featured in Dilgard’s presentation, Juleen’s work survives most prominently in prints at Hibulb and in the collection of his glass negatives at the Everett library.

Juleen was known for his four-foot panoramas of Northwest landscapes.

Everett Public Library Northwest History RoomJ.A. Juleen's portrait of Tulalip artist and activist William Shelton was taken in 1913.
Everett Public Library Northwest History Room
J.A. Juleen’s portrait of Tulalip artist and activist William Shelton was taken in 1913.

At Tulalip, Juleen took photos of important events: the celebration at a newly completed longhouse and the dedication of a story pole by artist William Shelton, as well as portraits of Shelton and many others.

“Unlike Curtis, however, Juleen didn’t put people in tepees or pose them with other trappings,” Dilgard said. “He took pictures of people as they were and left us photographs of high quality.”

Edson was a student of Bert Brush, who had a photography studio on Wetmore Avenue. Dilgard calls Edson a renaissance man. He played the violin, studied birds and hand-tinted his black-and-white photos.

Brady was known in Snohomish and Skagit counties for his commercial work and his photo records of industry and development.

“There are wonderful images by Brady of the paper mill at Lowell, full of women employees who wore white blouses and their hair tied up in big bows,” Dilgard said. “Brady is one of the forgotten masters of the craft. He used available light at Tulalip, instinctively shooting photos that would become historically and culturally important.”

Mary Jane Topash, tour specialist at Hibulb Cultural Center, said that most of the photos in the museum from the early part of the 20th century are by the photographers Dilgard plans to talk about.

“It’s great to have the photos of special events such as Treaty Days, canoes landing at Tulalip Bay, important funerals,” Topash said. “They provide a time capsule and offer a wealth of information the tribes would not have without these photos.”

Dilgard said he is pleased to present information about the photographers.

“Hibulb is all about the families, language and culture of the Tulalip people,” he said. “To be invited in as an outsider, as these photographers were, is flattering, as I’m sure it was to Juleen, Brady and Edson.”

Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427; gfiege@heraldnet.com.

Tulalip’s early photographers

A presentation about the photographers who captured life on the Tulalip reservation in the early 1900s is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday at the Hibulb Cultural Center, 6410 23rd Ave. NE, Tulalip.

The program is free with museum admission, which is $10 for adults, $7 for seniors, $6 for students, $6 for military personnel and veterans and free to members of the Tulalip Tribes.

Cantwell Congratulates Quinault Leader for Being Named ‘Champion of Change’ by White House

Ed Johnstone of Taholah honored for leadership to address climate change

Source: U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, April 11, 2013

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) congratulated Washington state’s Ed Johnstone for being named  a “Champion of Change” today by the White House. The White House honored Johnstone and 11 other local leaders at a ceremony today for their efforts to prepare their communities for the impacts of climate change and extreme weather.

 
Johnstone, a member of the Quinault Indian Nation who lives in Taholah, earned this recognition because of his leadership in educating the public about climate change’s impacts and readying Indian Country to deal with its consequences.
 
“This award is well-deserved recognition of Ed’s national leadership in addressing the impact of climate change on Indian Country,” said Cantwell, the Chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. “From the first treaties with Indian Nations, the federal government has acknowledged that Native people are the stewards of our land. Ed has continued this proud tradition, bringing together hundreds of coastal Tribal leaders and climate change experts for the inaugural First Stewards climate change symposium last year in Washington, D.C.
 
“I was honored to speak at the symposium and have been proud to work with Ed over the years on fisheries and climate issues in the Northwest. I congratulate Ed on this significant honor and look forward to working with him in the future on these critical issues for our coastal Tribes and all of Washington State.”
 
The Champions of Change program is part of President Obama’s “Winning the Future” initiative, which spotlights the extraordinary work that Americans do every day to improve their communities. Each week, the White House names new Champions of Change and invites them to the White House to share their ideas for bettering communities around the country.

First Indian Affairs hearing of 113th Congress Focuses on Need to Reauthorize Tribal Housing Bill

Chairwoman Cantwell Calls for Reauthorization of NAHASDA, Which Expires in September

Source: U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs
WASHINGTON D.C. – On Wednesday, Chairwoman Maria Cantwell (D-WA) held a U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs oversight hearing to address housing and infrastructure needs in Tribal communities and to discuss the reauthorization of the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act (NAHASDA). Wednesday’s hearing – entitled “Identifying Barriers to Indian Housing Development and Finding Solutions” – marked the first oversight hearing by the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs during the 113th Congress.
 
During the hearing, Cantwell called for reauthorization of NAHASDA, the critical Tribal housing bill that is scheduled to expire in September 2013. NAHASDA was last reauthorized in 2008 for five years.
 
“Since the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act was implemented in 1998, 31,000 Indian families now live in newly constructed housing units, and another 64,500 Indian families have been able to rehabilitate their homes through the Indian Housing Block Grant program,” Cantwell said. “This hearing begins the reauthorization process, as the Committee works to address housing challenges to ensure that all Tribal members have access to safe and affordable housing and that housing programs are meeting the needs of tribal members, now and into the future.”
 
The Committee heard testimony from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the National American Indian Housing Council, and three Tribal housing Directors. 
 
Witnesses at the hearing echoed the need to streamline housing programs under the federal structure, during NAHASDA reauthorization. They described the challenges posed by the fact that multiple agencies are often involved in the development of a single housing unit in Indian Country.  Multi-agency requirements can be redundant, leading to delays in housing delivery to Indian communities. In addition, cumbersome regulations do not allow for technological advancements in energy-efficient housing and other innovative approaches. 
 
The Committee also heard testimony from Annette Bryan, Executive Director of the Puyallup Nation Housing Authority in Washington state. “NAHASDA represents great progress toward the goal of self-determination and has provided tribes and tribal housing authorities with important tools for meeting the vast housing needs in Indian Country,” Bryan said. “Tribes need the flexibility to identify and target our local needs, including advancement in green housing, and we look forward to working with the Committee on the best ways to address these issues.”
 
In addition to Ms. Bryan, the Committee heard from Russell Sossamon, Executive Director of the Choctaw Nation Housing Authority in Oklahoma: “The reauthorization should maintain the government-to-government relationship between tribes and the federal government,” Sossamon said.  The timely reauthorization of NAHASDA should be one of Congress’ top priorities before the end of this fiscal year.”
 
In 1996, Congress first passed NAHASDA to better meet the needs of Tribal governments and to acknowledge that Tribes, through self-determination, are best suited to determine and meet the needs of their members. NAHASDA replaced funding under the 1937 Housing Act with Indian Housing Block Grants and provided tribes with the choice of administering the block grant themselves or through their existing Indian Housing Authorities or their tribally-designated housing entities. In 2002, NAHASDA was reauthorized for five years, and was again reauthorized in 2008 for a five-year period which expires in September 2013.