Brenda Lee Beatty, 52 of Tulalip, WA passed away March 13, 2013.
She was born in Shelton, Washington on November 15, 1960 to William Cultee and Shirley Cultee (Beatty).
She is survived by her husband, Rocky; children, Mary Mattern and Misty Flores; son, Travis Mattern; sister, Karen Williams; four grandchildren, Addriona Mattern-Anderson, Caianne Marie Santee, Kayonie Mattern, and Skyler Flores; numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and other relatives and friends.
She was preceded in death by her daughter, Valerie Mattern; parents; two sisters, Suzanne Cultee and Debra Lee Cultee; and granddaughter, Audrey.
Visitation will be held Monday, March 18, 2013 at 1:00p.m. at Schaefer-Shipman with an Interfaith Service following at 6 p.m. at the Tulalip Tribal Gym.
Funeral Services will be held Tuesday, March 19, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. with burial following at Mission Beach Cemetery.
Services entrusted to Schaefer-Shipman Funeral Home, Marysville.
www.facebook.com/pages/Code-Talker-Memoir-of-WWII-Navajo-Marine-Chester-Nez/130983513645672 Chester Nez, the last surviving Original 29 Navajo Code Talker
Source: Indian Country Today Media Network
One way to honor the service and sacrifice of our American Indian Warriors is to carry forth their stories. Introduced here are three tremendous recent books presenting these stories, including those of Original 29 Navajo Code Talker Chester Nez.
THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE CODE TALKER
By Chester Nez, with Judith Schiess Avila
Penguin, 2012
After the publication of his acclaimed book, Code Talker, Navajo Code Talker Chester Nez reflects on the path that took him to where he is today—from growing up on the New Mexico reservation steeped in the traditions of his Native American ancestors, to his days fighting alongside other Code Talkers, to his hardships and triumphs after the war. Here are stories of his family, then and now, tales of his close relationship to nature and her creatures, accounts of how his life and legacy have changed since publishing his memoir, and a tribute to his fallen friends.
AMERICA’S FIRST WARRIORS: NATIVE AMERICANS AND IRAQ
By Steven Clevenger
Museum of New Mexico Press, 2010
A timely and moving book that beautifully documents the service of Native Americans in the armed forces. Interviews with Pueblo, Apache, Navajo, Osage, and other Native American service men and women give insight into the warrior spirit. Striking images capture stirring moments of war, grief, community, family bonds, and homecoming.
For an NPR interview with the author, clickhere. For a slide show of photos by the author from the book, clickhere.
Native Americans have served in the U.S. military during each of this country’s wars, and their stories encompass heroism, tragedy, humor, stoicism, loyalty and conflict. This illustrated history tells the exploits of the last Confederate general—a Cherokee—to lay down his arms, the code talkers who used tribal languages to thwart the enemy in World War II, the first Native American woman to give her life as a soldier, and those serving in Iraq today. Spiritual, poignant, gripping, even shocking (warriors still took scalps in Vietnam), it reveals how ancient traditions of war persevere and how the warrior designation is a great honor to the Native American community. Packed with first person accounts and sharing little-known insights into a culture that is still misunderstood, this page-turning epic includes a stunning gallery of never-before-seen artifacts from personal collections.
By Rob Capriccioso, Indian Country Today Media Network
U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa (D-Hawaii), elected to the House in 2010, has quickly found herself appointed the new ranking member of the House Subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native Affairs, and she’s set to become a strong force on American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian issues in the months to come. In an interview with Indian Country Today Media Network, she shared her thoughts on being idealistic on a clean Carcieri fix, dealing with the tough Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), and overseeing the Department of the Interior, which she says has “blown it” on some tribal issues.
What excites you about your new leadership position on the House Subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native Affairs?
As you know, we’ve recently lost our two senators from Hawaii [Sen. Daniel Akaka retired in January and Sen. Daniel Inouye passed away in December], and they were big advocates for Indian country and Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians. It is so thrilling to continue in their footsteps. There is also a very humbling part to all this. How it works in the House, for someone like myself, basically just in my second term—there are many others with seniority. I came in during the 112thCongress, so I was 13thin terms of seniority on the committees. Some of my colleagues stepped aside so that I could be ranking member of this subcommittee. They felt that these issues were so important to me that they stepped aside. That is an amazing and humbling experience.
Was this a role you planned on having so soon?
The only way I got an idea that this could happen was when Congressmen Lujan and Boren came up to me one day and said to me that they felt I should go for this position. I was stunned, because I don’t really have the seniority in the committee to be able to say it’s mine. They said they would help in any way, and they did. In addition, I had the support of Chairman Don Young (R-Alaska), who has also been very supportive of me during my time in Congress.
Rep. Young has a reputation of sometimes being quite tough, especially toward Democrats—it sounds like you have a strong relationship?
You know, I believe it is [a strong relationship]. I believe that when you look at not only Congressman Young, but at the history of Alaska and Hawaii, there’s always been a special bond there. I don’t know whether it’s because we’re the two non-contiguous states, or whether it’s the timing of when we both became states, or if there is some unwritten rule that we would work together, but it has not been a challenge, as others have had, to work with Congressman Young. Even as a new kid on the block, he always welcomed me. He’s been supportive.
Do you see Indian issues as being able to continue to be bipartisan in this politicized Congress?
I would like to think that, but the issue gets a bit cloudy when there’s the interjection of gaming into the equation. Whenever a tribe has issues with land exchanges and issues of tribal recognition – and of course we still haven’t cured theCarcieriissue – I always see somewhere lurking, a township, a county, or someone else objecting. The reason for their objection has tended to be on the gaming rights issue. When you see theCarcieri[2009 U.S. Supreme Court] decision, and the lacking ability the Department of the Interior now has to take land into trust for tribes, I feel like gaming is one of the issues that breaks it away from bipartisan consideration.
Since the 1988 Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, tribal gaming has been the law of the land, but some politicians on both sides of the aisle want to tinker with that law. How do you personally feel about Indian gaming?
I feel that Indian gaming is part of the rights, which are inherent to the tribes and the recognition of them. I do not feel that we, Congress, should in any way step in or limit or redefine those rights.
You mentionedCarcieriand the gaming-related component there, but the case actually involves the Narragansett Tribe’s ability to get lands placed into trust for non-gaming related housing development. You recently sponsored a bill for aCarcierifix—what makes you confident that your legislation will overcome the gaming-related hurdles?
I don’t know if confident is the exact word. It’s the same basic bill that Sen. Akaka offered when he chaired the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and I am hoping it will carry. The concern I have is that we have seen otherCarcieribills offered from the other side of the aisle, and they also haven’t been able to be successful. I am confident that my bill is the right version of the bill. Other versions have had elements of Native Alaskans also in there, and I think that that muddies the situation. There is still discussion on whether that would be the appropriate way to assist the Native Alaskans. I think what we need to do is join hands both on the Democratic and Republican sides, and move it out of committee—that will rely on Congressmen Markey, Young, and Doc Hastings. I think a cleanCarcierifix is the version that everyone can get behind and move forward.
Clarify for me, if you will, the Alaska Native provisions of your bill—what does it do there?
It doesn’t mention them. You have seen versions in the 112ththat said aCarcierifix would not apply to Alaska Natives. When I say my bill is a cleanCarcierifix, it just addresses the 1934 [Indian Reorganization Act] issue and what the Secretary of Interior has done subsequent to that.
There have been some folks who say if this is going to move, it might have to be compromised—maybe gaming will need to be limited for tribes in a particular region to appease certain politicians or other big-gaming tribes, or maybe off-reservation gaming will need to be limited. How do you feel about going down the compromise route?
I’m of the opinion that it should be clean and not compromised. I don’t believe it’s Congress’ place to impose that on any Indian tribe. The [Indian Reorganization Act] was never intended to be limited to applying to tribes only recognized after 1934. I don’t believe Congress should be able to dictate how tribes are going to be able to have their lands.
So if someone said Rep. Hanabusa is being too idealistic, that the perfect might be the enemy of the good here for many tribes, what would you respond?
I would say that if the tribes come forward and say they want their rights limited, then Congress would have the obligation to look at that. But that’s different than if we in Congress oppose it, trying to impose our will on the tribes.
In your role, you will be overseeing the Department of the Interior and what they do on Indian affairs—are there concerns on your radar that you want the Department to address?
I’ve always been someone who believes that Departments require strong oversight. This Department has a trust relationship with tribes, so Congress must work to ensure that it is carrying out its fiduciary duties properly. I have been concerned – even on the issues involving theCobellsettlement – you wonder, how did this come to be? And is this being executed properly? Because of the unique obligation the government has to Indian country, we have the obligation to ensure that the Department is acting in the right manner. If they hadn’t blown it in the past, we wouldn’t be in this position. They have brought the scrutiny upon themselves.
Do you think Democrats should be critical of the Obama administration, pushing for improvements for Indian country, such as increased economic development tribal initiatives?
I believe Democrats should be. I don’t think this needs to be a partisan issue. I’d like to think if the administration is incorrect on an issue, we should be there asking for accountability and transparency.
Sens. Akaka and Inouye spent much of their time in Congress working to achieve Native Hawaiian recognition, but they did not succeed. Are you going to be successful in that area?
We are going to have to hope that they have laid a sufficient groundwork to build on. A political relationship between Native Hawaiians and the United States is necessary in order for various entitlements and trusts, such as in education, at home to survive. I hope that the other Native peoples in the United States will assist us in moving it forward. I think we should ask for the recognition, and ask for the right of self-determination. We’ve had insertions in the legislation to prohibit gaming because that was necessary to get some support. We are different than Native Americans because we do not have the same historical treaty relationships with the federal government. So we do not have the same gaming rights, like those we discussed earlier. But we are a Native people, and we are entitled to the recognition.
Source: USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service
WASHINGTON, March 15, 2013 – March streamflow forecasts show a decline in nearly every Western state and basin, according to water and climate experts.
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service National Water and Climate Center hydrologists predict dry conditions to continue from the less-than-average precipitation during February, which indicates reduced spring and summer water supply for much of the West.
“With only one month remaining in the snow season, it’s highly unlikely the snowpack will recover to normal levels over the Four Corner States,” hydrologist Tom Perkins said.
Although other parts of the country got more snow, it didn’t have impact in the western mountains, he said.
“What fell in the West didn’t really amount to much,” Perkins said. “New Mexico, Utah and Colorado are especially vulnerable, because their reservoirs are at low levels due to sustained drought conditions.”
At this point, it looks like water supply conditions will end up below average for most of the West’s rivers. Water resource managers will need to make some difficult decisions in the coming months due to this shortage, Perkins said.
There are a few exceptions to the dry forecasts. Spring and summer streamflow forecasts as of March 1, are calling for near normal levels across Oregon, Washington, Idaho and western Montana. Below normal flows are predicted over the rest of the Western U.S.
Although some are at normal levels now, March 1 snowmelt runoff forecasts trends indicated worsening conditions as compared to the Feb. 1 report. Forecasts decreased 5 to 10 percent in Washington and Oregon; 10 to 20 percent in Montana, Idaho and Utah; 10 to 15 percent in Colorado. Forecasts increased 5 to 10 percent in north-central New Mexico, but this was not enough to make up the shortfall.
“Although NRCS’ streamflow forecasts do not directly predict drought, they provide valuable information about future water supply in states where snowmelt accounts for as much as 50 to 80 percent of seasonal runoff,” according to Perkins.
In addition to precipitation, streamflow in the West consists largely of accumulated mountain snow that melts and flows into streams as temperatures warm into spring and summer.
The March forecast is the third of six monthly forecasts issued each year between January and June by the national center. The forecast compares the current level of water content in snowpack in the 12 Western states with historical data to help the region’s farmers, ranchers, water managers, communities and other stakeholders make informed decisions about water use and future availability.
The snowfall, air temperature and numerous other factors taken from remote climate sites ultimately contribute to water supply. Typically, decision-makers and water managers wait until April for a more complete picture that accounts for these variables before making final management decisions
NRCS will continue to monitor levels across the Western states to provide the most up-to-date water supply information each month.
“USDA streamflow forecasts play a vital role in the livelihood of many Americans,” said Jason Weller, NRCS acting chief. “With much of this region greatly affected by drought, our experts will continue to monitor snowpack data and ensure that NRCS is ready to help landowners plan and prepare for water supply conditions.”
Since 1935, NRCS has conducted snow surveys and issued regular water supply forecasts. NRCS installs, operates and maintains an extensive, automated system called Snow Telemetry, or SNOTEL, designed to collect snowpack and related climatic data in the Western United States and Alaska.
The 2012 Healthy Youth Survey reflects ups and downs among local older kids
Source: Snohomish County Health District
SNOHOMISH COUNTY, Wash.– The state’s recently released 2012 Healthy Youth Survey (HYS) shows that Snohomish County’s youth are having their ups and downs when it comes to healthy choices and experiences. The biennial report issued by the Washington State Department of Health offers health-risk information reported anonymously by students statewide in grades 6, 8, 10, and 12.
Issues of concern among Snohomish County teens include an increase in planning and seriously considering suicide, and worrisome reports of physical abuse by adults. The good news is that the teens who are depressed or considering suicide are more likely to seek help.
Use of cigarettes in the last 30 days was the lowest since 2002 in all grades, dropping to 15% for 12th graders. Use of hookah tobacco, however, hit 19% in that age group, and more than 25% reported marijuana use.
Alcohol use was lower in Snohomish County than in Washington State across the board among all grades, decreasing 4-5% at each grade level. Most kids still are not getting enough exercise, with about 20-27% reporting that they are physically active for 60 minutes per day.
“When we focus on the kids in our community, we actually are focusing on the adult population of the immediate future,” said Dr. Gary Goldbaum, Health Officer and Director of the Snohomish Health District. “This is important information we use in planning as we attempt to meet the public health needs of the whole community.”
Data from select topics of concern in the 2012 survey are highlighted in new fact sheets on the Health District website at www.snohd.org. Health District staff has just begun analyzing this new data to identify trends and recommendations. The Snohomish Health District used data from the last Healthy Youth Survey in a community health assessment report that will be released in late April.
Find the state’s complete survey and fact sheets online at http://www.askhys.net/.
The 2012 HYS is the thirteenth survey since 1988 to sample Washington’s students about health risk behaviors that contribute to their illness, death, and social problems.
Students in each grade answered about 100 questions in six broad topics: demographics; alcohol, tobacco and other drug use; school climate; quality of life; risk and protective factors; and healthy weight, eating and physical activity.
The survey is a joint effort of the Department of Health, Department of Social and Health Services, Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, Liquor Control Board, the Family Policy Council, and the Department of Commerce. Results are used to plan, implement, and evaluate state youth programs.
Established in 1959, the Snohomish Health District works for a safer and healthier community through disease prevention, health promotion, and protection from environmental threats. Find more information about the Health District at www.snohd.org.
Luck o’ the Irish: Get in the mood for St. Patrick’s Day with this roundup of events coming up this weekend. There’s food, drink, music, dance and a lot more.
Plant sale: Get ready for spring gardening with Seattle Tilth’s edible plant sale. The free sale is Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Seattle. Seattle Tilth is well-known as an authority on gardening. You’ll find plenty of plants, selected to grow well in our area. There will also be classes to help you learn more about growing food. Click here for all the details, including a list of plants that will be available for sale.
Quilt show: The Quilters Anonymous Quilt Guild annual show is 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds. The theme is “Out of this World.” More than 500 quilts, ranging from traditional to innovative, will be on display. There will also be demonstrations about quilting techniques. Admission is $7 and includes entry for all three days. For information, click here.
Taste wine: Chateau Ste. Michelle is offering a rare barrel tasting event from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The winery only offers the barrel tastings once a year. You can taste several wines that are still barrel-aging and speak with the winemakers. The event is $20 and includes tastings and a glass of a finished wine. Buy tickets the day of the event at the wine shop. Click here for more information.
Outdoors: Cabela’s is getting ready for spring with Spring Great Outdoor Days from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Attendees can participate in lots of free activities such as youth and adult turkey call contests. Other events include a laser shoot, wooden bow-making, and duck decoy carving and painting. There will also be a spring fashion show and a variety of free seminars and workshops with topics that include the basics of reloading, bear-proofing your campsite and preparing Dutch oven meals. Read more in our story here.
Visit Wonderland: The students from the Farraige Mhor Academy of Irish Dance journey down a rabbit hole to follow Alice on her whimsical trip. The musical show is at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Tim Noah Thumbnail Theatre, 1211 Fourth St., Snohomish. Tickets are $15 general, $10 for students and seniors, free for children younger than 5. Go to www.brownpapertickets.com or buy at the door if available.
What is that thing? Got a strange artifact? Bring it here. The Monroe Historical Society invites the community to its annual membership meeting and program, 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the Monroe Library, 1070 Village Way. Laura Phillips, archaeology collections manager at the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, will speak about local archaeology followed by an artifact identification session. Residents are encouraged to bring up to two items for identification, including American Indian artifacts from the Pacific Northwest made from bones, antlers, rocks and shells. No appraisals will be given. The experts do not authenticate items for sale.
Fill out your bracket: The NCAA men’s basketball pairings will be announced at 3 p.m. Sunday. If you’re not busy celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, you can spend the afternoon filling out your bracket.
Ballet for kids: Pacific Northwest Ballet is presenting a family-friendly version of “Hansel & Gretel” to help introduce children to ballet. The ballet is performed as an hourlong matinee and is narrated. The ballet shows twice Sunday. Click here for the details.
Music for all: The Hometown Hootenanny presents its “Family Ties” concert on Saturday in Everett. The performance plays on the theme that families that play together, stay together, and the songs celebrate the strength of families, whether it’s good or bad or special moments in family life. Read more in our story here.
Art walk: Wander through Everett, from one art studio to the next, on Saturday from 4 to 7 p.m. Galleries and studios will be open and snacks and drinks will be available. Local restaurants will also be displaying art. Click here for more details, including a map of participating locations.
Opinion, By Dr. Cheryl Crazy Bull, Indian Country Today Media Network
Like many Natives and our allies across our Grandmother Earth, Unci Maka, I have joined the Idle No More movement, attending round dance gatherings, praying for Chief Theresa Spence and her supporters, sharing the stories I hear and read and perusing news and opinion pieces. Like many indigenous people, I am acutely aware that our voices in the mainstream of American, Canadian and Central and South American societies are often unheard, and that we appear silent when in fact our voices are singing out with stories of our lives. Defining this movement is our responsibility. Each of us should learn about this movement and find our own place in it. We can add our voices to songs of our relatives and allies across the earth.
The new calendar year can be a time of renewal and recommitment for many – but for most Native people, our annual calendar is seasonal or ceremonial, related to the changes of our Grandmother Earth or the rituals of our people. For me the year goes from summer to summer, from the time of sun dances to the next sun dances. Measuring time in this manner comes from my identity. We may adopt the calendar year and New Year celebrations, but we find our renewal as tribal people in the seasons and rituals of our people.
As the Idle No More movement has gained strength, like many, I have pondered its meaning. For me, it is our voices, singing out from the place inside of us where our identities as “the people” live, it is the rhythm of our shared heartbeat and the movements of our bodies as we dance a shared dance – a social dance of hope and friendship and affirmation, in a circle, around the drums and the voices that are singing out who we are.
Each tribal people have a unique identity given us by our Creator and our understanding of Creation. Our identity emerges out of our knowledge of how we came to be as a people. Our oral knowledge is intact and the stories of our creation remain essentially untainted by western influences. Often we are viewed by mainstream America in the context of what educators call the three F’s – food, fun, and fashion. We are the celebration of Thanksgiving, the Indians in popular movies, feathered headdresses, geometric designed pottery, and lilting flute music. A deeper understanding of who we are, philosophically, spiritually, and socially is elusive to most of mainstream America. I often think this elusiveness is exacerbated by the fact that it would require a painful acknowledgement that we, as the First Peoples of this hemisphere, are really human beings subjected to devastating military and political policies of the very governments that still lead our countries.
Tribal people have their own teachings about their Creation, their family relationships, and how they came to be on this earth. Native people have teachings about plants and animals, about gathering in celebration, and about the meaning of each item of decoration or clothing that they wear at their ceremonies.
Our stories reflect the richness of our heritages which are such an important part of today’s democracy. Although the experiences of Native people with the arrival of Europeans on our shores are filled with tragedy, we have not lost our identity or cultural ways. Idle No More is the story of our shared identity. Like all social movements, it has roots in history and connections with the social actions of other movements, including the Occupy movement and environmental actions.
Tribally controlled education is a vital part of the foundation of tribal knowledge that underpins the Idle No More movement. In today’s society the education of our people is essential to our prosperity, our identity, and our activism. The tribally controlled education movement emerged during the last modern great wave of social activism among our people–the American Indian Movement that began in the late 1960s. In the last 45 years, tribal educators and our schools and colleges have been at the forefront of the restoration and preservation of our identities. Our work ensures that our ancestors and descendants will recognize us.
Now is the time to affirm that we are entitled to an education that honors our identity, our knowledge of Creation, and our relationships. We are entitled to the best of public education – a tribally controlled education – that culls content from our knowledge with teaching methodologies and assessment that uphold our ways of learning.
As our social activism grows, look to our Native educators and encourage them to bring Idle No More into their classrooms. It is a modern-day teachable moment in the context of our cultural ways and the histories of our people. It is a moment that can last a lifetime. It is the work of a lifetime that will be felt for seven generations.
Dr. Cheryl Crazy Bull is President and CEO of the American Indian College Fund.
By Eisa Ulen Richardson, Indian Country Today Media Network
source: hopscotchfilms.com.au
Too often, movies about brown people devolve very quickly into movies about a single white person surrounded by brown people. It’s not just that a white person is in the film – it’s that a white person becomes the film. The white, usually male, lead overwhelms the narrative, privileging the privileged, and disappointing those of us who paid the price of a ticket and a bucket of popcorn to see ourselves onscreen.
Finally, an unexpectedly delightful story featuring indigenous people has been produced for the big screen. Like magic, this movie does not show us the story through the lens of the white male lead, and so does not distort the image of the four beautiful brown women to whom the story belongs. It does not cater to the fantasy of white people dancing with wolves. Instead, this heartwarming, wonderful, joyous Australian film tells the story of four Aboriginal women from the point-of-view of the women themselves.
The Sapphires is a triumph.
It is also true. In the 1960s, a real-life quartet of sisters and cousins, one of whom had been ripped away from her family as one of the 100,000 Aboriginal children that formed Australia’s “Stolen Generation,” reunited and formed a soul-singing girl group. Styled and billed like The Supremes or The Shirelles of the same era, these women traveled to Vietnam to perform for American troops stationed there during the war.
Based on a hugely successful 2004 stage play of the same name, The Sapphires was written by Tony Briggs, whose mother was the youngest member of the group. The director, Wayne Blair, is also Aboriginal. Chris O’Dowd, who held his own as the good cop that almost got away in the estrogen-packed 2011 hit Bridesmaids, is just as charmingly flawed in The Sapphires. A reluctant manager with a drinking problem and a string of personal and professional misses haunting his heart of gold, O’Dowd’s character transforms into an unlikely hero. He plays the frog that needs a perfectly placed kiss to transform into a scruffy prince.
But the movie, of course, is not about him.
The four women who sing and dance their way through this film also transform. From country western singers who “love Charley Pride” to soul-singing divas who dominate the stage for increasingly larger audiences throughout Vietnam, the women experience a kind of coming-of-age as witnesses to the horrors of war and participants in their own liberation from the racism of mid-20th century Australian society.
Styled in sequins, go-go boots, and miniskirts, these women shine. Their wardrobe expresses their characters’ growing sense of empowerment without positioning them as hyper-sexualized “exotic others.” Though thrilling, their performances do not titillate or play to stereotypes about brown girls and white male access to their bodies. Indeed, their sexuality is expressed in relationships — affirming, sensual relationships, with black men whose romantic gestures are sure to make hearts swoon.
Intimacy grows between O’Dowd’s character and one of the four Sapphires, Gail, the “Mamma Bear” played by Deborah Mailman, who leads the group with loving command that remains unflinching even as the other three women find their own paths to personal power. The friendship and mutual respect expressed by these two characters offers a compelling counter-narrative to the myth of blond, blue-eyed desirability. Rather than detract from the women as the central focus of the film, this relationship only reinforces that focus.
Jessica Mauboy plays Julie, who fights hardest for the chance at something greater than her everyday life. Shari Sebbens plays Kay, the whitest looking of the girls, the one who was stolen, and the one who has the longest journey to make to get back home, and Miranda Tapsell is Cynthia.
Tapsell, whose great grandmother was taken from her family as one of the Stolen Generation, says the authenticity of the film is matched only by the enthusiastic response of the Aboriginal community. The experience of indigenous audiences is unsurprising. From the opening sequence, where four young girls sing in the Aboriginal language of their ancestors to an audience of family and friends, to the final scene, The Sapphires is a film that honors the original people of Australia and life in the missions where they are forced to live.
The Sapphires manages to examine the dispossession of Aboriginal people, the fragmentation of family, cultural dislocation, poverty, the particular plight of women who are also mothers, and the horrors of the Vietnam War — all without losing its upbeat tone, its rhythmic joy, its hopeful expression of uplift. Perhaps because the filmmaker, writer, and four lead actresses are Aboriginal, The Sapphires celebrates the beautiful, flawed, imperfect, glorious humanity of the indigenous people this film showcases.
Aboriginal people, an entire diverse community of the original people of Australia, are on the stage with The Sapphires each and every time they perform, and every round of applause, every cheer, every whistle and shimmy and shake, is for them — for the great-grandmothers who were stolen, and their descendants, the children who grow up to write the stories of their people’s ultimate triumph.
Home, Aboriginal home, though situated on the margins of Australian society, occupies center stage in this glorious film. Grab a batch of tissues, clutch hands with the one you love, and run. Go see it. Go and see yourself.
Say goodbye to smoked sturgeon — a world-class delicacy — unless you can find a tribal source.
Another catch-and-eat fishery goes by the board with the announcement that the state Fish and Wildlife Commission made big changes in sturgeon rules at a March 1 meeting in Moses Lake.
Starting May 1, recreational fishermen will be limited to one white sturgeon per year, statewide. Then, beginning Jan. 1, 2014, the new regulation requires the release of all white sturgeon in Puget Sound, its tributaries, the Washington coast and the lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam.
Catch-and-release fishing for the species will be allowed in all those areas.
The change is designed to address ongoing concerns about declines in the lower Columbia white sturgeon population, but why the other closures?
The state says white sturgeon drift up and down the coast, in and out of bays and tributaries, and that those harvested, say, in Port Susan, almost certainly include Columbia fish. Some observers say there is not enough scientific evidence to support that contention, or at least to the degree of drift, but the commission acted anyway.
Another rule change approved by the nine-member citizen panel appointed by the governor increases the daily walleye limit from eight to 16 fish in Lake Roosevelt. The change addresses an overpopulation of walleye in the big Columbia River impoundment, and particularly a lack of larger fish.
Closer to home, one of the nearly 70 sportfishing rule changes adopted by the commission reduces the daily catch limit of cabezon to one fish in Marine Areas 4-11 and 13, and sets the minimum length at 18 inches. Also, the cabezon season was reduced to May 1 through June 15.
Hot item
With an overdue state permit finally in hand, Mark Spada said the Snohomish Sportsmen’s Club will make its first plant this year of big triploid rainbow trout — in Blackman’s Lake — by the end of this week. The plant likely will consist of about 200 fish, running between 11/2 and 6 pounds, club spokesman Spada said.
The lake lies on the north edge of Snohomish, with pier fishing and boat access.
Everett derby
The seventh annual Everett Blackmouth Derby runs Saturday. Sponsored by the Everett Steelhead and Salmon Club, the event features a first-place prize of $3,000. Second is worth $1,500 and third $500 in this team event; up to four anglers per boat at a cost of $100 per boat. Tickets are available at John’s Sporting Goods, Everett; Greg’s Custom Rods, Lake Stevens; Ted’s Sport Center, Lynnwood; Harbor Marine, Everett; Three Rivers Marine, Woodinville; Bayside Marine, Everett; Ed’s Surplus, Lynnwood; and Performance Marine, Everett.
For more information visit www.everettblackmouthderby.com.
Salmon forecasts mostly positive
With the possible exception of Baker Lake sockeye, summer salmon opportunities look positive, according to Tom Nelson, host of “The Outdoor Line” on ESPN Radio 710. And even the Baker run, although expected to be down to 20,000 fish this year compared to 35,000 in 2012, should be enough to ensure a good season on the lake but perhaps not in the river.
Speaking of north Sound chinook and coho forecasts, Nelson said, “there are no bad predictions. We haven’t seen numbers like this since 2001.”
Nelson was particularly enthusiastic about the Marine Area 9 selective chinook fishery, saying that not only will there be more kings coming through, but more crossing Possession Bar. That should make it unnecessary to run west to Port Townsend for your clipped-fin kings, he said.
Tulalip Bay, he said, is expecting 10,000 chinook back, twice last year’s 5,000 fish. The Snohomish River hatchery run is predicted by biologists to be 6,800 fish this year, compared to 3,900 last year, and 3,600 wild stock chinook (must be released) compared to 2,800 in 2012.
“Altogether, that’s another 10,000 chinook over the bar and around the corner for us this summer,” Nelson said. “The only caveat is that some of those fish won’t be available if the selective chinook fishery is opened late. Our North of Falcon negotiators have to try to get it open by July 1.”
And, Nelson said, you’d best get your chinook fishing in by mid-August. After that, a big run of pinks will be vacuuming up every bait and lure dropped overboard.
Puget Sound coho are expected to present another major opportunity.
“Are you kidding me?”, Nelson said. “Almost 900,000 coho due back to Puget Sound? That’s a 10- to 15-percent increase over last year, and 2012 was flat out the best coho fishing I’ve ever seen in the Sound. It was like going to the fish market, day after day.”
River fishing is also looking good, Nelson said, with a solid snowpack in the Cascades to provide summer water.
Elsewhere, the big news is on the Columbia River. Salmon managers expect a big jump in fall chinook this summer, to 677,900 fish — substantially above the 10-year average and possibly the best fall king run since 2004. Of that number, the “upriver brights” that make up the Hanford Reach sport fishery are expeced to reach 432,500 fish. If they do, that would be a record for the run, according to state biologist Joe Hymer in Vancouver. It would eclipse the old mark of 420,700 set in 1987.
North sound seminar
Master Marine in Mount Vernon presents a repeat of its popular spring salmon seminar March 16, 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., free and open to all interested anglers. Speakers will cover marine electronics (John Keizer of Salt Patrol), secrets of San Juan Island salmon fishing (John Martinis), and dirty downrigger tricks (TJ Nelson). There will also be speakers on cutting herring and shrimping, among other subjects. Chili dogs for lunch, too.
Master Marine is immediately adjacent to the west side of I-5 in south Mount Vernon; go to the web site or call 360-336-2176.
Springers
The lower Columbia spring chinook fishery continues to build, but slowly. State checks for the week of March 4-10 sampled 422 boats and 1,113 fishermen with 38 chinook and 5 steelhead.
Local blackmouth
The San Juans are still the place to be for winter blackmouth fishermen, according to state creel checks. At the Washington Park ramp in Anacortes on Saturday, 41 anglers in 22 boats had 11 chinook. At the Cornet Bay ramp, access point for many fishermen to some of the banks on the east end of the Strait, 40 anglers in 19 boats had 30 fish. Areas 8-1 and 8-2 were slow.
Native Action Network is pleased to host our 9th Annual Native Women’s Leadership Forum & Enduring Spirit Honoring Luncheon. This year’s theme is “The Power of Indigenous Women – Reaching Hands Across Borders” to honor and recognize the importance of our sisterhood both here in the US and across borders with our sisters in Canada and beyond.
We’ll kick off our Forum with a Welcome Reception on April 4th at 6:00 p.m. for an evening of networking, relaxation and an introduction of our 2013 Young Women’s Leadership Academy.
On April 5th we will begin bright and early at 7:30 a.m. with our Youth Breakfast and open up the Leadership Forum at 8:30 a.m. with an opening prayer and welcome.
The Forum will begin with an Indigenous Women’s Call to Action as our panelists discuss current political, social, and justice issues being addressed by women’s leadership.
Next, participants will have the option to attend workshops intended to take our call to action to a level where our voices have greater impact through social media, elections, and public relation campaigns.
In keeping with past sessions, we will honor 4 Native women for their lifetime contributions of building strong, healthy communities during our Enduring Spirit Honoring Luncheon.
And, finally, we will close out the day with a panel of national and international leaders sharing ideas on how we can create a unified, powerful voice through partnerships and networks designed to increase media attention on our issues.
We’re excited to bring together a dynamic agenda filled with powerful women leaders intended to strengthen our sisterhood across borders!
Brenda Lee Beatty, 52 of Tulalip, WA passed away March 13, 2013.
