Please use the following link to download the June 15, 2016 issue of the syəcəb
SYS 06152016
Month: June 2016
Native films ‘Mekko’ and ‘Before the Streets’ premiere at Seattle Film Festival
By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News
The Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF), the largest and most highly attended film festival in the United States, had a massive lineup in its 42nd annual 25-day run from May 19 through June 12. This year SIFF screened 421 films representing 85 countries: 181 features, 75 documentaries, 8 archival films, and 153 shorts. The films included 54 World premieres and 27 U.S. premieres.
Among those hundreds of films, two (Mekko and Before the Streets) were made with North American indigenous issues central to their theme. Prior to their Seattle premieres, SIFF publicists and media relations staff reached out to local tribal media about covering the films and meeting the directors for potential publications. According to festival publicist Sophia Perez, the staff of Tulalip News were the only tribal media who responded to the SIFF invitation.
Mekko is the product of director/writer Sterlin Harjo who is a member of the Seminole nation with Muskogee heritage. Born and raised in the small town of Holdenville, Oklahoma, Sterlin studied film and art at the University of Oklahoma. Sterlin is a founding member of the Native American comedy troupe, the 1491s, whose bold stylings have garnered millions of views on YouTube.
Mekko is a film that explores the rarely seen slice of life about marginalized homeless Native Americans. Mekko is an uncompromising thriller set against the streets of Tulsa, Oklahoma wherein a Muscogee Native is released from prison and falls in with the homeless “street chiefs” at the edge of the city, struggling to find shelter, hope, and redemption among the local Native population.
“People walk past or drive past the homeless all the time and never think about where they came from and how they ended up where they are. In making this film I wanted to humanize the Native homeless population in Tulsa while giving them a voice,” says Director Sterlin. In writing the film Sterlin spent a lot of time among the Native homeless population in order to ensure his story line was an accurate portrayal of their struggle. “While doing my research I was also recruiting them to be in my film. They were very open to the idea and I could tell how excited they were to have someone tell a story about them.
“For those you watch the film, I hope they come to realize that we are all just a few decisions away from ending up on the streets,” adds Sterlin. “Whether it’s through alcohol or drugs or anything else that alienates you from your family, once you lose that support it’s easy to end up on the streets.”
Mekko paints the portrait of a homeless Native American parolee in Tulsa. As he struggles to find his way in the outside world after two decades behind bars, the titular Mekko discovers a chaotic yet occasionally profound and beautiful community of impoverished natives which now includes Bunnie, one of his old carousing buddies from his wilder youth. Though Mekko finds some peace in this society that exists on the fringes of our modern world, he also uncovers a darkness that threatens to destroy it from within. After a tragic series of events, Mekko dedicates himself to a quest for revenge which he believes will cleanse the sickness from this collective of marginalized individuals and perhaps atone for the sins that landed him in jail so many years ago.
Making its United States premiere, Before the Streets is a gripping and spiritual film set among the Atikamekw communities of Quebec, Canada. Featuring an indigenous cast speaking in their native tongue, it’s a redemptive story of a young man who returns to his Native traditions after a robbery ends in tragedy.
The lead character, young Shawnouk kills a man during a robbery and flees into the forest. Deciding to return to his Atikamekw village in Quebec, he tries to return to his everyday life, but is haunted by his past. Covering gritty, everyday issues of Native life on reservations from hunger and poverty to less talked about social issues of teen suicide and struggling family dynamics, Shawnouk must overcome his despair and redeem himself using traditional cleansing rituals.
Before the Streets celebrates a revival of the Native culture and its traditions, as embodied by the very actors who participated in the film. The first dramatic feature shot in the native language of Atikamekw, the film boasts a cast composed almost entirely of non-professionals living and working in the villages where the film was shot. The story takes place in Manawan, while a forest fire closes in on the nearby village of Wemotaci.
First-time feature director Chloe Leriche made Before the Streets with the collaboration of Quebec’s three Atikamekw communities, in drawing on all the vitality they embody. By following the pacing of her non-professional actors, she created a distinct style that goes beyond notions of the North American indie genre and recent media reports on the dismal conditions in Canada’s Native communities.
“I was working for Wapikoni Mobile, a project that involved traveling to Native communities in a trailer equipped with video cameras and editing tables. The idea was to encourage young people to express themselves through cinema,” says Director Chloe of how the inspiration for her film came about. “The first time I went to Obedjiwan, an Atikamekw community in northern Mauricie, I met a young man in the street and suggested he make a documentary on whatever subject he wanted. We went to look for two of his friends to hold the camera and record sound. I told his friends to ask him questions, and we filmed in different places around the village. Speaking to the camera, he talked about friends and relatives of his who had taken their own lives. The longer we shot, the longer the list of names grew. It was harrowing. After that, of the different scripts I was developing, Before the Streets forced itself on me like a scream. I felt compelled to make it, it became a necessity. The project grabbed hold of me and wouldn’t let go.
I spent a lot of time in different native communities. I visited Obedjiwan several times; in all I must have spent six months there,” continues Chloe. “I took part in many traditional ceremonies and pow wows, I lived with different families and made many friends. I also did research and read about the Native concept of restorative justice. I attended councils of elders, where village elders meet to discuss different issues and question solutions. In my film, the resolution, with the return to tradition, grew out of these exchanges.”
We know that there is a large group of people in America that are going unnoticed and often, unappreciated. Filmmakers like Sterlin and Chloe, bringing Native films to the table, are allowing their audience to be exposed to Native culture and see that the marginalized have something important to say. While installing themselves in a genre often thought reserved only for the rich and upper-class, whether it’s Native filmmakers breaking out onto the circuit or just films in general portraying Native life in today’s modern times, the presentation of Native films is a significant shock to the system. They help to shed an accurate light on so many Native issues, like homelessness and teen suicide on reservations, commonly hidden in the shadows.
Contact Micheal Rios, mrios@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov
Boom City Badges & Licenses, June 13 – July 1
Officers won’t be charged in death of Tulalip man during incident
By Scott North, The Herald
TULALIP — The Sept. 18 death of a Tulalip man during a late-night struggle with law officers was a tragic accident and not a crime, Snohomish County Prosecuting Attorney Mark Roe has determined.
Cecil D. Lacy Jr., 50, was a member of the Tulalip Tribes who had worked as a commercial fisherman. He collapsed and died in the 6400 block of Marine Drive. An autopsy determined he suffered a heart attack while struggling with two Tulalip Tribal Police officers and a Snohomish County sheriff’s deputy.
The officers’ actions that night were legally justified and they will face no criminal charges, Roe said in a Thursday letter.
“Cecil Lacy Jr. was a well-known member of the Tulalip Tribes, with many people who loved him. His death was ruled an accident, and in my opinion, that’s exactly what it was,” Roe wrote to two members of the Snohomish County Multiple Agency Response Team.
The cadre of detectives from around the county investigates officer-involved deaths.
The SMART investigation determined the officers were attempting to help Lacy the night he died.
Motorists called 911 to report a man walking in the darkened roadway that winds through the heart of the reservation. The responding officers found Lacy in an apparent state of intoxication, Roe wrote.
Lacy was told that he wasn’t under arrest, but that police needed to make sure he got out of the road and made it home safe. They offered to take him there in a patrol car, but on the condition that Lacy agreed to be handcuffed, the prosecutor wrote.
Lacy initially rejected that idea, saying that he had an injured shoulder. He then suggested that his hands be cuffed in front of him. Officers agreed, Lacy was cuffed, and the interaction was recorded on the officers’ body cameras, Roe wrote
Lacy “was not confrontational. He never assaulted or appeared to be trying to hurt anyone or escape,” the prosecutor wrote. He walked to one of the patrol cars and climbed into the backseat.
“It looked like the officers had successfully defused the situation and that things were going to be fine,” he added.
Then, as the door was being closed, the situation turned.
Lacy reportedly pushed the door back open and climbed out of the car.
In the struggle alongside the road, officers used an electronic stun gun in an attempt to subdue Lacy.
The man collapsed and attempts to revive him were unsuccessful.
The county medical examiner, Dr. Daniel Selove, later attributed Lacy’s death to a heart attack due to methamphetamine in the man’s system, as well as several other health-related factors. Those include an enlarged heart, obesity, hypertension and mental health issues.
The medical examiner determined the stun gun played no role in Lacy’s death.
Lacy’s family released this statement Friday through their attorney, Gabriel Galanda of the Seattle law firm Galanda Broadman.
“The family continues to suspend judgment about exactly what happened on September 18, 2015,” he wrote. “But they are troubled that in the very few writings we have thus far seen, both the investigators and prosecutor completely gloss over what happened to Cecil during his ‘short’ and fatal ‘struggle’ with law enforcement.
“Their reports are void of any explanation regarding the most critical seconds and moments before Cecil passed. There is much, much more to be learned about exactly how he passed.
“With very heavy hearts, the family remains intent on discovering the true causes of their loved one’s death,” he added.
Culture-filled weekend at Tulalip
by Kalvin Valdillez, Tulalip News
The Tulalip Tribes had a busy culture-filled weekend. The Annual Veteran’s Pow Wow, held at the Don Hatch Youth Center, kicked off on Friday June 3 and lasted until late Sunday June 5.
During all three days of the event the gym was over-flowing as dancers and drum circles honored the Veterans of Native America. Boye Ladd held the title of MC for the weekend, and the Arena Director was Randy Vendiola. Outside, the weather reached a high 90 degrees which allowed event-goers a chance to step out and admire the beautiful bay, skate park, new field, and of course the many art, craft, and food vendors that came for the pow wow.
On the last day of the pow wow, as the Veterans stood up for recognition, one Vet asked the gym if anybody made their way down to the Slahal Tournament that was simultaneously happening the same weekend at the Tulalip Amphitheatre. He went on to say that he had dropped by the Stick Game event and was pleasantly surprised with the large turnout.
“It’s beautiful. All these Natives living clean and sober having fun at these drug and alcohol free events, it’s beautiful. Thank you Tulalip!” The Stick Game Tournament had a $63,000 total payout, with multiple games played throughout the weekend.
“Being Frank” Cooperation helps us survive
By Lorraine Loomis, Chair, Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission
I am glad that the treaty tribes in western Washington were finally able to reach agreement with the state on a package of conservative salmon fisheries for Puget Sound. It took more than a month of overtime negotiations to make it happen, but cooperative co-management showed us the way.
Western Washington is unique because 20 treaty Indian tribes and the state Department of Fish and Wildlife jointly manage the salmon resource and share the harvestable number of fish returning each year.
That job was a lot easier when there were more fish to go around. But salmon populations have been declining steadily for decades because their habitat is disappearing faster than it can be restored. Salmon returns the past couple of years – especially coho – have taken a sharp turn for the worse.
Some say just stop fishing and that will fix the problem. It won’t. From birth to death, habitat is the single most important aspect of a salmon’s life. As the habitat goes, so go the salmon and tribal culture and their treaty fishing rights.
For millions of years, salmon were abundant in western Washington. Their sheer numbers, naturally high productivity and good habitat provided resiliency from the effects of disease, drought and a host of other environmental factors. We must rebuild that resilience.
As salmon populations grow smaller, management becomes increasingly difficult, and the co-managers struggle to divide a steadily shrinking pie. We must make the pie bigger.
The non-stop loss of salmon habitat in western Washington must be halted so that our habitat restoration efforts can successfully increase natural salmon production. In the meantime, we need to rely on hatcheries to provide for harvest and help offset the continuing loss of habitat.
We also must build resiliency in the co-manager relationship created by the 1974 ruling in U.S. v. Washington that upheld tribal treaty-reserved rights and established the tribes as salmon co-managers.
We remember the bad old days of the late ’70s and early ’80s when the tribal and state co-manager relationship was new and mistrust ran deep. We spent a lot of time, money and energy fighting one another in federal court hearings rather than focusing together on the resource.
Things didn’t begin to change until former state Fish and Wildlife director Bill Wilkerson said enough was enough and sat down with the late NWIFC Chairman Billy Frank Jr. The result was the birth of cooperative co-management in 1984 which led to the annual development of agreed fishing plans that allowed the tribes and state to focus on managing the fish instead of fighting each other in court.
This year, for the first time in more than three decades, the tribal and state co-managers failed to reach agreement on a joint package of Puget Sound salmon fisheries within the North of Falcon process timeframe. Instead we developed separate fishing plans for consideration by NOAA Fisheries under their ESA authority.
But in the true spirit of co-management, we kept the door open to further negotiations, and it worked. We weathered the storm together and we are stronger for it.
We know our relationship will be tested again in the years to come. But this year has shown us that we can survive those challenges as long as we keep cooperation at the heart of co-management.
Othello Tiny House Village Holds Community Celebration
Seattle, WA – On Sunday, June 5, Othello Tiny House Village in the Othello neighborhood is hosting a community celebration to celebrate the hundreds of volunteers, community leaders, organizations, and businesses that have helped make Othello Village possible. The event will include live music by Lady A and the Raging Grannies, tours of the village, and family-friendly volunteer activities including the painting of a community mural and collages hosted by local artists, the painting and tiling of four new tiny houses donated by the Tulalip Tribes, and a community litter pick-up. A program will begin at 2:00 pm that will include public officials and volunteers who contributed to the success of Othello Village. Food and refreshments will be provided. NeighborWorks America is a major sponsor along with the Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI) and Nickelsville.
LIHI Board President Melinda Nichols said, “The quick mobilization to build out Othello Village was amazing. This tiny house village will help transition even more people into stable housing while living in community with others.” These partnerships include a longstanding relationship with the Tulalip Tribes TERO Pre-Apprenticeship training program, which has previously built four houses for the other villages and is now contributing four more houses to Othello Village. Tribal art by Tulalip Tribes door artist Ty Juvenile decorates the doors of the four houses. Please join us:
Sunday, June 5, 11:00 am – 5:00 pm
Othello Village, 7544 Martin Luther King Jr. Way South
The event is additionally sponsored by the Tulalip Tribes, The City of Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, The Rainier Chamber of Commerce, the Rotary Club of Seattle International District, HomeSight, and the Seattle Jaycees.
Since the City of Seattle issued a temporary permit and the village opened March 8, 24 tiny houses have been built for homeless families, couples, singles and people with pets, along with two container shelters, tents on platforms, restroom facilities, a security booth, a kitchen/dining tent, and a donation tent. The houses are each 8′ x 12′ and safe, sturdy structures. The village will soon add another eight houses for a total of 32 tiny houses. The village now hosts 51 people including 7 children, and eventually will host up to 80 residents total.
Othello Village provides safe shelter for individuals and families currently experiencing homelessness. Nickelsville is a self-managed community with residents having to abide by a strict code of conduct including no alcohol, no drugs and no weapons. LIHI provides social workers and assistance to move the residents into permanent housing. The village was developed as an innovative crisis response to homelessness by moving people into tiny houses and safe encampments. The City of Seattle is providing operating support.
If you wish for more information, please contact Volunteer and Advocacy Coordinator Josh Castle at (206) 334-0508 or jcastle@lihi.org. To donate to the tiny house village go to www.LIHI.org.
June 8 2016 syəcəb
Tulalip Community Wellness Project Open House, June 7
Lushootseed: Preserving a legacy, teaching a new generation
by Micheal Rios, Tulalip News
The “7th generation” principle imbedded in Native culture says that in every decision, be it personal, governmental or corporate, we must consider how it will affect our descendants seven generations into the future. Long before environmentalists got us thinking about “carbon footprints” and “sustainability”, indigenous peoples lived in balance with the world around them. But then hundreds of years of colonization happened that nearly drove our population to extinction. Yet, still we remain.
Then came the decades and decades of federal policy aimed at forced assimilation for the remaining Native population who were confined to reservations. Policy after policy required children to be removed from their homes and communities, and enrolled in boarding schools where many were punished or beaten for speaking their Native languages. As a result, generations of Native people either never learned their language or lost their fluency in it. Thus, many links to traditional culture and knowledge were broken. Still we remain.
From the ashes of the colonial fire that ravished our people, we endured even though much was lost. The language of our region, Lushootseed, once spoken by thousands of Coast Salish people in Washington State clings to life by the small number of people dedicated to preserving it. Lushootseed’s territory extends from north of present-day Mount Vernon to south of Olympia.
Recent decades have seen a cultural resurgence in Puget Sound tribal communities, including carving, weaving, canoe making, and efforts to revitalize Lushootseed. New tribal museums and long houses have been constructed, and events such as the annual Canoe Journey involve hundreds of participants and thousands of spectators.
Today, on the Tulalip reservation, few elders remain who learned Lushootseed as a first language. In fact, Lushootseed Department Manager Michelle Balagot says there may be only 30-40 tribal members who can speak Lushootseed with some degree of conversational skill. She adds that although that number is incredibly low, the department is working hard to make sure that the language survives, and the next few years will be critical if the language is to be revitalized to the point that children become and remain fluent speakers.
The biggest advancement in preserving and revitalizing Lushootseed amongst Tulalip tribal members has been building an essential staff of Lushootseed teachers whose love for their language and culture can easily permeate through the young minds and spirits of our most precious resource, our children.
This past school year the Lushootseed Department had full access to teach our ancestral language to the kindergarten classes and one 1st grade class at Quil Ceda Tulalip Elementary School. It was the return back to a curriculum that had been paused in 2011 when the old Tulalip Elementary was closed.
“We have noticed an increase in student engagement when students have the chance to learn the language that connects them to their heritage. It certainly makes education more meaningful for our students,” says Cory Taylor, Quil Ceda Tulalip Elementary Principal. “While the Lushootseed program serves many Native students, it also benefits non-Natives, too. These students have the unique opportunity to develop skills to be culturally responsive. These skills will be beneficial throughout their lives. As students learn about other cultures and languages they are more likely to honor diversity and appreciate cultural awareness.”
Lushootseed language teachers Maria Martin and Nikki St. Onge, known respectfully as Miss Maria and Ms. Nikki to their students, were selected to initiate the language revival at the elementary. They taught three classes individually and one “immersion” class jointly, for a grand total of seven classes.
For Miss Maria and Ms. Nikki, it was an opportunity to perpetuate the many Lushootseed stories and phrases they learned as children, and build upon the legacy of those who came before them.
“My year teaching at Tulalip Quil Ceda was wonderful. I didn’t get a chance to learn Lushootseed in school after I left the Montessori, so being able to go back to the school I attended as a child and teach Lushootseed is amazing,” said Miss Maria. “This means we are growing as a language department and spreading our culture in places we weren’t able to before. Growing up I had a yearning to know and learn my culture, but it wasn’t offered in the schools. For the students that are enrolled in Tulalip or surrounding tribes, Lushootseed is their language, and my hope is they’ll be filled with the same kind of pride I have to know the words of our ancestors.”
“I really enjoyed teaching at Tulalip Quil Ceda. I am very grateful to have the opportunity to work with some of my students, since they were babies when I worked at the child care center in 2011. Then again at Montessori when I first started in the Lushootseed department in 2012, and now moving up with them to kindergarten,” marvels Ms. Nikki. “Not a lot of people get the opportunity to have this experience. It’s really rewarding to watch them grow and develop their own personalities and characteristics, and also teach them such an important part of our culture.
“Growing up at my Grandma Rachel’s house, I was exposed to Lushootseed a little bit with words or phrases like: x̌ʷubiləxʷ (be quiet), gʷəƛ̕əlad (stop it, behave), spuʔ (fart/blow wind), ʔaləxʷ k̓ʷid (what time is it?), hədʔiw (come in), č̓ut̕əp̓ (flea), sp̓əc̓ (feces), sqigʷəc (deer), yəx̌ʷəlaʔ (eagle), sqʷəbayʔ (dog), and pišpiš (cat). I was always interested in learning to speak Lushootseed, but it was never offered in school. When I saw the job advertisement within the Lushootseed Department I was excited. I have always wanted to learn Lushootseed and I love working with kids, so it was a perfect opportunity for me to grow as a person and to give back to the Tribe and community.”
Both Miss Maria and Ms. Nikki having taught Lushootseed at the Tulalip Montessori meant a strong familiarity and trust with their Tulalip students in their kindergarten classes at the elementary. All of their former students remembered them and were very excited to have them as Lushootseed teachers again. The excitement was shared by both teachers as they were able to create their own curriculum and teaching plans for students they knew very well. They knew what teaching methods would work and wouldn’t work with their students already.
Throughout the school year the students learned to play games, some of their favorites being təs-təs (matching game), ɬiʔɬdahəb (fishing), stab kʷi ʔəsx̌ʷil̕ (what’s missing?), xʷiʔ gʷadsx̌ək̓ʷud (don’t turn over), ʔuc̓əlalikʷ čəd (I win/bingo), go fish, and tic-tac-know. Students completed daily work sheets that taught them how to read and write in Lushootseed while reinforcing many of the vocabulary words they learned at Montessori and the new Early Learning Academy.
Some of their favorite songs they learned are: ʔi čəxʷ syaʔyaʔ (hello friend), kʷədačiʔb čəɬ syaʔyaʔ (ring around the rosy), huyʔ syaʔyaʔ (good bye friend), ʔə tə tib, ʔulub miʔman pišpišpiš (ten little kittens), šəqild st̕ilib (respect song), sʔacus sʔilalubid (head, shoulders), baqʷuʔ stubs (Frosty the Snowman), and waq̓waq̓ st̕ilib (frog song). The students were able to hear stories that were translated into Lushootseed and traditional stories such as “tsiʔəʔ bəšč̓ad” (Lady Louse), “tsi sxʷəyuq̓ʷ” (The Basket Lady), and “Clamming with Lizzie.” They learned to count up to 25 and were exposed to 30 and 40. They have also learned verbs, farm animals, woodland animals, body parts, clothing and so much more.
As the year progressed and the Lushootseed curriculum continued to evolve, so did the students. They developed such a good working knowledge with certain phrases and words that it became common place to hear the young students speaking Lushootseed even when Miss Maria and Ms. Nikki weren’t around.
“It’s difficult to put into words because it’s such an amazing experience to witness, this ownership of language and seeing themselves reflected in their school. It feels like this belongs to them between the drumming, the dancing and morning messages, then coming into class and starting our day with Lushootseed,” stated Mrs. Poyner, Kindergarten teacher and host to the immersion class taught by both Lushootseed teachers. “Having both Miss Maria and Ms. Nikki in the class at the same time I’ve really noticed the students are picking up the language much more quickly. They are using it in other parts of the day, like when we’re teaching math they’ll start counting in Lushootseed instead of English. When we’re doing letters of the alphabet and brainstorming words that start with a specific letter they’ll come up with Lushootseed words. When we are learning new stories with animals in it they’ll call the animals by their Lushootseed name. It’s so exciting to see them apply what they’ve learned into other pieces of their day.”
The teachers are even hearing numerous stories about their students using Lushootseed at home with their parents.
“I have heard stories of the students going home and singing the songs they learned in class and using their Lushootseed words,” says Miss Maria. “Running into parents of my students and hearing that they are reinforcing their Lushootseed at home makes my heart glow.”
Ms. Nikki echoes the sentiment, “Hearing from parents and teachers that students are reinforcing Lushootseed outside of their time spent with me in classroom is probably the most rewarding feeling. It means the students are not just learning a curriculum, they are learning a language, their language.”
Being able to demonstrate what you’ve learned is the basis of knowledge, and the young students using Lushootseed when the teachers aren’t around is proof positive the internal flame to connect with our culture and ancestors through language is being rekindled. It’s all part of an essential process to carry on our ancestors’ legacy by keeping the language alive. Because seven generations from now, we want Lushootseed to be the common language of all Tulalip people, like it was for our ancestors.
Contact Micheal Rios: trios@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov