Well-known Native artist, Toma Villa, traveled to Tulalip and spent July 13 and 14 working with more than 80 summer youth workers on creating mural projects inside the Kenny Moses Building. Toma, who is a registered member of the Yakima Nation, has spent the last few years traveling to various reservations and inspiring Native youth to find their inner artist.
Toma uses Native American themes in the murals he paints. To date he has created 18 large-scale murals in four years that are “all up and down the Columbia River,” he says.
“In my mural workshops the youth work together to visualize their voices as paintings,” says Toma. “The best part of the workshops is watching the creative process play out and seeing how everyone interacts to take ownership over what they are creating. A big part of it is I like to tell them that you are people of the community, this is your home, and so it’s up to you to decide what goes up in your community. With these murals, it’s them putting out their ideas and their culture.”
The two-day crash-course painting workshop was the largest Toma has ever done. Usually he works with 10-15 youth at a time, but he was up to the challenge of working with the large group of 80 summer youth workers Tulalip had in store.
“It took a lot of work building and priming the walls to have enough space for 80 people to work with, but it was definitely worth the time and effort,” continues Toma. “So much good can come from the creating process and when you have young people working together amazing things can happen.”
Among the group of 80 were artists of all skill levels. With Toma helping with inspiration and guidance, every one of the youth were able to find their inner artist. There were teams of youth working on larger murals, while some preferred to showcase their solo talents with their stroke of the paintbrush.
The finished murals are in the process of being hung up around the Tulalip Youth Center for all to see.
“Absolutely amazing artwork took place with the Summer Youth program during their two days in the Kenny Moses Building working alongside Toma Villa. I loved seeing our youth so engaged and involved,” stated Theresa Sheldon, Board of Director, on Facebook. “If you have a youth in the Summer Youth program, you should be so proud of the amazing artwork they have created. Please give them a big hug and thank them for being so awesome! The Youth Services staff has been going above and beyond for them this summer. Next step is to put these master pieces up around our Youth Center. t’igʷicid to all who made this happen.”
Foreigner at the Tulalip Amphitheater. Photos/Micheal Rios
By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News
On the evening of Friday, July 8, legendary rock band Foreigner brought their formidable musical arsenal and enduring rock & roll anthems to the sold-out Tulalip Amphitheatre. With an energetic full capacity crowd on hand, Tulalip Resort Casino’s annual Summer Series continued to live up to its hype of mixing top tier musicians and a stellar atmosphere.
Star Nayea opened the show.
The opening act on this night was well-known Native American recording artist and GRAMMY winner Star Nayea. A self-described truth teller through music, Star used her soulful and powerful voice to perform several of her moving songs that are in her own blues/pop/rock mold that is unmistakable her own. After her set, the crowd was visibly anxious for the main act, one of the most popular rock acts in the world, Foreigner.
The Foreigner lineup that took the stage at the Tulalip Amphitheatre didn’t contain any original members from when the group took the rock & roll world by storm in the ‘70s and ‘80s. However, the current members did have the classic rock group’s catalog of hit songs and an electric energy that was enough to keep the sold-out crowd on its feet, while dancing and singing along with the band for the entire hour and thirty minute set.
Kelly Hansen, the lead singer and rock vocalist, is an energetic front man, strutting and posing on stage from the jump, as the band opened their set with “Double Vision” and “Head Games”. Taking it up a notch, Hansen literally took his energy to his fans when he hopped off stage and ran around the floor of the Amphitheatre high-fiving his beloved fans while performing “Cold as Ice”.
The band put their signature stamp on an acoustic “Say You Will,” with Tom Gimbel setting aside his guitar for a flute intro. Gimbel later took center stage to bring sax appeal to “Urgent,” adding a prolonged solo, a highlight of the evening.
The crowd was blown away while witnessing a genuine classic rock & roll band making their legendary music with real deal instruments and bonafide talent, no gimmicks or vocal synthesizers like what’s commonly found in the music industry today. Everything that goes into the Foreigner experience is authentic rock & roll, the way it was meant to be.
For the duration of the evening, the band provided their patented arena rock flair to the intimate venue that is the Tulalip Amphitheatre. Classic hit after classic hit was performed until the energy reached its pinnacle with a full-on jam session version of “Jukebox Hero”.
The encore included “I Want to Know What Love Is,” which featured the Voices Northwest choir (out of Everett) providing backup vocals. Foreigner donated $500 to the choir for appearing with the band and while the choir also sold Foreigner CDs at the concert to raise monies for Foreigner’s charity partner, The Grammy Foundation. Both Foreigner and The Grammy Foundation are intent upon helping to keep music education available to students as part of the core curriculum in high schools throughout North America.
The night-ended with a rousing performance of “Hot Blooded” that had everyone jumping, singing, and rocking all the way out. Forty years of excellent music artistry and a catalogue of hits that is unrivaled is what Foreigner brought to the live Tulalip Amphitheatre concert.
2015 War Canoe Races Photo/Niki Cleary, Tulalip News
**Revised: The Annual Tulalip War Canoes Races have been rescheduled to July 29-31
By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News
Last August, the Tulalip Tribes revived war canoe races and in doing so brought back what used to be an annual event on our waters before a very sudden and lengthy hibernation period. Through the efforts and perseverance of several tribal members dedicated to reviving the practice of hosting and competing in war canoe races, the cultural event returned to our reservation, along with the prestige that comes from being a tribe included in the war canoe races circuit.
Last year, hundreds of racers of all ages, from single rowing to 11-man teams, rowed intently across Tulalip Bay in physically demanding and spiritually uplifting competition. The Tulalip war canoe races brought nearly 200 participants from Coast Salish tribal communities both near and far. There were several canoe clubs who journeyed from Canada to attend.
In preparation for this year’s Tulalip war canoe races and all the competitors and spectators sure to be involved, the originally scheduled 2-day event has been expanded to a 3-day event to take place Friday July 15 through Sunday July 17.
The history of war canoe races stems from canoes being a traditional means of transportation for coastal and island tribes along the Northwest’s continental fringe. Not only did people use canoes for fishing and trading trips, but they also used them for raiding. Needing to be as quick as possible during these raids, tribes became experts at making canoes that could maneuver through the waters with ease. Both the individual manned canoe and team manned canoes required highly disciplined paddlers or pullers. These pullers often trained for months on end in order to become one when in the canoe. In some cases, the pullers would make use of a rhythmic chant to help ensure proper technique as they chanted their way across the shimmering, sunlit water.
Above: Little canoe race, Tulalip Indian boys, ca. 1912. Photographer: Ferdinand Brady
In our modern era, tribes no longer raid each other, but find our connectedness to nature and the life giving water remains inherent to what it means to be Coast Salish. So the practice and traditions of war canoe racing evolved into what it is today, becoming an inter-tribal event that spiritually uplifts individuals and community while honoring traditions of our ancestors.
Join in on the fun and excitement this weekend, as the Tulalip war canoe races kick-off Friday July 15. There will be plenty of food and merchandise vendors to shop from between races.
The war canoe race schedule is as follows:
Friday (races to be done separately, unless circumstances change day of race)
Fireworks could be heard from the I-5 freeway on a cloudy Monday afternoon as vendors at Boom City were seen putting the finishing touches on their spray-paint graffiti decorated stands on June 20, 2016. Boom City, located in the lot behind the Tulalip Resort and Casino, officially opened June 17, and vendors are gearing up for another busy fireworks season.
Boom City offers a designated area where visitors can enjoy fireworks that are banned on off-reservation land. This area, located on the north end of Boom City, came in handy last year for firework enthusiasts who live in the nearby community of Marysville, which recently issued a citywide ban on fireworks. The ban went into effect during the summer of 2015. Marysville residents are currently only permitted to light legal fireworks on Independence Day from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
As always Tulalip wants to ensure that safety is the primary priority this season, and the promotion of safety is evidenced throughout the busy weeks leading up to the Fourth of July. Vendors are exceptionally knowledgeable of their products, often taking the time to explain how to safely light their fireworks, and the reason they are knowledgeable is experience.
Tulalip has hosted Boom City for decades and many stands that are currently selling fireworks have been located at Boom City for years. This season there are 122 total stands that expect to sell to thousands of buyers. And based off of the success of Boom City throughout the years, vendors can expect a demanding but profitable fireworks season. Fireworks aren’t the only item available for purchase at the thriving northwest pyrotechnics capital; Boom City also hosts arts and craft vendors as well as food vendors. And a variety of eateries at the entry of Boom City include traditional Native American dishes, BBQ dishes, espresso and shaved ice.
The Tulalip Police Department routinely checks-in on Boom City throughout each day. Security is also on hand to ensure safety for both vendors and fireworks lovers alike. For community members looking to participate in the summer celebrations, Boom City is open for business daily from 6:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m. through July 4.
During the evening of Saturday, June 11, the Tulalip Resort Casino’s Orca Ballroom was home to the 18th Annual Tulalip Boys and Girls Club “It’s for the Kids” Auction. The fundraising event is all about giving donors and community members, the opportunity to take action for the benefit of the Tulalip community, specifically the hundreds of children who daily attend and depend on the services of ‘the Club’, as it’s affectionately been dubbed.
“The Boys and Girls Club is a special place for Tulalip. This year we celebrate our auction with the theme, ‘Taking Action for the Community’,” stated auction chair Rochelle Lubbers. “The Club lies in the heart of our reservation and in many ways is the heart of our community. Our working moms, dads, aunties, uncles, and grandparents rely on the Club to be a safe place where our children can be nurtured when they are not at home. Our family bonds in Tulalip are strong, the Club is an extension to that; with the children seeing staff as surrogate aunts, uncles, or grandparents”
The Tulalip Boys & Girls Club is the first club if it’s kind to be built on tribal land in Washington. Established in 1995, 2016 marks twenty-one years of commitment to the community. The Club promotes the health, social, educational, vocational and character development of boys and girls. Through before and after school programs, it aims to help young people improve their lives by building self-esteem, developing values, and teaching skills during critical periods of growth.
Serving as a model for those working to improve the lives of young people in the surrounding communities, the Club is the primary beneficiary of the annual fundraising auction. With each auction building off the success of the previous years, the Club has not only been able to sustain services, but to likewise complete much needed campus expansions that add additional learning and activity space. This includes spaces like the all new Computer Learning Center built in 2014 that allowed for our kids to stay on par with the area’s best school when it comes to computer technology.
“Each year we come together and raise money that will improve our club in ways that would not be possible without the support of our dear ‘Friends of the Club’. The learning, mentoring, playing, and team building that currently happens on a daily basis has a huge impact on our children, but there is so much more we could do,” continued Rochelle. “Tulalip is taking a hard look at our gaps and realizing that teens continue to struggle and need more places where they feel safe, nourished, and comfortable. This year the Club is raising money to meet those needs and plan a space for our teens at a critical time in their development. We want our teens to stick around after their grade school years and mentor our children, but they need a space that fulfills their teen lifestyle; technology and creativity.”
At the auction, there was an initial goal to raise $75,000 to build a multimedia center specifically tailored to the teen lifestyle. Thanks to the participation and contributions of those in attendance the $75,000 goal was easily surpassed and a total of $91,250 was raised for the future multimedia teen center.
That was just the beginning of an evening that saw previous auction records broken. It was announced that with more than 650 generous and caring people in attendance, the auction had set a new record for in-house attendance. Then came the biggie; with a record high in attendance came a record high in fundraising. It can safely be said that with sponsorships included this year’s event raised just under $400,000, which is nearly $75,000 more than last year’s event.
“We are extremely proud of the efforts of the auction committee, the Club, our sponsors, and all those that turned out to support the Club on Saturday night,” says Sam Askew, Tulalip Resort General Manager. “John Curley brought a level of energy that we’ve not have had before and with that came new opportunities for bidding excitement and ultimately more funds going to support our kids. I’d also like to personally thank all those that donated. Whether it was time, effort, items or funds, YOU make a difference! Thank you.”
Auction items included Native American artwork, jewelry, sporting events and memorabilia, and vacation and wine packages.
On behalf of the Tulalip Boys & Girls Club, the Tulalip Tribes thanks everyone who contributed to the success of the 18th annual auction. The outpouring of support received each year from sponsors and volunteers is quite overwhelming. As in years past, the funds raised from the auction will ensure that our club not only continues to provide, but improves upon, quality programs in a fun, safe and positive environment that make it such a positive place for kids to attend.
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.
Ryan Gobin, owner of Ryan’s REZ-ipes food truck. Photo/Kalvin Valdillen
By Kalvin Valdillez, Tulalip News
New food truck hits the streets of Tulalip. Tribal Member, Ryan Gobin, talks about his new business, his unique menu, and his long time passion for food.
What inspired you to open your own food truck?
My inspirational drive comes from within myself in wanting to inspire others to reach for the stars and know that goals are achievable. Going from being a law enforcement officer for ten years to owning a food truck is a huge change, but it was a goal set by myself and I wanted it bad enough to not stop until it became a reality.
I know there are a lot of Tribal members who are great cooks and I want to inspire them to do the same and hope one day to have a line of food trucks within Tulalip owned and operated by Tribal members who do what they love and follow their passion.
I’m all about supporting others in following their dreams and I feel it’s never about being competitive. It’s about supporting one another and lifting each other up to do better. I feel that treating others how I want to be treated will create a better outcome in life and positive empowerment is a great way of life.
I’ve always wanted to start something that had to do with food because I’ve always had a passion for cooking and it brought me joy to see others enjoy my food. I never thought it would be a food truck though.
Over the past few years, I set a goal for myself to start my own business and made attempts at others that didn’t work in my favor. Most importantly they just weren’t my passion; food is my passion.
So after many attempts and fails seeking a venture in food, I came across a concession stand at an auction and purchased it. The concession needed a lot of work and I had little to work with. I then started a Kickstart account and received help with funding by many within our own community and even several I didn’t know. The concession needed over 10k in work to pass health inspection.
During the time of putting money into the concession and attempting to fix it up, I saw a food truck and smoker combination for sale on Craigslist. I believe God had a plan for me and I felt it was meant to be mine. So I purchased the truck and smoker and began my work in piecing it together. After months of work, with the help of community members, it was finally complete and ready for business.
How did you come up with the name?
I had a hard time coming up with a name as I was trying to come up with something different. After going through several names in my head, I thought to myself that I wanted to get others involved within our own area. So I put it out there on social media as a contest.
I asked for others to come up with a name for a food truck and whoever’s name I chose would get two free meals upon grand opening. After going through over 100 names from everyone’s ideas, I finally stopped on Ryan’s REZ-ipes; it had a ring to it and stayed with me. Ding-ding we had a winner and stuck with it!
When did you first get into cooking?
I first got into cooking in my teen years. I have lots of family members that are amazing cooks and have been taught many recipes from all of them. I watched when people cooked in my younger years and began trying my own recipes. I could name everyone I learned from, but that would be a long list.
I took a little from everyone and began making my own. One thing I kept the same was my salsa. I can’t really call it my salsa because I was taught by Gerald Lugo Sr., who wrote down on a piece of paper for me how to make his salsa. Which is why I’m going to eventually jar my salsa with a label that says ‘Uncle G’s salsa’ dedicated to Uncle G who has passed on and left us all with his amazing teachings of happiness and great tasting recipes.
With food trucks growing in popularity in the Northwest, you are one of few in our area, what was the initial reception from the community?
The community was a huge help in getting my food truck off the ground and I have got nothing but great feedback from everyone within our area.
What’s your best seller and what makes it a fan favorite?
Being we are in our fourth week of being open, it’s difficult to say what our best seller is as of yet. However, when I observe customers approach the food truck and look over the menu, I see they have a difficult time choosing what to order being all of the items are amazing choices. I honestly don’t think we have a best seller as of yet, it seems pretty even with all items sold.
What’s your favorite part about owning your business?
I can control the outcome. If I want to make it a success, I will make it happen with consistency, dedication and passion.
What I also like about it is that I can create a team of people that also share the same passion for food and wanting to make others happy by producing amazing tasting food, which comes from a happy, positive environment.
One person that has been with me in this truck since day one is Dale Grove. Dale is very passionate about food and a huge help in getting my business off the ground and has also taught me a lot along the way. I’m very thankful to him as he also works a full time job and still finds the time to help me.
What makes your truck unique?
I believe my truck has it’s own uniqueness in a couple different ways. One would be the name. When someone looks at our name, it’s usually followed with a smile, which is always my first intent. The second would be by looking over the food menu. Honestly, I’ve never even heard of smoked salmon fried rice (some may have, but I haven’t).
In thinking of different recipes, we thought about something that nobody around has which would make it unique. Eating a burger with smoked salmon, cream cheese and caramelized onions I’ve never heard of, but sounded amazing so we tried it and BAM! It was amazing! Everything that is sold in the food truck is always fresh and never frozen. We even provide hand cut fries and hand made chips which are deep fried in peanut oil, which provides an even better flavor.
Besides your own, what is your favorite food truck?
In all honesty, I don’t have a favorite food truck being I haven’t eaten at very many. I think the only food truck that sticks out to me is from an event I attended in Seattle, which sold deep fried peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I mean, who wouldn’t love that?
How would you describe your food and menu?
Ryan’s REZ-ipes menu is best described as unique. Our menu has a variety of things to choose from, from smoked meats to smoked veggies. I try to have a little for everyone, whether they want to eat just veggies, smoked salmon fried rice or a bowl of BBQ baked beans infused with smoked brisket. I’ve had many say they may just have to come back once a day to order one or two things on the menu at a time until they try every single item. The options are just that amazing.
Where can we find you?
Ryan’s REZ-ipes food truck can be found within the boundaries of Tulalip Tuesday through Friday and eventually I plan to extend the days and hours.
We can be located on Facebook; just type in ‘Ryan’s REZ-ipes’ and hit the ‘like’ button and you will see locations, photographs of food served and daily specials.
Kookaburra/Recalecense. Richard Rowland (Native Hawaiian). 2005. Clay, marsupial bones, umbrella, stove top element, obsidian. “The works I sometimes make are directly associated with the idea of transformation, adaptability, and the responsibilities I feel toward my culture and toward my community of people, animals, and the whole natural world. I use natural materials in an organically abstracted way that expresses who I am and where I came from – mainly my ancestral beginning, which are deeply rooted somewhere between the landscape and the heavens.”
By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News
The House of Welcome Longhouse Education and Cultural Center located at Evergreen State College in Olympia is celebrating 20 years of groundbreaking work. Work that emphasizes promoting indigenous arts and cultures through education, cultural preservation, and creative expression. The House of Welcome celebrates the essence of that work with its latest exhibition, Building Upon the Past, Visioning Into the Future.
We Are One Bond. Chilling Taha (Cree/Iroquois). Acrylic on plywood.
Curated by Longhouse staff members, Erin Genia (Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate) and Linley Logan (Seneca), the exhibition features the works of artists from this land, local Squaxin Island, Skokomish, Puyallup and many other Salish tribes. Tribes from across the nation are also represented, from Alaska, the Plains, and across the Pacific Rim, including Kanaka Maoli artists from Hawaii and Maori artists from New Zealand.
Hummingbird Moon. Malynn Foster (Squaxin Island and Skokomish). 2015. Acrylic, pastel, mixed media on canvas.
`Works on display include paintings, drums, carving, beadwork, photography, baskets, and jewelry.
The subjects and techniques exhibited by the Longhouse artists draw from a diverse range of stylistic traditions, which arise from cultural teachings, ancestral lineages, and each artist’s unique experiences as indigenous peoples.
The exhibition was on display from March 31 – May 11. The House of Welcome was gracious to allow syəcəb staff a private tour of the exhibition so that we could share amazingly creative and exceptional Native art with our readers.
Supernatural Seawolves. Joe Seymour (Squaxin Island and Acoma Pueblo). 2015. Acrylic on paper. “Supernatural Seawolves is a reproduction of an old spindle whorl that I studied at the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) in Washington D.C. My trip to the NMAI was made possible through the National Native Creative Development grant through the Longhouse. The design shows two double-headed seawolves. I created this print while working with Lisa Sweet in Artistic Inquiry: Relief Printmaking program during the 2015 Spring quarter at TESC.”
Cedar Bark Fedora. Patti Puhn (Squaxin Island). 2016. Red and yellow cedar bard, sinew, pheasant feathers.
Swimming Together. In 2015, Artist-in-Residence and Longhouse grantee Nora Naranjo Morse (Tewa) conducted a two-week workshop to create a clay fish installation that will be installed on the future Indigenous Arts Campus at the Evergreen State College. In preparation for the workshop, Nora harvested and processed clay from Santa Clara and Taos Pueblo in the traditional way. Under the guidance and expertise of Nora, the Longhouse staff team joined with community artists to hand-build ceramic fish from the beautiful micaceous clay provided. Together, the tribal participants represented many different regions of the U.S. At the start of the workshop, the group came together to tell fish stories form their tribes. “Swimming Together” represents the connection of Indigenous peoples to the land and sea, and people of many cultural backgrounds working and learning together. This installation is a selection of the fish created during the workshop.
The Hibulb United Schools Spring Pow Wow was held at Totem Middle School on Saturday May 14, 2016. The venue was small, however, it was a more intimate setting, which allowed everybody to take part in the festivities. There were five drum circles, and several vendors selling clothing, beadwork, art prints, sage, and sweet grass.
A dinner, featuring hamburger stew, dinner rolls, and fresh fruit, took place before the grand entry. Once everybody made their way to the gym, Totem Middle School Principal, Tarra Patrick, briefly spoke of the importance culture, and keeping traditions alive. MC, Arlie Neskahi, then welcomed everybody and a culture filled night with drums, singing, dancing, competition and laughter followed.
In the middle of the ceremony, all dancers stopped on a whistle, elder Charlie Pierce, signaled for everybody to stop momentarily. “Thank you all for stopping immediately, there is a pressing issue that I must acknowledge right now,” said Pierce, “Three times I was stopped in my tracks, there is somebody here who is hurting, three separate occasions something came to me and told me I have to address this situation.” He then called for complete silence while he prayed for the gym. Pierce continued, “Whoever you are, if you are going through a tough time, then get yourself out here, there is medicine on this dancefloor come and receive your healing.”
The evening really began after that moment; dozens of on-lookers came out and danced, seeking healing, A father, who brought his new born out to dance said “That was amazing, I am not sure if there was a particular person that was addressed to, but there were many people who needed this, and his words gave them the courage to get up, share memories and have some fun.”
In between dances there were raffles, donations, and birthday wishes. Gifts were also handed out. One of the gifts were coloring books for every kid that danced. “I think the books were a great gift, we worked with Everett Community College, and we just wanted to encourage kids to stay in school.” stated committee member Terrance Sabbas,“I am very happy with the turn out, especially because our community had so many events going on in the same night.”
Terrance expressed that the vision of the Hibulb Pow Wow was to create a more traditional experience. “It’s officially Pow Wow season! We just wanted to have a more traditional vibe, we paid drums equally, we had competitions, but we didn’t want it to be about the prizes. We wanted to bring it back to the days where the community got together and enjoyed good song and dance.”
Young Nation – Ka’ila Farrell-Smith (Klamath/Modoc). 2015. Oil paint, spray paint, wax crayon on canvas. “Young Nation is a painting using direct visual symbolism to create dialogue about the attempted erasure of Indigenous cultures through forced assimilation by violent European colonization in the Americas (and abroad). American mythologies of ‘manifest destiny’, ‘frontier expansionism’ along with the use of Christianity’s land claims via papal bull’s like the Doctrine of Discovery were utilized to enact agendas such as: Indian Boarding Schools, Termination acts, Relocation acts, Reservations, land theft and biological warfare. This systemic and environmental racism is still happening across Indian Country today. Young Nation asks the questions: is forced colonization worth the attempted erasure and destruction of Indigenous culture, art & paradigm? There is sadness and pain in recognizing the losses, but there is also an empowerment in acknowledging the injustice. When the dominant culture is unaware of the ugly horrors in our shared histories, such as the Indian Boarding schools whose motto was “Kill the Indian, Save the Man,” then I feel creating paintings that bring light to these cultural secrets are of the imperative.”
by Micheal Rios, Tulalip News
The House of Welcome Longhouse Education and Cultural Center located at Evergreen State College in Olympia is celebrating 20 years of groundbreaking work. Work that emphasizes promoting indigenous arts and cultures through education, cultural preservation, and creative expression. The House of Welcome celebrates the essence of that work with its latest exhibition, Building Upon the Past, Visioning Into the Future.
Curated by Longhouse staff members, Erin Genia (Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate) and Linley Logan (Seneca), the exhibition features the works of artists from this land, local Squaxin Island, Skokomish, Puyallup and many other Salish tribes. Tribes from across the nation are also represented, from Alaska, the Plains, and across the Pacific Rim, including Kanaka Maoli artists from Hawaii and Maori artists from New Zealand.
We Are Their Only Voice Scraped Bucket, Salmon and Beaver. Dawn Walden (Mackinac Band of Chippewa and Ottawa). Birch bark, cedar bark, cedar roots, sweetgrass, bass wood corded handle. “Essense of Birch Tree. Though I consider myself a Contemporary Native Artist, I look for the sacred in form and traditional materials, blending contemporary with traditional weaving. For me it is about showing respect for the tradition and spirit of the materials, always seeking a balance between myself, the materials, and the form they are creating. There is a sense that I am imbuing admiration, respect and belonging to the solid form of the tree, plants and the artwork as well. I would like the viewer to be removed from current time and space, and drawn into the work so they might experience what I have translated. It is no longer a thing, but a trigger for the expression of feeling.”
“This exhibition reflects the twenty years of building relationships with artists locally, regionally, nationally and internationally,” stated exhibition co-curator Erin Genia. “Native artists are using so many different methods for expressing themselves and we really wanted to display as many of those methods as possible. The result is we have close to ninety beautiful pieces of art, treasures really, that make up this exhibition.”
The subjects and techniques exhibited by the Longhouse artists draw from a diverse range of stylistic traditions, which arise from cultural teachings, ancestral lineages, and each artist’s unique experiences as indigenous peoples. Works on display include paintings, drums, carving, beadwork, photography, baskets, and jewelry.
“As a curator of this exhibition it’s such an awe-inspiring experience to hear from the artists themselves as to the perspective and inspiration behind their artwork,” added fellow co-curator Linley Logan. “We have artists who are very traditional and roots oriented; artists who use the natural resources around them to showcase their creativeness. In a contemporary lifestyle in nature, we’ve continued to use the resources around us which now include materials other than natural materials. We’ve come full circle in our intent to build upon the past and vision into the future creatively and intellectually as indigenous people.”
Cedar Bark Fedora. Patti Puhn (Squaxin Island). 2016. Red and yellow cedar bard, sinew, pheasant feathers.
Sustaining Traditions for Future Generations. Kelly Church. Grand Traverse Bay of Ottawa and Chippewa. 2014. Black ash, sweetgrass, Rit dye, black ash bark, black ash splints.
I Believe in Falcons. Kayeri Akweks (Upper Mohawk, Six Nations Reserve). 2015. Watercolor, graphite, prisma, red iron oxide on 100% rag paper. “I recognize that there are two cores of identity within me and at their fundamental, both have direct internal attachment to and beliefs in the land as a constant spiritual force. Indigenous people know things – the land gives authentic direction about how to live. The land can and will offer instructions about healing. In my experience, I’ve consistently found that all of nature communicates concerning their healing properties, that lying directly next to the earth will comfort you and send love into your pain, that there is strengthening power in expressing gratitude, that self-forgiveness and forgiveness of others is about cleaning one’s own soul. Lately, I have added these: that love can and does heal anything and everything, that connecting to Creator/Source daily makes more love, clarity, and cleans the earth – and somehow helps ancestors who in turn are more available to assist.”
The exhibition was on display from March 31 – May 11. The House of Welcome was gracious to allow syəcəb staff a private tour of the exhibition so that we could share amazingly creative and exceptional Native art with our readers over the next couple issues.
