On Monday, April 25, the Tulalip Tribes held their 15th annual Tribal Bingo Celebration. Tribal citizens who live locally on or around the reservation were joined by their fellow Tulalip members who travelled from Seattle, Bellingham, and Tacoma to join in on the festivities and try their luck to win high-end prizes and fill their pockets with cash.
Like he has done in years past, Chairman Mel Sheldon ‘rained’ supreme on the mic as the MC for each bingo session. Mel kept the atmosphere lively and upbeat while wearing a super fancy purple blazer in honor of the late, great musical icon Prince.
Photo/Micheal Rios
“We are honored to host our tribal bingo while bringing fun and excitement to the membership for 15 wonderful years now,” said Tammy Taylor, Tulalip Bingo Director. “The beautiful part of our tribal celebration is it’s a fun time for our people to enjoy each other’s company. During any one of the three sessions you could feel the happiness, feel the positive spirits, and see the beautiful smiles of our elders. Every year it’s so wonderful to see our elders come in and have such a great time.”
This year’s event was heralded as unique from previous years, as Bingo staff did their best to make the 15th annual celebration one to remember. First of all, instead of having only two sessions like years past, there were three sessions; held at 10:00 a.m., 2:00 p.m., and 6:00 p.m. Adding an extra session made seating more comfortable and gave a slight bump to everyone’s chance of winning prizes and cash. Secondly, the door prize drawings were held in a different fashion. Tribal members who were lucky enough to have their ID called would make their way to the front and choose from a number of tribally designed cards (provided by our very own Hibulb Cultural Center), and then on the back of the card would be their door prize. Prizes ranged from a trip voucher to a Vizio 60” flat screen TV to a washer and dryer set to various amounts of everyone’s favorite, cold hard cash.
Spanning each session were 14 games of bingo, plus an all-new Wild Goose Chase pull-tab game. For each session there was just under $17,100 in total cash prizes awarded to the winners.
The 10:00 a.m. morning session was most popular with 420 tribal members in attendance, followed by the 6:00 p.m. evening session with 394, and lastly the 2:00 p.m. session had 277. All in all there were 1,091 Tulalip tribal members who took part in this year’s bingo celebration.
“Our Bingo team did a wonderful job of preparing for each session and executing as a team,” added Tammy. “There were virtually no lines, whether it was getting the membership in the door and finding a seat or getting a plate of food. Our Deli team cooked and prepared more than enough food for the breakfast, lunch and light dinner we provided. From our Bingo team members to the Enrollment team members, everyone did a fantastic job start to finish.”
On the evening of Thursday, April 14, Tulalip Boys & Girls Club held an open registration for its very own T.R.A.I.L. healthy choices program. Its mission? To teach children the necessary steps to prevent diabetes and pre-diabetes.
“We are super excited to offer the community a very special hands-on practical prevention program for the kids at the Boys & Girls Club,” stated Veronica “Roni” Leahy, Tulalip Diabetes Care and Prevention Program Coordinator. “This is the first time a large scale collaboration between health clinic staff and the Trails Program staff has occurred. Together, we are offering diabetes prevention education delivered in a cooking class format with nutrition education geared towards kids!”
From 1990 to 2009 the incidence of type 2 diabetes in Native American/Alaska Native youth increased by 110%, according to the Indian Health Service (IHS). Type 2 diabetes has been reported in Native American youth as young as four years of age, and IHS also reports that mortality rates for diabetes are 1.6 times higher for Native Americans compared to the U.S. general population.*
In 2003, the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), IHS, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA), and Nike, Inc., initiated a prevention program aimed at reducing the onset of type 2 diabetes among Native youth. The program – On the T.R.A.I.L. (Together Raising Awareness for Indian Life) to Diabetes Prevention – is an innovative combination of physical, educational, and nutritional activities.
T.R.A.I.L. is a 12 chapter program that provides youth with a comprehensive understanding of healthy lifestyles in order to prevent type 2 diabetes. The program is presented with four themes: About Me, My Health, & Being Part of a Team; Healthy Eating; Making Smart Food Choices and My Healthy Community.
Woven throughout the program are self-esteem and prevention activities utilized by BGCA, including contributions from national evidence-based programs such as SMART Moves. Club members draw from Native traditions and history to learn about nutrition, food choices, media influences and the impact of type 2 diabetes.
The program also emphasizes the importance of teamwork and community service. Participants apply decision-making and goal setting skills in the physical activity challenges, and engage in service projects to improve healthy lifestyles in their communities. Community and family members participate in activities with the elementary-aged club members. These motivate members to achieve their goals and promote physical activity. The club sites are implementing the SPARK Physical Education and Nike Let Me Play programs to foster club-wide participation in fun physical activities and games for 60 minutes every day.
T.R.A.I.L. is currently funded at 55 participating club sites located in 18 states. Each of the Native Boys & Girls Club sites received the following to implement the T.R.A.I.L. program:
A grant to fund program operations, including a part-time staff person and program training for one year.
Evaluated program curriculum, training, and on-going technical assistance.
Access to the SPARK Afterschool Physical Activity Program.
Each club member who registered to participate in the T.R.A.I.L. program received a box of fresh food from Klesick Farms and Haggen Grocery store, and their choice of an apple tree or blueberry bush. These boxes were valued at approximately $50.00 per box.
“The kids will learn how to grow, harvest and preserve fruit, berries & vegetables and we will use them in the meals we prepare together. Plus, they will personalize and develop their own cookbooks with the recipes,” added Roni. “Our collaborative prevention team looks forward to working with your kids and sharing our knowledge and skills with them.”
The T.R.A.I.L. program will hold sessions Wednesdays and Thursdays from 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. and Fridays from 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. in the Boys & Girls Club community room.
By LORRAINE LOOMIS, Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission
There likely will be no coho fisheries in western Washington this year as returns are expected to plummet even further than last year because of poor ocean survival.
Coho returns in 2015 were as much as 80 percent below pre-season forecasts. The Nisqually Tribe canceled its coho fishery when fewer than 4,000 of the 23,000 fish expected actually returned. The same story was repeated in many Tribal fishing areas.
That’s why western Washington treaty Tribes are calling for greater caution in fisheries management planning this year and more equitable sharing with the state of the responsibility for conservation. It is important that we have agreement on in-season management methods and actions before the season starts.
Unlike sport fishermen who can go where fishing is best, Tribal fishermen are bound by treaty to traditional fishing places located mostly in terminal areas — such as rivers and bays — that are the end of the line for returning salmon.
Every year, we must wait and hope that enough fish return to feed our families and culture. Faced with low catch rates last year, however, most Tribal coho fisheries were sharply reduced or closed early to protect the resource. The state, however, expanded sport harvest in mixed stock areas last year to attempt to catch fish that weren’t there.
That’s not right. The last fisheries in line should not be forced to shoulder most of the responsibility for conserving the resource.
Making matters worse, lack of monitoring by federal fisheries managers last year allowed Southeast Alaska commercial fishermen to exceed their harvest quota by more than 100,000 chinook. Most of those fish were bound for Washington waters.
Coho salmon that managed to make it back last year showed frightening effects of poor ocean conditions. Most were 20 to 30 percent smaller than normal. Females returned with about 40 percent fewer eggs. That will likely result in lower natural and hatchery production and fewer fish in the future.
Right now, what salmon need is plenty of good habitat to increase stock abundance and build resiliency to survive the impacts of climate change and poor ocean conditions. Sadly, salmon habitat continues to be lost and damaged faster than it can be restored, threatening the future of the salmon and tribal treaty-reserved harvest rights.
Fisheries management is about the future, and the future doesn’t look good for salmon if we don’t reverse the trend of habitat loss and damage. Perhaps most of all we need a commitment from state and federal fisheries managers that the same high conservation standard that Tribal fisheries are held to will be applied to all other fisheries. That includes making the tough decision to close some fisheries to protect returning salmon for everyone.
— Lorraine Loomis is chairwoman of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission. Commission members include the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe and the Suquamish Tribe.
On the crisp spring morning of Friday, March 25, the students of Quil Ceda Tulalip Elementary were greeted by some unexpected visitors. Parents, grandparents, siblings, community members, and volunteers lined the student drop-off sidewalk holding rally signs and giving waves of encouragement.
Prior to the commencement of the school day, the sign wielding rallyteers joined the students at their morning assembly. The goal? To show our youth that we do care about their education and support all their efforts.
During the assembly Natosha Gobin, Lushootseed Teacher and coordinator of the rally, asked several students, “How did it feel when you saw your friends and family welcoming you to school, holding these signs?”
These were a few of the students’ responses: “I felt happy.” “Awesome!” “Made me feel good.” “It made me feel welcome.”
Following the assembly, See-Yaht-Sub staff discussed the meaning and impact of the morning’s event with Natosha.
What was the reasoning behind the Quil Ceda Tulalip Elementary rally?
“During campaign season, with all the signs that go up and the roller coaster of feelings within the community, some positive vibes needed to be put out there. Not to attach to anyone’s name, not for a campaign, but to uplift, empower and encourage others. After seeing a post where my friend and fellow Tulalip tribes employee, Trisha Montero-Higgonbotham, spent an afternoon holding up positive messages, I knew this would be a great opportunity to spread blessings in our community.”
Why is it important to uplift our young ones? And what did meant to you and our community to hear the students say it made them feel good and welcome to school seeing the signs?
“Our youth are surrounded by chaos at times, no matter how much we try to protect them from it. Some of the simple things like going to school every day can be exhausting. I have five kids and four of them attend Quil Ceda Tulalip. They love their school and are proud to be a part of a cultural rich environment. Everyone is going into Spring Fever mode, so we wanted to show the kids some support and try to start their day off with some positive vibes. Hopefully it would stay with them the whole day as they interacted with others. Everyone says education is important, but how can we really help make sure our students feel supported? This was a success in making them feel loved, supported, encouraged, and welcome.” Do you plan to hold more rallies like this one?
“We would like to spread these blessings on a regular basis, reaching out to other local schools, reaching out to the various tribal business buildings, our seniors and elders, to show that we all love and care for one another and that simple reminder can change someone’s day for the better, and carry those blessings with them wherever they go.”
How would you like to see them grow and become a common occurrence?
“We also want to create positive signs for our addicts, including weatherproof flyers giving them direction to resources to get clean. We all know where the drug houses are and we can post signs around there. We all know and love an addict, and want to save them. Tough love works sometimes but a silent reminder that someone is loved and has a choice is worth the attempt if it saves someone from walking up to the door of a dealer or down a road to use.”
Was this part of Natural Leaders?
“This was not a part of Natural Leaders, but I knew that the parents involved in Natural Leaders would be more than happy to help. When I shared Trisha’s post and mentioned I wanted to create signs for our community, I had some community members who wanted to be a part of it. Yvonne Williams, Eliza Davis and I spent a Friday night making the first set of signs. I made the remaining signs and put out a call to anyone who was interested to join us at the school.”
Looked like there were three Heritage students taking part in the rally.
“Yes, Yvonne Williams brought her two oldest kids, Roselynne Jablonksi and Nate Williams along with another Heritage student. Our young ones look up to our older high school students. It means a lot to have them participate and support the younger generation.”
“I heard three different kids say, ‘man those guys were fun’ when talking about the police officers. They didn’t come here to be scary, they came here to be community members supporting our kids and our students took notice of that.” – Chrissy Dulik Dalos, Manager, Marysville School District Indian Education Department
By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News
There is a saying at Totem Middle School, PRIDE in our Learning and POWER in our Actions. Normally a saying applied to only the students and faculty, it took a much larger scale on Thursday, March 17, as it was applied to a sense of community.
During the normal scheduled 6th, 7th, and 8th grade lunch times, Totem Middle School welcomed all family and community members of Native students to enjoy a complimentary lunch while visiting with the middle-schoolers. It provided a perfect opportunity to stay connected with students, faculty, and friends while building something much larger – student success and identity safety.
“Part of identity safety is looking around the school and seeing people who look like you, knowing those around you, and feeling comfortable in a familiar setting,” says Chrissy Dulik Dalos, manager of the Indian Education Department for Marysville School District. “Our Native students go from being 80 percent of the population at Quil Ceda Tulalip Elementary to 20 percent here at Totem Middle School. We have to be vigilant that our Native students feel they are in an identity safe environment and one way of doing that is to ensure they recognize how important they are to our school’s community.”
Fostering a sense of community while also helping to bolster identity safety was particularly achieved by way of a simple open invite to have lunch. In order to get community members who Native students are comfortable with at their school and responsive to the invite, school officials went with the lunch hour. Understanding that a lot of folks are preoccupied in the late afternoon and evening hours, and not to pry into hours that may already be reserved, the time slot of 10:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. was chosen.
“We chose the lunch strategy to see if we could get more people involved,” continued Chrissy. “I think it paid off. We ended up with about 65 people that joined our students for lunch. That’s pretty phenomenal.”
That’s 65 Tulalip community members made up of family, friends, staff, Board of Directors, and law enforcements officers who took time out of their busy day to connect with the students. Spanning the lunch time, community members could be seen sharing a meal with the students, playing pool and foosball with them, simply chit-chatting, and even sharing in the craze that is March Madness. Students are allowed to use their Chomebooks for entertainment during their lunch. A few of the students managed to stream March Madness games and found themselves sharing their computer screens with several very attentive adults.
“For me, as an administrator, I have a strong belief that school is the center of the community, and this school has a unique location serving unique populations from Marysville and Tulalip,” explains Tarra Patrick, Principal of Totem. “So how do we create a situation where it is reconnected to the community? There is a power in breaking bread together. If you are a student here and you see your family come in and you see the principal and teachers deferring to your family, then you realize your family can come and advocate for you. This is an opportunity for the kids to also see the bridge between the school faculty, the students and their families, that’s what makes us a community.”
It really does all add up. Whether openly acknowledged or not, the Native students of Totem saw how many of their family and community members took the opportunity to spend time with them. And isn’t that what kids need the most? To feel valued by the adults around them, to know that they are important and that they matter. It’s not the sound of our words, but the POWER in our Actions that determines this.
We are all partners in education. From the teachers, secretaries, food preparers, maintenance workers, to family and friends we all have one common goal and that’s to see our students succeed. When we work together, every child can succeed in school.
Principal Tarra upholds that we all play a vital role in the success of our children and students as she stated, “It’s going to take the entire community together to support all of our students in order to help them be successful. That’s what today was about. It was just community, in this building, and it was absolutely beautiful.”
Annual awards ceremony reminds officers they are valued
Senior Officer Paul Arroyos received a Letter of Appreciation for training and mentoring new officers during their Field Training Officer Program. Photo/Niki Cleary
by Niki Cleary, Tulalip News
Cast as superheroes or villains, depending on who called them, police officers take on work that is often hazardous, unrecognized and unwelcome. While every police force faces the day to day challenge of high risk interactions and angry clients, tribal officers are particularly imbedded within their community. Often reservation residents know their names, histories and families. Calls for service can lead to hard feelings when an officer has such close ties to the population they are policing.
Commander Sherman Pruitt, who helps recruit new officers, literally asks the recruits at every stage of the hiring process if they still want to work for Tulalip.
“There’s a stigma around tribal law enforcement, the opinion that we’re not real law enforcement,” he said. “But times have changed, our tribal law enforcement officers are trained and educated and have the same authority as other agencies out there. I want our recruits to be fully aware, I don’t want them to have any doubts, any regret and I want them know who they’re going to be serving and what the department they’re working for.
“In that last set of people that we hired,” Commander Pruitt continued, “we have two with Bachelor’s degrees and they could have gotten hired at any agency. They chose to work here. I’m impressed with all the candidates we hired, they were very informed and did their research about what the Tulalip Tribes is about. They looked into the Point Elliott Treaty and went above and beyond in learning who they were going to be serving.”
The rewards of the job are rarely a straightforward ‘thank you,’ instead it’s the satisfaction of knowing the community is safer, or the admiration of a child who wants to be a police officer. Which is why, the department sets aside one night each year to acknowledge the hard work and heart that each officer puts forth and to honor employees who have gone above and beyond.
“We care about the community and we want to make a difference in their life,” explained Commander Pruitt, describing the department’s impact on citizens. “We’re part of the Tulalip Tribes family. I want them to know that. I may not be Tulalip, but I’m family. Do families argue, disagree? Absolutely, but that love we have for each other doesn’t change. We want our children to know this is a safe community and a thriving tribe.
“We want to assure them we protect their tribal rights and the community is safe. What I love about Tulalip is people are passionate. I don’t take the things they say personal because it’s very heartfelt. I understand what they’re going through, I love that they’re passionate people who express what they feel, but they care. They may not tell us at the time, but they tell us later that they care. I love that. To our officers, we need to be vigilant and aware, but at the same time compassionate and understanding.”
Asked why recognition is necessary, Police Chief Carlos Echevarria pointed out the behind the scenes work that his department is responsible for in addition to policing, including knowledge of constantly amended laws.
“Ever changing case law adds steps in the process,” he explained. “All officers are required to be knowledgeable of all updates daily. We print them out and go over them every shift.”
He explained that each of his officers possess unique strengths, the awards banquet is a way to let them know their efforts are appreciated.
“With training and experience come areas of expertise,” Chief Echevarria clarified. “For example some officers do a great job in identifying impaired drivers, some excel at being aware when criminal activity is afoot and then investigating, not letting it go unnoticed. The banquet gives us a chance to acknowledge and for the department to show appreciation for those individuals who go above and beyond on a daily basis.”
He lamented that it is always tough to choose the reward recipients, “While everyone does a great job, there are individuals that go above and beyond especially in specific areas. I truly appreciate their hard work day in and day out.”
In addition to recognition from their peers, Board of Directors added their praise to the evening.
“I want to thank our men and women who serve and protect this community each and every day,” said Tulalip Chairman Mel Sheldon. “Too many times we forget about our police until we need them. A lot of us remember when Tulalip was a ‘lawless’ place where predators came to commit crimes or ditch evidence. At that time calls to the other law enforcement agencies either got no response or brought a very heavy handed approach. Although it often goes unsaid, our officers are so very important to our community. Having a police force of such caring, passionate and focused individuals is a blessing.
Our officers take care of us no matter how scary the call, and they take care of us with simple things, like escorting our family members on their last journey during funerals. Rarely a day passes when I don’t see an officer going out of his or her way to help. Every month in the board room we hear the statistics and we know what our officers are faced with. To our officers, you are making a difference for our people, keep up the good work.”
Awards
Senior Officer Aaron Cook – Chief’s Award (10 years of Honorable and Faithful service to the Tulalip Tribal Police Department and the Tulalip Tribal Community)
Officer Charles Oxstien – Officer of the Year (The police officer who stood out from all the rest, who was a team player, who served our Tulalip Tribal Community and who also serves in the Army National Guard as an Army Ranger)
Communications Officer Allison Fogelstrom – Employee of the Year (Provided Outstanding Support by inputting Numerous Protection Orders into the National Database and provided Transcriptions to Detectives and Police Officers regarding investigative cases)
Certificates of Commendation
Detective Sergeant Wayne Schakel – Supervisor of the Criminal Investigation Unit and Drug Task Force, took on Criminal Cases and provided support to his subordinates on Tribal, State, and Federal Cases
Detective David Sallee – Investigated High Profile Cases and Supported the AUSA Prosecutor with Federal Court Case Convictions
Sergeant William Santos – Outstanding Supervisor who led by example and went above and beyond on mentoring his subordinates
Sergeant Jim Williams –Outstanding Supervisor who led by example and went above and beyond on mentoring his subordinates
Officer Tre’ Pruitt – Officer who had the most Recovered Stolen Vehicles within the Department
Marina Security Officer Robert McCracken – Provided assistance in Saving a Fisherman’s Life on a boat by administering CPR and an AED Device to the Fisherman until Medical Personnel
Evidence Technician Officer Donica Johnson – Outstanding Support of our Tulalip Tribal PD Staff involving taking on additional duties in making our department successful
Office Manager Ashlynn Danielson – Outstanding Support to Police Personnel and Staff, and Coordinator of Community Events
Letters of Appreciation
Senior Officer Jeremy Mooring – Great supporting Senior Officer who helped cover patrol shifts to help serve our Tulalip Tribal Community, he mentored our new officers and took on additional duties with no complaint, and Coaches Youth Sports
Senior Officer Paul Arroyos – Senior Officer who was responsible for training and mentoring our new officers in being successful during the Field Training Officer Program
Senior Officer Clayton Horne – Supervisor who was in charge of Saving a Fisherman’s Life on a boat
Communications Officer Allison Fogelstrom – Dispatcher who goes above and beyond their duties in keeping the morale up with the Police Personnel on their professional career and personal life
Communications Officer Sadie King– Dispatcher who goes above and beyond their duties in keeping the morale up with the Police Personnel on their professional career and personal life
Tulalip Master Carvers Joe Gobin and James Madison and sons.
By Kim Kalliber, Tulalip News
“We’re not petrified, we’re still alive”
These strong words by James Madison were spoken by his grandfather, Frank Madison, before him. And that is the message Madison wishes to convey to the next generation of Native youth, keep us alive.
Maintaining our culture is of the upmost importance to Indigenous communities like Tulalip. On March 7, Tulalip tribal leaders, tribal members and tribal employees gathered outside the Tulalip Administration Building to welcome two beautiful new story poles, one featuring an orca, the other an octpous, that take position outside the entrance to the building. The poles, made from red cedar, were created by Tulalip master carvers, Joe Gobin and James Madison.
Orca pole created by Joe Gobin.
Octopus pole created by James Madison.
The unveiling of the poles began with a prayer followed by singing and drumming. Gobin and Madison then shared the meaning of the poles.
Gobin, who carved the Orca pole, explains that, “we’re killer whale people. The person on top is our spirit of the whale.” The eagle design represents the eagles that watch over our gatherings.
The octopus pole features a diving rock. This represents the power of the Native people. Madison’s grandfather told stories of this water power, and how they would jump into the water with a diving rock and get water power for protection.
Madison, with a hand on the shoulder of each his two sons, spoke of how proud his grandfather is for us putting our culture into our tribal buildings.
Tulalip tribal drummers and singers.
Tulalip Tribal Chairman Mel Sheldon and various tribal board members gave thanks to the artists and the art work, while emphasizing the importance of the teachings being passed on.
Wrapping up the unveiling was a singing and drumming performance by Quil Ceda Elementary students.
Quil Ceda Elementary students
Crowd gathered at the Tulalip Administration Building for the totem pole unveiling.
February 25-27, the Tulalip Tribes hosted their very own Gathering of Native Americans (GONA) at the Don Hatch Youth Center. Our three-day GONA was an event inspired to bring our community together to work on creating a vision for a healthy community.
Tulalip was fortunate to be nominated as one of the eight tribes in the United States by the Indian Health Service to serve as a Community Partnership grantee. As a grantee, Tulalip received the materials and resources necessary to undergo an intense community training and technical assistance that became our GONA.
GONA is for Native Americans and others who want to become change agents, community developers, and leaders. The four parts of GONA (Belonging, Mastery, Interdependence, and Generosity) incorporate the values of four levels of human growth and responsibility that are found in Native cultures.
Based on several ideas:
Community healing is necessary for substance abuse prevention;
Healthy traditions in our community are key to effective prevention;
The holistic approach to wellness is a traditional part of our belief systems;
Every community member is of value in empowering the community; and
GONA is a safe place to share, heal, and plan for action.
The three-day event focused on increasing the strengths of Native youth and community, healing the past and building the future. Over the last few years, countless GONAs have been held all over North America. Thousands of Native people from hundreds of tribes with their friends, families, and communities have experienced the powerful, culturally-centered training and resources GONA offers.
Through the four components of Belonging, Mastery, Interdependence, and Generosity we start to examine how to be an active participant in our own life and in creating a healthy community.
Belonging. Day 1 of Tulalip’s GONA started off by building and strengthening the sense of team, family and community. A place for all ages, a place for all kinds of people. The first day represents infancy and childhood, a time when we need to know how we belong. It is the most important first lesson a person must learn to live comfortable and to work effectively.
Mastery. After dinner, day 1 moved to the component of gaining mastery and healing from what holds us back. Empowerment, for the individual and community. This second stage honors adolescence as a time of vision and mastery. Understanding our Tulalip communities and the local contexts that inform work in partnership with other tribes/communities/governments.
Interdependence. Day 2 was dedicated to working together interdependently for positive change. A day of action and community leadership. The third stage is symbolized by adults, integral and interdepending within their families and communities. How do we interconnect with our environment and social network of our community?
Generosity. Day 3, the final day of our GONA was all about giving back to self and community. The final stage honors our elders, who give their knowledge and teaching to our generations of the future. Looking at our responsibilities to give back to our communities and share graciously.
During each day, GONA attendees participated in various team breakout activities, heard and told stories integral to our culture, and helped to create individual affirmations and community goals.
Storytelling is traditional for Native peoples. Oral histories and legends were used to transmit knowledge, teachings, and values from one generation to the next. During GONA, storytelling was used to convey the same teachings as we heard, valued, and respected everyone’s contributions while establishing a foundation for a community-wide prevention plan.
The group and team activities were all exercises that demonstrated the core components and helped participants identify some of the rituals or ceremonies from Tulalip culture that have helped our community to remain healthy and in balance. The activities also provided everyone with the opportunity to embrace wellness while recognizing the importance of traditional healing practices.
Dan Bates / The Herald Tulalip Heritage High School senior Mikaylee Pablo is involved in school activities including ASB, cheerleading, volleyball and the Tulalip Youth Council, yet still finds time to be a mentor to elementary students.
TULALIP — Mikaylee Pablo is a senior at Tulalip Heritage High School. Teachers say 17-year-old Mikaylee is always willing to volunteer her time to give back to the community. She is a good mentor to younger students.
Question: What is your favorite class?
Answer: My favorite class is probably Native Arts. I like drawing. It’s an escape for me.
Q: What activities are you involved with at school?
A: Cheer and I did volleyball. I am the ambassador for ASB. I’m on the Tulalip Youth Council. I’m the co-chair for the council.
Q: How long have you been a cheerleader?
A: This was my first year. I love music and dancing. I’m known for my dancing.
Q: How long did you play volleyball?
A: Two years. It’s a fun sport.
Q: What is the Tulalip Youth Council? How are you involved?
A: It’s a youth organization outside of school for grades sixth through 12. We are a group who works to better our community and make a better path for generations behind us.
Q: How did you get involved?
A: It’s held at the youth center, and I’ve been going there for years. I ran for co-chair. I had to write an essay and it was like a job interview. I help write the agenda and run the meetings.
Q: What kind of activities does the youth council take part in?
A: We helped name the skate park. We do community clean-ups. We meet with other youth councils and we’ve hosted other tribes here as well. We attend (Tulalip Tribes) Board of Directors meetings and are the voice of the youth.
Q: Why did you get involved?
A: My dad encouraged me to do it. My dad thinks me and my sister should be that voice and help make changes.
Q: How are you involved with ASB?
A: I’m the ambassador. I have to go once a month to school board meetings to tell them what we’re doing and what they should change.
Q: It’s sounds like you’re comfortable with public speaking. Is that right?
A: Not really. It depends on where I’m at.
Q: What are your plans after high school?
A: I really don’t know. I know I’m going to go to college. I don’t know where or for what. I’m leaning toward early childhood development or cosmetology. I know, those are totally different.
Q: What is your favorite way to spend a Saturday?
A: At my house we stay home and watch movies. I like to hang out with my family.
Q: Do you have a big family?
A: A huge family. I have five brothers and I have four sisters. On my mom’s side I have 25 first cousins. It’s about the same on my dad’s side.
Q: What’s it like to come from a big family?
A: There’s always someone who’s going to be there for me. I know I’ll always have support.
Q: Do you go to school with many relatives?
A: I think I’m related to about 95 percent of the people here. I think that’s pretty cool. There’s always someone to eat lunch with.
Q: How would you describe your high school?
A: It’s a closely-knit family community. We are really close here. Students call teachers by their first names.
