Native artist Jeffrey Veregge embraces his nerdiness
Monica Brown, TulalipNews
Jeffrey Veregge, a Port Gamble S’Klallam tribal member, has been creating art for most of his life. A few years ago, after exploring different art techniques, Jeffrey decided to mix two art forms he admires most, Salish form line with comic book super heroes and Sci-Fi. “I took what I like of Salish form line design, the elements and the spirit of it and decided to mix it with what I do as an artist and put my own take on it,” said Jeffrey about his latest art pieces.
His earlier work had a Picasso-esque theme that centered on native images. “I love cubist art. I like that it is messy but to be honest my heart wasn’t behind it [his earlier work], it wasn’t a true reflection of me,” explained Jeffrey. After taking a yearlong break to learn how to accept his nerd side, Jeffrey began to embrace his love of comic books, action figures and science fiction by recreating his favorite characters in the Salish design.
“Salish form line is beautiful and this felt like a natural extension. Comic books, Star Wars and all this stuff are equivalent to modern day myths and Salish art tells stories and myths,” said Jeffrey.
The sleek lines of the Salish design applied to superheroes such as Batman and Spiderman give them a solid and defined silhouette against a simple background. Because the placing of empty space against the background and the color contrast are both well thought out, the figures convey a sense of power and motion to the viewer. “I want to represent the comic characters in a good and noble way which they were intended,” said Jeffrey.
Last Son Courtesy of Jeffrey Veregge
Jeffrey is surprised and grateful for the success of his art, “A lot of native comic fans have approached me; a lot of support and wonderful emails, along with school programs asking for me to come show my work to inspire the students,” said Jeffrey. With the support from the fans he intends to recreate many more comic and Sci-Fi characters. Currently in the works are Iron man and possibly Deapool. Jeffrey is also organizing his attendance to the Tacoma Jet City Comic Show this November, where he will have a booth and be doing an exclusive print for the show and to Seattle’s Emerald City Comicon March 2014.
Jeffrey studied Industrial Design at Seattle’s Art institute and the Salish form line from Master Carver David Boxley, a Tsimshian native from Metlakatla, Alaska. Prints are available for purchase through his website, jeffreyveregge.com . T-shirt designs and baseball hats will be available for purchase soon.
His art can be seen at, In the Spirit: Contemporary Northwest Native Arts Exhibit located in Tacoma, at the LTD Art Gallery in Seattle, The Burke Museum and The Washington State History Museum. Other recent art commissions include a piece commissioned for the Tulalip Youth Center for their Suicide prevention campaign, a Steer Clear campaign with the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board and a double sided mural in Edmonton, Alberta.
Tribal officials need your help planning tribal parks
By Niki Cleary, TulalipNews
As the houses and debris were slowly cleared away, tribal members began returning to Mission Beach, one of few open, accessible beaches on the Tulalip reservation. Although the homes are gone, the bulkheads remain, leaving room for an exciting opportunity: A tribal park.
Grassy areas, handicap accessibility from the road to the beach, interpretive signs that play Lushootseed place names at the touch of a button and, of course, nice restrooms. These are just some of the ideas tossed around at the public meeting that Housing staff hosted to gather input from tribal members about what they’d like to see in a ‘Mission Beach Park.’
The meeting was a brainstorming session with no limits, and while a water slide (that twirls and loops and then dips underground before shooting you into the water) might not make it into the final plan, many of the ideas will
“This is a great opportunity for tribal members,” said Public Works Executive Director Gus Taylor. “There are so many tribal members who go down there right now.”
Mission Beach’s accessibility has also sparked the creation of a Parks Committee.
“The Parks Committee formed last month,” explained Patti Gobin who works on Special projects for Tulalip. She pointed out that the return of Mission Beach to tribal members is only the latest and most visible reason that parks planning is needed.
“In the past we never called them parks, they’ve just been gathering areas,” she said. “We’re growing so fast and we’re starting to have more open spaces for our people to gather and enjoy. We need some criteria for those areas to make sure they stay clean, safe and sustainable for our people. We’re going to create a parks ordinance that will set those criteria with sensitivity to our culture and traditional ways. In hundreds of years we, the tribe, will still be here. We want to make sure our open space and parks will be here for generations to come.”
The Parks Committee is still in its infancy. Right now it is composed of staff from the different tribal departments (Natural Resources, Community Development, Public Works, Administrative Services and Cultural Resources) that are currently managing the common spaces on the reservation.
Unfortunately, the Parks Committee isn’t just an optimistic endeavor to construct parks, it’s also a reaction to some of the negative activities that are taking place in the tribe’s recreational areas. Since the Mission Beach home removal, several people have reported groups of both tribal and non-tribal members under the influence and verbally abusive on the beach, graffiti has sprung up along the old bulkheads and some of the bulkhead has been burned away.
“We need to be proactive in monitoring and providing maintenance for these areas,” said Patti. Ultimately that means a Parks Department. “That will require budget to pay for staff, and we’ll have to decide, what will be the criteria for those jobs? Will it include park rangers?
“This isn’t just for Mission Beach,” Patti went on. “We have gathering areas at Totem Beach, Hermosa, Spee-Bi-Dah, Tulare, and off reservation too, at Lopez Island, Baby Island, and Hat Island. Those are just the areas I can think of off the top of my head. Eventually a parks department would also be responsible for the connectivity and maintenance of walking trails throughout the reservation.”
Patti and her team are hoping to have a first draft of the Parks Ordinance submitted for Board of Directors Review by January 2014, but, she said, Mission Beach won’t wait that long.
Because Mission Beach is designated as lease property, it currently falls under the authority of the Tulalip Housing Department, although once a parks department is created and staffed, Mission Beach will revert to parks. Housing is currently requesting input from tribal members about what they’d like to see in the future.
“Right now we’re unsure when the next meeting will be,” said Anita Taylor of Housing. “We’re presenting the ideas from our first meeting to the board, then we’ll have another community meeting, hopefully in July.”
In the meantime, a sign outlining general park rules will be going up at the parking lot and on the beach, and tribal staff will continue to maintain garbage cans with the expectation that if you pack it in, you pack it out. For other concerns or to submit your input to the park plan, contact Housing staff.
“If you have an emergency, of course call 911,” said Anita. “But if you have any other issues, want to report graffiti, find needles or paraphernalia on the beach, contact myself (360-716-4449, ataylor@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov), or Malory Simpson (360-716-4454, msimpson@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov) and we’ll arrange to have staff take care of it as soon as possible.”
The following images from Brian Way of WHPacific, illustrate some of the proposals for Mission Beach. These include pathways, viewpoints, restrooms, fire pits and a rinse station.
TULALIP, Wash. – Family and friends joined together to watch their precious ones graduate from Tulalip Montessori school. The ceremony, which took place at the Tulalip Don Hatch/Greg Williams Court on June 13, 2013, included songs sung by the children and a slideshow of the children’s photos that had been taken throughout the school year. School staff honored the children for their graduation achievement and cake and refreshments were served.
Montessori Graduation 2013 Photo by Monica Brown
Montessori Graduation 2013 Photo by Monica BrownMontessori Graduation 2013 Photo by Monica Brown
Note: The Tulalip Tribes publicly announces that Indian Preference to hiring shall apply to the Tulalip Tribal job opportunities.
Requirements:
Have a valid state driver’s license, reliable vehicle and auto insurance. (PREFERRED)
Food Handlers Permit. (PREFERRED)
Must pass initial criminal history background check.
Dependable and willing to work.
Must be able to work non-traditional hours which may vary due to participation.
Able to work independently, follow direction and work well with others.
Must be at least 16 years of age.
Physical Characteristics and/or Prerequisites:
Stamina to sit, stand and/or walk for prolonged periods of time.
Mobility to bend, stoop, and/ or climb stairs.
Ability to lift/push/pull heavy objects.
Tribal Department: Community Services
Job Summary: To prepare and help serve food for the traditional dinner provided to The Tulalip Tribes Community and Public. Provide support to The Tulalip Tribes annual Salmon Ceremony which offers Tulalip Tribal Members with a forum to participate in their origins, beliefs, values and lifeways. Provide support to the traditional ceremony and dinner held to honor the first salmon caught of the season.
Employee Reports To: Head Cook
Responsibilities:
Assist cook in preparing and serving meals for up to 200 guests.
Ensure safe and sanitary conditions at the site.
Clean up after meals and as assigned.
Wash and sanitize dishes, equipment and all surfaces regularly.
Assist with food orders and shopping if needed.
Assist with putting away delivered food and items as needed.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by incumbents within this job. It is not designed to be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, qualifications and working conditions required of employees assigned to this job. Management has sole discretion to add or modify duties of the job and to designate other functions as essential at any time. This job description is not an employment agreement or contract
Terms of Employment: This is a stipend position that can be up to but no longer than two days (48 hours) of services rendered Pay Rate:STIPEND
Opening Date: June 7, 2013
Closing Date: June 12, 2013 at 4:00 pm
For more information or questions; please call Sasha Smith at Central Employment # 360-716-4284
Saturday-Sunday: Tulalip Tribes Stickgame Tournament. An exciting event with games and vendors. The games are located on 27th Ave, across from the Boom City Swap Meet and there is plenty of parking.
The games will be going on all night and tomorrow. There are 120 teams in the tournament. Stickgames are a long tradtion that has been revived over the years and brought back to Tulalip in order to, “bring families and friends from all tribes together in this long running tradition,” said Tulalip Tribal member Nessie Hatch.
North Tribes the playing the south tribes in the pregames before the Tournament. Photo by Monica BrownPhoto by Monica Brown
Saturday-Sunday: 22nd Annual Veterans Pow Wow at the Tulalip Resort Convention area. Also take time to enjoy the vendors and food in the outside tent.
Saturday-Sunday: Tulalip Tribes Stickgame Tournament. An exciting event with games and vendors. The games are located on 27th Ave, across from the Boom City Swap Meet.
Fundraising Sale: Parent Committee of Tulalip Early Head Start Fundraising Gym Sale, Saturday June 2 8am-5pm, Old Tulalip Elementary School Gym
Boom City Swap Meet – Open Saturday and Sunday. www.boomcityswapmeet.com
Storytelling at the Hibulb Cultural Center, Sunday, June 2: Lois Langrebe, Language teacher and artist, in the Longhouse Room, 1pm
Photo courtesy Diane Janes Bob and Johanna Sheldon are shown in a wedding photo from around 1885-1890. The two were Diane Janes’ great-grandparents on her father’s side.
By Bill Sheets, The Herald
TULALIP — Often when people on the Tulalip Indian Reservation have old photos of family members they can’t identify, they call Diane Janes.
If she doesn’t know who they are, often she can find someone who does.
She’s been collecting tribal photographs for close to 50 years. For more than a decade, she’s been preserving history by compiling the photos into self-published books.
Countless tribal members, their ancestors and many events on the reservation are chronicled in a dozen volumes, each an inch thick or more. About 10,000 photos are shown in 2,000 pages.
Photo courtesy Diane Janes Thomas Adams, a non-tribal member, laid the first telegraph lines across the Tulalip reservation, in the 1860s. His wife, standing, was S’Klallam tribal member Ellen Giddings. The couple lived at Warm Beach. The photo is from the late 19th century.
Though many tribal members know of Janes, 70, and her books, a lot of others don’t, she believes.
“I’m hoping as more people see these, they’ll say, ‘That’s my relative,'” she said.
When Janes was about 20, she started getting photos reproduced for her parents so they could have multiple copies — piquing her curiosity about her family in the process.
Later, Janes began taking photos at Tulalip events. She compiled tribal photos for the Everett centennial celebration in 1993.
“It just sort of grew from there,” she said. “I thought it was going to be simple.”
Janes is not a certified genealogist but, through her work, has helped many tribal members learn more about their ancestry — starting with her own family.
Stan Jones Sr., a longtime tribal leader and board member, is Janes’ uncle. Jones and his sister, Gloria, Janes’ mother, for a long time wanted to find the grave of their mother, who had died at a young age. They heard it was at the I.O.O.F. Cemetery in Monroe, but didn’t have an exact location.
Several times over the years, they looked through the cemetery but couldn’t find the grave.
Later, in the early 1990s, they were discussing the matter with Janes and she produced an extended-family photo that included a half-brother, Mickey Malone.
He was contacted and knew exactly where the grave was located, in the same cemetery.
“They were looking in the wrong place,” Janes said.
Stan Jones’ wife, JoAnn, said Janes’ photo collections have meant a lot to their family.
Having the photos helps put faces to names when relating family history to young people, she said.
“We really appreciate them, she’s done so much work on those and done such a good job,” JoAnn Jones said.
Tribal Chairman Mel Sheldon Jr. is a cousin of Janes’ on her father’s side.
“It was really good looking at the pictures to know how far my family went back,” he said.
“She’s done a great job of compiling the pictures that many of us might not have had access to or didn’t know existed. What a great service not only to our families but to our whole community.”
As Janes began to collect more images, she felt the need to get them organized and documented.
“I thought, ‘This could go on forever, and I’m getting older,'” she said.
She began typing up captions and pasting them along with the photos on 8½-by-11 inch pieces of paper. She took them to a printer and had the pages reproduced and bound into a paperback.
Photo courtesy Diane Janes Tulalip tribal member George Jones is shown in ceremonial regalia at the opening of the tribal longhouse in 1914. Jones was the maternal grandfather of Diane Janes, who has compiled a series of books of tribal photos.
The first book, “The Children of the Owl Clan,” was devoted to photos of the Jones side of her family. Two more volumes of photos on the Owl Clan and closely related families were to follow. She then produced three volumes focused on her Sheldon side.
After that, she broadened her scope into other families, tribes and different aspects of reservation life.
“Tulalips and Friends” and “The Mountain, River and Sound People” include photos of members of neighboring tribes, such as Lummi, Sauk-Suiattle, Swinomish, Upper Skagit and others, as well as Tulalips.
One photo shows well-known Upper Skagit tribal member Vi Hilbert at age 4 or 5, taken in the early 1920s. Hilbert played a key role in preserving tribal culture through her storytelling and work on reviving Lushootseed, the native language of the area. She died in 2008 at the age of 90.
Another of Janes’ books, “The Children of the Longhouse,” shows photos of Tulalip ceremonial events from the early 1900s to the present day.
“Paddle to Tulalip” features photos of the intertribal canoe journey and ceremony hosted by the Tulalips in 2003. “Tulalip Salmon Ceremony” spotlights the annual tribal ceremony honoring the summertime return of salmon to streams. Janes took many of her own photos for this ceremony and some of the others.
Another book is devoted to the history of education on the reservation, including photos and narrative about the white boarding schools where young tribal children were sent in the early 1900s.
In borrowing photos from tribal members to reproduce, at first she’d take them to photo stores and pay to have them copied. She then tried to learn how to use scanning equipment, but that didn’t go well, she said.
Then someone told her she could take photos of photos, and that made her work much easier, she said.
Janes cares for a disabled daughter, Julie, 51, who was hit by a drunken driver at age 19. Janes doesn’t have to work at a regular job, which gives her time for her work. And it does take time, she said. In visiting a family to borrow photos, “You don’t just go in there, you sit and talk,” she said.
Diane Janes
She doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon. The next book will be titled “Images of our Ancestors.” She’s also planning a book about her daughter.
“All I want to do is record history as it comes, for whoever decides to share their photos,” Janes said.
“There are so many tribal members who are historians. They don’t realize it, but they carry our history.
“I try to make my books so the next generation will take over.”
Where to buy
Diane Janes’ books of photos about tribal life are available for $30 at the Hibulb Cultural Center and Natural History Preserve, 6410 23rd Ave. W., Tulalip.
Aaron Carapella, a Cherokee Indian, has taken it upon himself to create a map that shows the Tribal nations of the U.S. prior to European contact. The map is of the contiguous United States and displays the original native tribal names of roughly 595 tribes, and of that, 150 tribes are without descendants. Without descendants means that there is no one known to be alive from that tribe and are believed to be extinct.
Aaron’s journey to making the Native American Nations map began 14 years ago. At the age of 19, Aaron had already gained a great deal of knowledge from listening to stories from his family, elders from his tribe, and reading books on Native American history. To explain where his knowledge came from Aaron said, “My Grandparents would tell me, you’re part Native American and that’s part of your history. They would give me books to read about different tribes’ histories, so, I grew up with a curiosity of always wanting to learn more about Native American history.”
After reading the many books on Native tribes and not finding any authentic type maps which failed to accurately represent the hundreds of modern day and historical tribes, Aaron decided to start creating a map for himself that would be authentic and cultural. “The maps in the books were kind of cheesy, they only had maybe 50 to 100 tribes on them,” said Aaron.
The inspiration for the map to depict original tribal names came from a book that he was reading which explained the real names of tribes and reason they were given the names they have today.
“I didn’t want to make a map with just tribe’s given names on it. I wanted it to be accurate and from a Native perspective,” said Aaron.
The process to collect tribes’ real names led Aaron from books, to making many phone calls to tribes across the country, asking them one seemingly simple question, what is the actual native name of your tribe?
“Some tribes, once contacted, wouldn’t know that information,” he said, but they would get him in contact with an elder or someone that would have the information he needed. “Every tribe I’ve contacted, I’ve noticed they are really good about getting back to you about cultural questions, they had a really good response time,” said Aaron.
On the map there are approximately 175 merged tribes, listed among the 595. The map displays what others fall short of, to make known the significant fact that is overlooked every day and that is, that tribes inhabited the entire U.S. and not just small portions of it.
“It is kind of sad that I can’t find a tribe’s real name because they aren’t here anymore,” said Aaron about learning the truth of what happened to many tribes. Some tribes were victims of genocide, some dwindled away from disease or other life threatening situations and some were merged forcefully or willingly with other tribes to make one large tribe. “Today some small tribes are enumerated under larger tribes, and do not have separate sovereignty. A good example of that is the Delaware Tribe of Oklahoma who recently split from the Cherokee Nation,” said Aaron explaining about how some tribes have merged.
“To be honest, in general in the United states, Americans are very ignorant about Native American history and the only time they deal with Native history or reality is when tribes have enough money to fight back against injustice happening to them. In my small way, making this map is to reinforce the true history of the injustice and the genocide that occurred,” Said Aaron.
Aaron has not received any funding to create the map and any profit from the map sales will go towards Aaron’s future map projects, which will include an in-depth look at the tribes of the states of California and Washington. A map of the First Nations in Canada is already in the works and close to being complete.
Aaron is of European and Cherokee descent and can speak the Cherokee language. He has a bachelor’s degree in marketing and is considering returning to school to get a master’s degree in Native American studies so that he can pursue his interest in Native American history.
The Native American Nations map can be purchased from his website and prices range from $89 to $199. For more information or to purchase a map visit http://aaron-carapella.squarespace.com/. Aaron can be reached through email at tribalnationsmap@gmail.com and by phone at 949-415-4981.
Mental health therapist Jeremy Franklin, joins Tulalip’s Adult Mental Wellness Team. Photo by Monica Brown
By Monica Brown, Tulalip News Writer
TULALIP, Wash. – Jeremy Franklin, the new mental health therapist at Tulalip Family Services specializes in helping those who suffer from trauma and PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). He is from Eugene Oregon and brings with him an understanding in various cultures, spiritualities and psychology.
“I became interested in psychology during high school, but it was a journey to decide that I wanted to become a counselor,” said Jeremy. “In this field, you go through some difficulties and going through the journey of wellness was part of the process for me in my decision to become a counselor.”
Jeremy gained a portion of his experience from volunteering as a mentor at Rite of Passage Journeys in Bothell. A rite of passage is a significant moment in a person’s life when they transition from one stage of their life to another.
“Most cultures, at some point in their history, had a rite of passage which helped young people transition into becoming adults,” said Jeremy. A mentoring volunteer since 2003 at Rite of Passage Journeys, Jeremy enjoys going on the retreats and mentoring adults by guiding them through their struggles while backpacking through the Olympic Mountains. Rite of Passage Journeys is a program which trains mentors to honor life transitions through intentional rite of passage so that they may help people of different ages to make life–changing decisions by offering counseling in a dramatic change of scenery and emotional space so that the person can gain clarity and confidence.
“Sickness, of any kind, is the result of something being out of balance in a person’s life. As a counselor and client, together we can explore and discover what those imbalances are and seek out the way that they can be addressed. When we bring all the parts of our being into balance, we are moving towards wellness and wholeness,” said Jeremy.
For Jeremy, each of his Tulalip clients is different and unique and he is there to help the client on their journey and decide with them the best way they can begin to heal. He offers them a place where they can express themselves and feel confident that they will be treated with positive regard, respect, safety and non-judgment. He is knowledgeable in prayer, cultural and spiritual explorations if the client is interested in using those tools. One of the main tools Jeremy teaches is gratitude work.
“That is one of the things that helped me the most,” said Jeremy about gratitude work. To explain gratitude work, Jeremy told the story of the two fighting wolves that reside within everyone.
“The grandfather tells his grandson that there are two wolves that live inside of me, the white wolf and the dark wolf and they’re fighting. The white wolf is everything good and positive; its love, hope, faith and the dark wolf is all the things that are hard and hurtful; it’s anger, hate, greed and jealousy. These wolves are in my heart and always fighting. The grandson asks his grandfather, which one will win. And the Grandfather replies, “Whichever one I feed.” Gratitude work is the act of feeding the white wolf and listing the things that you are grateful for in life and looking at each day as a gift.
Jeremy is of Lakota and Irish descent. He earned his Master of Arts in Psychology at Antioch University of Seattle and began his internship in 2012 at Tulalip Family Services. In December he received his degree and in January became a regular employee. His work focuses on those who have suffered trauma and/or have PTSD and the ways they can heal. His hours are Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. For more information on scheduling an appointment, please contact Tulalip Family Services Behavioral Health at 360-716-4400
Once again, the intimate and local Tulalip Amphitheatre — a 3,000-seat venue — has packed its 2013 Summer Concert Series with national stars that we the audience don’t have to travel far to see.
The series lineup:
Go-Go’s and B-52’s: July 6. You’ll have the beat listening to one of music’s most successful female rock bands and you’ll hear “Rock Lobster” “Love Shack” and other hits by the new wave B-52’s. Tickets start at $25
Gretchen Wilson: July 21. Wilson’s a country music singer who won a Grammy with “Redneck Woman.” Tickets start at $25.
Peter Frampton and Kenny Wayne Shepherd. July 28. The musician who talks with his guitar joins up with Shepherd, known for his “Blue on Black” hit. Tickets start at $30.
Sammy Hagar: Aug. 15. The Red Rocker brings his classic rock to town. Tickets start at $35.
Melissa Etheridge: Aug. 18. This raspy rock singer and activist is renown for such hits as “Come to My Window” and “I’m the Only One.” Tickets start at $25
Foreigner: Aug. 25. The fantastically successful Foreigner created smash hits like “I Want to Know What Love Is” and “Waiting for a Girl Like You.” Tickets start at $30
Doobie Brothers and America: Sept. 7. American rockers the Doobies brought us “Takin it to the Streets” and “Minute by Minute” and are joined by folk rockers America of “Horse with No Name.” Tickets start at $35
Doors open for all shows at 5 p.m. and concerts start at 7 p.m. All shows are at the Tulalip Amphitheatre, 10400 Quil Ceda Blvd., Tulalip.
Jeffrey Veregge, a Port Gamble S’Klallam tribal member, has been creating art for most of his life. A few years ago, after exploring different art techniques, Jeffrey decided to mix two art forms he admires most, Salish form line with comic book super heroes and Sci-Fi. “I took what I like of Salish form line design, the elements and the spirit of it and decided to mix it with what I do as an artist and put my own take on it,” said Jeffrey about his latest art pieces.
