Kanim Lee Taige Posey was born in Everett, WA on June 5, 1996. He was called home on March 18, 2025. He was a very proud Tulalip Tribal Member who exercised his Treaty Rights hunting, fishing, and shell fishing. He was a loving son, grandson, brother, nephew, cousin, friend and father to 5 beautiful children and one precious angel baby.
Kanim was an athlete. His hockey team placed 3rd in the Nation. He was an outstanding baseball catcher with a great arm that surprised people with his speed. He had quick enough reactions to save lives. He was a hard-working man just like his Papa, he exercised his Treaty Rights and defended them with passion. He loved the water and land, they were not just places he fished and hunted, but they were a part of him. He spent countless hours on Tulalip Bay, and in his U&A San Ju
an lands. He utilized his rights to provide for his family and community. Kanim was fiercely loving and loy
His legacy will live on in the waves he fished, the lands he hunted, and the people who loved him.
Kanim was preceded in death by his son, Nicholas Posey; Brother, Keaden Posey; Great Great-Grandmother, Edith Percival Parks; Great-Grandma, Winona Cooper; Great Grandpa, Lloyd Posey; Grandpa, Lloyd “Grumpy” Grow; Uncle, Dwayne Posey; Great-Grandma, Elizabeth Posey; Aunt, Marilyn Posey; Great-Grandpa, Thomas Gobin; Cousins, Crystal Gobin, Teddy Orr, Dennis Boon and Derek Halstead.
Kanim is survived by his parents, Dana (Crystal) Posey, Nikki Thompson Posey; Sister, Katie Dire; Grandparents, Dean and Debra Posey, Rikki Kellog Grow; Aunts, Becky Posey, Kim Thompson, Brett (Bryan) Parker; Uncle, Tommy (Santana) Thompson; Special Cousins, Keani Posey, Joseph Hatch Jr. (Kiana), Tnessa (Hayden), Ratina (Josh), Teague Parker, Kenzie Thompson, Jayden Thompson, and too many more to be named; His children, AraBella Lee, Saleesta Dae, Kamila, Zeriah, and Khloe Posey.
An evening service will be held Friday, March 21, 2025 at 6:00 PM at the Tulalip Gathering Hall. Funeral Services will be held Saturday, March 22, 2025 at 10 AM at the Gathering Hall with burial to follow at Mission Beach Cemetery.
To all the kiddos on the reservation, get your baskets ready because the Easter Bunny will be making his return to Tulalip this spring! Local non-profit organization, Together We’re Better, is gearing up for its fifth consecutive Easter Bunny Run.
The Easter Bunny Run was inspired by the Tulalip Bay Fire Department’s annual Santa Run, where Santa visits children who live within the fire department’s district while simultaneously collecting canned goods for the local food bank. So naturally, Together We’re Better reached out to the fire department to see if they would like to participate in the Easter Run. Not only did they accept the invitation, but they also called upon the national fire fighter mascot, Sparky the Dalmatian, to join in on the fun.
The initial Easter Bunny Run in 2020 was such a smash amongst Tulalip families, Together We’re Better decided to make it a yearly tradition. And now, this is an event that community members look forward to every Easter.
The Easter Bunny will be joined by Sparky and a handful of volunteers from Together We’re Better and the Tulalip Bay Fire Department on April 19. Collectively, they will walk through a total of 10 Tulalip neighborhoods beginning at 11 am.
Below is a list of the neighborhoods they will visit and the approximate time they expect to arrive.
11:00 a.m. – Hermosa – at either the Dining Hall or Gathering Hall. Location TBD
11:20 a.m. – Mission Highlands
11:50 a.m. – Silver Village
12:20 p.m. – Church Site/Larry Price Loop Road
12:50 p.m. – Walter Moses Jr. Drive
1:10 p.m. – Battle Creek
1:40 p.m. – Y Site
2:00 p.m. – Village of Hope/Homeless Shelter
2:40 p.m. – Quil 1 & 2 (27th Ave)
3:15 – John Sam Lake
So as soon as you hear the sirens from the Tulalip Bay Fire Engine, be sure to run outside to greet the Easter Bunny. Kids don’t forget your Easter baskets. And parents don’t forget your cameras!
Following last year’s run, Together We’re Better’s Natosha Gobin shared, “The Together We’re Better events are so much fun to participate in because it is community driven. For the Easter Run, a lot of community members look forward to stuffing eggs, buying snacks, and doing whatever they can to help. It’s nice to take time and visit with the families and go to all the different developments. It feels so good to be with the community for a positive reason and to see how much this means to the families as a whole.”
If you are looking to get more involved with the community, Together We’re Better is always accepting donations, whether that is goods, funds, or your personal volunteered time. For more information, please contact Natosha Gobin at (425) 319-4416 or Malory Simpson at (425) 905-9137.
The six-gift box set being distributed to the first 1,200 tribal members who show up to vote at General Counsel on April 12 includes artist Jennifer Tracy’s orca paintings. The Board of Directors selected these unique gifts to showcase Tulalip tribal small businesses and each company’s art, crafts, and delicacies.
Tracy shared her passion for painting and expressed, “I have always been interested in painting, and in 2008, I started. It’s very calming and relaxing for me. Once you start, you can kind of get in a groove, and all the creativity takes over, and I never know what I will come up with.” This insight into her artistic process highlights the beauty of her work and the profound connection artists have with their craft, further enhancing the value of the gifts being presented to the tribal members.
She operates under the business name “Jen Tracy Art” and typically showcases her work at pow-wows and other community events. She mentioned that she discovered a call for local artists and found it exciting since she had never seen such an opportunity before. Tracy explained, “I saw that they were looking for more traditional Co-Salish designs, and I thought that was cool, so I decided to give it a shot. It was the most significant order I have ever had. It was a bit grueling fulfilling this order, but it was nice learning that I could fulfill an order this large for future reference.”
Looking ahead to the upcoming GC meeting, Tracy expressed her hopes for the new leadership, “I would like to see the education for our tribal youth enhanced so our kids have a foot up in the future. I would also like to see more business expansion. Who gets elected should be business-minded and tied to our culture and traditions. They should also have a progressive mindset and be able to take initiative.”
Finally, she concluded with optimism, saying, “I hope everyone enjoys the gifts. I look forward to seeing all the different submissions, and I hope people get inspired to help the local artists.”
If you want to purchase art from Jennifer, you can contact her on her Facebook at Jennifer Tracy.
As the 2025 Annual General Counsel Meeting countdown intensifies, a pivotal moment is on the horizon. There is an opportunity to elect two vital members for the Board of Directors (BOD). This meeting and election present a crucial chance for the tribal community to unite and express their views, ensuring that every voice counts, navigating challenges ahead, and selecting visionary leaders to uplift and inspire the community.
On April 12 at the Tulalip Resort Casino, the Tulalip Tribes will gather to determine who will join the leaders on the BOD. To enhance the experience, early arrivals who cast their votes will receive a gift box containing six unique items, carefully curated by the BOD and provided by tribal businesses.
We are excited to introduce culture bearer, Walter Moses in this segment of our six-part series. Walter has prepared unique gifts for this event—yellow cedar clappers that he has intricately carved and embellished with his art. These clappers symbolize sovereignty and the ability of Tulalip and other tribes to create and provide from the land.
Crafting 1,200 cedar clappers for the gift boxes, Walter utilized skills he developed from a young age. He learned to carve at age 11, studying under his father, the renowned Culture Bearer Kelly Moses. Walter states, “What I like most about creating is that it keeps me busy. I was taught as an artist that if you are good with your hands, you must always keep them busy. It makes me feel good, and knowing I can preserve the culture also makes me happy. It also relieves stress and is beneficial for creativity.”
He offers a wide range of artwork, from jewelry like earrings and bracelets to carved paddles and masks, as well as t-shirts, hats, sweatshirts, and sublimation prints. His designs have been featured in events such as Tulalip Youth Services Orange Shirt Day. He also has art installations at Starbucks in Seattle’s U-Village. In response to whether he has ever received an order this large, Walter remarked, “I’d say this is the largest order I have ever had. I didn’t think it would be this much, but I am always up for the challenge. I am using a killer whale and salmon design on yellow cedar.”
For those interested in purchasing his art, Walter said, “I usually vend during the holidays, and that is mainly how you can find me. I will also be at the Hibulb vending on March 29.” Walter said, “I’m thankful that the tribe has taken an interest in local artists, and for orders this large, it’s awesome. I like how they are reaching out and supporting us.”
The BOD selected six Tulalip artists and entrepreneurs to create handcrafted items for the gift boxes, highlighting their talent and cultural heritage. This initiative honors tradition and encourages future generations to preserve and share their artistry.
A Saturday night soiree brought together over 200 community members at Tulalip Resort Casino’s Orca Ballroom on March 15. Held on an annual basis, the Problem Gambling Awareness Month Dinner unites people in the name of healing while promoting recovery and celebrating individuals who attained sobriety from their gambling addiction.
Over the years, the gathering has evolved into an elegant event where the people spiffy up and enjoy dinner and a comedy show, all while learning about the dangers of habitual gaming. In its infancy, the dinner garnered around 50 participants and was held in the halls of the Hibulb Cultural Center. The fact that the event has quadrupled in attendance speaks volumes of the positive impact that the Tulalip Problem Gambling has made on the reservation, as more and more people are seeking aid, and the local recovery community continues to grow.
For the past decade, the Tulalip Problem Gambling program has actively participated in a nationwide initiative known as National Problem Gambling Awareness Month. Taking place every March, during the season of bracket clashing known as March Madness, the Problem Gambling program raises awareness about the compulsive gambling disease by hosting fun, engaging, informative, and impactful gatherings in the community throughout the awareness month.
The perilous and often silent habit affects the Native American community at a much higher rate than other ethnicities. A 2019 study by the National Institute on Alcohol and Related Conditions showed that 2.3% of the Indigenous population in America are battling a gambling addiction.
Though heavily focused on problem gambling, the event also celebrates those who are in active recovery for alcohol and substance abuse. Many of those individuals show up to support their loved ones who are recovering from a gambling addiction, only to find out that they also get the chance to celebrate their own hard work of getting clean. No matter the vice, it’s just as important to receive love as it is to show love to others.
The event opened with a traditional prayer and story by Natosha Gobin, Thomas Williams, and their daughter, Lizzie Mae. This year, two individuals shared their personal testimonies at the dinner, Jeff and Joanne. Each spoke of how their gambling addiction abruptly took over their lives, and the strain it consequently put on their friends and family. They talked about hitting rock bottom, Jeff’s happened when he was denied a kidney transplant, and that moment for Joanne occurred when she was facing assault charges. Both Jeff and Joanne were given a second chance and were presented with the option to attend counseling for compulsive gambling, to turn their situations around. Thanks to the Tulalip Problem Gambling program, Jeff and Joanne were able to start their journey to recovery; Jeff received his transplant and Joanne’s charges were dropped. After they each shared their story, the Tulalip Youth Council blanketed them with Eighth Generation wool blankets for their accomplishments, and also for bravely speaking about the challenges they faced and how they overcame.
In Native America, part of the healing journey is laughter. It is one of the best medicines, no doubt. And to be surrounded by the hearty chuckles of uncles and the cackling laughter of aunties is a healing experience in itself. Which is why the Problem Gambling Program is sure to enlist hilarious acts year after year.
At this year’s dinner, Native Comedian, Vaughn Eaglebear served as the event emcee. While keeping the schedule on a smooth run, Vaughn got a few jokes in and even asked the house drum, the 206 singers, to join in while he sang John Wayne’s Teeth, a song he famously wrote for the movie Smoke Signals.
The keynote speaker was JR Redwater. JR is an OG in NDN comedy and was one of the first Indigenous Stand Ups to achieve national acclaim. JR’s 45-minute set was rated R for rezzy and raunchy as he had the crowd in stitches with his Native humor, a specific brand of comedy that many tribal members can relate to.
The evening concluded with what has now become a yearly tradition at the Problem Gambling Awareness Dinner – the recovery countdown. Vaughn started the countdown at 50 years clean. He asked each person in active recovery to stand when he called out the amount years of sobriety they attained. More than 50 people proudly stood and were cheered on during the recovery countdown, an inspiring, heartwarming, and beautiful sight to see.
Following another successful event, the Tulalip Problem Gambling program coordinator, Sarah Sense Wilson, shared, “This year felt spectacular. Electricity was in the air. I think that having the combination of Vaughn, and his comedy routine buddy JR, flowed really well. We had such good attendance. The Tulalip recovery community has been growing and growing. This event isn’t just well attended because of the speakers, it’s well attended because there is a movement of recovery happening in Tulalip. It’s amazing. And I am proud to be, in some small way, a part of that movement. Tonight, we also had people from Lummi, Swinomish, the Everett Recovery Café here joining together and celebrating recovery. Without the support from the team at Tulalip Family Services, and the Tribal Council, this wouldn’t happen. I give big credit to all of them for making this possible.”
If you or someone you love is suffering from a gambling addiction, please contact (360) 716-4304. Below, you will find more information about the compulsive gambling disorder, submitted by Sarah Sense Wilson.
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Problem Gambling Awareness
By Sarah Sense Wilson
Informed decisions make you a winner. Healthy choices ensure your wellbeing and strengthens your family and community. Our future depends on the choices you make today.
Types of Gambling
Video Game Betting/Skins or Treasure Troves
Slahal/Stick games
Sports Betting
Bingo
Scratch Tickets
50/50
Dice
Internet Gambling
Raffles
Gambling Facts
Our Problem Gambling Program is about reclaiming health, wellness, and relationships.
Tulalip Problem Gambling Program is free treatment, referrals, counseling, groups, and family therapy.
Tulalip Tribes Problem Gambling Program is comprehensive, culturally responsive and designed to be tailored for each person seeking support.
Problem Gambling is also referred to as Gambling Disorder, Compulsive Gambling, Addictive Gambling, and Pathological Gambling, or People experiencing Gambling Problems.
Data: 1-3% of Washingtonians are classified as Problem Gamblers.
We could fill the Seahawks Stadium (Lumen Field) to capacity 4x to fit all problem gamblers in our state.
Up to 92% of problem gamblers experience suicidal ideation, and up to 40% attempt suicide.
Sadly, only one 1-in-10 problem gamblers seek professional help.
By Kalvin Valdillez; photos courtesy of Pyet DeSpain
The season of the brackets is upon us. And though many are filling out their brackets with NCAA basketball teams for March Madness, Food Network viewers are inputting the names of 32 highly respected chefs on theirs. Now in its sixth season, the hour-long reality cooking contest known as the Tournament of Champions brings together both seasoned vets and up and coming chefs for a thrilling and entertaining single-elimination battle.
Not only are the chefs competiting against each other, but they are also up against the ‘randomizer’, which is a wheel that determines the protein, produce, equipment, style, ingredient, and time of their cook. The chefs must incorporate each aspect of the randomizer into their plate or else they face disqualification. The dishes are then subject to a blind judging process, where their food is placed in front of a panel of top tier chefs who do not know whose meal they are judging. The competitors must watch the judging process from their trailers and are called back to the stage once the results are in. The winner advances in the bracket until only one chef remains victorious and is awarded a cash prize, bragging rights, and the highly coveted TOC championship belt.
Split into four divisions, 24 well-known chefs were invited to the tournament and were seeded based on their accolades and accomplishments in the culinary world. The remaining eight spots had to be earned in the qualifier round, where 16 rising stars duked it out and put their all on a plate in hopes of advancing to the big dance. Among these 16 competitors was none other than Chef Stephanie ‘Pyet’ DeSpain of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation.
If you aren’t familiar with her game, Chef Pyet won the very first season of Gordon Ramsay’s Next Level Chef competition in 2022. Throughout Next Level Chef she incorporated her Native American and Mexican heritage into each dish she put forward. And by doing so, she brought some Indigenous teachings, knowledge, and history into living rooms all across the country.
Since winning Next Level Chef, Pyet has expanded her Los Angeles-based business, Pyet’s Plate, and has been named one of the Top 25 private chefs by Entrepreneur Magazine. In addition to offering her services as a private chef and catering at high-profile events, she also takes time to teach cooking classes and utilizes her platform to inspire Native youth throughout the nation. This is something she is very passionate about. In fact, she was the keynote speaker at 2022 UNITY conference in Minneapolis.
Hoping to inspire the next generation at the conference, Pyet shared “Remember that it’s okay to be your true authentic self. It’s okay to show the world you’re brown and proud. It’s okay to take a risk. Even if it might look scary, you never know where it leads you. Most importantly, it’s so crucial that you don’t forget your roots and you don’t forget your ways. Every day from this point forward, when you wake up, I want to challenge you to ask yourself, ‘who do I want to be?’. Not just in the future, but who do you want to be today. Do you want to be the best daughter? The best brother or sister? Do you want to be the best version of yourself? Really think about it because that’s what’s called setting an intention. When you start showing up as your best self every single day, and you’re brown and proud, things will start falling into place for you.”
This was Chef Pyet’s second year participating in the qualifying round. After she didn’t make the cut last year, she was determined to come back stronger than ever. And judging by the focus and energy she brought this year; she is not playing around and is gunning for the championship belt. She faced-off against Chef Ashleigh Shanti, who is a James Beard finalist and was named one of ‘16 Black Chefs Changing Food in America’ by the New York Times in 2019. In this round the randomizer called for a dish that consisted of ground beef, cherry tomatoes, and a peppery profile. She also had to incorporate the use of a spiralizer and had only 28 minutes to cook. In the end, Pyet’s Persian-inspired koobideh beat out Chef Ashleigh’s Salisbury steak by a margin of seven points.
After winning her qualifying round, TOC host and creator Guy Fieri said, “You wanted the tournament. This is your shot! You just won. Congratulations Chef DeSpain.”
Now in the main bracket, she must continue to bring her A-game as she goes head-to-head against some of the biggest names in the industry, including two Seattle-based restauranters, Shota Nakajima and Kaleena Bliss.
Said Chef Pyet, “You don’t see a lot of Native American chefs in cooking competitions – I might be the only one and that’s a big deal. I don’t work in a restaurant; I’m a private chef. That is the one thing that can be a little bit of a disadvantage. A lot of these other chefs got years and years of restaurant work under their belt, but Pyet is here and she’s staying in the tournament, she’s staying in the bracket.”
Her biggest challenge of the competition may perhaps come in the first round where she will take on a frequent TOC finalist and well-established chef, Jet Tila.
On an Instagram post she stated, “Going toe-to-toe with the legendary Jet Tila was not on my bingo card for 2025 life events, but here we are!”
Chef Pyet will make her first appearance on Tournament of Champions this Sunday, March 16. The show airs at 8:00 p.m. on the Food Network channel. You can stream the episode on Max or Hulu the day after it airs, beginning at midnight on March 17. Be sure to tune in to cheer on Chef Pyet as she continues to represent for Native America on the biggest stage in culinary competitions.
“I feel amazing. I’m very happy. I’m very excited,” she expressed. “I’m here for all the young Native people that aspire to be chefs, I’m here to fight for them.”
By Wade Sheldon; photos courtesy of Elishia Stewart.
The upcoming General Council meeting on April 12 at the Tulalip Resort Casino is set to showcase the creativity and talents of tribal members through thoughtful gifts. These gifts include an array of delicious jams from local entrepreneur Elishia Stewart and her business, Wicked Jamz and More.
Elishia reflects on turning her passion for canning into a thriving business, stating, “I’ve been canning foods my whole life, off and on. As a kid, my mom taught my siblings and me how to can fruits and vegetables. She always made freezer jam, but I make shelf-stable jam because I don’t want to use freezer space. After making some for my nieces and nephews, I thought maybe I should turn this into a business.”
Elishia enjoys this process as a form of meditation. She describes it as follows: “I do it because I like it. Everybody has their own thing they do for meditation or therapy. Creating jam is meditative; it allows me to zone out and focus while shutting everything else out. It’s nice.”
She emphasizes the importance of quality in her ingredients, sharing her philosophy about crafting jams. Elishia noted, “The quality of the fruit is essential. Be selective about the combinations that you use in your jams. One of the things that I did that my mom didn’t do was make the jalapeno flavors. My favorite is raspberry jalapeno.”
She explained the selections made for the General Council gift: “The six flavors chosen are blackberry, strawberry, mixed berry, mango jalapeno, raspberry jalapeno, and straight jalapeno. I have 15 different jams, and those are the six that they picked.”
Reflecting on her significant order of 1200 jars of jam for the upcoming General Council meeting, Elishia, said, “I saw the bid and thought, they aren’t asking for snack food. But everybody’s art is different; I don’t carve or create paintings. I showed them this is what I do, and my bid was accepted. I laughed and thought, oh wow, here we are, let’s do this.”
“Having the recipes down to a science helps me ramp up production,” she continued. “Time management has been crucial. I also have a good vendor that lets me buy in bulk. Ensuring a plentiful and efficient supply chain has been vital to reducing stress.”
Santana Sheldon, Executive Office Director for the Board of Directors, talked about the initiative of gifting tribal member-crafted items, stating, “We aimed to highlight the artist’s work and reaffirm our connection to our culture and way of life. The 1855 Treaty of Point Elliot will be included inside the box, providing important context when members take out the items.”
She outlined the logistics, stating that 1200 boxes would be available as a thank-you gift for tribal members who come to vote. Each box will include an item from everyone contributing gifts for the General Counsel meeting and will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. “This gift serves as appreciation for their engagement by attending the meeting.”
Still to come in this six-part artist series are Walter Moses’s Cedar Clappers, a beautifully crafted musical instrument that resonates with harmony; Jen Tracy’s orca paintings, which capture the grace and power of these magnificent creatures; and Bibianna Ancheta’s homemade chapstick, made with natural ingredients to keep lips soft and hydrated.
If you want to try Elishia’s jam but cannot make it to the General Council meeting, you can reach out to her via Facebook by searching for Elishia Stewart.
By Micheal Rios, photos courtesy Willy Enick and Deyamonta Diaz
Four games in four days. Under the bright lights of Spokane Arena. For a chance at bucket-getting glory. That was the mission for the (19-4) Tulalip Heritage Hawks boys basketball team who journeyed to Spokane, Washington for the much-heralded WIAA State Tournament.
After an exhilarating (15-1) regular season, 2nd place finish at District’s, and a 3rd place finish at Tri-District’s, the Hawks winning ways earned them a ticket to State. They were slotted as the tournament’s #6 seed.
Wednesday, March 5
In Spokane, Tulalip’s first opponent was #14 Summit Classical Christian. They boys previously played and defeated Summit, 66-53, in the Tri-District Tournament. That familiarity with a previously vanquished foe injected additional confidence into an already confident squad. The Hawks jumped out to an early 19-11 1st quarter lead thanks to a well-balanced scoring attack. Each member of the starting lineup scored a basket by the end of the opening quarter.
Their tenacity didn’t let up. The Hawks flew away with a 70-51 win. This particular game was a great example of ball movement and scoring distribution, exemplified by the well-rounded scoring attack. Davien 19 points, Davis 14 points, J.J. 13 points, Ziggy 12 points and Amare 8 points.
Thursday, March 6
The following afternoon, Tulalip faced off with #4 DeSales Catholic out of Walla Walla. Entering the game with a whopping (24-2) record, DeSales proved they were every bit as good as their 24 wins said they were.
Heritage held tough in the 1st quarter, where they only trailed by 3 points, 13-16, after eight minutes of play. But over the course of the 2nd and 3rd quarters, DeSales continued to outscore and outexecute the Hawks. Entering the 4th quarter, Tulalip trailed 38-54.
The 3-ball wasn’t falling for any Hawk outside of Davien, who made 3 of them, and made it impossible to rally enough points for a proper comeback attempt. The Hawks wings got clipped to the tune of a 51-68 loss. Davien led all scorers with 29 points and Ziggy chipped in 10 points.
Friday, March 7
Tulalip was left with no other choice but to shake off the previous day’s loss with the quickness because they had an early day tip-off with #7 Moses Lake Christian. Embodying the shooter’s mindset to the fullest was sophomore Amare Hatch. He went scoreless vs. DeSales, but in a matter of minutes he made she he got into the scorer’s book this game. Amare drained back-to-back 3-pointers that helped ignite his team’s early offense. Heritage took a 19-11 lead after one quarter of play.
Moses Lake wasn’t going to go away without a fight thought. They came back with a 2nd quarter onslaught that caught Tulalip off guard. Heritage trailed 26-29 at halftime.
In the 2nd half, it was a pair of sophomore sensations, J.J. Gray and Ziggy Myles-Gilford, who caught fire when their team needed them most. Both boys combined to score 32 of their team’s 41 2nd half points and helped propel their Hawks to a 67-54 win.
J.J. led the Hawks in scoring with 25 points, while Davien added 17 points and Ziggy 13 points. The fight and determination by the Hawks to continue their postseason journey is exemplified by a dominant 4th quarter in which they nearly scored twice as many points as Moses Lake.
The must-have win elevated the Hawks into the 4th place game.
Saturday, March 8
Tulalip’s favorite team of Rez ballers rose shortly after a sunrise for their final game of the ’24-’25 season. Tipping off promptly at 9:30am with a matchup with #3 Willapa Valley was no problem for a team full of young legs and a supply of seemingly endless energy.
It’s important to note that Heritage lost to Willapa Valley just eight days earlier, 53-66, in Chehalis. With that loss still fresh in their minds, the Hawks were primed for a classic get-back game.
In the 1st quarter, all five starters scored a basket. Coming off the bench, junior Tokala Black Tomahawk got in on the scoring spree as well to help his team jump out to a 20-15 lead. Both teams scored exactly 12 points in the 2nd quarter. This gave Heritage a 32-27 halftime advantage.
Forward Ziggy Myles-Gilford put on a show in the 3rd quarter while gobbling up rebounds and powering his way to the bucket for big time layups. Heritage’s defense put the clamps on all would-be scorers, playing some of their best discipled defense of the season. Willapa Valley only mustered a measly 6 points in the 3rd quarter, while the Hawks were soaring at their accustomed tempo and scored 18 points. At the end of three, Tulalip held a commanding 50-33 lead.
With their defense remaining locked in, Tulalip quelled any notion of a Willapa Valley comeback. While welcomed chants of “Tulalip Power!” rained down upon them, the boys were all smiles as they basked in a 64-46 victory. They capped off a truly memorable (22-5) season with a 4th place clinching performance to be proud of. Ziggy led all scorers with 17 points, J.J. 14 points, Davien 11 points and Davis 10 points.
After the tournament’s conclusion, junior guard Davien Parks was awarded one of the five coveted spots on the All-Tournament team.
“Our four days at state this year was great for my boys,” reflected head coach Shawn Sanchey. “We had fun out there doing our thing, gaining experience and going to battle in the Spokane Arena. Our team represented well and earned their hardware. We took home fourth place, which lands the second best placing in school history!
“It was tough not reaching the goal of winning it all, but we adjusted to the circumstances and set a new goal,” he continued. “It’s a great feeling that they buckled down to take care of business and bring home the 4th place trophy. This State experience builds character for us and deepens the motivation to do what it takes to reach that final goal next year. We plan to get a busy off-season summer schedule doing trainings, weight lifting, leagues and tournaments to help elevate our program and take it to the next level.”
For those devout Heritage fans already looking forward to next year, all the Hawks core players are expected to return, including all 5 starters. With a full State experience now under their belts and another year of program building for the Heritage coaching staff, expectations in 2026 will be even higher for a soaring group of Hawks who etched their names into school history with a 4th place trophy.
Totem Middle School hosted its annual Round Dance on Thursday, March 6. This vibrant celebration not only united members of the Native American community but also showcased their rich cultural heritage through traditional songs and dances. The gathering invites students and families from the (MSD) Marysville School District to engage with Native traditions. Over 60 attendees enjoyed a variety of food while taking part in the round dance held in the gymnasium.
Often held during winter, the round dance promotes healing, celebrates life, and represents the interconnectedness of everything. Initially said to have been started by the Plains Indians, this tradition soon spread throughout Indian country. During the dance, drummers play in the center of the room while the dancers circle them clockwise. Each group of drummers performs four songs, followed by another group singing four songs to represent the four seasons.
Although the event was not crowded, participants eagerly embraced the dance floor and immersed themselves in the festivities. Terrance Sabbas, MSD Native American Liason, commented, “Round Dance is an annual event we host in collaboration with Native education, the Marysville School District, Tulalip youth advocates, and Totem Middle School. The vision when I started this round dance was to create unity between our people, district staff, and the community. To come together, enjoy our way of life, indulge in good food, and have a good time. In today’s uncertain times, I want people to connect. I want non-Natives to know us better and for our Native peoples to be around their relatives.”
Sabbas describes the round dance as a means of healing, noting, “When we share in this way, it heals us. Through this round dance, we can enjoy one another and our way of life deeply. This gathering provides comfort through togetherness.”
Emmarie Davis, a member of the Tulalip tribe, shared, “This is my first time coming. I had a great time dancing. It’s important to keep tradition alive, to be with our community, and to remember our old ways while spreading our culture to those who may have lost theirs or want to feel closer to the community.”
The Round Dance at Totem Middle School achieved its purpose: It created an inviting space for everyone to revel in a joyful evening filled with laughter, connection, and community spirit. Attendees left with warm hearts and cherished memories, eagerly anticipating the next time they can gather.
