Author: Kim Kalliber

By Kalvin Valdillez

October came and went in the blink of an eye. But before November arrived, the Tulalip community was sure to get in some spooky time fun during the season of candy and costumes. One of the more popular holidays on the reservation, the people get into the Halloween spirit as soon as Autumn has sprung and begin to deck their lawns and office spaces with creepy decorations at the turn of the season. 

Earlier in the month, local non-profit Together We’re Better held their annual Trunk or Treat gathering which was met with great success and served as the official kick-off to the Halloween season. Although there have been many Halloween department parties, school celebrations, and family get togethers, there were two events that many tribal families had circled on their calendars: the TELA Pumpkin Extravaganza and the Community Halloween Party.

Betty J. Taylor Early Learning Academy Pumpkin Extravaganza

Laughter echoed throughout the TELA hallways on the morning of October 27, as the children arrived to their school in full costume. It was a little too chilly for the academy’s usual outdoor pumpkin patch, so dozens of mini pumpkins were scattered throughout one of the staff conference rooms. Upon picking out a pumpkin to call their own, they were able to visit a decorating station to adorn their gourds with stickers to make jack o’ lanterns with wacky faces and silly smiles.

The students and their families participated in a number of activities including bouncy houses, caricature portraits, and face painting. A cute highlight of the day was when the kids bravely walked through the spooky halls of the academy and visited their teachers while trick-or-treating and participating in a variety of carnival style games!

“I think it’s important to show that we’re just not a school, we’re a community, we’re a family, and we love interacting with one another,” said Absyde Decoscos, TELA Family Engagement Coordinator. “And it’s also important to show to the children that it’s not a separation between teachers and family, we’re all together and here for them. It’s good for the kids to see us all interacting together. It turned out good. It’s really fun. They loved seeing us all dressed up and we loved seeing them dressed up.”

Tulalip Community Halloween Party

The Community Halloween Party returned for the first time since 2019 and did so in a big way. The party was jumping throughout the entire four-hour window on October 29, and hundreds of families came out to showcase their creative costumes. This was the type of event that the kids of the community will fondly look back on years from now, just off that feeling of togetherness as everyone from event planner to event go-er had a hand in making the night special, recreating those ghoul time vibes from the days of old, before the COVID pandemic. 

Families had a blast at the monster mash where there were numerous games, activities, pizza, and also a costume contest and a pumpkin carving contest. DJ Monie had the eerie tunes bumping and had the crowd at her command during the popular cake walk to close out the evening. A heartwarming thing to witness at this year’s party was members of the local recovery community working hard – setting up activity stations before the start of the event, manning said stations in full costume during the entire event, and sticking around until the very end to break down tables and help clean up the teen center, but most of all interacting with the people and getting reacclimated into the community in a good, healthy way. 

Said DJ Monie after the party, “We had a blast today! Thank you to everyone that came, and for the crew that helped make it happen. Also, thanks to the judges that volunteered for the costume contests. Happy Halloween everyone!”

By Wade Sheldon, Tulalip News 

Steeped in tradition forged by our ancestors, master weavers came from Canada, Oregon, Idaho, and all over Washington state to teach at the Northwest Native American Basketweavers Association (NNABA). The two-day event, October 28 to 29, was held at the Muckleshoot Casino in Tacoma. 

Hundreds of attendees eagerly awaited their chance to learn traditional style teachings from weavers who have dedicated their lives to learning the ways of our ancestors. Creating clothing, baskets, and art connects us to our roots and creates strong bonds between one another when we share these teachings. 

“Since Covid, this will be our first year back in four years,” Teresa Harvey of Puyallup tribes said. “Everyone at the event belongs to the NNABA, and different tribes get to host. All the teachers at this event are master weavers, and they create different things you get to learn at each table. There is easy all the way to difficult, and you pick what you want to learn and sign up at the different booths. If you choose a hat, it may take you all day, or if you pick a different item, it may only take a couple of hours.” 

Throughout the day, when someone finished an item, the announcer had them show the room what they had created. Eruptions of applause let the students know their accomplishment didn’t go unnoticed. 

“This has been a wonderful event, Alfred Lane, aka “Bud”, from the Siletz tribe in Oregon, said, “The Puyallup’s have been wonderful hosts. There’s a lot of support for NNABA. We are a non-profit and rely on help to put this thing on. It’s a labor of love for everybody here. It’s fantastic. One thing I would like to see is expanding our youth track; there’s an area for the youth to learn. To me, that’s the future, and I’m amazed at the interest they are taking. If you’re not teaching that younger generation, or if there’s a link missing in that chain, you’re heading over a cliff at some point, and we must ensure that doesn’t happen.”

When asked about the most challenging part about weaving, Bud replied, “Well, I always call it work, but the hardest part is the gathering. It’s also one of the most enjoyable parts. You get to go out in the woods, pick some things, peel some things, then prepare them for the next step. I always say gathering and preparing is 90% of the process of making baskets. We are basket makers. All we need is a place to sit inside, a table, a chair, and some water. Then we can create.”

“I have been teaching for over five years,” Jamie Sheldon of the Tulalip tribes said. “The event was awesome; everyone was excited to be back. I love teaching and want more people to come and learn because basket weaving is a part of our culture. If I can teach someone from our tribe, and they go on to teach someone, then that is an accomplishment for me and the next generation.”

To know more about the Northwest Native American Basketweavers Association, visit www.nnaba.net. If you would like to learn how to weave baskets or jewelry, and you live around the Tulalip Reservation, Jamie teaches every Wednesday from 5 to 7 at the Hibulb Cultural Center.