The Burke Museum, located on the University of Washington campus in Seattle, is currently showcasing their Native American artwork exhibit Here & Now: Native Artists Inspired. The exhibit is on display through July 27, 2015.
Here & Now showcases how today’s artists learn from past generations. According to Burke curators, the exhibit features 30 new works by contemporary Native artists, paired with historic pieces from the Burke Museum that artists identified as key to their learning.
“One can never be done learning,” explains esteemed Tsimshian artist David R. Boxley of Metlakatla, Alaska. “I want to see every piece I can of the old masters. They are my teachers and this is the only way I can learn from them.”
Photo/Micheal Rios, Tulalip News
Over the past ten years, the Bill Holm Center for the Study of Northwest Native Art at the Burke Museum has awarded grants to over 90 artists and scholars providing access to the Burke Museum’s collections. To gauge the real-world effects that their grants had on recipients, the Burke contacted each of their grantees and invited then to share how their artistic practice was affected by their study at the UW. Many of the grantee artists conveyed messages about how new pieces they had made were inspired by the historical artworks they had come into contact with at the museum. Each artist identified one key piece that influenced them, which are now on display next to each artist’s modern day interpretation of the artwork.
“It’s great to go and study the old pieces, to look at them, and hold them. You feel the energy. You can’t get over the quality, the detail, in the pieces. They’re some of the best teachers you get,” explains Latham Mack, Bill Holm grantee and Nuxalk artist from an Indigenous First Nation in Canada.
Photo/Micheal Rios, Tulalip News
The Burke made the statement: Ours is a working collection, serving artists and scholars who forge connections with these artworks to maintain a continuum of knowledge and creativity that spans the generations.
For more information about the Burke Museum, including daily hours, admission costs, location and directions, please visit www.burkemuseum.org or call Burke Reception at (206) 543-7907.
On Monday, May 11, and Tuesday, May 12, the Tulalip Resort Casino will host the Tulalip community as we come together to partake in the 3rd Annual Community Wellness Conference. The event, sponsored by the Tulalip Tribes Problem Gambling and Stop Smoking Programs, starts at 10:00 a.m. and ends at 6:00 p.m. on both days in the Orca Ballroom, with open registration starting at 9:00 a.m. This year’s conference will be a special occasion for all attendees, as we are invited to hear the motivational words and experience the remarkable talents of Native celebrities from across North America.
Highlighted by day one keynote speaker Gyasi Ross, author and storyteller, day two keynote speaker Vaughn Eagle Bear, comedian and actor, and a special performance by DJ crew A Tribe Called Red, the Community Wellness Conference will be sure to keep attendees engaged and interests peaked as we learn how to channel our energies into positive experiences.
“Our theme is strengthening resiliency for our tribal community,” explains Ashley Tiedeman, Smoking Cessation Specialist and co-coordinator of this year’s wellness conference. “This year all of our speakers will be talking about various ways of channeling our energy and efforts into positive and productive ways. It all goes back to expressing our emotions in a healthy way. Instead of using our emotions and energy in a negative way, our speakers will demonstrate how they create a positive experiences using various forms of expression through art and culture.”
Learning new methods of expressing our emotions and channeling our energies in new ways is often difficult, especially when being communicated to by outsiders. To alleviate this process and make it not only engaging but relatable as well for our community, all this year’s speakers and performers are Native.
“That’s the great thing about this year’s conference, too, is that we have these dynamic speakers, these interesting performers, all these great people that are coming to uplift our community, and they are all Native,” continued Tiedeman. “The community is going to be able to relate to everybody. The youth, because we want all students from 8th graders to high school especially to attend this conference, they will able to relate to these speakers and performers. I think that is what’s so special about this year’s conference.
“We’ve had youth say to us, ‘when the Tribes bring in these outside experts to speak to us, we don’t really get to express our thoughts and feelings. It’s more like we are being talked at’. That won’t be the case with this year’s Wellness Conference. The content will be engaging and relatable. Also, we will have talking circles to end our day one session. There will be an adult talking circle and a youth talking circle, to make each age group feel more comfortable giving voice to their thoughts and feelings. With our talking circles people get to share how they feel and engage with one another.”
A Tribe Called Red is a DJ crew who blend instrumental hip hop and dubstep-influenced dance music with elements of First Nations music, particularly vocal chanting and drumming. They will be performing on Tuesday, May 12, from 2:15 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. We are hoping to have as many youth as possible attend their performance and take in the very unique, electronic powwow music. Parents please bring in your middle school and high school students after they are finished with school on that day. Those who arrive promptly before 3:00 p.m. will receive a CD by A Tribe Called Red and can have it signed by the members of the group.
As additional incentives to get community members to come out and participate in strengthening our resiliency, each attendee will receive a gift bag full of goodies. A signed copy of Gyasi Ross’s book of stories and poems titled Don’t Know Much About Indians, a storytelling DVD by Roger Fernandez, and a CD from A Tribe Called Red are just some of the goodies.
Our very own Rediscovery Program will also be present during the conference. They will be providing each of us with hands-on experience, teaching us how to make two traditional types of medicine: lip balm and smudge kits.
“The idea behind this year’s conference is learning all these ways of channeling your energy, your emotions and feelings, but basically your energy through arts, activities and culture,” says Alison Bowen, Family Haven Program Manager and fellow co-coordinator of the conference. “We know everyone has a lot going on. It may be good stuff or bad stuff or just stuff you feel overwhelmed by. We want you to witness first-hand and learn about all these different ways of expressing what you are going through. Like aerial performance! How many people have ever seen an aerial performer? I’ve never seen one. It’s exciting to say we will have an aerial performer showcasing her abilities and that just might open someone’s eyes to possibilities they hadn’t previously considered.”
Mark your calendars and set a reminder so that you don’t miss out on what is sure to be an exciting and uplifting learning atmosphere for the Tulalip community. The 3rd Annual Wellness Conference is open to the entire Tulalip community, so long as they are 13 years or older.
“We want our tribal elders to be there. We want our tribal youth to be there,” said Tiedeman.
Hopefully the Orca Ballroom will be filled to capacity with our Tulalip tribal membership as we come together for two days full of Native speakers, presenters, and performers.
The following is the complete list of speakers, artists and performers who will be featured over the two-day Wellness Conference:
Gyasi Ross (Blackfeet Nation, Suquamish Nation). Author, lawyer, speaker and storyteller.
Tanaya Winder (Southern Ute, Pyramid Lake Paiute, and Duckwater Shoshone Nations. Performance poet and writer.
Red Eagle Soaring (multiple tribes represented Native youth theatre.
Matika Wilbur (Tulalip and Swinomish. Photographer, project 562.
Andrea Thompson (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa) .Cirque Artist.
Vaughn Eagle Bear (Rosebud Sioux, Colville Tribe). Comedian, actor and motivational speaker.
Roger Fernandez (Lower Elwha Band of Clallam Indians). Artist, storyteller and educator.
A Tribe Called Red (Grand River Mohawk, Nipissing First Nation, Cayuga First Nation). DJ crew, electric powwow.
SEATTLE — The Makah Indian tribe has the legal right to hunt gray whales, but some say the practice is cruel and outdated and should no longer be allowed.
It’s been a decade since the Makah tribe in Neah Bay last killed any gray whales, but tribal leaders have announced plans to hunt 20 whales over the next five years.
The tribe says the killing is for cultural reasons, and for 2,000 years it has been a central part of who they are. But many people who attended a Monday public hearing on the matter say the world has lots of examples of cultural traditions that are plain wrong.
Now the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration must make their decision on the law and the numbers.
European and Russian hunters nearly wiped out the gray wale population, dropping it from 20,000 to 2,000. Gray whales were then placed on the endangered species list, and the population has since returned to 20,000.
Federal regulators have yet to take a position on the Makah plan, but officials listened to both sides during an emotionally charged public hearing on Monday.
“We did not pick a preferred recommendation because we knew people feel very strongly about that. And we didn’t want to pre-judge it,” NOAA’s Michael Milstein said.
While some turned out Monday to voice support for the tribe, most of the speakers steadfastly oppose the hunt.
“They should perhaps consider what some of the other tribes have done, and honor them in a different way,” said Katherine Pruitt.
Others, including members of the Chippewa tribe, voiced support for the Makah plan.
“It’s in their treaty rights. You know, that’s the big thing. We need to honor it,” said Jeff Powell.
No members of the Makah tribe attended Monday’s meetings. The second and final public hearing will be held Wednesday evening in Port Angeles.
Source: Press Release, Marysville Police Department
Marysville Police have made an arrest in a luring incident that was reported last week. A Marysville man was arrested Thursday morning after officers were able to identify and locate the vehicle used in the incident. The suspect was arrested without incident out of his Marysville residence.
On April 14th an adult male subject pulled up in a vehicle near where an eight year old boy was standing and engaged the boy in a conversation. At one point he offered the boy money and video games if he got into the vehicle. The boy, remembering what he had been taught in school ran away because he did not know the man. The boy reported the incident to his mother who notified police.
The mother advised police her son told her the man was driving a large white SUV. He was also able to provide a general description of the man. Detectives were able to complete a composite sketch of the suspect based on the description provided by the boy.
On Wednesday evening officers responded to a second reported similar incident; the mother of an 11 year old female reported that her daughter was a student crossing guard for Shoultes Elementary. While acting as a crossing guard in the morning a male subject in a white minivan repeatedly drove past her. The girl told her mother that each time he drove past he would smile and wave and made her feel uncomfortable. The girl also saw the same white van after school. The girl was also able to provide a description of the driver. Her description was similar to the one given by the boy in the previous incident.
On Thursday during the morning school commute, officers were present in the area of Shoultes Elementary looking out for the white van.
The mother of the young girl from the incident on Wednesday contacted an officer and advised him the van had twice driven by the area near the crossing guards. The mother was able to provide a partial license plate and advised the white van was an older model Toyota.
Officers were able to identify and locate the suspect vehicle based on the partial license plate given by the parent.
Officers drove to the address listed for the vehicle and made contact with a 31 year old male at the residence. He resembled the man described by the young boy from the incident the previous week. The suspect was arrested and booked at the Snohomish County Jail on unrelated, outstanding felony warrants.
Late this morning, a Marysville detective delivered Probable Cause papers to the Snohomish County Jail for the crime of Luring. The suspect will also be booked for the new offense.
“This is an excellent example of how when police, schools and the community work together we are able to arrest bad guys and get them off the streets,” stated Commander Robb Lamoureux.
The two children involved were not physically injured in any way. “Were just very proud of those two kids; they both did everything right by recognizing a bad situation and running away or telling an adult about what happened to them,” Lamoureux said.
MARYVILLE — It could take until December to hear whether the federal government will help fund recovery efforts at Marysville Pilchuck High School after the shootings there six months ago.
The school district, Marysville, the Tulalip Tribes, Victim Support Services and Volunteers of America have applied for a $4.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime. The money would help pay for mental health and victim support services, additional school counselors, suicide prevention efforts and other programs at the high school and throughout the district. It also would help reimburse some costs such as police and firefighter overtime.
On Oct. 24 a freshman opened fire in front of more than 100 students inside the school’s cafeteria. The Tulalip boy, 15, shot five of his friends before turning the gun on himself.
Killed were Andrew Fryberg, 15, and Zoe Galasso, Shaylee Chuckulnaskit and Gia Soriano, all 14. Nate Hatch, now 15, was critically injured but survived. The shooter, Jaylen Fryberg, also died.
The city, school district, the Tulalips and others are working together to create a safety net to help students, staff and community through the grief and trauma caused by the violence. That costs money, though.
The agencies that applied for the federal grant recently were advised it could be December — about 15 months after the shootings — before they’d hear about the funding, VSS Executive Director Marge Martin said.
“What’s taking so long?” she asked. “We’d like them to advance us some of it. We don’t want to lose that window of support.”
After the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, Congress authorized the DOJ’s Office for Victims of Crime to set aside $50 million a year to provide grants to victims and first responders after acts of terrorism or mass violence. The money comes from bond forfeitures and fines paid by white-collar criminals.
More than $8 million was handed out less than a year after the April 2013 bombing at the Boston Marathon. The federal office provided a $7.1 million grant for recovery efforts about 18 months after a gunman in 2012 killed 20 students and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.
It is a long wait when the needs are so great, said Mary Schoenfeldt, the director of recovery efforts for the school district.
“Yes, it is a concern and, yes, we will still need the funds, absolutely,” she said.
VSS, a nonprofit with a $600,000 yearly budget, is providing one full-time and one part-time mental health therapist on campus at Marysville Pilchuck. It also is providing another part-time mental health counselor shared by Marysville Getchell High School and Totem Middle School, where friends and former classmates of the shooter and slain students attended.
“It’s not that other schools don’t need them, it’s that the other schools are spread thin,” Schoenfeldt said.
The money to pay for the mental health therapists is being advanced to VSS from the state Department of Commerce, which administers federal grants for crime victims. So far VSS has been floated about $55,000.
“We didn’t have the money but it was the right thing to do,” Martin said. “It was critical to provide access to specialists without families having to go through a bunch of red tape. I believe that just by being on site we’ve saved kids’ lives out there.”
The full-time therapist provides one-on-one counseling during the school day. She has seen about 100 kids since the shooting. They’ve also held six support groups, with more in the works.
VSS requested federal money to fund four full-time trauma therapists and a caseworker. They want to add therapists to make home visits to students who have refused to return to school, or who transferred out of Marysville Pilchuck since the shootings. Another therapist would work at schools throughout the district and a fourth would provide backup.
They had hoped to have the federal grant money in time to open an off-site mental health center so kids could continue to attend therapy and support groups during the summer break. Ideally, it would be located in town on a bus line to make it easy on kids to get there, Martin said. She’s been pounding the pavement, looking for a corporate sponsor.
“We’ll find a way to put something in place,” Martin said.
The therapists are beginning to see students with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, such as nightmares, hypervigilance, anxiety and depression.
Studies show that there can be an uptick in suicide following traumatic events, such as school shootings, Martin said. Additionally, the violence may cause students to relive past traumas, such as domestic violence or exposure to addiction.
One of the next big challenges is working with youth organizations to line up summer programs, Schoenfeldt said. That task has been occurring the past two months.
“At the end of the school year, as much as everyone anticipates it, it is about loss and it is about transition,” she said. “As challenging as this year has been, there is almost a fraternity around the staff and the kids and they are going to lose that. There is a structure and there is routine. That structure and the routine and the predictability is very comforting. When you lose that, it is going to create a different sense of pressures.”
Friday is a shortened school day. Students have an option of attending a remembrance.
“They are adamant they are not going to let this define who they are as individuals or as a school,” Schoenfeldt said.
The partnership between the city, school district and Tribes is fundamental to the success of recovery efforts, said Rochelle Lubbers, the Tulalip recovery manager.
“The ultimate goal here is to implement a sustainable model of services for the long-term health of our communities,” she said.
For students and families, six months after a tragedy is a time when emotions that have been kept in check might come to the surface.
It wouldn’t be surprising if people feel cranky, weepy or can’t settle into a task.
“Our bodies are amazing,” Schoenfeldt said. “They remember on a subconscious level, not just on an intellectual level.”
There have been changes at the school since the shooting spree. Some students transferred out; others transferred in. Absences spiked after a bomb threat in January replayed sights and sounds of police and circling news helicopters, and rekindled fears felt on the day of the October shootings.
Schoenfeldt believes the school is making progress.
Students aren’t trying to sweep what happened under the rug. They are being respectful but not maudlin, and are setting a good example for adults, she said.
“They are doing well,” she said. “That doesn’t mean they are well. They are doing well even though some days feel real challenging. They are recovering.”
Rochelle Lubbers, Tulalip Tribes Recovery Manager, City of Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring, Tulalip Tribes Chairman Mel Sheldon, Dr. Becky Berg, Marysville School District Superintendent and Tara Mizell, City of Marysville Recovery Manager. Photo/Mike Sarich, Tulalip News
Press Release: Marysville School District, City of Marysville and the Tulalip Tribes
TULALIP – Six months after the tragic shooting at Marysville-Pilchuck High School, local leaders gathered for an update on the accomplishments of Marysville/Tulalip United, a community group tasked with coordinating long-term recovery, and discussed the recovery efforts currently planned for the coming months.
Tulalip Tribes Chairman Mel Sheldon, Marysville School District Superintendent Dr. Becky Berg and city of Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring met Friday morning, April 24, for a roundtable discussion with key stakeholders from Marysville/Tulalip United.
“I am truly humbled by the work that has been done by our communities over the last six months,” Sheldon said. “Having been recently reelected to the Tulalip Tribes Board of Directors I have been brought up to speed on the progress of the recovery effort and am heartened that the collaboration between the tribe, city, and the school district represents a real opportunity to achieve lasting healing together.”
Superintendent Berg echoed Sheldon’s comments and shared her own perspective on the ongoing recovery work as a participant in Marysville/Tulalip United.
Marysville School District Superintendent Becky Berg and City of Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring. Photo/Mike Sarich, Tulalip News
“We are learning that the process of recovery will last for years,” Berg said. “The work of the Marysville/Tulalip United group along with the efforts of our recovery directors and professionals in the field of post-trauma, have helped us to support and provide resources for those impacted by the tragic events of October 24.”
Representatives from Marysville/Tulalip United highlighted major community recovery accomplishments in the past six months, including the many successful community workshops and training sessions led by Dr. Robert Macy and the International Trauma Center and submission of a Project AWARE grant to provide additional mental health professionals in the Marysville School District.
Local leaders expressed appreciation for the way recovery efforts have strengthened existing community partnerships and focused attention on supporting local youth.
“These are unchartered waters for our community and our schools,” Superintendent Berg said. “A horrific shooting happened on our watch, but it will not define our community. Instead, we will be defined by how we respond and support each other.”
Though he knows long-term recovery work will continue for months or even years, Mayor Jon Nehring expressed his appreciation for the group’s efforts.
“It’s remarkable to see what Marysville/Tulalip United has accomplished in only six months,” Nehring said. “I’m incredibly proud of the work they’ve done to provide support to our students and our community, and I look forward to seeing what progress they will make in the coming months and years.”
Tara Mizell, City of Marysville Recovery Manager and Rochelle Lubbers, Tulalip Tribes Recovery Manager. Photo/Mike Sarich, Tulalip News
Local leaders plan to partner on community mental health messaging and support for students and community members during the summer months. Please visit Marysville/Tulalip United online for more information about upcoming community events and training opportunities: www.mtunited.org
Source: Press Release, Women Marines Assocation WA-3 North Sound
MARYSVILLE – On May 2, the Women Marines Association’s WA-3 North Sound Chapter will host the Lourdes “Alfie” Alvarado-Ramos, Director of Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs at the Marysville Village Inn Restaurant, located off I-5 exit 199 .
The event will be held at 12:30 and will feature resource information for male and female veterans located in Washington.
For more information contact president of the chapter, Karen Wheeler at 425-744-4511. RSVP by April, 27, 2015 at WA3@womenmarines.org.
“Veterans have earned the rights they have through their heavily structured, sometimes difficult, often grinding military service- whether he or she served in the Washington DC office at the Commandant or at Camp Lejeune (Jacksonville, NC) in the kitchen; whether during peacetime or by going to war zones such as the sands in the Philippines, freezing temperatures in Korea, the jungles of Vietnam, the desert in the Persian Gulf or through these two current blistering wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. There is much out there for you, our veteran!”
“Washington Dept. of Veterans Affairs (WDVA) offers some very important programs including education, training, employment, claims assistance, and psychological counseling for military related issues (traumatic brain injury, military sexual trauma, post traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, couples counseling, suicide prevention or just plain how to cope with what’s happening day to day). Our WDVA also provides valuable information on housing, whether getting off the streets or needing elder care, including Veterans Homes and Fisher House. Come Join us! Lean what the State of Washington has to offer you, and met Alfie.”
Cover art for Turnin Padez, courtesy of Saykred Thoughtz
By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News
Saykred Thoughtz is a product of Derek Prather. Derek Prather is a product of Tulalip. Therefore it isn’t so much a matter of simple logic, but homegrown necessity when Saykred emphatically states, “I do it for the rez!” on the chorus of his most popular YouTube music video The Rez.
Prather, who’s music stage name is Saykred Thoughtz, is a twenty-four year old American hip hop artist born and raised within the boundaries of the Tulalip Reservation. He is an enrolled tribal member, while also being a member of the hip hop group Native Instinct with his cousins Komplex Kai (Kisar Jones-Fryberg) and Hapalo (Chuckie Jones). Most importantly, he is a proud father of four beautiful children, Tessa, Kaden, Maia and recent addition Alissa Mae. “I love my kids more than anything in the world. They are my inspiration to do better at everything,” says Prather.
Prather with his children, Tessa, Kaden and Maia. Photo courtesy of Saykred Thoughtz
It is often the case that those who grow up on Native American reservations are exposed to much of what the outside world only experiences indirectly, through mediums like television or literature. For Prather it started when he was born submerged in poverty and the beda?chelh system, continuing into his teenage years when he was ditching school and committing juvenile crimes, and peaking when he found himself as a father dealing with domestic disputes in a co-destructive relationship, all the while battling the nightmare that is addiction.
The seemingly never-ending cycle of self-destructive behaviors came to an abrupt halt when he “hit rock bottom”, as Prather describes it like only a hip hop poet can, “when this life makes you mad enough to kill, when you want something bad enough to steal, when you feel like you had it up to here cause you mad enough to scream, but you sad enough to tear…that’s rock bottom.”
Prather hit rock bottom three years ago when being on the losing side of his battle with addiction, self-medicating with prescription medication and alcohol, ultimately led to him having his children taken from his custody. It was at that moment that Prather made the choice to better his life, both for himself and his children, once and for all. He voluntarily went to treatment at Valley General to get clean and has remained clean for nearly three years now. He came out of treatment with a renewed sense of purpose as a man and father. Prather got his job back in Tulalip Construction Housing as a laborer, got a house and car, everything your supposed to have as the man of a household. It didn’t take long for him to have his custody case dropped and be reunited with his children.
“Battling my demon of addiction was the hardest thing that I’ve had to do. You go through struggles emotionally when learning how to be a man in life and taking care of your own,” says Prather. “For me, my kids are everything. They were my reason to get clean. Being a father to them every day, seeing their smiling faces every day is what keeps me going. They are my inspiration and motivation to be the best father and man that I can be.”
The renewed sense of purpose that came from getting clean was compounded when he regained custody of children. Prather realized his dream of being clean and having his kids back had come true. If he could overcome such trying tribulations as those then he could do anything he put his mind to. Prather chose to go all in on the dream of becoming a successful music artist.
“I realized music had always been there. During my highest of highs and my lowest of lows, music was always with me. Since I was a little kid I’ve always been intrigued by music. I started in guitar lessons and piano lessons as a kid and from that point I learned to love and appreciate music in all its forms,” Prather says while reminiscing about how he fell in love with music as an art form. “It evolved from there. In sixth grade I was playing the drums and just trying to be in some kind of music. Then when I was thirteen, my older cousin Komplex Kai created his first rap album. I was able to witness that whole process from beginning to end. That intrigued me to start writing and soon after I started going to Kai’s studio and never stopped.
“Every life experience inspires an artist. Everything that you go through that pisses you off or makes you happy or turns you around is supposed to make an artist think differently about his music. Everything that happened to me and that I went through, afterwards I chose to go home and write about it. My music tells my story. If you were to go back and listen to all my music from when I first began to now, it would be like listening to an audio book of all the stages of my life. From my dad going in and out of prison, to my mom doing stupid stuff, and me being taken away from my parents and getting arrested about something dumb. I would write about all that until I learned how to turn those words on paper into musical inspiration. I made it relatable, so that someone going through those same experience can hear my music and know I’m real, that I actually went through the same things they are.”
In 2013, Prather started working on his first professionally produced and mastered hip hop album, titled Turnin Pagez that will be released Friday, May 1. He invested in himself, spending every spare dollar he had on studio time at Dark Room Productions, a local independent studio in Everett. Paying between $50-$100/hour to make music at the highest possible quality is what separates the professional from the amateur.
“It’s easy for people to make music from their house, but it shows how serious you are as an artist when you’re willing to pay for studio time and leasing rights,” Prather explains. “As an artist, it’s exciting to say that I have leasing rights to everything on my upcoming album. That’s a hard thing to achieve for independents. Because I’m not signed to a label that makes me an independent artist, so I’ve learned how to independently market my music and myself. Showing people how serious I am as an artist paves the way and opens doors.”
The upcoming release of the album Turnin Pagez has multiple meanings for Prather. First, it shows what is possible with a dollar and dream. Second, this project has been two years in the making, it’s been so much of an investment, financially and emotionally, and most importantly it demonstrates the personal growth that Prather has gone through.
“There’s a lot of truth to this album, a lot of things that I’ve went through personally and saw firsthand coming up,” explains Prather. “There’s a song on there about the way a person that’s battling addiction thinks of the world and sees the world. How that person thinks about people seeing them at their worst, how people think about them. Basically, it’s putting myself in a perspective of a person that’s at rock bottom and has nothing. I’ve been there, I know what rock bottom looks like, but I’ve also made it through.
“This album is special. I tried my hardest to push myself out of my comfort zone to make every different kind of music that I can create in order to broaden my audience. Any person who likes hip hop just a little bit will find a few tracks they’ll really enjoy. It has a song for everyone basically. There’s a lot of culture in it, too. Anyone from Tulalip, anyone from Indian country who has grown up on a reservation will be able to relate to this album.”
Turnin Pagez is a collection of Prather’s thoughts obsessively turned over and milled into substance, and that is its strongest point. He captures the struggle of addiction so concisely. A former product of that, Prather delivers an album that pushes aside all his many past battles. The psycho-analysis is public, it’s honest and it’s executed through the best writing and rapping of his career.
“I called the album Turnin Pagez because I have filled so many notebooks with lyrics, rhymes, and my thoughts. When I flip through those notebooks I’ve realized it’s symbolic. This album, for me, means I’m turning a different direction in life. I’m turning to a new chapter in life. From the things I talk about in this album, like my battle with addiction and domestic issues that I went through in the past four years, I’m turning the page and moving on to a healthy and brighter future for me and my kids. This album symbolizes that.”
Regardless of where his career in the hip hop industry takes him, Prather has enjoyed the journey and looks forward to what the future has to offer. Even though he has lofty expectations for himself as a hip hop artist, Prather says he owes everything to his cousins, Komplex Kai and Hapalo, and the Tulalip community for bringing him up in the hip hop game. “They are what got me to where I am at today with my music. Our studio was at aunt Uppy’s house. It was like our crew studio; every day and every night we were there making music. It was cool though man, it was a good environment to grow up in with our music.
“I’ve come a long way since those early days of aunt Uppy’s music sessions. The basics of the hip hop business is shaking hands and meeting people and showing people that you are serious about your craft. I was determined to show everyone how serious I was. I was fortunate to land D-Sane, who ended up mastering my album. He mastered a lot of music for Macklemore, so that’s a really big deal for me to have someone on his level be a part of my album. Plus, he got me a Crooked-I feature on my album. He’s a huge West Cost hip hop artist and to have him on my album is so amazing.”
His battle to overcome life’s trials, however righteous, has now translated musically. Fans of Prather’s music will be able to identify with his wounds, hurts and unpleasantries. From a personal vacation from stress, to the remorseful father who once lost his children, to past beefs with his girl, Prather unleashes his truth with no filter. While this is an exciting, polished album, Turnin Pagez accompanying music marks Prather’s independent arrival. He has released a candid and thought provoking piece of work. It’s something that many will find refreshing.
Prather’s album, or more accurately Saykred Thoughtz album Turnin Pagez comes out Friday, May 1. To commemorate his achievement there will be an album release concert held at Tony Vs Garage on Hewitt Ave in Everett on May 1. Doors open at 9:00 p.m. and admission is free, with a $5 voluntary donation being accepted to support the artists. Local fans will see Tulalip rappers Komplex Kai and Hapalo open the show before Prather performs the entire Turnin Pagez album.
Hard copies of the Turnin Pagez will be available for only $10 beginning May 1 at Priest Point Grocery (aka Chris’s Store) in Tulalip. For the digitally inclined, the Turnin Pagez album will be online at the iTunes store, Amazon, CD Baby, and SoundCloud websites the following week.
You can sample some of Saykred Thoughtz music on youtube:
TULALIP – In the aftermath of the school shooting at Marysville-Pilchuck High School last October, where five students died, including the shooter, the Marysville Tulalip communities have worked tirelessly to stitch a sense of normalcy back into their lives. Through a community recovery team, comprised of members of the Marysville School District, Tulalip Tribes, City of Marysville, Marysville and Tulalip leaders and community members, a coordinated community-wide support net has been created for families and victims of the tragedy.
Support has been offered to families and victims through trainings, resources and community meetings. Families and victims can also find support representation from Victims Support Services, Ministerial Association, Volunteers of America, American Red Cross, Marysville YMCA and United Way of Snohomish County.
The message the recovery team wants the community and youth to know is, “something has happened to you, but something isn’t wrong with you. We are here to help you.”
During the days following the tragedy a strategic effort was created with the help of the International Trauma Center to develop a long-term plan to build resiliency and improve the communities long-term holistic health. The plan is designed according to the unique partnership of Marysville and Tulalip to properly address the needs of the communities.
Throughout the next year, monthly trainings will be held along with meetings that introduce the goals of the team, which include a reduction in self-injurious behavior in youth, integrating culture and education, and increasing access to primary health care to reduce acute long-term effects of psychological trauma.
A list of available resources and community meeting events can be found at the Marysville/Tulalip United website, www.mtunited.org, including crisis numbers for counseling, support services and suicide prevention.
In Tulalip, the Tulalip Trauma Response Network has scheduled a series of trainings that include trauma informed care seminars that educate about emotional management, de-escalation techniques and workforce protection, along with how to decrease the use of coercion, restraint, seclusions and isolation to reduce violence in the community.
Other trainings include psychological first aid and post-traumatic stress management available to councilors, youth workers and natural healers and leaders in the community.
Suicide prevention efforts continue with the addition of the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scales and Gatekeeper training. This training educates community members to screen for suicide to foster targeted intervention. Sources of Strength is another suicide prevention program being implemented that utilizes peer leaders to enhance protective factors to reduce suicide in youth.
For youth under six years old, educators are being trained through Rainbowdance, a classroom-based program that helps children overcome challenges related to stress and trauma to promote violence prevention in younger children. For youth seven years and older, programs such as the Classroom-Community-Culture Based Intervention is effective in developing tools that will help older youth overcome challenges and relate to others.
Intensive outpatient treatment is also available for youth and teenagers who have suffered trauma and violence and need a more intensive support to recover.
Social media is a key component that the recovery team is examining, in how youth use and respond through different social media platforms. Seminars are available for parents and interested community members to learn how to navigate different social media sites. The goal is to educate parents and community members to look for suicidal comments and report them to the proper channels to intercept suicidal behavior in youth. A community-led social media reporting system is being developed that will create a direct channel that parents and community members can report abuse, suicidality and bullying.
For more information on support services available to the Marysville Tulalip community please visit the Community Recovery Team’s website www.mtunited.org. You can also contact the Tulalip Tribes Behavioral Health team for support for children, youth, and adults in coping skills, support groups, and mental health counseling at 360-716-4400.
Brandi N. Montreuil: 360-913-5402; bmontreuil@tulalipnews.com
reat Mom to a Sublime Brunch and Visit to the T Spa
Source: Press Release Tulalip Resort Casino
Tulalip, Washington — After treating the kinsfolk to amazing meals all year long, it’s time to turn the tables. On Sunday, May 10, the whole family can honor the special women in their lives at a sublime brunch in the Tulalip Resort Casino Orca Ballroom, with seating at 10:30am and 1:00pm.
Every matriarch will feel like a queen dining her way through an opulent array of tempting breakfast and lunch dishes, including Omelet and Egg, Carving, Pasta, and French Toast/Waffle stations. If Mom loves her salads, she can select among six – from Panache of Fresh Fruit and Vegetarian Soba to Citrus Shrimp Caesar. Hot entrees cover all the bases from Thick Cut Bacon & Grilled Chicken Sausage Patties to Apple Walnut Stuffed Pork Tenderloin with herb cider glaze, and Crab Asparagus and Mushroom Crepes covered with Asiago Mornay Sauce. Assorted breakfast pastries — such as muffins, croissants, and mini Danish — accompany the menu.
If Mom has a big sweet tooth…she may spend the entire day at the dessert buffet sampling the Lemon Meringue Tartlets, Berry Breton Tarts, New York Cheese Cake with berries, French Macaroons Whole Chocolate Cakes, and Assorted Scones with Devonshire cream, raspberry jam, and lemon curd.
For the youngsters, there is a knee-high buffet featuring kid favorites, such as Chicken Strips with Honey Mustard and Ranch Dressing, Macaroni and Cheese Bites, Mini Pepperoni Pizzas, and Pigs in a Blanket.
Celebrate Mom in the royal style she deserves at Tulalip Resort. Mother’s Day brunch, including a welcome Mimosa, is priced at $42 inclusive for adults. Children 4 to 12 are $22. For reservations* call 360-716-6888.
Looking for that special gift for Mom? Treat her like the star that she is at Tulalip Resort’s 14,000 square foot T Spa, by giving her a “Red Carpet Facial,” which all the celebrities have before stepping foot on the red carpet. This unique facial process comes from the land down under. It utilizes the Intraceuticals Oxygen treatment, which combines the extraordinary benefits of refined Hyperbaric Oxygen. She will leave with beautiful, refreshed, plump skin. For reservations and additional information, call (360) 716-6350.
*Note: All reservations will have pre-assigned tables; each reservation will require pre-payment at time of booking and is non-refundable; parties of 10 or more will be placed within close proximity of each other.
