Tulalip Tribal members and Tulalip community members line the street waiting to welcome Nate Hatch home, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2014, on the Tulalip Indian Reservation. Hatch was shot in the jaw during the Oct. 24, 2014 Marysville-Pilchuck High school shooting by fellow classmate and friend Jaylen Fryberg. (Tulalip News Photo/ Brandi N. Montreuil)
Tulalip community holds surprise homecoming for victim of MP shooting
By Brandi N. Montreuil, Tulalip News
TULALIP – Amid chants of welcome home, 14-year-old Nate Hatch received a surprise homecoming from more than 200 friends and family in the Tulalip community when he arrived home to the Tulalip Indian Reservation on November 6. That morning Hatch was released from Harborview Medical Center, where he had been hospitalized after receiving a gunshot wound to the jaw during the October 24, Marysville-Pilchuck High School shooting.
One of five students hit when fellow classmate and friend Jaylen Fryberg opened fire during lunch inside the MP cafeteria. Hatch is the only survivor of four who were hospitalized. Gia Soriano, Shaylee Chuckulnaskit, and Andrew Fryberg died from their injuries after being hospitalized. Zoe Galasso died at the scene along with Jaylen, who died from a self-inflicted wound.
Barely visible inside a black Tulalip Police vehicle, Nate Hatch waves to well-wishers on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2014 on the Tulalip Indian Reservation. Over 200 community members lined the corner of 27th Ave Ne and Marine Drive to chant welcome home as he was driven past. (Tulalip News Photo/ Brandi N. Montreuil)
Hatch was barely visible inside a black Tulalip Police vehicle shortly before 1:00 p.m. when he drove pass greeters who lined the corner of 27th Ave NE and Marine Drive. Supporters braved gusts of wind and rain for more than an hour to make sure they were there to welcome him home. Students and staff from the Marysville Tulalip Campus, which is the site of Heritage High School and Quil Ceda Elementary School, were also on-site to welcome him.
Managing a slight smile and wave as he past greeters, Hatch took to social media later that evening to tweet, “It’s good to be home.”
In a statement issued by the family following his release, a request for privacy and condolences were issued.
“We appreciate all the amazing support we have received from the community. We are grateful for the top-notch care Nate received from the team at Harborview Medical Center. Our hearts and prayers go out to all the families who have been affected by this horrific tragedy. Please allow us the privacy we need to continue on the road of recovery. Thank you.”
Tulalip Tribal members and Tulalip community members line the street waiting to welcome Nate Hatch home, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2014, on the Tulalip Indian Reservation. Hatch was shot in the jaw during the Oct. 24, 2014 Marysville-Pilchuck High school shooting by fellow classmate and friend Jaylen Fryberg. (Tulalip News Photo/ Brandi N. Montreuil)
Tulalip tribal member Zee Jimicum, Native American liaison with the Marysville School District, was among the 200 supporters who welcomed Nate home. Jimicum’s son, a freshman at MP, described how as a mother she understood the pain Nate’s family is going through.
“The grief is overwhelming and as a mother my heart has ached from the moment I heard the news. I gladly participated in Nate’s homecoming as another way to help support our community. As the anticipation built with every update we got about Nate’s arrival, I found my emotions welling up inside me. I was excited for Nate, excited that he was stable enough to leave the hospital. As great as that is, I know being home is just a baby step towards the spiritual, physical, emotional and physiological healing he will need. Participating in Nate’s homecoming was more than being just another person lining Marive Drive, I felt blessed to be a part of it all because it was part of the healing process for me,” said Jimicum.
Nate continues to recover from his wounds and since his return home uses social media to express his grief over the incident and thanks for community support.
Tulalip Tribal members and Tulalip community members line the street waiting to welcome Nate Hatch home, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2014, on the Tulalip Indian Reservation. Hatch was shot in the jaw during the Oct. 24, 2014 Marysville-Pilchuck High school shooting by fellow classmate and friend Jaylen Fryberg. (Tulalip News Photo/ Brandi N. Montreuil)
Tulalip Tribal members and Tulalip community members line the street waiting to welcome Nate Hatch home, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2014, on the Tulalip Indian Reservation. Hatch was shot in the jaw during the Oct. 24, 2014 Marysville-Pilchuck High school shooting by fellow classmate and friend Jaylen Fryberg. (Tulalip News Photo/ Brandi N. Montreuil)Tulalip Tribal members and Tulalip community members line the street waiting to welcome Nate Hatch home, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2014, on the Tulalip Indian Reservation. Hatch was shot in the jaw during the Oct. 24, 2014 Marysville-Pilchuck High school shooting by fellow classmate and friend Jaylen Fryberg. (Tulalip News Photo/ Brandi N. Montreuil)Tulalip Tribal members and Tulalip community members line the street waiting to welcome Nate Hatch home, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2014, on the Tulalip Indian Reservation. Hatch was shot in the jaw during the Oct. 24, 2014 Marysville-Pilchuck High school shooting by fellow classmate and friend Jaylen Fryberg. (Tulalip News Photo/ Brandi N. Montreuil)Tulalip Tribal members and Tulalip community members line the street waiting to welcome Nate Hatch home, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2014, on the Tulalip Indian Reservation. Hatch was shot in the jaw during the Oct. 24, 2014 Marysville-Pilchuck High school shooting by fellow classmate and friend Jaylen Fryberg. (Tulalip News Photo/ Brandi N. Montreuil)Tulalip Tribal members and Tulalip community members line the street waiting to welcome Nate Hatch home, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2014, on the Tulalip Indian Reservation. Hatch was shot in the jaw during the Oct. 24, 2014 Marysville-Pilchuck High school shooting by fellow classmate and friend Jaylen Fryberg. (Tulalip News Photo/ Brandi N. Montreuil)
Tulalip Tribal members and Tulalip community members line the street waiting to welcome Nate Hatch home, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2014, on the Tulalip Indian Reservation. Hatch was shot in the jaw during the Oct. 24, 2014 Marysville-Pilchuck High school shooting by fellow classmate and friend Jaylen Fryberg. (Tulalip News Photo/ Brandi N. Montreuil)
Tulalip Tribal members and Tulalip community members line the street waiting to welcome Nate Hatch home, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2014, on the Tulalip Indian Reservation. Hatch was shot in the jaw during the Oct. 24, 2014 Marysville-Pilchuck High school shooting by fellow classmate and friend Jaylen Fryberg. (Tulalip News Photo/ Brandi N. Montreuil)
Brandi N. Montreuil: 360-913-5402; bmontreuil@tulalipnews.com
By Kara Briggs-Campbell, Tulalip News Guest Writer
Weeks and months after the tragic events of Oct. 24, many Tulalip youth are likely to still be grappling with deep feelings and complex emotions associated with grief, experts say.
The key for adults and even peers will be keeping a lifeline of connection with tribal youth as they move from feelings of shock and trauma to grief and loss.
“The hardest part with teens is that their developmental task in normal times is to push away from their parents,” said Alison Bowen, Family Healing Program Coordinator for the Tulalip Tribes. “It’s like, ‘Love you, mom. Gotta go.’ Yet even as they are pushing you away, the challenge is how to reconnect with them in this time of trauma.”
Sudden behavioral changes are one of the signs that an adolescent or teen is struggling emotionally. These shifts can include examples such as, a youth, who usually rises early to get ready for school, suddenly doesn’t care; An outgoing kid isolates herself or himself; A teen detaches from his or her friends.
“If all of sudden any kind of big change happens that is what you want to watch for,” Bowen said.
The people most likely to notice such changes are friends of the same age group. That’s why specialists say the best thing now is to let the kids be together, whether they are playing basketball, making art, talking or even sitting still together.
A major concern is if a youth is thinking a lot about death, or meditating on a past hurt, or unable to think about anything but the recent losses of life.
“It is important to listen and do what you can to encourage the person to get help,” said Dr. Richard McKeon, Branch Chief of the Center for Mental Health Services.
For the very most vulnerable, the concern is preventing youth suicide—knowing that among American Indians aged 10 to 24 suicide rates are higher than in the same age group among other races.
“It is important not to be frightened to ask the question whether someone is thinking about suicide,” he said. “The research shows that if you ask a youth and they say no, they aren’t going to start thinking about suicide because you asked.”
“But if someone appears to be depressed or hopeless, it is important to ask the question and not to panic if the answer is yes,” McKeon said. “For a person who is in trauma and potentially thinking about suicide it is essential that make a connection with someone.”
One way a teen could support a friend is by helping them to make contact with a trusted adult. Sometimes that adult is a parent or a favorite aunt, uncle or grandparent. Other times it may be the Native liaison at school or a staffer at the Tulalip Boys and Girls Club. Ultimately the youth might need mental health counseling, but in the immediate term, a trusted adult can make all the difference in the world.
“We know in the days ahead we are going to have more kids dealing with grief and anger and more kids who are anxious and scared,” Bowen said.
The best ways a friend can help now are to be available, to listen respectfully as the person who is sad or in trauma pour out their feelings, or sit quietly if they just want company.
“It’s hard that we’re asking people to take care of the youth when everyone’s hearts are so heavy,” Bowen said. “That’s why it can’t only be a family looking after their own kids, it has to be all of us pitching in to help.”
Where can I call for help?
To report an emergency dial 911
National Suicide Prevention Line: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
Snohomish County Crisis Line: 1-800-584-3578
Crisis TEXT Line: Text “Listen” to 741-741
24 Hour Crisis Line: 1-866-427-4747
TEENLINK: 1-866-833-6546
Tulalip Tribes Behavioral Health Family Services: 360-716-4400
Tulalip Tribes Mental Wellness Director Sherry Guzman: 360-716-4305
A letter of hope to Tulalip tribal youth from a survivor from the Red Lake Nation
Justin Jourdain was a ninth grader when he witnessed the school shooting at Red Lake High School. A Red Lake tribal member, Justin was friends with classmates who died and others who were injured. Now a Red Lake Nation police officer with a family of his own, Justin wanted to travel to Tulalip to meet with and encourage tribal youth in person, but his work schedule got in the way. So Justin has written an open letter to Tulalip youth and provided it to the See-Yaht-Sub.
Justin Jourdain and son. Photo courtesy of Justin Jourdain
Boozhoo! This is the way we greet each other in my tribe, the Red Lake Nation in Northern Minnesota.
You may not realize it right now, but everything will get better with time.
If you witnessed this tragic event or you were at school that day, you will always remember, as I do those terrifying moments. But in a few weeks and then a few months, it will get easier. You will gain perspective from having lived through this traumatic time in your Tribe’s history. Believe me, surviving can change your life for the better, if you let it.
In the days after the Red Lake School shooting, survivors from Columbine High School met with my classmates and me. The contact with the others who had the same experience gave me the courage to hope again for the future, though I lived with the memory very strongly until 2008 when I graduated from high school, and that helped me to find closure.
I know firsthand how important it is to meet people who share this still unusual experience. That inspired me to go to reach out to other students at schools where this has happened. I feel that it helps just to meet and spend time with someone who knows what this experience felt like. It is important to the healing process to feel that someone knows what it was like. In time, you may have the opportunity to help someone else heal, though it is always my hope that nothing like this ever happen again.
Healing will be a long process, but you will get better. You will remember for the rest of your life. For me nine year later, I can still remember that day as if it were yesterday. But I’ve learned to deal with the pain and continue living. You will learn to cope as I have.
Today I am married and I have a six-year-old son. For the last four years I have worked in law enforcement for my tribal police. I am 25 years old.
In 2005, I was freshman in high school and I couldn’t conceive of all the good things ahead. But stick in the back of your mind that the rest of your life is waiting for you to live it. Believe that things will get better as you let go of the pain and move forward in your life.
Here & Now: Native Artists Inspired showcases how today’s artists learn from past generations. 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.
Here & Now celebrates the 10th anniversary of the Bill Holm Center for the Study of Northwest Native Art, a global learning center that supports access to the Burke Museum’s Native art and artifact collections through research grants, programs, and publications.
Join us for an exploration of the dynamic relationship between past and present, collections and creativity, and artists and their ancestors.
“Creating these works is an extension of our apprenticeship with our ancestors.”
–Evelyn Vanderhoop, Haida weaver
Help Bring the Mask that Inspired the Seahawks Logo to Seattle
With your support, we’re bringing the Kwakwaka’wakw mask that inspired the Seahawks logo to Seattle for everyone to see as part of the Here & Now: Native Artists Inspired exhibition! Learn more about the effort on our Kickstarter: Bring the Mask to Seattle.
Marysville-Pilchuck High School Interim Assistant Principal Lori Stolee and Interim Co-Principal Deann Anguiano take possession of the dreamcatcher, Monday, Nov. 3, 2014, at Marysville School Board District office. (Tulalip News Photo/ Brandi N. Montreuil)
MARYSVILLE – Following a tradition set by survivors of the Columbine High School shooting, the Marysville School District and Tulalip Tribes were presented a dreamcatcher symbolizing survival, on November 3.
During a modified school district board meeting, representatives from Sandy Hook Elementary and delegates from the Red Lake Nation in Minnesota gave the dreamcatcher and shared their story of healing.
The dreamcatcher was gifted to Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, following a shooting that left 13 people dead in 1999. It has since been passed onto other school districts that have experienced similar tragedies and evolved into emblem of healing for survivors.
John Oakgrove of the Little Thunderbirds Drum and Dance Troupe from Red Lake Minnesota made the trek from Red Lake as a sign of unity. Survivors of Columbine took the dreamcatcher to the Red Lake Reservation following a school shooting there in 2005 that left 10 people dead, including the 16-year-old shooter. Oakgrove has travelled to present the dreamcatcher since, taking along his children who sing honor songs for survivors as part of the healing process. He was there when the dreamcatcher was presented to Sandy Hook Elementary School officials in 2012 following the deaths
Tulalip Tribes council members Theresa Sheldon and Deborah Parker receive hand written notes from Stephanie Hope Smith from the Newtown Rotary Club, Monday, Nov. 3, 2014, at the Marysville School District Administrative offices. The notes were made by well wishers and given to the Sandy Hook Elementary School following the deaths of 26 children and adults from a 2012 shooting. (Tulalip News Photo/ Brandi N. Montreuil)
of 26 children and adults.
“I hate meeting people like this, but we came because we want to offer our support. We know what they are going through,” said Oakgrove.
Sandy Hook Elementary representatives Susan Connelly, Newtown Middle School counselor and Stephanie Hope Smith a member of the Newtown Rotary Club, spoke about the sobering baton that connects the schools.
“We are united in hope. I’m sorry we are united in grief. I’m sorry we have the experience and expertise to share,” said Smith.
“This plaque is more than just a dreamcatcher. It is made with such love. It is our hope that you should never have to pass it onto another community,” said Connelly.
Also present during the meeting was Marysville School District Superintendent Becky Berg and board members Chris Nation and Tom Albright, Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring, Marysville Police Chief Rick Smith, Marysville-Pilchuck High School Principals and Tulalip Tribes council members Deborah Parker and Theresa Sheldon.
John Oakgrove and son Justin of the Little Thunderbirds Drum and Dance Troupe from Red Lake Minnesota sang honor songs during the presenting of the dreamcatcher, Monday, Nov. 3, 2014, at the Marysville School District Administrative offices. (Tulalip News Photo/ Brandi N. Montreuil)
(Tulalip News Photo/ Brandi N. Montreuil)
Dreamcatcher made for the survivors of the Columbine High School shooting in 1999 was presented to the Marysville -Pilchuck High School and Tulalip Tribes, Monday, Nov. 3, 2014, at the Marysville School District Administrative offices. The dreamcatcher has been passed to schools who have had shootings. (Tulalip News Photo/ Brandi N. Montreuil)
Brandi N. Montreuil: 360-913-5402; bmontreuil@tulalipnews.com
Elder’s Panel volunteer Hank Williams with Tulalip Tribes Tribal Court Judge Gary Bass, Friday, Oct. 17, 2014, at the Tulalip Tribes Tribal Court. Williams along with other panel volunteers were honored during a special recognition ceremony hosted by the court. (Tulalip News Photo/ Brandi N. Montreuil)
TULALIP – Tulalip elders over the past six years have worked diligently to make a positive change in their community through volunteer work via the Tulalip Elder’s Panel, an alternative diversion sentencing program at the Tulalip Tribes Tribal Court for first- time offenders.
On October 17, the panel of volunteers were celebrated by the Tulalip Tribes Tribal Court for their efforts in the community. The special recognition ceremony included Tulalip Tribes council members Deborah Parker, Maria Zackuse and Theresa Sheldon, along with over 30 attendees.
Tulalip elders, Don Hatch Jr., Eleanor M. Nielson, Hank Williams, John Bagley, Lee Topash and Maureen Alexander donate their time on a biweekly schedule, to teach offenders accountability through a unique approach that uses traditional Tulalip culture, the wisdom and experiences of Tulalip elders and tribal court staff to stop re-offending in those, ages 18-42, charged with non-violent crimes.
Enrollment is voluntary and upon successful completion of the program, charges are dismissed. However, the program does not come without its stipulations. Participants are required to complete a host of requirements to successfully complete the program. Requirements include active engagement in their culture and community, regular appearances before the panel, letters of apology, community service and substance abuse treatment, curfews, UA’s, anger management and mental health evaluations and no new violations.
Due to the success of the program, the Tulalip Elder’s Panel received the Hero’s Award in 2009 from the Washington State Bar Association for their volunteer service. This prestigious award typically goes to lawyers but in special circumstances, has been awarded to non-lawyers for their service in the field of law. The program has also inspired state courts to consider implementing a diversion program using the Elder’s Panel as a model. In 2011, the National Center for State Courts visited from New York to learn more about the panel.
“There is serious interest in the panel and the work the elders do,” said Wendy Church, Tulalip Tribes Tribal Court Director, during the recognition ceremony. “Not only do they save the Tribes a lot of funds in diverting young tribal members our of the criminal justice system, but the Elder’s Panel also has a high success rate of clients not returning to the system.”
The panel, in 2013, saved the court $20,000 in judicial and probation time, including jail cost, which can run the Tribe more than $100 a day for incarcerated tribal members. The panel sees an 87 percent success rate in participants.
Along with current panel members, former tribal court clerk Alicia Horne was honored for her work, along with Tulalip Tribal Court Judge Gary Bass and Don Hatch Jr., in establishing the panel. Horne is credited for creating the court forms the panel still uses. Former panel members Virginia Carpenter and the late Bill Shelton were also honored for their time and devotion to the Tulalip community.
Brandi N. Montreuil: 360-913+5402; bmontreuil@tulalipnews.com
By Lorraine Loomis, Chair, Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission
When the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission was searching for a new director about six years ago, chair Miranda Wecker said they were looking for a director with a strong conservation ethic, sound fiscal-management and leadership skills and expertise in intergovernmental relations.
They got all of that and much, much more when they selected Phil Anderson to lead the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).
The treaty Indian tribes in western Washington are both sad and happy to learn that he will be stepping down at the end of the year.
We are sad because we are losing a top-notch director, a champion for fish and wildlife who guided the department through some of the most difficult challenges it has faced. We are glad because Phil will get a chance to rest, hunt, fish, and spend some well-deserved time with his family. We are encouraged to hear him say that after leaving his current position he will look for other opportunities to further contribute to resource conservation and management. We wish Phil and his family all the best for the future.
Phil is an experienced, knowledgeable and talented director. A former charter boat operator, he has played a leading role in fish and wildlife management in Washington and the Pacific Northwest over the past two decades. From serving on the Pacific Fishery Management Council to the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission and the U.S./Canada Pacific Salmon Commission, Phil has been a tireless advocate for sound fisheries management.
The tribes got to know Phil best through the North of Falcon process. This is the annual forum where state and tribal co-managers develop salmon fishing seasons for marine and freshwater fisheries throughout Puget Sound, the Columbia River and Washington Coast.
Phil is a tough, but fair negotiator. We have not always agreed, but we have always appreciated the integrity, honesty and willingness to work together that Phil brought to the table. Perhaps most importantly, he always comes to meetings looking for solutions.
One of the reasons for Phil’s effectiveness as WDFW director is that he has shown respect for the tribes as co-managers. He understands that tribes are sovereign governments with treaty-reserved fishing, hunting and gathering rights. But for all of his qualities, it is his ability to truly listen and be responsive to concerns being expressed by others that set him apart from many who have occupied the director’s chair.
We hope that the same respect, understanding, responsiveness and ability to truly listen that Phil has shown the treaty tribes will also be among the qualities of whomever the Fish and Wildlife Commission chooses as his replacement.
Here & Now: Native Artists Inspired November 22, 2014 – July 27, 2015
Source: Burke Museum
Seattle— Northwest Native artists create 30 new works inspired by 200 years of history.
Here & Now: Native Artists Inspired features work by artists whose practice has been informed by the objects in the Burke’s collections, demonstrating how today’s artists and art historians learn from past generations. The exhibit will include contemporary works in a variety of media alongside the historic pieces that artists identified as key to their learning. “The objects in the Burke’s collection embody the knowledge of their makers and they can be a catalyst for transferring this knowledge across generations,” explains exhibit curator and assistant director of the Bill Holm Center for the Study of Northwest Native Art, Kathryn Bunn-Marcuse.
Commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Bill Holm Center, Here & Now explores the dynamic relationship between the Burke Museum and Northwest Native art, artists, and scholars. In the past ten years, over ninety grants have been awarded by the center to researchers, artists, and graduate students. The grant program is unique in its breadth, providing funding for artists to conduct workshops in their own communities, and travel funding to study collections at the Burke Museum or other institutions that hold collections key to an artist or researcher’s interests. These grantees have all contributed to the current dynamism of Northwest Native art.
Here & Now shares the results of the conversations artists have with historical artworks. Celebrate master artists of the past and present and share in the enthusiasm and creativity of today’s emerging artists.
The Kwakwaka’wakw transformation mask that inspired the design of the original Seahawks logo. Photo courtesy of the Hudson Museum
The Mask That Inspired the Seahawks Logo: In the lead up to the 2014 Super Bowl, Dr. Robin K. Wright, Curator of Native American Art and Director of the Bill Holm Center for the Study of Northwest Native Art at the Burke Museum and Bill Holm – one of the most knowledgeable experts in the field of Northwest Coast Native art history – tracked down the origins of the Seahawk’s logo. A photo in Robert Bruce Inverarity’s 1950 book, Art of the Northwest Coast Indians depicts a Kwakwaka’wakw transformation mask which depicts an eagle in its closed form with a human face inside (revealed when the mask opens). Further research revealed press articles from 1976 that described this Kwakwaka’wakw mask from Vancouver Island as the source of the logo. It is now part of the Hudson Museum at the University of Maine’s collections.
During Here & Now, the mask will be displayed along with Native artists’ interpretations of the signature Seahawks design and logo. The Burke is currently fundraising through Kickstarter to bring community experts from the Kwakwaka’wakw First Nation to the museum to study the mask and for further preservation and mounting before it is put on display. To meet our goal, the museum still needs to raise about $6,000 and we are encouraging fans to donate $12 to the cause.
Meet the artists of Here & Now! On Sunday, November 23, participate in a panel discussion with selected artists whose work is featured in the exhibit, Here & Now: Native Artists Inspired; and join them for in-gallery conversations about their work. See the documentary “Tracing Roots,” which offers a heartfelt glimpse into the world of Haida elder and weaver Delores Churchill, and visit with her daughter and renowned weaver Evelyn Vanderhoop. Get an up close view of tools and techniques as Burke Curator Sven Haakanson demonstrates the process of cleaning and preparing a Kodiak bear intestine for use in clothing and boat-making.
About the Burke Museum: The Burke Museum is located on the University of Washington campus, at the corner of NE 45th St. and 17th Ave. NE. Hours are 10 am to 5 pm daily, and until 8 pm on first Thursdays. Admission: $10 general, $8 senior, $7.50 student/ youth. Admission is free to children four and under, Burke members, UW students, faculty, and staff. Admission is free to the public on the first Thursday of each month. Prorated parking fees are $15 and partially refundable upon exit if paid in cash. Call 206-543-5590 or visit www.burkemuseum.org. The Burke Museum is an American Alliance of Museums-accredited museum and a Smithsonian Affiliate.
To request disability accommodation, contact the Disability Services Office at: 206.543.6450 (voice), 206.543.6452 (TTY), 206.685.7264 (fax), or email at dso@u.washington.edu. The University of Washington makes every effort to honor disability accommodation requests. Requests can be responded to most effectively if received as far in advance of the event as possible, preferably at least 10 days.
TULALIP – Dana Arviso, Dine’, executive director of the philanthropic Potlatch Fund, made this announcement on October 27 about the upcoming Potlatch Fund gala at the Tulalip Hotel Resort Casino:
“After speaking with representatives from the Tulalip Tribes to offer our profound condolences and words of comfort, Potlatch Fund will move forward with holding our gala on Saturday, November 1. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Tulalip Tribal community, Marysville community, Marysville-Pilchuck High School student body, and all the families impacted by this terrible tragedy.
“We will open the dinner portion of the gala with a moment of silence followed by a healing song to acknowledge the tragedy that has impacted the Tulalip and Marysville communities and offer a space for reflection and healing for all.”
The Tulalip and Marysville communities are grieving after the shooting on October 24 at Marysville-Pilchuck High School. A student, Jaylen Ray Fryberg, 15, of Tulalip shot five classmates in the head before turning the handgun on himself. Fryberg and two other students died; three others — two of them his cousins — are being treated in area hospitals.
Fryberg was generally viewed as a happy and popular student-athlete, but his Twitter messages over the last couple of months indicate he was deeply troubled by personal crises.
Arviso added, “Our hearts go out to everyone affected and even though it’s difficult to hold our event amidst such tragedy, so much of our work that we do at Potlatch Fund is about investing in our Native youth and strengthening our communities.”
The Potlatch Fund raises money to support Native arts, community building, language preservation and education, and the Canoe Journey. In 2014, the Potlatch Fund awarded $242,220 in grants to individuals, organizations and Tribes in the Northwest.
TULALIP RESERVATION, Wash. – John McCoy stood near Interstate 5 on Tuesday and reflected about what it meant to the reservation nearby.
“It was a curtain, definitely a curtain,” said the state senator and tribal leader, about how the road was viewed for years.
The highway was a geographic, and figurative, dividing line between the Tulalips and the rest of Snohomish County.
McCoy says that has changed as time evolved, but old fears have been re-ignited in the wake of the Marysville-Pilchuck shootings.
Shooter Jaylen Fryberg was raised by a well-respected Tulalip family, and according to McCoy, was being groomed to be a leader on the reservation.
“That’s what makes it really hurt. We felt he was on the right track and doing all the right things. So where did we go wrong, where did we go wrong,” said McCoy, who is close with Fryberg’s family and says they are still trying to process the tragedy.
Another tribal member, Andrew Gobin, wrote in The Herald of Everett that he knew Fryberg.
“This is not about gun control,” wrote Gobin. “This is not about how a community failed a young man, and it’s not about using his troubles to solve everyone’s problems.”
Yet, tensions are still high. On Tuesday, police were called to a high school on the reservation after a report of a threat. Police say the threat was unfounded, but stayed at the school for a majority of the day.
McCoy says he still sees hope that the event will not renew old beliefs.
“In times of stress like this, people say things. And you have to reassure them things will be okay and it will be like it’s been for the last few years,” he said. “It appears to me that the framework we’ve put together is holding solid. And everybody is talking about the community. Tulalip and Marysville are one community – the community.”
