Swinomish artist Daniel R. Smith to transform a UW parking garage into Indigenous celebratory “occupation,” costume party, and environmental protest
What: Spot Reservation is a public art project featuring photo portraits with costumes and wearable taxidermy in a tiny post-apocalyptic forest, fry bread tacos, live birds of prey, and an open mic; free and open to all, Native and non-Native alike
When: October 30th, 2026
Where: University of Washington Seattle, Padelford Parking Garage Lot N21
SEATTLE —October 5, 2026— Why build a tiny forest of native plants in a brutalist concrete parking garage? And give away free Indian tacos next to a demonstration of live birds of prey being hand-fed mice? “Spot Reservation,” the brainchild of Swinomish artist Daniel R. Smith, is a free public event which he describes as an “Indigenous, celebratory occupation of the University of Washington.”
The event draws inspiration from numerous influences, including Smith’s upbringing on the Tulalip Indian Reservation, the climate crisis, and pop culture like Twin Peaks. Smith’s past projects include “Slapstick Indians,” an augmented reality installation in downtown Seattle; “The Salish Sea Anti Space Symposium,” a day long event protesting the 50th anniversary of the moon landing; “The Seattle-Havana-Tehran Poster Show (aka The SHT Show),” a three-city international poster show launched at Bumbershoot in 2015.
Happening the day before Halloween, Friday, October 30th, 11:00am – 3:00pm, Spot Reservation features free, costumed photo portraits in a tiny forest (aka “nanoforest”) installed in the depths of the Padelford Parking Garage, Level N21, on the east side of campus. Smith’s collaborator, Iranian born photographer Saina Heshmati, co-founder of Antipode Gallery in Pioneer Square, will capture and distribute professional portraits of participants in a tiny forest, or “nanoforest,” of native plants growing out of industrial oil barrels. Costume elements, including “wearable taxidermy” will be provided by Smith, but the public is also encouraged to come dressed in costumes of their own making.
Joe Seymour (Squaxin/Pueblo Acoma) will emcee the event and host an open mic for singing, drumming, and reading, including an appearance by poet Mateo Quispe (Red River Métis/Little Shell Chippewa). Seattle’s Off the Rez food truck will provide free fry bread tacos to the first 120 people. The Falconer, who works with raptors, will demonstrate live hawks, falcons, and a vulture named “Mr. Peebles,” and offer opportunities to hold birds for photos. “Aunty Cedar Log Lady,” a Lynchian character devised by Tessa Rose Campbell (Tulalip/Tlingit), will be a wandering channeler of the forest.
Spot Reservation is free and open to the public, and designed to highlight Indigenous concerns about environmental degradation, climate change, colonization, land ownership using humor and entertainment. Conceived of as an “off kilter pow wow” and “a protest disguised as a party,” Smith invites any and all who are curious about art making and community building through shared experience
Tulalip community members gathered at Greg Williams Court for a Day of Remembrance cultural practice, preparing songs to be shared during the upcoming Orange Shirt Day gathering on September 29 at the Gathering Hall.
Tulalip Education Division Director Jessica Bustad opened the practice by speaking about what the gathering represents for the community. “This event is really important to us because it’s our opportunity to honor our ancestors.”
Tulalip tribal member Tony Hatch then spoke about the history behind Orange Shirt Day and the importance of remembering the Native children who were taken from their families and placed in boarding schools.
At the center of the evening was a song composed by Lummi tribal member Anton George. Hatch explained that the song has traveled beyond Tulalip and is now heard in other places as communities remember the children who never returned home.
“The words to the song here are, ‘When they came, they took you from us, no remorse, stripped away, never see you again,’” Hatch said. “Anton George composed that song, and I saw this travel all over the place. I’ve been to different places where I’ve seen that song sung, and it’s in remembrance of all those kids that didn’t make it back home.”
As those gathered learned and practiced the song, Hatch spoke about the children who were taken at young ages and placed into institutions created to separate Native people from their families, languages, and cultures. He also reflected on the continued identification of burial sites associated with former residential and boarding schools.
Orange Shirt Day grew from the experience of Phyllis Webstad, a Northern Secwépemc woman whose new orange shirt was taken from her when she entered residential school as a six-year-old child. Her story became the foundation for a movement carrying the message “Every Child Matters.”
For Native communities, the day is an opportunity to honor survivors, remember the children who never returned home, and recognize the effects of the boarding school era that continue across generations.
The cultural practice at Greg Williams Court also carried another significance. Songs and cultural practices that generations of Native children were once separated from continue to be learned, shared, and carried forward today.
Tulalip will gather for Orange Shirt Day and the Day of Remembrance on Wednesday, September 30, beginning at 4:30 pm at the Gathering Hall.
Young people filled the Don Hatch Youth Center on Tuesday, September 15, getting an early look at what it takes to step onto a runway with confidence.
With the seventh annual Indigenous Children, Youth and Families Conference approaching in November, members of the Tulalip Youth Council and other local youth gathered for a modeling workshop designed to prepare them for an upcoming fashion show centered on Native youth, creativity, and expression.
Leading the workshop were Tlingit model and media professional Alyssa London and longtime makeup artist Amanda Adame. The evening gave youth a look at both sides of a fashion show, from commanding the runway to the work that takes place behind the scenes before a model ever steps in front of an audience.
For London, the runway is familiar territory. She became the first Tlingit woman crowned Miss Alaska USA in 2017 and went on to finish in the Top 10 at Miss USA. Her experience in pageantry, however, began much closer to home, through the Seafair Indian Village Powwow, where she represented the Eastside Native American Education Program.
London explained to attendees that the confidence they practiced that evening could carry into situations far beyond November’s fashion show. “These are transferable skills that you can use as you get a better sense of how you are: commanding a room, making eye contact with people, intentionally using your voice and your posture to convey messages.”
That confidence was something London said she had to develop on her own. As a third grader, she was terrified of public speaking and worried about being criticized when speaking in front of others. Her early experiences in pageantry helped her become more comfortable presenting herself publicly.
London asked the youth what made stepping in front of people intimidating. Some worried about being stared at, while others brought up the possibility of making a mistake. London encouraged them to think beyond that initial fear. “Sometimes it helps to play the track out and see that it might not actually be as bad as we actually think it is.”
Soon, the lesson moved from conversation to practice. Youth lined up for an opportunity to walk alongside London, learning how to carry themselves down the runway with posture, presence, and confidence. With each trip down the makeshift runway, participants had an opportunity to loosen up, find their stride, and put London’s advice into action.
London also led the group through breathwork and energy exercises in what she called “pre-game prep,” showing participants ways to settle their nerves and focus before stepping in front of an audience.
Adame then gave the youth a glimpse at the other side of the runway.
With nearly 26 years as a makeup artist, Adame told the group that her career has taken her from Seattle to Los Angeles and into weddings, theater, retail, film, red carpet events, and fashion shows. Like London, she told the youth that she began as a shy teenager who lacked confidence.
Adame found her place in theater, initially performing before realizing she was more comfortable working behind the scenes. That eventually led her to makeup, where something she had started doing as a teenager became a career.
“I was hired to do makeup because I knew how to do makeup. Didn’t realize I could make a career out of it,” she said.
Her experience offered another message to youth interested in November’s show: the runway is only one place to participate in the fashion and entertainment industries. Adame encouraged those interested in makeup, hair, and other production roles to consider the opportunities available behind the scenes.
“I’ve worked pageants, and it’s so much fun. Thankfully, I’m not walking that runway, but I get the models ready for it,” Adame said. “You can take it to a career, but also an opportunity to work in that industry as a crew.”
Instead of simply watching a demonstration, participants learned firsthand some of the techniques Adame uses to prepare people for cameras and shows. She demonstrated makeup application and explained how a look can move from camera-ready to glam, while a couple of participants had the chance to work with makeup on their own.
Adame also gave the group a sense of the fast pace behind a professional production. Models and performers may be called to the stage before a makeup artist feels finished, she explained, making preparation and the ability to work under pressure important parts of the job.
“It’s kind of overwhelming, but it’s fun,” Adame said. “That’s the fun for me. It’s exciting, and it gets you on your toes and working quickly, learning how to work under that pressure.”
By the end of the workshop, the youth had experienced more than a lesson in modeling. They had practiced walking a runway, worked on confidence and presence, learned ways to prepare themselves mentally, and received a firsthand introduction to the work required behind the curtain.
Those lessons will have a chance to come together on November 4, when the Tulalip Problem Gambling Program presents a Native youth fashion show at the Tulalip Resort Casino during the seventh annual Indigenous Children, Youth and Families Conference. This year’s conference carries the theme “The Path Forward,” with the special event honoring the four directions and four elements while centering Native youth.
Organizers are inviting Native youth artists and designers working in couture, streetwear, leisurewear, and other styles. Opportunities also extend to models, makeup artists, hair designers, and performers interested in poetry, spoken word, and expressive theater.
The fashion show will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Tulalip Resort Casino’s Orca Ballroom and will include dinner, a DJ and MC, a red carpet, a photo booth, and a selfie station.
The submission deadline for participants is October 1. For more information, contact Sarah Sense-Wilson at 360-716-4304 or Clarissa Young-Weiser at 360-716-4223.
Dan Friday with a blown glass canoe paddle. Photograph by Greg Owen.
By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News
There is something mesmerizing about glass. Feed it enough heat and a solid becomes liquid. Give that molten material air, movement, and the practiced hands of an artist, then it can become nearly anything imaginable. A basket. A salmon. A raven. A spindle whorl. A turtle suspended in motion.
Preston Singletary and Joe David, Dancing Wolf Headdress, 2014, kiln-formed, sand-carved glass, cedar bark. Image courtesy of Preston Singletary.
And when Indigenous artists take hold of that medium, glass becomes something else entirely. It becomes a vessel for culture.
This fall, inland northwest art lovers will have the rare opportunity to experience that intersection of fire, light, and innovation when Clearly Indigenous: Native Visions Reimagined in Glass arrives at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture (MAC) in Spokane.
Opening October 24 and remaining on view through January 10, the traveling exhibition features more than 120 works by 33 Indigenous artists from North America, Australia and New Zealand, alongside works by legendary glass artist Dale Chihuly. The exhibition brings together an astonishing variety of techniques and cultural perspectives, transforming one of the art realm’s most visually dramatic mediums into a showcase of Indigenous storytelling.
For Coast Salish viewers in particular, there will be familiar forms waiting behind the glass. Lummi artist Dan Friday turns the imagery and teachings of his Coast Salish heritage into blown glass. Tlingit artists Preston Singletary and Raven Skyriver push the medium in completely different directions, from Singletary’s bold Northwest Coast forms to Skyriver’s remarkably lifelike marine creatures. Meanwhile, Musqueam artist Susan Point reimagines Coast Salish design and traditional objects through fashionable materials, including glass.
Angela Babby, Melt: Prayers for the People and the Planet, 2019, Kiln-fired vitreous enamel on glass mosaic on tile board. Image courtesy of Angela Babby.
Collectively, they represent a generation of artists who refused the idea that Indigenous art must remain fixed in a particular material or century to remain authentic. That premise lies at the heart of Clearly Indigenous.
When Native artists began experimenting with studio glass during the 1970s, some collectors and critics questioned whether their work could even be considered “authentic” Native art. Half a century later, that notion seems almost laughable. Indigenous glass artists are now internationally recognized. Their works are held by museums and private collections around the world, while the stories carried within their creations remain rooted in their respective cultures.
The exhibition traces that transformation across roughly 45 years of Native glassmaking.
Carol Lujan (Diné), Dancing Dragonflies, 2018. Cast glass. Courtesy of the artist.
Its story is closely connected to the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, where Chihuly served as a visiting professor in 1974. Already an influential figure in the growing American studio glass movement, Chihuly constructed the institute’s first hot shop and introduced Indigenous students to glassblowing. That convergence helped bring together two creative movements, Native art and studio glass, both developing during the latter half of the twentieth century.
Since then, Native artists have made the illustrious medium their own. Pueblo pottery forms were reborn in translucent glass. Woven baskets became glowing vessels. Traditional textile patterns appeared within glass panels. Northwest Coast spirits emerged from layers of blown and sand-carved color. Stories once expressed through cedar, wool, clay, stone and paint found another way to travel forward.
Raya Friday, Glass After Dark, August 2025. Photo by courtesy of Chrysler Museum of Art.
That ability to carry culture into a new material is beautifully illustrated by Dan Friday. A Lummi Nation citizen and Skagit Valley-based artist, Friday has worked primarily in glass for approximately three decades. His resumé spans teaching and residencies at institutions ranging from Pilchuck Glass School and the University of Washington to the Museum of Glass and the Burke Museum. In 2017, he also created a Native youth outreach program at Pilchuck.
Friday describes creativity as something nurtured within his family from childhood, when making things by hand and knowing Lummi cultural heritage were simply parts of everyday life.
His eventual introduction to glass proved transformational.
“When I saw glass blowing for the first time, it felt as though I grew an inch!” reads Friday’s artist statement. “That is to say, a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders. I had finally figured out my path. I found my passion in glass.”
That sense of discovery can be felt throughout Clearly Indigenous. Consider Friday’s glass baskets, where forms associated with Northwest Coast weaving are reconstructed through heat and breath. Or Susan Point’s Beaver Woman Transformation Spindle Whorl, where an object connected to Coast Salish textile traditions becomes kiln-slumped and sand-etched glass. Raven Skyriver’s sea creatures appear almost alive, capturing the marine world that has sustained coastal Native peoples since time immemorial.
Preston Singletary and Harlan Reano, Circus Warrior, 2015, blown and sand-carved glass. Image courtesy of Preston Singletary.
Then there is Preston Singletary. The internationally renowned Tlingit artist has spent decades demonstrating just how naturally Northwest Coast visuals can inhabit glass. His work ranges from towering sculptural forms to ravens, killer whales and objects grounded in Tlingit story and design. One piece highlighted for the Spokane exhibition is his Raven Rattle, a blown, hot-sculpted and sand-carved work created in 2019.
Raven Steals the Sun, 2017, Blown, sand-carved glass. Image courtesy of Preston Singletary.
“My work challenges the notion that Native artists must only use traditional materials,” explains Singletary. “By embracing glass as a storytelling medium, I seek to affirm our presence and identity, reinforcing that Indigenous cultures are dynamic, evolving, and rooted in resilience. Through my art, I strive to amplify Indigenous voices, ensuring that we are seen, heard, and recognized on our own terms.”
Preston Singletary, Killer Whale Totem, 2018, Cast lead crystal. Image courtesy of Preston Singletary.
Glass adds another participant to those stories, light. Unlike cedar or stone, it can glow from within. It can absorb sunlight, throw shadows across a wall or reveal different layers depending on where a person stands. Singletary has described discovering this quality while observing sunlight pass through one of his pieces, creating ever-changing shapes and shadows.
That interplay gives Clearly Indigenous an almost living quality.
Virgil Ortiz (Cochiti Pueblo), Incubators, 2016. High-fire clay, underglaze, acrylic paint, Corning glass. Courtesy of Henry Munoz.
Yet for all its visual beauty, the exhibition is about more than technical mastery. The works address identity, environmental concerns, cultural continuity, ancestors, community and present-day Native life. Some speak through familiar traditional forms. Others make pointed statements about the worlds Indigenous people walk in today.
The exhibition originated at the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture in Santa Fe, where it was curated by Dr. Letitia Chambers and Potawatomi artist Cathy Short. After opening in Santa Fe in 2022, the show evolved into a traveling exhibition and recently completed a run at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in New York.
Now it is heading west. And there is something particularly fitting about Clearly Indigenous landing in Washington State, which is home to several of the Native artists represented within the exhibition.
Raven Skyriver working on Iguana, 2018. Image courtesy of Raven Skyriver.
For Tulalip families willing to make the drive east to Spokane, this is the type of exhibition capable of appealing across generations. Artists will appreciate the craftsmanship. Culture bearers will recognize old forms taking on new dimensions. Young people might see proof that ancestral teachings do not belong solely to the past. They can be carried into whatever comes next.
Because glass, for all its reputation as something fragile, begins with tremendous heat. So too does creativity. Within Clearly Indigenous, Native artists have taken that creative fire and used it to illuminate a wide-ranging, 120-piece exhibition.
Robert “Spooner” Marcus (Ohkay Owingeh), Red Turtles, ca. 2011. Blown and sand-carved glass. Courtesy of Museum of Indian Arts and Culture.
“Living as an artist may not be directly saving the world, but perhaps we are saving ourselves and hopefully, in the process, making the world a better place,” concludes Friday. Offering a glimpse into his artistic drive.
Clearly Indigenous: Native Visions Reimagined in Glass is currently scheduled for display October 24 through January 10, 2027 at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture in Spokane. The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with extended hours on the final Wednesday of each month.
On Monday, August 24, the Seattle Mariners hosted their annual Native American Heritage Night. For one amazing evening, the sights and sounds of Coast Salish culture shared center stage with America’s pastime. Cedar hats, ribbon skirts, long braids, and beaded everything could be spotted in all directions.
The evening began hours before the 6:40pm first pitch. With a special Native Heritage Mariners jersey being given away to the first 10,000 fans through the gates, people lined up early. Very early. Among the first was a family from La Push who made the trek from the Olympic Peninsula the night before and arrived outside the stadium around 10 a.m. That was nearly nine hours before game time.
“This is actually my first time attending the Mariners’ Native Night. It’s been a bucket list item for a while now,” admitted La Push tribal member Warren Rosander who stood at the very front of a line that stretched multiple Seattle blocks. He revealed that he took multiple days off from work in order to take in the full experience. “I’m here with my girlfriend, Gloria, my parents, Darren and Cora, and my brother. I’m definitely excited to see the Muckleshoot Canoe Family perform, but I’m even more excited to finally have an official Native jersey.”
The Rosander family’s dedication was rewarded when the gates finally opened and a sea of fans poured inside. Many of them, including Warren and his parents, immediately changed into their newly minted, Native-themed Mariners jersey.
Outside the stadium, Indigenous creativity remained on display. Tulalip artist Dion Joseph set up shop among the crowds making their way toward the entrances, offering his custom Salish designed shirts and hoodies.
“I created a few different designs using my signature Coastal style and put them on different colored t-shirts and hoodies. Just as a way to offer something different than the local vendors,” shared Dion. “As a kid, my grandma Tillie lived up on Beacon Hill, so my family would come down here and we’d all attend games at the King Dome. I’ve been a lifelong Mariners fan ever since. My wife and kids have inherited that fandom. We aren’t bandwagon fans either. We’re loyal to our soil!”
Like Dion’s vibrant Mariners shirts for sale, the Coast Salish visibility was impossible to miss on this particular Monday. From Tulalip to Muckleshoot, Puyallup to Lummi, and tribal communities from throughout western Washington and beyond, Native families showed up in force. Several tribes purchased large ticket blocks, effectively taking over entire sections of the ballpark for their members.
Looking across the stands, clusters of Native people were easy to spot. Some wore Mariners blue and teal. Others proudly represented their own tribal nations with custom designed tribal softball jerseys. Beaded medallions rested against Julio Rodríguez jerseys. Ribbon skirts flowed between rows of stadium seats. For a stadium that routinely draws fans from throughout the Pacific Northwest, Native Night felt different.
The Mariners organization’s relationship with the Muckleshoot Tribe has grown substantially since the two announced a long-term partnership in 2023. That partnership has brought Muckleshoot history, artwork and cultural representation into the stadium while also supporting expanded baseball and softball opportunities for Native youth.
The Muckleshoot Diamond Club itself features Coast Salish artwork, including painted baseball bats, carved canoes and paddles, historic photographs and maps showing the Tribe’s ancestral hunting and fishing areas. Muckleshoot Councilmember Jaison Elkins spoke about that connection when the partnership was announced, emphasizing both the Tribe’s status as the first people of the Seattle area and the shared values found between tribal communities and team sports.
“I think the most exciting part is that we have shared values in building up our community, and also growing the sport of baseball,” explained Councilmember Elkins. “We love baseball. It’s America’s sport. We’re diehard fans, and we want to make sure we can get the kids into baseball, and softball as well.
“I was thinking, too, about my role as a Councilmember of the Tribe. There are nine of us, and we have to work as a team in order to take care of our people. Baseball is a team sport, and it’s all about teamwork, discipline, strength and conditioning – things that kids can learn and take that with them for the rest of their lives. It builds up good leadership skills for our Tribe’s future.”
Those Coast Salish roots were put front and center during Monday evening’s pregame festivities. With thousands already settled into their seats, members of the Muckleshoot Canoe Family walked onto the field. Drummers gathered together on the same grass normally occupied by Major League ball players and shared several songs. Around them danced Muckleshoot youth.
Their movements carried across the outfield while the steady rhythm of the drum echoed throughout T-Mobile Park.
On the massive stadium video boards were close ups of Native singers and dancers, their regalia and smiles broadcast to tens of thousands of baseball fans. For several minutes, before batting averages, pitch counts, and playoff standings took over, Coast Salish culture commanded the ballpark.
Then came baseball. And what a game Native Night attendees were treated to. The visiting Philadelphia Phillies entered Seattle riding a nine-game winning streak and wasted little time taking a 1–0 lead in the first inning. That lead did not last long. Julio Rodríguez stepped to the plate in the bottom half and launched a three-run homer. Moments later, Cal Raleigh sent a Zack Wheeler pitch screaming into the right field seats for a two-run blast.
Five runs in the first inning. T-Mobile Park erupted. It turned out to be only the beginning as Seattle added another run in the third before Raleigh returned to the plate to lead off the fifth. Once again, the Mariners catcher turned on a pitch and deposited it into the right field seats.
Back-to-back plate appearances. Back-to-back home runs by the Big Dumper.
Cole Young followed with another homer, giving Seattle consecutive blasts and sending the Native-filled sections into another frenzy. By then, Raleigh was already having his best offensive game of the season. And he wasn’t even finished. In the seventh inning, batting left-handed against Philadelphia reliever Chase Shugart, Raleigh connected again. The ball sailed toward right field. Gone. Home run number three! The 35,293 fans in attendance rose to their feet as Raleigh rounded the bases.
Raleigh, Rodríguez and Young combined for five Mariners home runs as Seattle dismantled Philadelphia, 9–2. For the tribal families who remained in their seats until the final out, it was about as complete a Native Night as one could imagine.
There were songs and drums. There were young Coast Salish dancers on a Major League Baseball field. There were Native artists, tribal families and entire sections packed with relatives from throughout the region. There were beads. There were braids. And there was a whole lot of memorable baseball.
By Niki Cleary, photos by Cody Fay Around 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Tulalip Emergency Management began receiving reports of a smoke plume on the reservation. The plume was visible from I-5 and Marysville, and smoke and ash filled the air. Fire crews were dispatched about 20 minutes later. Tulalip Public Works staff used a drone to find the fire, which was burning on uninhabited Tulalip land between 14th Avenue NE and 6th Avenue NE.
By the time it was located, the fire had spread to around two acres of forested land. Public Works, Department of Natural Resources, and Fire crews accessed the property via a gated logging road located on 14th. During the early control stage, residents were advised to shelter in place to reduce traffic.
Public works teams brought in heavy equipment and dug a fire line. By 11:00 p.m., the fire was contained. The nature of the land made it difficult to extinguish the fire, so it was left to burn itself out.
“Tal and his team did a fantastic job last night. They made the difference and stopped that fire from spreading,” said Tulalip Bay Fire Chief Ryan Shaughnessy. “His team is well-trained and was obviously prepared for a wildland fire incident. Our community is very fortunate to have them, as well as the heavy equipment available to us. Not every community has a public works team that can cut a fire line and create access for fire crews like they did.”
By the time it was extinguished at around 5:30 p.m. on Friday, the fire had consumed about 4 acres. Crews sprayed smoldering areas and will continue to monitor the site to ensure it does not reignite.
Emergency Manager Angel Cortez said the quick response and weather conditions helped prevent a more serious fire. No cause has been identified.
On a warm summer afternoon, community members gathered in the Medicine Wheel Garden at the Tulalip Health Clinic for a book reading and signing celebrating the release of Father Patrick Twohy’s new book, syəyəʔyəʔ: Coast Salish Sacred Lifeways and the Sacred Lifeways of Jesus. Nestled beside the clinic, the peaceful garden, filled with flowers and native plants, and featuring places for quiet reflection, provided an intimate setting for an afternoon centered on gratitude, friendship, and the relationships that have connected Father Pat and the Tulalip community for decades.
The August 25 gathering to honor the release of Father Pat’s latest book quickly became much more than a book signing. As friends shared memories and Father Pat reflected on the people who have shaped his life, the afternoon evolved into a heartfelt celebration of community, healing, and the enduring bonds built through years of walking together.
Speaking to those in attendance, Father Pat reflected on the values he has come to admire through his years alongside Coast Salish communities. He said one quality has remained constant despite the hardships many families have endured. “My culture is a culture of gratitude. This Coast Salish culture is a culture of gratitude. I believe that’s profoundly true. When I listen to the speakers and the elders talking, there’s always a spirit of gratitude. Now, these were people who have suffered, lost family, and have been through the hardest struggles, and yet they still hang on with just incredible strength of character, always with a spirit of thanks.”
That message led into a story about the late Swinomish elder Ray Paul, whose outlook on life became one of Father Pat’s lasting memories and an example of the friendships that have united Native communities over the years. “Ray Paul, an elder from Swinomish, used to raise his arms ecstatically at all of our gatherings and shout out, ‘I rejoice in this great circle of friendship. I rejoice in this great circle of friendship.’ Ray was physically blind, but he saw spiritually what was accurate and absolutely true.”
Father Pat said those friendships are rooted in treating one another with kindness and respect, creating communities that remain strong through life’s greatest challenges. “I think if I were to say the greatest honor there is, it is the honor of friendship, of being related in a good way to one another,” he said. “Not that we don’t have our struggles with each other, but we try to have a good relationship with one another and treat each other with love and respect. And it builds a sense of community, a sense of oneness of heart and mind.”
As his remarks became more personal, Father Pat spoke about the elders and teachers who influenced his life, saying their guidance continues to be with him every day and gives him hope that they will one day all be reunited. “My teachers, so many of my teachers have gone ahead. And they’re not gone. They’re just with me all the time. They ride with me in my car. They’re with me, teaching me all the time,” he said. “I know someday we’ll all be together. It’ll be the greatest moment when our beloved comes for us and takes us home. I have a lot of thank-yous when I get there.”
Turning to the book itself, Father Pat explained that while he may have written it, the story belongs to the Native people whose traditions, values, and way of life inspired every page. He said their commitment to caring for one another and the natural world is a gift the broader world is only beginning to recognize. “The writing is actually a love story. It’s the most profound love story because it’s about you. It’s about you and your family and your tradition, your way of life, your sacred life ways, your sacred ceremony. It’s all about the beauty that you carry on this earth. A lot of people don’t realize that, but I think it’s getting better. They’re beginning to realize that the gift you offer is profound and lasting because it involves taking care of things, taking care of the entire environment, and taking care of one another, and taking care of your neighbor.”
He concluded by encouraging Native communities to continue carrying those teachings forward, saying their values of family, friendship, and stewardship remain a blessing for future generations. “What we have is so different and such a blessing for the world. So it’s very important that in all the years ahead that you keep going as you are, as family, as friends, as people. And I hope we’ll gather again sometime so I can see you. We’ll always have that in our hearts. Everybody, thank you. God bless you. Amen.”
While Father Pat reflected on the people who have inspired him, those gathered also shared the impact he has had on their own lives. Jill LaPointe, a member of the Upper Skagit Tribe and a descendant of the Nooksack Tribe, said Father Pat has been a source of healing and unconditional support through difficult moments.
“Every moment and opportunity that we have to be with Pat here is a blessing and so healing,” LaPointe said. “Many times I have felt broken… and Pat has loved me unconditionally and helped me find my way back on the right path. So I’m very, very grateful for this beloved one and grateful for every day that every one of us is above ground, and remembering to be grateful and remembering that we’re truly lucky people.”
Tulalip Tribal member Madeline Roseann Henry-Fryberg reflected on knowing Father Pat since childhood, recalling the care and encouragement she received from him and Sister Barbara while growing up. Those early experiences, she said, helped shape memories she still treasures today.
“I got to know Father Pat and Sister Barbara at the same time when I was a little girl,” Henry-Fryberg said. “One of the fondest memories is traveling with you guys to your church that had the pool that was on a cliff. Oh my God, those were some blessed memories. I remember as a kid just being loved and cared for and nurtured, and my hands go up to you for all that you do for not just me, but for everybody here. And I want to tell you how much I love you, how much I miss you when you’re not here, and how much I look forward to seeing you when you come back. So thank you.”
Tulalip tribal member Bob Cleveland closed the gathering with a heartfelt reflection on Father Pat’s place within the community. Recalling the many funerals, memorials, and difficult moments they have shared, Cleveland said Father Pat has stood beside Tulalip families through some of their hardest days. He then reminded those gathered that, in Coast Salish tradition, belonging is not determined by race but by commitment, love, and living as part of the community.
“Earlier I heard somebody mention that he’s a white man,” Cleveland said. “I think one of the teachings a lot of us, a lot of people forget, when somebody comes into your tribe and lives there. They are part of that tribe. We don’t look at them as white men. We don’t look at them as somebody else. Once they accepted our tribe and felt our teachings and our wisdom, they were part of that. And when they become part of that, they help us.”
Cleveland said Father Pat has earned the respect and love of Native communities throughout the region, adding that he no longer sees him as an outsider but as one of their own.
“Our wonderful brother is, to me, a member of too many tribes,” Cleveland said with a smile. “All the tribes that he goes to, all of them know him and love him. And so he needs to know that he is part of all those tribes. He is part of us, one of us, and he always will be.”
Before closing, Cleveland encouraged everyone in attendance to honor Father Pat’s example by carrying kindness into their own lives.
“The greatest love we can have is caring for somebody else,” he said. “I ask everyone here to try to get up when you get up tomorrow, do something nice for somebody else, and don’t tell anybody. Maybe somebody who looks down, you walk up, grab their hand, say, ‘Hi. Glad you’re here.’ You’d be surprised if you pass that on. Maybe they’ll pass it on, and it’ll grow into something bigger. But at least that person will know they were loved that day.”
High in the Cascade Mountains, where pavement gives way to gravel and the everyday sights and sounds of civilization slowly disappear behind a wall of evergreens, a treasured sign of late summer has returned. The huckleberries are ready!
Tulalip tribal members once again have access to swədaʔx̌ali, Lushootseed for “Place of Mountain Huckleberries,” marking the beginning of a precious harvesting window that lasts only a few weeks. For those willing to make the journey into the upper Skykomish River watershed, the reward is measured in purple stained fingertips, buckets of berries, and an opportunity to participate in a cultural practice carried forward since time immemorial.
Nearly 5,000 feet above sea level, swədaʔx̌ali encompasses approximately 1,280 acres within the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. Through years of cooperation between the Tulalip Tribes and U.S. Forest Service, the area has become an important co-stewardship landscape where treaty rights, traditional knowledge and modern resource management meet.
Mountain huckleberry has long been an important food, medicine, and trade item for Coast Salish peoples. Generations before highways and Forest Service roads reached these mountains, Native families traveled into high elevation gathering areas when the berries ripened toward summer’s end. Knowledge of where to gather and when to gather was passed from one generation to another.
That relationship with the land remains at the heart of swədaʔx̌ali. In previous Tulalip News coverage, elder and cultural knowledge keeper Inez Bill explained the importance simply, “Huckleberry is a superfood and medicine to our people.”
Indian man with huckleberry basket, OSU Special Collections.
Inez shared how ancestors knew their gathering places intimately, including the plants that grew alongside the berries and how each resource could be used. Caring for the environment was also a part of maintaining culture itself and ensuring those resources remained available for future generations.
“Through the teachings of how we value, take care of and utilize our environment, we pass down our history and traditions, and what is important to the cultural lifeways of our people. This connection to the land enables us to know who we are as a people,” added Inez.
That responsibility is visible throughout the huckleberry fields today. Mountain huckleberries flourish in open landscapes, particularly areas shaped by natural disturbance. Long before contemporary forestry practices, Indigenous people intentionally used fire to maintain productive gathering grounds. Controlled burns cleared competing vegetation, returned nutrients to the soil, and helped create the sunny openings where huckleberry plants thrive.
Tulalip Forestry has increasingly incorporated that ancestral knowledge into its management of swədaʔx̌ali. Forest Manager Tisen Fryberg explained that restoring fire to the landscape became a priority after seeing the berry fields struggling several years ago. Controlled burns and the clearing of accumulated slash have since helped reduce competing plants while allowing huckleberry bushes greater access to sunlight and nutrients.
“Using fire and controlled burns in the same way our ancestors did ensures that the berries will continue to be abundant,” Tisen said prior to the 2025 harvest season. “This is what planning for the seventh generation is all about.”
Last summer, those efforts were already producing noticeable results. Berries were reported to be larger and more plentiful throughout portions of swədaʔx̌ali offering a tangible example of what can happen when generations of Indigenous ecological knowledge are once again allowed to guide stewardship.
Every handful gathered represents continuity. Children picking beside their parents and grandparents are learning through experience. They see which berries are ripe and which should remain on the bush. They learn patience while searching beneath leaves for flashes of red, blue and deep purple. They hear family stories while filling containers one berry at a time.
Last year, the Tulalip Lushootseed Department made its own harvesting trip shortly after the fields opened. Department manager Natosha Gobin shared that berries gathered at swədaʔx̌ali are incorporated into lessons about traditional harvesting and food processing, served during community events and used for culturally meaningful gifts.
“Reconnecting with the spaces that our ancestors traveled to harvest brings a sense of belonging,” shared Natosha. “It’s an emotional connection that helps increase our desire to continue learning, teaching and honoring the ways of life that helped our ancestors thrive, since time immemorial.”
That connection is especially meaningful because the opportunity is so brief. Mountain huckleberries generally ripen toward the end of summer and into early fall, leaving only a matter of weeks when conditions are ideal. Unlike grocery store produce available year-round, their limited season demands that harvesters follow the calendar of the land.
When they are ready, you go. When the season passes, you wait until next year. That fleeting availability is part of what makes the annual opening of swədaʔx̌ali special. Each August brings another opportunity for Tulalip families to renew a relationship extending countless generations into the past while simultaneously ensuring those teachings continue into the future.
Under a nearly cloudless August sky with temperatures hovering around 80 degrees, the Youth Center beside Tulalip Bay became the place to be on Wednesday, August 19. The annual Back 2 School Bash, hosted by the Tulalip Tribes Education Department, brought together hundreds of local students and their families for an afternoon designed to make the transition from summer vacation to a new school year a little more exciting.
Inside the Youth Center, rows of backpacks awaited their new owners. Students in kindergarten through 12th grade had an assortment of styles and brands to choose from, including recognizable names like North Face and Nike. Among the most sought after were vibrant Native designed backpacks from Skyn Style, offering students an opportunity to carry their school supplies in something that represented their culture and identity.
Once a student found the backpack that caught their eye, they could head over to the school supply stations and fill it with essential items needed for the upcoming year.
For some families, the anticipation started long before noon, the official start time for the backpack distribution. In fact, there were two momma bears and their numerous cubs who showed up promptly at 7:30am. They were the very first to lineup outside the Youth Center’s doors.
Valerie Alcombrack did an admirable job keeping her five bear cubs entertained while waiting over four hours. “Getting a close parking spot was definitely a priority, but so is getting in and out as quickly as possible. It’s really keeping the kids busy that’s the hardest part,” admitted Valerie. “I brought more than enough snacks and toys to get them through. Once these doors open, my boys know they’ll have first pick at the backpacks.”
Trishtan Jones-Charles, who waited patiently with her baby swaddled comfortably at her chest, added “I agree that getting in and out quickly is a priority. So is ensuring my daughter gets her pick of most girly backpacks available.”
Outside, the scene had less of a school supply giveaway and more of a summertime carnival. The grassy area surrounding the Youth Center was transformed into a playground of attractions. A petting zoo gave children the chance to get up close with animals, while a towering rock-climbing wall challenged young adventurers to reach the top. A zip line offered another opportunity to soar, while multiple carnival rides spun, twisted and carried parents and children around and around.
The pure joy and excitement were hard to miss. So were the aromas coming from the covered food area, where yummy was served fresh off the grill. Families could enjoy a free lunch featuring hamburgers and hot dogs, with no need to worry about the cost of feeding a family during an already expensive back to school season.
And because no carnival is complete without something sweet, students could cool down with free snow cones, choosing their own flavors and creating colorful combinations to match their mood. Cotton candy provided another sugary treat as children moved from one attraction to the next.
“This is such a beautiful thing. The Tribe is really going all out to get our community together outside one last time before school starts up,” shared papa bear Michael Monger. “From the bouncy houses and ziplining to the DJ music and science setup, they really have something for every age group.
“My kids had been counting down the days to backpack day,” he continued. “They all got up around 8am this morning, excited to get ready and get down here so they could get their backpacks and school supplies. I can tell just by how they are carrying their backpacks around that they are not only proud but ready to get back to the classroom. I’m thankful to everyone who helped put this event on for our kids.”
Adding another layer of discovery to the festivities was the Seattle Pacific Science Center, which brought a STEM focused activity booth to the Youth Center. For young participants, science was transformed from something found inside a classroom or textbook into something they could interact with and explore themselves. The hands-on activities captivated curious minds and encouraged students to experiment, ask questions and discover how much fun learning can be.
For families who have attended the Back 2 School Bash year after year, the event has become an important part of the annual back-to-school routine. Matriarch Sharmane Joseph has two kids who have already graduated high school and two more that are elementary-aged. She reflected on how much things have changed since her oldest two took part in backpack day.
“My oldest is 26 now. There weren’t many resources available to her back then because this event was still in its infancy stage; it was just beginning,” reflected Sharmane. “Now, my youngest are 10 and 6 and there is just so much support and resources available to them. Sure, there are a bunch of backpacks to choose from, but much more than that are all the community resources that are available to support their educational journey. It really is amazing when you think about how far we’ve come.”
The support extended beyond the Education Department staff and event organizers. Tulalip leadership made a point of being present and participating directly in the distribution. Chairman Hazel Shopbell and Secretary Theresa Sheldon dedicated their lunch hour to standing alongside staff and personally handing out backpacks to students.
Rather than simply stopping by for a photo opportunity, the two tribal leaders spent their time greeting families, helping students select their backpacks and making sure young people received the supplies they needed before heading back to school. “It’s phenomenal to be a part of this and witness just how excited the youth are to be going back to school. It’s one thing to hear parents or grandparents speak of the excitement, it’s a whole other thing to see it first-hand,” shared Chairman Shopbell. “There were so many smiles and so much positive energy shared by the kids as they got their back-to-school necessities.”
The Back 2 School Bash is certainly about backpacks, pencils, notebooks and making sure students are prepared for their first day. But those tangible items only tell part of the story. For Education Director Jessica Bustad, the larger meaning of the annual gathering can be found in the way the community comes together around its young people.
“Our Back 2 School event is one my favorite events of the entire year,” said Jessica. “Getting students and their families excited about education, reconnecting with familiar faces and connecting with new ones, all while creating a platform to come together and uplift our students…it’s just an amazing time of the year.
“We expect to serve between 1,000 to 1,200 students at this event,” she added. “Seeing the kids light up when choosing their new backpack is just so heartwarming because our mission is to let them know just how special they are, and how incredibly bright their future is. That backpack isn’t just an essential school item, it represents them knowing their Tribe and community supports them and all their academic hopes and dreams.”
As the afternoon continued, children zipped through the air, climbed toward the top of the rock wall, circled around on carnival rides and gathered around the science activities. Parents visited with one another, plates were filled at the barbecue, and freshly made snow cones melted beneath the warm August sun.
For a few hours, the Youth Center grounds beside Tulalip Bay became a place where the pressures of a new school year could wait. There was time instead for children to play, families to connect and students to choose something that would accompany them into the classroom. A backpack. A handful of school supplies.
And perhaps most importantly, the reminder that when our students head back to school, they do not go alone. Behind them is a community willing to invest in their education, celebrate their accomplishments, and help make sure they have what they need to succeed.
The Tulalip Foundation Salmon Bake Fundraiser, benefiting the Hibulb Cultural Center, welcomed supporters from across the community for an evening of culture, art, and philanthropy, raising funds for the cultural center’s exhibitions and educational programming. Guests enjoyed salmon filets cooked over an open flame, received commemorative decorative towels, and took part in a silent auction and live entertainment while celebrating Tulalip history and culture.
Held on Saturday, Aug. 15, the ninth annual fundraiser featured artwork by Tulalip artists, including paintings, cedar hats, carved rattles, hand-painted drums, and many other handcrafted pieces. Throughout the evening, guests browsed and bid on unique items, with proceeds supporting the Hibulb Cultural Center’s mission.
Dinner was prepared by Lance Taylor, Tammy Taylor, and their grandson, Jared Taylor Parks, who has cooked salmon for the fundraiser since it began. Entertainment followed with a performance by Tulalip and Yakama hoop dancers Terry Goedel and his son, Michael Goedel, whose colorful presentation combined storytelling, tradition, and athleticism.
One of the evening’s biggest highlights came when Terry and Michael invited audience members on stage to try hoop dancing. Guests of all ages eagerly volunteered, filling the room with laughter and applause as they learned the movements and became part of the performance.
Following the entertainment, Hibulb Cultural Center Manager Mytyl Hernandez thanked the artists, volunteers, sponsors, and community members whose support made another successful fundraiser possible. “We have such a very special relationship with our artists, and we’re able to provide opportunities for them and our community members to learn from each other,” Hernandez said. “And in return, we’re able to provide really beautiful items every year at our salmon bake for you all to bid on.”
Hernandez also recognized the longtime fish cooks, volunteers, and staff members whose efforts helped bring the event together, and reflected on what the cultural center has meant to her during her 15 years there. “It has been an absolute privilege for me the last 15 years to be here,” she said. “If it weren’t for the work of our ancestors and past leaders and all of the people that spent 30-plus years planning and prepping and keeping the idea of having a museum on the table, I wouldn’t be here, and my children wouldn’t have been able to be raised in such a beautiful environment.”
She also expressed her appreciation for the record level of community support received this year. “We had record-breaking sponsorship numbers this year,” Hernandez said. “That means so much to us that you support us and that you are entrusting us to tell the true history and story of our people.”
Tulalip Foundation Director Nicole Siemenski said the fundraiser raised a little more than $65,000, with the proceeds supporting new exhibitions and educational programming at the Hibulb Cultural Center in the coming year. She also noted that although the fundraiser began in 2017, cancellations during the COVID-19 pandemic mean this year’s gathering is the ninth annual event.
“We had our best year yet in terms of sponsorships, and we are extremely thankful to all of our community partners,” Siemenski said. “We were happy to welcome three new sponsors this year — First Citizens Bank, Jay’s Flooring, and Sno-Isle Libraries. We’re also very thankful to a special group of sponsors who have been with us since the beginning — Battle Creek Golf Course, Fueled Creative, the Hoban Family, Quil Ceda Village, Ray and Karen Sheldon Jr., Tulalip Resort Casino, and the Tulalip Tribes Board of Directors.”
Siemenski said the annual fundraiser continues to provide vital support for the cultural center while increasing awareness of its work within the community. “I think the event went really well,” she said. “All of the feedback I received was really positive. We had a great turnout, and everyone seemed really happy and supportive throughout the evening.”
Looking back on the evening, Siemenski said one moment stood out above the rest. “My favorite part of the evening was when our dancers, Terry and Michael Goedel, brought up some audience members on stage, and our guests were able to really interact and participate in the hoop dance,” Siemenski said. “I really loved that we had a wide range of volunteers from young kids to elders. I also loved that they were willing to interact with the kids who may have been too shy to go up on stage after the event.”
