News Archives - Page 33 of 447

Hiring tribal candidates is essential for tribal government employment

By Shaelyn Hood, Tulalip News

Tulalip Tribes currently has 39 job openings within tribal government, ranging anywhere from work in the health clinic, to law enforcement, education, in-office positions, etc. Some of these positions even offer as much as a $2,500 signing bonus, and yet filling the positions has been somewhat difficult. The Human Resources department and Employment department are working tirelessly to find the perfect candidates and provide the Tulalip community with qualified personnel to take these jobs over.

Unfortunately, during the pandemic, much like many businesses, organizations, and tribal governments, Tulalip Tribes took an economic hit and had to make some difficult financial decisions. While they fought to keep their employees for as long as they could, eventually budget cuts had to be made. Inevitably, Tulalip lost a good portion of its staff, keeping their remaining staff based on seniority, and essential workers.

Since then, Tulalip has still been trying to maintain their current staff, while still formulating a plan towards rebuilding their employment numbers.

Executive Director of Human Resources, Amanda Hegnes, spoke about a hiring issue across the nation, and how medical/behavioral health positions have become the most challenging to fill. Tulalip has felt this as well with a Mental Wellness Therapist job opening they’ve had available since 2020.

Though some of the available positions are part of a niche job market, Amanda says that there are some ways to promote yourself as a candidate for these positions. These include earning the highest level of education pertaining to your job market, and expanding your job-related experience.

The hiring process for a typical position starts with listing advertisements, a screening, testing, interviewing, job offer and paperwork (UA & background checks), and finally onboarding.

It is no question that tribal members are preferred candidates when applying for positions within tribal government. Amanda talked about Tribal Code – Chapter 9.25 Tulalip Employment, that allows our membership and those who may support a Tulalip household to have first opportunity at an available position. It is because of this code that allows for tribal preference. They screen applicants in the order of Tulalip tribal members, spouse, parent or child of an enrolled Tulalip tribal member, current legal guardian (with court documentation of guardianship), or a domestic partner of a Tulalip tribal member, federally recognized Natives, federally recognized Native spouses, and current employees.

The current hiring process is set up to allow tribal members a better opportunity to obtain government-ran jobs. When publishing an open position, Employment Manager Nicole Zackuse said “the TTT Employment team will post the positions every Monday on their website and tribal Facebook pages. We also share harder-to-fill and niche positions on LinkedIn.”

Based on the latest tribal government employment records, of the 952 employees, Tulalip tribal members make up 450 (47%) of the current staff. 89 employees are either a spouse, parent or child of an enrolled Tulalip tribal member, current legal guardian (with court documentation of guardianship), or a domestic partner of a Tulalip tribal member. 83 employees are Natives enrolled from other tribes and 4 employees are spouses of Natives who are enrolled in other tribes. Lastly, there are 326 non-Native employees.

For more difficult and niche positions, Amanda discussed that if a tribal member does not meet certain job requirements, in an attempt to help them, they will advise the applicant to update their resume with any related job experience and education. This outreach allows tribal members a secondary opportunity to advance themselves in the interview process and further themselves as a candidate.

A misguided mentality that some people like to fall back on is the idea of favoritism in the hiring process. This concept is something that the department does not take lightly, as this would be a major ethical breach. As Nicole said, “the Employment team does not allow for favoritism or nepotism in the hiring process. All those who participate sign an agreement for fairness. If suspicion of bias occurs – the department will evaluate and possibly replace the suspected committee member(s).” Making this idea of favoritism virtually impossible.

For centuries, non-Natives have been regulating and dictating Native Americans on how to live their lives. With this oppression comes years of silence, lack of control, and forced colonization ideologies. The advantage of being a sovereign nation, is that we have the ability to apply tribal preferences for job openings. With tribal members taking on leadership roles, department positions, and overseeing day-to-day operations, we have the ability to use our voices for the better of our people.

As a tribe we value uplifting our Native brothers and sisters. We encourage our people to get an education and training in order give back to the community and work for the various departments in the tribe. This sets a precedence so that members can uphold the standards and cultural preservation of Tulalip Tribes, and establish a strong Native presence for generations to come.

If you are looking to start a new career path within tribal government, please refer to Tulalip Tribes’ employment website, employment.tulaliptribes-nsn.gov.

Spring Powwow returns to University of Washington

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News

During the second weekend of April, bright and bold and absolutely beautiful Native culture filled the University of Washington’s Hec Ed Pavilion. Known best as home court for the Washington Huskies basketball teams, the 10,000-seat venue was a welcomed sight for singers, dancers and drummers who journeyed near and far to celebrate the return of UW’s spring powwow.

Notably absent for two consecutive years out of an abundance of Covid-related caution, the annual event returned for 2022 with an eye-catching array of Indigenous tradition on full display. Typically held shortly after the cherry blossoms bloom, the spring cultural celebration represents a season of renewal and rejuvenation.

“The circle has been closed the last two years because of the pandemic, so opening up these doors and blessing up the floor is must needed medicine for our people,” said event MC, Tulalip’s own powwow circuit aficionado Jobey Williams. “It’s a great honor to bring these traditions, dances and songs back to the University of Washington, so the people could use this opportunity to get some must needed healing.

“Our powwow here brings enlightenment to the heart for those with an empty chair at home from a loved one lost. To see so many people fill the seats in this arena lets me know how much the powwow circle is needed right now. Everyone is welcome to join the circle and receive that traditional medicine to heal their spirit,” he added.

According to UW history, the first powwow was held on the University of Washington campus and was coordinated by the American Indian Student Council in 1971. In 1989, from the AISC emerged First Nations @ UW which continues to organize and develop the biggest powwow in Washington State.

For a few years the powwow was held off campus, but in 1994 the First Nations organization worked hard to ensure the powwow was held on campus. This enabled First Nations to further its mission of promoting higher education and sharing Native American cultures within the University community. The support of the Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity has contributed to making this an annual event a university staple which attracts thousands of Native and non-Native individuals.

2022 marks the 51^st rendition of the university’s student organized powwow. Giving Tulalip an additional connection to the well-attended, public event was fourth-year undergad student Hailey Enick. She serves as the Coastal Chair for First Nations @ UW and fulfilled an essential role during the powwow by holding boom mics over alternating drum circles.

“I decided to get involved and incorporate my coastal traditions in our UW powwow, which led to us opening with local canoe families offering a healing ceremony,” said the 22-year-old Tulalip tribal member intending to double major in American Indian Studies and Education. “It’s been an amazing experience working with everyone behind the scenes and having this event playout exactly as we wanted. Being the smallest student population at the university, it means so much to have our Native American culture and communities embraced and incorporated within our school functions.

“Growing up in Tulalip, where we have a lot of Husky fans, I dreamed of attending UW. Now, that I’m actually here fulfilling that dream I can say it’s a great institution offering amazingly diverse academics,” Hailey added. “I can’t recommend enough that our high schoolers consider UW as an achievable goal. I took a nontraditional route by attending Everett Community College for multiple years before successfully transferring to UW, which just proves there are multiple pathways to arrive at a desired destination.”

Just as there are multiple types of powwow protocols, in this case noncompetitive, there were multiple styles of dance for audience members to be in absolute awe of. From graceful grass dancing and frenetic fancy dance, to eagle feather adorned traditional dance and the mesmerizing metallic sound of women’s jingle dress, the Native performers turned tradition into shared connection. Accompanied by the continuous beat of the drum, it was much more than an audio/visual extravaganza. It was a welcoming back of the circle. It was medicine for the spirit.

“Self care is just that, it’s self care. What we’ve been missing is community care,” shared former UW tribal liaison and current PhD student, Ross Braine (Crow Nation). “We had no idea that our powwow would be this well received given the time we’re in. But as we’ve learned over the past two days, our students needed this, our elders needed this, and our local community needed this. The return of our spring powwow is about love for the people and all the good medicine that comes from being in community.”

Following the Salmon Ceremony Part 1: Practice begins

Part 1: Practice begins

By Kalvin Valdillez, Tulalip News

“After the treaty signing and after the boarding school era, much of our teachings were taken away,” Then Tulalip Vice-Chairman Glen Gobin explained to a packed longhouse last summer. “We were not able to speak our languages. We were not able to live with our families. Much of what we had as a culture was disappearing quickly. Some of the elders remembered certain aspects and would share those memories of how things used to be. The elders in 1976, Harriette Shelton Dover in particular, said we need to revive Salmon Ceremony, we need to bring it back. She gathered up different elders and they pieced together what each of them knew about the Salmon Ceremony from either things they personally witnessed or things they heard their grandparents talk about.”

With less than two months away, the tribal community of Tulalip has begun preparations for a special and important event that takes place along the shore of the bay each summer. Known as the Salmon Ceremony, the tribe celebrates an integral piece of their Salishan culture in traditional fashion. Draped in shawls, cedar hats and headbands, and vests, tribal members gather at the local longhouse to honor the salmon for providing nourishment to the people since time immemorial.

After it’s revival in the late ‘70’s, the Salmon Ceremony has become a strong tradition for Tulalip tribal members and surrounding tribes who signed the 1855 Treaty of Point Elliott. Not only does the ceremony pay respect to the salmon population, it also provides space to thank all the tribal fishermen, blessing them with a traditional song for a plentiful and safe season out on the water.

During the Salmon Ceremony, the tribe honors their guest, or the first catch of the season, with Tulalip songs, stories and dances that were passed down through the generations. The guest is escorted to the Tulalip Longhouse, via a cedar dugout canoe, where tribal members wait ashore with drums and rattles in-hand to welcome their guest of honor with songs performed in the traditional Lushootseed language.

The salmon is then taken into the longhouse for a blessing before it is prepared for a meal and enjoyed by those in attendance. The guest’s remains are sent back to the water after the ceremony. As the legend goes, the salmon returns back to its underwater village to show its community how well the Tulalips honored the salmon people. And therefore, more salmon will travel to the nets and lines of tribal fisherman throughout the course of the season.

Every year, the Salmon Ceremony traditions are upheld and precisely executed by the tribal membership and it appears that every dance step is in perfect line with each drumbeat. Lessons are passed on from elders to the youth, thanks to practice sessions held weekly leading up to the Salmon Ceremony. This year, Salmon Ceremony practices will be held at 5:00 p.m. each Thursday at the Tulalip Gathering Hall, with the exception of the last practice, (June 9) which will be held at the longhouse.

The Salmon Ceremony celebration is scheduled for Saturday June 11^th at 10:30 a.m., which means there are eight total practice sessions before the event takes place. As the Tulalip community prepares for this year’s festivities, Tulalip News will feature a weekly mini-series focused on the traditions and hard work that goes into the Salmon Ceremony each year.

Glen expressed, “Harriette always said that so much was taken from us and what we do today may not be exactly the same as it was done two hundred years ago. But as long as we do it with good intentions and with a pure heart, our elders will receive it in that manner. So, we hang on to those bits and pieces that we have and we’re thankful for them.”

A vote for the levies, is a vote for our kids

By Shaelyn Hood, Tulalip News

On February 23, the Marysville School District (MSD) introduced two levies to the community. These typically take place when a school district is needing more funds and property taxes are instilled as a way to subjugate them. The introduced levies from MSD are the Education, Programs & Operations levy, and the Technology & Capital Projects levy.

Though the relationship between Tulalip Tribal members and MSD has wavered for many years, the levies are a way to join forces and make a better environment for students.

Executive Director of Education, Jessica Bustad spoke about the troublesome relationship, “for years, people within our community have not been satisfied with the District. There’s a lot of pain and trauma around experiences that have happened in public schools. There is a lot of healing that needs to be done, and we have to work through that and make sure that the school district is held accountable. But at the same time, we also have to be supporting our students, and the levies can help do that.”

The Education, Programs & Operations levy is designated to help support smaller class sizes, making it easier for children to get one-on-one attention. It also helps establish programs for students with disabilities. It provides student transportation with more bus stops and shorter bus rides. In addition, it supports the Early Learning Center for pre-k kids, and many of the arts, music, athletics, and various extra-curricular activities.

The Technology & Capital Projects levy is designated to help integrate better technology for students, provide system administrators to oversee the school systems, aid curriculum software and licensing, and provide 24/7 WIFI access across all buildings.

With the district serving more than 1,200 Native American/Alaskan Native students, with the local Native population primarily consisting of Tulalip tribal citizens, the Tulalip Education Division is a driving force of support.

“This directly impacts our kids and tribal support is crucial. If we can get a high voter turnout from the Tulalip community, then we can impact and sway the vote, just by us exercising our right. We have to do what’s right on behalf of our students and the community,” Jessica said.

At a community meeting held in the Administration Building, Interim Superintendent Chris Pearson also addressed the unsteady relationship and how MSD is trying to bridge a new path with staff. He discussed the evolution of four new board members, including Superintendent Zachary Robbins and Executive Director of Finance David Cram. Chris went on to say, “there’s been significant change in our upper level positions, and we want to rewrite our story and improve the work that we do.”

One common misperception of levies is how they affect the overall revenue that the schools receive, and why they are a necessity when public schools already receive state and federal funding. According to last year’s revenue chart produced by the District, the federal revenue only makes up for about 14% of the schools funding, state revenue makes up about 68%, Local Non-Tax makes up 1%, misc. other makes up 3%, and still 14% of the school’s revenue comes from must needed property taxes.

Currently, there is still a healthy number of projects that need to be taken care of to maintain the different schools’ infrastructures. Knowing this, the District is trying to improvise and find ways to get funding elsewhere. Eventually, within the next five years, Chris said they do see themselves having to apply for a bond and completely rebuilding the older schools. Understanding this, they are willing to put some projects to the side in order to keep property taxes lower.

Unfortunately, as Chris also pointed out, enrollment in MSD has declined in recent years. This hurts the schools because they receive a certain amount of money per enrolled child, and as a result of this, some of the state funding has declined as well. This limits the District on how they allocate funds for the schools’ maintenance, building infrastructures, and overall budgeting. Making this a pivotal moment for the schools when establishing funds for the fall.

Anyone who is registered to vote in the state of Washington and lives within Snohomish county is able to vote yes to pass the levies. Ballots were mailed out on April 7^th, and all ballots must be administered into one of the drop box locations by April 26^th. The closest drop box to tribal members is located in the Tulalip Youth Center parking lot.

If you or anyone else would like more information about the levies and how beneficial they could be to our tribal students, please reach out to the Tulalip Education Division at 360-716-4909. And don’t forget to vote!

Dreamcatchers: A sacred weapon and spiritual shield

By Shaelyn Hood, Tulalip News

“Dreamcatchers hold power in who we are, the art we have, and the spiritual-ness in Native American culture” proclaimed Braxton Wagner, Hibulb Cultural Center (HCC) assistant.

What was traditionally a sacred item to Native Americans has been commercialized and turned into common displays at décor shops, hanging on key chains, printed on t-shirts or even generic tattoos. Making some people question, do people truly understand the value of dreamcatchers or their origins?

Some Native Americans say that dreamcatchers have been appropriated and offensively exploited by people outside of our community. The best thing we can do to help against this perception is to continue educating ourselves and others outside of our community.

One of the many benefits taken away from participating in Hibulb’s monthly classes is being able to do just that. People within the Tulalip community and general public have the opportunity to learn, and understand our culture, while also utilizing their own crafting skills to generate a piece of Native American art. Such was the case on Wednesday April 6^th, when HCC held a kids’ craft for dreamcatcher making.

A Marysville mother and daughter duo who attended said, “The classes are fun. We happened to be taking a tour the first time we came and saw there was a class going on and jumped in! Braxton told us about this dreamcatcher class, and we thought it’d be fun to learn about them, understand the history, and create one. We even brought [my daughter’s] aunt and grandmother this time.”

It is theorized that the dreamcatchers origin is traced back to the Ojibwe tribe. They believed that dreamcatchers were a gift from Asibaikaashi, better known as the Spider Woman. She was a caretaker who looked after the spiritual healing of the people in her tribe, and created dreamcatchers to help protect newborns and encourage good dreams. Dreamcatchers were often made by grandmothers or mothers to hang above cradle boards.

Traditionally, dreamcatchers are handmade of willow and shaped into a small round or tear-shaped frame. Natural fibers go into making the string that forms the “web” inside of it. On the string, people can put beads, seashells, pebbles, and other small, natural items. Attached at the bottom of the dream catcher are more strings or leather holding beads, and feathers.

The small items in the web represent spiders that capture any bad dreams and protect the newborn against any negative energy and spirits. Then the good dreams travel down the attached leather and feathers, descending down onto the baby. Once daylight hit, the bad dreams would dissolve and disappear.

This cultural practice developed quickly across many Native American tribes and became more widely accepted. Over time, the meaning of dreamcatchers deviated from tribe to tribe. For some, it represents hope during a trying time. For others, it represents unity through culture, like the Medicine Wheel. Sometimes even, it represents how the different forces of the world may speak to you.

Braxton spoke of the value of non-Natives attending the HCC interactive classes. “The people that come here are wanting to learn. They want to understand our past and our struggles, and I appreciate the effort they make by coming here,” she said.

These learning opportunities can help mitigate cultural misunderstandings that people may have, while also providing a framework for better cultural appreciation in the next generation.

As American writer and social activist Robert Alan once said, “Intercultural dialogue is the best guarantee of a more peaceful, just and sustainable world.” The possibility for different communities to come together and be educated by Native Americans who are willing to share their ways of life can create better understanding for all.

Tulalip Family Wellness Court celebrates first program graduate

By Kalvin Valdillez

“I’m inspired by my own success,” were the words shared by proud mother of young Tulalip tribal members. “I just hit thirteen months of clean time on April 2^nd!” Over a year ago, this parent, whose name will be kept anonymous due to legal reasons, thought an accomplishment of this proportion impossible.

To completely escape the grasp of her addiction, after fighting hard for so many years to kick her habit. To be reunited with, and granted full-custody of, her child who was placed in the care of beda?chelh – that may have in fact been next to impossible over a year ago, or at least felt very close to it.

This determined mother, however, did not give up. While attempting to navigate the childcare system on her own, she suffered a relapse. Around this time, she also discovered she was with child. Now, she not only had to fight for her own wellness and for her kiddo in the system, but she also had to fight for her unborn child to remain in her custody after the birthing process.

When all the odds seemed stacked against her, a new program debuted in the Tulalip community, and she was one of the first to sign-up and take-part in the now award-winning tribal-based program.

“I remember looking over their pamphlet and thinking I didn’t need the help,” she admitted. “But, at the same time I knew I couldn’t go through the court system by myself either. I remember reading that pamphlet over and over, and Amy [Lettig] (TOCLA Parent Advocate Attorney) telling me about this new program and that I qualified for it. I didn’t know what else to do. My goal was always to get my child back, and so I turned to her and said help me get there.”

Based on the success of the Tulalip Healing to Wellness Court, minus the criminal and time-serving element, the Family Wellness Court was established in March 2020. The first-of-its-kind court system is 100% volunteer-based and is aimed to support, encourage and assist tribal parents, or parents of tribal members, attain a sober and healthy lifestyle to ultimately reunite them with their children who have an open beda?chelh case.

“We’re one of the first in the nation to do this as a tribe because we want our people to be healthy, happy and successful,” said Melissa Johnson, Family Wellness Court Coordinator. “We want people to understand it’s different than the standard dependency proceedings that parents involved with beda?chelh go through. With more frequent review hearings in the drug court model, they get a chance to show their progress in real-time. They tend to get their kids back faster in this type of program because of the intensive case management and the added support.”

Melissa continued, “They have to have an open dependency with beda?chelh. And if they want to work on getting their kids back, they can benefit from our team approach. I think there is an advantage to the team approach – recognizing the successes, strengths and any issues that may arise in real time, rather than waiting. Because with the current dependency proceedings, months can go by between hearings. I think with Family Wellness Court, the courtroom becomes a therapeutic environment. You see that relationship with the judge and the team, it’s not adversarial at all. It’s so much different from when you go to court, and everything seems scary. It’s an alternative to the current dependency proceedings.”

The team approach plays a major role in the Family Wellness Court and in each participant’s recovery journey. The team consists of multiple professionals including Tribal courthouse officials, attorneys, beda?chelh representatives, counselors and recovery specialists. The idea is that with everybody meeting on a regular basis and on the same page, the client will stay in-compliance and will make positive progress in maintaining their sobriety, if they know exactly what their team expects from them.

It has been one year since the Family Wellness Court held their first hearing and multiple parents are now electing to participate in the intensive, personalized program. And furthermore, many are seeing positive results and are well on their way to reunification with their children.

“Once I found the Family Wellness Court, I felt like they actually cared,” expressed the anonymous mother. “I know that the biggest part was getting to treatment and with the help of Family Wellness Court, I was able to do that. The assignments kept me busy and focused on my recovery. It was an amazing journey with tribal court. I felt like they cared about me and the kids, and more importantly what was best for the kids. They were encouraging me the whole time. They enjoyed seeing my progress and I felt like I was doing a really good job. It really worked for me. If you do the work, and you follow through with everything, you will be successful.”

On the afternoon of March 30, the Tulalip Family Wellness Court celebrated their very first graduate of the program. The very same mother whose identity will not be released, held the honor of the first person to successfully complete their individualized and intensive plan to recovery and reunification. Through the program she regained custody of her child, she had a healthy pregnancy and delivery, and she is living a completely clean life. The mother obtained housing for herself and her babies, she gained employment and is currently attending college and learning the trade of her choosing. She is also active in her children’s traditions and now has a strong understanding of tribal lifeways, as she completed several ‘give back’ hours and participated in cultural events as a requirement to the Family Wellness Court.

Her team and those presiding over her case were moved to tears during the graduation ceremony as they gathered in the tribal courtroom and met with the mother over Zoom. Due to both the specifics of her case and the worldwide pandemic, she was able to participate in the program remotely while at a treatment center. The courthouse sent her a cake, a number of gifts and an official certificate of completion, which she opened and enjoyed during the ceremony. Her mother, father and oldest child tuned-in to take part in the celebration. And through wavering voices and teary eyes, they shared their awe when reflecting how far she’s come in just a year. Members of her team also took a moment to express their joy in seeing her complete the program.

Chori Folkman, the Children’s Attorney for TOCLA shared, “Seeing her success today reminds me that the Family Wellness Court process at Tulalip can reunify families – even when it seems hopeless at times. Or a parent, who might have a history with a significant addiction, they can overcome it and get their children back. Even if it’s been a long time since they had that child in their care. Even when it’s really late in the case and it feels like it might be too late. She was able to commit to becoming clean and sober and she was able to get placement of her child and close her case. It shows me that these supports really do work to bring families back together.”

Tribal member Josh Fryberg and two of his daughters offered medicine through traditional song to the mother, as well as some heartfelt and encouraging words. The judge, filled with excitement, showered the mother with applause, praise and compliments, and also a few inside jokes while she recalled all the memories they made together along the way.

The first Family Wellness Court graduate stated, “The Family Wellness Court made me feel like even if I really failed, or if had a hiccup along the way, they were going to help me get back up and encourage me to keep moving forward. And ever since I came to that realization, I just made sure that I did everything I was supposed to do for the Family Wellness Court, so that I could graduate the program, keep my kids and get my child back.”

Continuing she shared a few words to other parents who are currently battling with an addiction, “The Family Wellness Court will help you get the help that you need. Even though you might not see that you need help right now. They will work with you to make sure you get that help, so that you can be better parents and so you can get your kids back and be good parents to them.”

If you or a loved one is ready for a new approach to sobriety and reunification, and willing to take on the intensive but evidence-based model to regain custody of your child, please contact Melissa at (360) 716-4764 for more details.

Future leaders break ground for TELA expansion

By Kalvin Valdillez, Tulalip News

Laughter and excited voices of young children filled the air on an overcast Spring morning outside of the Betty J. Taylor Early Learning Academy (TELA). The kids stood before a large dirt pile and with plastic shovels in hand. The future of Tulalip held the honor of officially breaking ground for a much-needed expansion on the Academy’s birth-to-three side of the campus. With joyous vigor, the kids took turns driving their shovels into the dirt. Some of the youngins simply uplifted the dirt from one area to the next, making sure to pat down any areas with clumps, while others flung dirt high into the air in celebration, hilariously causing uprooted earth to shower down on their teachers and classmates.

“We wanted this to be about the kids,” exclaimed Betty J. Taylor Early Learning Academy Director, Sheryl Fryberg. “We had them come out and do it because this is going to be for them, for the little people. It was so beautiful having them take part. It was so exciting for them to be out here and digging in the dirt.”

For the past seven years, since first opening, TELA has been an excellent program for the kids of the Tulalip community. More than just a daycare or your average pre-school, the reservation-based early learning academy implements the Tulalip culture into the young minds of the Tribe’s future leaders.

Sheryl stated, “Research says that when we bring the culture and language to our children, they do better in the school years, college years, career years and in life. That’s the foundation that we want to build here for as many of our children as we can. We have a lot of families out here who need great childcare and the work that we do here is more of a school, that’s why we call it an academy. We’re laying a really strong foundation for kids to be successful in elementary, middle school, high school – we want to wrap them in our culture and language here in their early years.”

Throughout the first years of the students’ lives, the kiddos are fully-immersed in the Coast Salish culture at the academy where they learn Tulalip songs, stories, traditions and the Lushootseed language. Prior to COVID-19, the academy regularly held ‘culture day’ once a month, where the students would take part in an assembly and activity, learning of the Tulalip lifeways as well as other cultures from around the globe.

“All our classrooms are incorporating the Tulalip culture, and other cultures, in the classrooms,” said TELA Birth-to-Three Grants Manager, Mekyla Fryberg. “We have the Lushootseed department that works with us, and they provide that language in the classrooms every single day. Our teachers are using the language with the kids, we have a curriculum that we built together with the language department, and that has been something that we have strived for and I believe we are making way. Today, we were able to see the kids bring their drums out from their classrooms and share songs in our groundbreaking ceremony. And that is something that we have aimed for, to provide our kids with the opportunity to embrace their culture.”

With the expansion, TELA will be adding an additional three classrooms for the birth-to-three program, which ultimately means more students will receive those cultural teachings once the new wing is completed. The new classrooms will be larger in size and thus will provide space for more kids in each class.

The expansion is something the academy has been working towards for years said Mekyla. Every year, once the program has reached full capacity, there has been a waitlist of approximately thirty kids who want to begin their academic career with TELA. Most of those families unfortunately had to turn to alternate childcare, and therefore have missed out on the cultural-based teachings. With the new classrooms, the hope is for the waitlist to be eliminated and that all the children of the Tulalip community will get the chance to attend the academy.

“Prior to COVID, we always had a waiting list for like thirty children who wanted to come to the birth-to-three wing,” said Sheryl. “It seems like it keeps growing every year, so we took advantage of some grant dollars that we had available, and the Tribe kicked in some funding also to help us build this addition so we can hopefully meet the needs of our community.”

Added Mekyla, “I started here when we first opened in 2015 and I have witnessed first-hand the need for those additional enrollment slots in the birth-to-three program. There has been a waitlist of between fifteen to thirty kids every school year. As soon as we reach full enrollment, there’s a waitlist. To know that we are going to be able to open-up three new classrooms, that’s rewarding for me to know that we saw the need and acted on that need, and that we are going to be able to complete this project and serve our community the best that we can.”

After participating in the groundbreaking ceremony, TELA students will be involved with the expansion project until it’s completion. The new wing is slated to open in the Fall of 2023, but the kids will be able to visibly track its progression throughout the project, as the windows along the birth-to-three corridor will remain uncovered so the kids can see the construction process take place.

“It was thrilling to witness the kids participate in moving dirt and complete that groundbreaking ceremony,” expressed Mekyla. “It’s been a long time coming to complete this project. It’s exciting because this will improve our services that we offer to families and increase our enrollment.”

New Washington State bills help protect tribal citizens, and honor tribal sovereignty

Governor Jay Inslee visits Tulalip for the bill signing. He also reminisced about his time at Tulalip and his invaluable relationship with tribal governments.

First statewide alert system is created to tackle the missing Indigenous people crisis

By Shaelyn Hood; photos by Kalvin Valdillez

A noteworthy step forward for Native Americans was taken on Wednesday, March 30^th as Governor Jay Inslee traveled to the Tulalip Resort Casino to sign several tribal-related bills into law. These newly placed bills establish an overall better relationship between US government offices and sovereign nations.

One such bill is House Bill 1571, which ensures better protections and services for Indigenous persons who are missing, murdered, or survivors of human trafficking.

Tulalip Tribes Chairwoman, Teri Gobin, spoke of the importance of this bill saying, “Seattle is the top city in the United States with a number of missing and murdered Indigenous, not just women, but people. And Washington along with Montana are the top two states that have missing and murdered Indigenous people. The most important thing is bringing them home, whether they’ve been trafficked, or they’ve been stolen, or they’ve been murdered, we need to bring them home to our people. The tribes are committed to the people, future generations, coming together to draft and pass good policies for the benefit of all Indian country.”

Also becoming a law is House Bill 1725. This will establish the first state-wide emergency alert for missing or endangered Indigenous people. This will be used on a variable message sign and text of the highway advisory radio message to assist in the recovery of a missing Indigenous person, similar to the Amber and Silver alerts currently used.

The event began with a meet-and-greet with Governor Inslee and various Washington tribal leaders, members of the Washington State Legislature, Attorney General Bob Ferguson and community members. Tulalip tribal members opened with a ceremonial song and drum.

Governor Inslee spoke about his invaluable relationship with tribal governments. More specifically, he spoke about his upbringing and his time spent at Spee-Bi-Dah. He also spoke highly of a specific Tulalip elder he had met, Don ‘Penoke’ Hatch, who he personally invited to attend the day’s event and even honored as Washingtonian of the Day.

Inslee recognized Penoke’s work in helping to establish the first Boys and Girls Club to tribal lands and the example that set for other tribal governments. “He was significantly responsible for my value system, particularly when it comes to salmon. When I was about 10 or 11 years old, he would allow me to help to pull in the nets down by Spee-Bi-Dah. It was so exciting to see this life form that was concentrated in these nets. And from that, I came away with a commitment to do all I can do to keep those salmon roads in the state of Washington and it’s made a difference,” he said.

Following the signing of the bills, Tulalip leaders and community members gathered once again to sing and drum for Governor Inslee. Prayers were said for the Indigenous people that are still missing, and a blanketing ceremony took place. Leaders involved in the making of these bills were wrapped in blankets and community members were called to act as a witness to this day, to share with future generations of the works and the bills put into place.

The event showcased the unheard voices of our people, and the decades of battle between US governments and sovereign nations. Showing that with diligent effort and fortitude from strong tribal leadership and representatives, Native Americans can prevail against generations of silence and oppression.

Ryan Miller, Director of Treaty Rights and Government Affairs spoke about what it means for the relationship between US Governments and sovereign nations, “The reality is, we live in an interconnected world, and neither us or the state of Washington is going anywhere. The best way to move forward is to partner and work together to deal with the things that affect our communities. We can find our mutual interests, align those values, and pass good laws that make sense for our state and for our communities.”

House Bill excerpts:

House Bill 1571– This bill is intended for better protections and services for Indigenous persons who are missing, murdered, or survivors of human trafficking. These efforts include immediate police and county coroner referral to the affected tribes and tribal organization when identifying the body of a missing Indigenous person. This allows the opportunity for any relatives and/or community members to see their loved one, and perform any spiritual practices or ceremony without disturbance or being interfered by outside sources. All is permissible as long as it does not directly disrupt the ongoing investigation.
House Bill 1725– Concerning the creation of an endangered missing person advisory designation for missing Indigenous persons. With this, the legislature identified how disproportionate rates of violence occurred for Indigenous people. Because of this, they intend to provide law enforcement with additional tools to disseminate timely, accurate information to engage the public more effectively in assisting with locating missing Indigenous people, and to compensate for the unique challenges that Indigenous communities face accessing media coverage and the ability to share information.
House Bill 1717- This further allows tribal participation regarding the Washington State Growth Management Act (GMA). The GMA helps analyze Washington’s growth by identifying and protecting critical areas and natural resource lands, designating urban growth areas, preparing comprehensive plans and implementing them through capital. This amendment is on a voluntary basis, in which a federally recognized tribe can decide to or against participating. No subsection or provision or tribe’s decision to become a participating tribe for planning purposes, shall affect, alter, or limit in any way a tribe’s authority, jurisdiction, or any treaty or other rights it may have by virtue of its status as a sovereign Indian tribe.
House Bill 1753– Concerning tribal consultation regarding the use of certain funding authorized by the Climate Commitment Act (CCA). This new section establishes that agencies will allocate funding or administer grant programs appropriated from the climate investment account, the climate commitment account, and the natural climate solutions account must offer early, meaningful, and individual consultation with any affected federally recognized tribe on all funding decisions and funding programs that may impact tribal resources, including tribal cultural resources, archaeological sites, sacred sites, fisheries, or other rights and interests in tribal lands and lands within which a tribe or tribes possess rights reserved or protected by federal treaty, statute, or executive order.
Senate Bill 5694– Recognizing Indian tribes as among the governmental entities with which the department of corrections may enter into agreements on matters to include the housing of inmates convicted in tribal court. The amendments made aimed to recognize tribe’s sovereign nations, equitable with any another state, state agency, county or federal jurisdiction in decisions regarding the department of corrections.
Senate Bill 5866– Concerning Medicaid long-term services and supports eligibility determinations completed by federally recognized Indian tribes. Issues around Medicaid long-term services must now allow the department to contract with a federally recognized Indian tribe to determine eligibility, including assessments and reassessments, authorize and reauthorize services, and perform case management functions within its regional authority.

Honoring our Sovereignty Warriors

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News

“I don’t believe in magic. I believe in the sun and the stars, the water, the tides, the floods, the owls, the hawks flying, the river running, the wind talking. They’re measurements. They tell us how healthy things are. How healthy we are. Because we and they are the same. That’s what I believe in.”

Those immortal words were said by Nisqually tribal member and internationally recognized civil right leader Billy Frank Jr. in his biography Messages from Frank’s Landing. His message was visible on t-shirts proudly worn by Quil Ceda Tulalip staff members during the month of March as the school dedicated four weeks to teaching their students about sovereignty, treaty rights, and three legendary figures known as sovereignty warriors: the aforementioned Billy and local Tulalip icons Stan Jones Sr. and Bernie Gobin.

Although all three warriors have passed away, in 2014, 2019 and 2009 respectively, they continue to live on in the stories told and memories shared by their loved ones. Homegrown educators Kamiakin Craig and Toneena Gobin have both recently joined the QCT staff as cultural specialists. Kamiakin, the grandson of Bernie Gobin, and Toneena, the granddaughter of Stan Jones, wrote books about their grandfathers that were used as curriculum and read aloud by QCT students and teachers alike while learning about Tulalip sovereignty.

“It’s been such a surreal experience working at Quil Ceda because when I went here there wasn’t a lot of culture, but now the students are really taught to embrace and celebrate culture,” said 22-year-old Toneena. “A few months back I was sitting in a meeting and heard our staff talk about celebrating Billy Frank Jr. month. I told them that’s awesome, but asked why we don’t have anything for the leaders who lived here, our Tulalip leaders that many of the kids benefited from. That sparked a larger conversation and I’m thankful for our QCT leaders, especially assistant principal Chelsea Craig, for not just understanding but implementing this must-needed change.

“My grandpa was a huge part of my life. He taught me so many things, like what it means to be culturally involved, the importance of sticking to your word, and to always remember that no matter how we progress as tribal members we have a responsibility to give back to our community,” she added while wiping away happy tears. “Working at the elementary where many of the kids know me as auntie Neena, I feel it’s my responsibility to pass on the teachings given to me about canoe journey and salmon ceremony. I want all our kids to be proud to be Tulalip and never know what its like to have to hide their culture.”

While Toneena and Kamiakin shared their self-authored children books about two beloved Tulalip icons to the eager to learn K-5 students, the QCT family also enjoyed their annual journey into the many teachings of Billy Frank Jr.

Billy spent much of his life advocating for human rights for all, particularly the Coast Salish people of western Washington. He was on the front line in the controversy protecting treaty-guaranteed Native American fishing rights in the 1960s and ‘70s. His perseverance landed him in jail more than 40 times, a fact QCT students love to blurt out when asked about a cool Billy story, but he also helped guarantee fishing rights when the Boldt Decision was handed down in 1974.

In commemorating all the valuable lessons learned and cultural teachings practiced during March, an honoring assembly was held on Friday, March 25 at the Quil Ceda Tulalip gymnasium. In a beautiful tribute to the Nisqually activist, dozens of elementary students participated in carrying a hallway-spanning collaborate art piece representing healthy, vibrant salmon swimming upstream. Then twelve students took to the center of the assembly and in unison chanted:

B believe, be bold, be brave
I inspirational
L leadership
L legacy
Y yearn for change

“Leaders like my father Bernie, Stan Jones and Billy Frank taught us from a young age to know who you are and where you come from as tribal people and to ground yourself in traditional teachings before going anywhere else,” explained Board of Director, Glen Gobin to the respectfully quiet gym full of sitting QCT students looking up at him. “Understand who you are. Understand your ancestors. Understand their values and their struggles so that together we can understand their hopes and dreams they had for us today.

“My dad grew up being a fisherman. He loved fishing above all things, except his family and his tribe,” continued Glen. “Fishing was life and he did it as long as he could. Even when he lost the use of his legs, we still found a way to get him onto the top of his boat where he sat all day. Then when it was time all his grandkids would help him off the boat and into his wheelchair cart. That was how he spent his final days, doing what he loved. Nothing was going to hold him back from getting out there on the water.

“I leave you all with that thought – let nothing hold you back from following your passions. Remember your teachings. Remember what you learned about these sovereignty warriors and how they stood up for what they believed in. And most importantly, remember how your ancestors made right decisions for righteous reasons for both themselves and their people as well. I thank you all for honoring these three individuals who are very important in our lives. They showed us how to what’s right by protecting our resources and standing up for the environment.”

Concluding the QCT honoring assembly were a number of Tulalip songs and dances that students enthusiastically participated in, while the portraits of Stan Jones and Billy Frank looked on. Undoubtedly, their spirits rejoiced as a whole new generation of sovereignty warriors sang, danced, and drummed to their cultural heart’s desire.

Hop to it! Mark your calendars, the Easter Bunny is coming to town on April 10

By Kalvin Valdillez, Tulalip News

Attention all kids! Attention all kids! The Easter Bunny is returning to the Tulalip reservation and will be visiting a neighborhood near you on April 10^th of this year. That’s right, the bunny will arrive the weekend before the holiday, with a basket of Easter eggs filled with candy and toys, and other fun goodies!

Tulalip officially became a stop on the bunny trail last Spring, when the community-led non-profit organization, Together We’re Better, teamed up with the Tulalip Bay Fire Department and brought an unforgettable Easter celebration to the children living on the reservation during the pandemic. And now, the local group known as Aunties in Action are joining this year’s celebration as our fuzzy and colorfully-dressed pal makes his return to the reservation.

Last year, kids and elders alike waited on their porches and in their driveways for a chance to meet the Easter Bunny, and also Sparky the Fire Dog, while they hand-delivered treats and a bit of normalcy during trying times to the residents of the tribal community.

The Easter Bunny and Sparky will start their journey at 1:00 p.m. on April 10^th and will be walking through the following neighborhoods throughout the day: Silver Village, Mission Highlands, Larry Price Loop/Ezra Hatch, Walter Moses Jr. Dr., Battlecreek and the Y-Site.

So to all the local youth, when you hear the sirens of the Tulalip Bay Fire engine, be sure to grab your Easter baskets and head outside for your opportunity to meet the Easter Bunny in-person. And parents, bring your cameras and/or cell phones to capture a photo with your kiddos and the beloved characters.

“Because we are still coming out of COVID times, and for the safety of all, Together We’re Better and Aunties in Action will be hosting our second annual Easter Bunny Run with the Tulalip Bay Fire Department and Sparky of course,” exclaimed Together We’re Better Founder, Malory Simpson. “It’s important for us to do an event. Normally we do a huge Easter egg hunt and multiple communities come out to celebrate, we wanted to do something for the kids and bring Easter to the community.”

She continued, “If you’re not within the service area of the Tulalip Bay Fire Department, please link up with friends and family and plan to join-in the fun. We look forward to seeing you soon!”

If you are looking to get more involved with the community, Together We’re Better is always accepting donations, whether that is goods, funds or your personal volunteered time. For more information, please contact Malory at (360) 913-1424.