Category: News

Press Release, Maryville Fire District, www.marysvillefiredistrict.org

MARYSVILLE, Washington –  As winter approaches so does the promise of snow. When families head to the mountains to enjoy snow sports such as skiing, snowboarding and tubing we want to also encourage them to protect their heads by wearing a properly fitted helmet. According to Safe Kids USA, “Helmets, when worn properly can prevent or reduce the effects of 53 percent of the head injuries suffered by children in the United States while skiing or snowboarding.”

The Marysville Fire District is proud to offer ski and snowboard helmets at a cost of $25, which includes a free fitting. Available sizes include small, medium, and large; and they will fit young children through most adults.

The helmets, provided by Safe Kids Snohomish County, are of equal quality to the helmets found in specialty stores, for a fraction of the cost and come with lined padding and ear covers. The cost of the helmet goes back into keeping a supply of helmets stocked throughout the winter months. Neither Marysville Fire District nor Safe Kids Snohomish County makes a profit from the cost.

To purchase a ski helmet, contact Marysville Fire District at (360) 363-8500 to set up a fitting appointment. The person for whom the helmet is intended for must be present at time of fitting and purchase.

To learn more about Safe Kids Snohomish County visit www.snosafekids.org.  Safe Kids is a not for profit organization whose mission is to prevent unintentional injuries and death in children.

 

Bill Holm Center to serve more individuals and organizations

Press Release,  Alaina Smith, Director of External Affairs

Seattle – The Burke Museum is pleased to announce Connections to Culture – Resources for Native Art and Artists, a new program of the Bill Holm Center for the Study of Northwest Coast Art. With support from the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation, Connections to Culture will significantly increase the Burke Museum’s capacity to support Native artists and arts organizations.

Connections to Culture will expand the Bill Holm Center’s research grants program, which facilitates Native artists’ study of the arts and cultures of their ancestors. Research grants allow artists to study the objects and archives in the Burke Museum’s collections, travel to other museums, and pass their knowledge on through workshops held at the Burke Museum, at other Native art organizations, and in Native communities.

In addition to increasing the research grant program, Connections to Culture will further develop the Bill Holm Center’s role as an information hub to those interested in the vitality of Native art in the region, and allow the Center to make grants to Native arts organizations for the first time.

“The Burke Museum has a long history of pioneering efforts in Native art education and scholarship—from early museum education, public television programs and Bill Holm’s seminal 1965 book, Northwest Coast Native Art: An Analysis of Form, to K-12 arts & culture programs that are booked to capacity each year,” said Burke Museum Executive Director Julie K. Stein.

“This extraordinary investment by the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation builds on that legacy, and will help make the Bill Holm Center’s resources available to many, many more artists and members of our community. ”

While art-making is flourishing in some Native communities, in other places there are few teachers and fewer objects from which to learn. Many artists are working in isolation, without knowledgeable mentors or the critical resources to inform their artistic practice, discover where their cultural objects are currently housed, or access these collections. Connections to Culture will allow the Burke Museum to serve as a hub for the dissemination of this information, and create new digital resources that represent the breadth and depth of Pacific Northwest art traditions.

Historical trends in collecting and researching Pacific Northwest regional art, and the impact of the art market on contemporary artists, has meant that the styles of the northern and some central Northwest Coast tribes (the Tlingit, Tsimshian, Haida, and Kwakwaka’wakw) have overshadowed other art traditions from the southern regions of the Coast, as well as surrounding areas of the Columbia River basin and Plateau. “The Connections to Culture program will help us to expand support for artists and communities whose artistic traditions have not received broad public, scholarly, or commercial recognition,” said Curator of Native American Art and Bill Holm Center Director Robin K. Wright.

“We are thrilled to combine efforts with the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation’s Native Arts and Cultures Program to increase support for Native artists in their pursuit of knowledge about their artistic traditions,” said Wright.

Connections to Culture will award grants and offer programs beginning in spring 2013.

About the Bill Holm Center:

The Bill Holm Center for the Study of Northwest Coast Art was established at the Burke Museum in 2003 to continue Bill Holm’s legacy at the Burke Museum. It is one of the premier centers for the study of Native arts of the Pacific Northwest Coast.

The Bill Holm Center provides hands-on learning opportunities for Native artists to study historical art in person, and connects experienced artists with younger practitioners through workshops and art scholarships. The Center supports access to and awareness of arts resources and activities (including collections, exhibits, and other relevant programs) for tribal communities, individuals, and arts organizations.

About the Burke Museum:

The Burke Museum inspires people to value their connection with all life—and act accordingly. The Museum is responsible for Washington State collections of natural and cultural heritage, and sharing the knowledge that makes them meaningful. The Burke welcomes a broad and diverse audience and provides a community gathering place that nurtures life-long learning and encourages respect, responsibility, and reflection.

Article and photo by Jeannie Briones

TULALIP, Washington – Tulalip Tribal members and employees showed their support at the Tulalip Ballot Party on November 6^th at the Don Hatch Youth Center/Greg Williams Court, exercising their right to vote.

“To me it’s one of my most treasured constitutional rights, and as a veteran, I always take the time to cast my ballot,” said tribal member Raymond Fryberg Sr.

Tulalip Community Coordinator, Frieda Williams, along with seven other hardworking folks that make up the Tulalip Voting Committee, worked tirelessly to promote the importance of the Native vote.

“I am very excited about the turn out at Tulalip; their vote does count,” said Frieda.

Native Americans are the only ethnicity the U.S. Census Bureau doesn’t track when it comes to election data. It’s important that Native Americans are voting and electing candidates who understand Native American sovereignty rights.

This election ballot party served as a good incentive for people to turn in their ballots, offering food, entertainment and raffle prizes. Prizes included a 55” flat screen TV and an iPod.

For information on voter registration, contact Frieda Williams at 360-716-4220 or visit, www.myvote.wa.gov.

Press Release, Cathy Cochrane, ArtsWA, Communications Manager

Olympia – Johnny Moses, of Tulalip, has been named as one of seven recipients of the Governor’s Arts & Heritage Awards. Recipients were honored at a reception at the Governor’s Mansion on Oct. 15. The awards recognize individuals and organizations who have made significant contributions to the arts and cultural traditions of Washington state.

Mr. Moses, a Native American traditional singer and storyteller, speaks eight Native languages and travels extensively to share his culture. He was raised in the remote Nuu-chah-nulth village of Ohiat on the West Coast of Vancouver Island, Canada. His grandparents taught him the traditional ways, and his elders sent him to share their teachings with all people. Mr. Moses’ traditional name is Whis.stem.men.knee (Walking Medicine Robe).

The Washington State Arts Commission, ArtsWA, facilitated the nomination and selection process for the Governor’s awards. The awards were established in 1966 by Governor Dan Evans. In recent years, they were temporarily suspended due to budget cuts.

“We are so pleased to reinstate the awards this year,” said Kris Tucker, Executive Director of ArtsWA. “Johnny Moses has incredible skill as a storyteller and a wealth of irreplaceable information about the Northwest’s Native cultures. Recognizing and honoring his contributions to the heritage of Washington state affirms that traditions of the past are vitally important to the cultural legacy we leave to future generations.”

First Gentleman Mike Gregoire and Kris Tucker presented the awards, which were acid-etched, translucent glass bowls by glass artists Jeremy Newman and Allison Ciancibelli, commissioned through Vetri Glass Studio, in Seattle.

Others receiving the Governor’s Heritage Award:

• Bailadores de Bronce, Seattle, a volunteer group that teaches and performs Mexican folkloric dances
• Heritage University, Toppenish, provides strong art and cultural education programs for multicultural populations that are geographically and educationally isolated
• Maurice Rouman, Everett, Egyptian oud player and composer, nominated for the National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship Award. (The oud is a stringed instrument resembling the lute.)

Receiving the Governor’s Arts Award:

• Lucia Perillo, Olympia, Pulitzer Prize finalist and MacArthur fellow in poetry
• Robert Maki, Kingston, sculptor and public art advocate
• Book-It Repertory Theatre, Seattle, which creates great theater from great literature

For more information about ArtsWA programs and the Governor’s Arts and Heritage Awards, go to www.arts.wa.gov

 

Article and photo by Sarah Miller

TULALIP, Washington— The WrapAround process is a fairly new service provided by Family Haven. With WrapAround, a facilitator works with an individual or family to develop goals, build on strengths and it gives them support to enhance family life. According to WrapAround Coordinator, Cherol Fryberg, it’s not a program or a service, but a way to put you back in the driver’s seat of your own life.

“It’s a way to get the client’s voice heard,” Cherol said. “Some people work with a lot of different services and counselors with Behavioral Health and they don’t always get to be heard. We want to give them that control.”

People using the WrapAround process are encouraged to form a team to help them out. This team can be family members, counselors or therapists. WrapAround uses four phases to help clients out. Phase one is an engagement of team preparation in which the concerns, needs, hopes, dreams and strengths of the client are addressed. Phase two is the initial plan development. During this phase, the clients will collaborate with their teams to identify the strengths as stepping stones to meet needs. Phase three is plan implementation. Based on accomplishments, the team can assess and see if the plan is successful and make adjustments if need be. Phase four is transition. During this phase, the team will view the success.

“If you are feeling stressed, overwhelmed, or have multiple goals you want to accomplish, WrapAround is here to walk with you while helping you put your life back together,” Cherol said. “A WrapAround team of your choosing, with my support, will help you meet your dreams, needs, hopes and concerns.”

In addition to the four phases, WrapAround also uses ten principles to help keep people on track and help them achieve. The first principle is family voice and choice. This focuses on needs and wants. Second principle is to individualize. With this principle, the team will tailor this service to the client’s strengths and needs. Principle three and four, team based and collaboration, resolve individual challenges. Principle five is natural supports, which is about strengthening the connection of the family. Phase six and seven is about being strength based and culturally competent. These principles honor the individual or families culture with a positive approach. Principle eight is community based. The WrapAround team will implement services and support strategies that focus on the family receiving services in the community. Phase nine is persistence. With this principle, the team will persist towards the goals. Principle ten is outcome based. The WrapAround team is accountable to assist in setting and achieving measurable goals with this
principle.

“This service is available for anyone who is tribal or has a tribal member in their family,” Cherol said. “They must also live in Snohomish County. They do not have to have any kind of addiction, they don’t need to have had their kids taken away, and they can just come in to get back on the right track with their lives. It’s not about having severe problems; it’s about making a better life.”

If you think that you or someone you know is in need of WrapAround process for support, you can call Cherol at 360-716-4401 or email her at cfryberg@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov

 

 

Article and photo by Jeannie Briones

TULALIP, Washington –  The Tulalip Hibulb Cultural Center, known for its artistic and educational series of workshops which highlight storytelling, lectures, culture and film, have added a new series that features poetry.

 Tulalip Tribal elder and author, David Spencer Sr., read a series of poems on October 4th at the Hibulb center, capturing the audience with his ebb and flow of words. Events that he witnessed in his life and the poets and teachers who inspired him to write poetry inspired these poems.

 “I took four courses at the UW from Nelson Bentley. He guided me on how to write poetry, to take one form all the way through the poem,” said David. “Poetry is like painting.”

  Writing poetry since 1973, he reconnected with his grandparents’ first language, and began his writing process anew in 1997 by using the Lushootseed language as a creative outlet. This transformation brought new meaning to his poetry that he had not found while writing in English.

 Poetry helped David through dark periods in his life, especially after his wife passed away. Sylvia Plath and Ted Hues are just a couple of poets he admires. He read their poems over and over to absorb their words and meaning.

 In the poem, “The Sacred Smoke,” David describes a traditional memorial burning, the feeling of being on-edge, being reborn, and having no temptation of worldly needs.

David’s first memoir, “Lifted to the Edge: the Reflections of a Tulalip Grandson,” is a skillfully written exploration of his life. You can find a copy of his book at theTulalipHibulbCulturalCentergiftshop. Visit www.hibulbculturalcenter.org for information and a schedule of events.

 

By Kim Kalliber

On October 8, 2012 the Tulalip Police Department received a call about an unresponsive infant found inside a parked car. Emergency services were dispatched to the 1000 block of Marine Drive. A 17-month-old girl was taken to Providence Medical Center where she was pronounced dead. Her two-year-old sister, also found in the car, was taken to Children’s Hospital in Seattle where she is expected to recover.

The girls’ mother, a Tulalip Tribal member, is being held at Snohomish County Jail, facing possible charges of endangerment and failure to care for the children.

Community members at Tulalip describe the mother as a “good mom,” despite the fact that within the past year, she was under investigation by the Department of Social and Health Services for allegations of abuse involving the younger girl. DSHS had closed its investigation for undisclosed reasons, but due to the death of the child after closure of the investigation, their fatality review board will review the case.

The incident is being investigated by the Tulalip Police Department in coordination with the FBI. An autopsy was performed, but the results are unavailable while the investigation is underway