Category: Top Story

By Kalvin Valdillez; photos courtesy of Daryl Williams

Tulalip tribal member Daryl Williams is well-known throughout the region for his work in protecting the environment and defending Northwest tribal treaty rights. For decades, he has dedicated his life to preserving the natural world and has been an inspiration to eco-friendly environmentalists, leaving his stamp by helping reduce the Tribe’s carbon footprint. In fact, he was the driving force behind the partnership between the Tulalip Tribes, Werkhoven Dairy and Qualco Energy, a bio-gas project that creates renewable energy from livestock waste, and therefore helps reduce the amount of pollutants that enter local stream systems. 

As a member of the Tulalip Natural Resources team, Daryl has spent many years behind the scenes blocking proposed bills that would ultimately hurt the environment and violate tribal treaty rights. Through this work, he has made strong connections with Washington State legislators and government officials. And with that experience and those connections, it is no surprise that Daryl wishes to continue to be a strong voice for the Indigenous population on a governmental level, not only for Tulalip but for all the treaty tribes of Washington State. 

Daryl recently announced his candidacy for the District-38 seat on the Washington State House of Representatives, a position that was long held by fellow Democratic Tulalip tribal member, John McCoy, before he became a state senator. An ideal candidate for the position, Daryl is looking to make an even bigger impact if elected to the house of representatives, furthering his efforts in protecting treaty rights and Mother Earth, as well as addressing many other tribal issues. Tulalip News recently sat down with Daryl to discuss his candidacy as his campaign run officially begins.

Tell us a little about your journey so far and your background.

Well, I got hired on by Tulalip shortly after I graduated high school. I’ve been working in our Natural Resource program ever since, doing legislative work for at least the last thirty-some years. 

I received my degree through Columbia College through the U.S. Navy base in Everett. Several of our tribal members have received their degrees there. Fortunately, you don’t have to be a member of the Navy to take courses on the base. They have the extensive courses offered to everybody. The more people we get enrolled, the broader amount of courses they can offer.

Can you explain what position you are running for? 

I’m running for the legislative seat for the 38^th district, which covers most of Everett, most of Marysville, and all of Tulalip, to get into the state house of representatives and try to work on issues from the inside. We have a lot of legislators that really want to do the right thing for the environment, but they don’t know how. They don’t understand the issues that well. The same with tribal issues, they don’t really understand tribal issues that well, but most of them want to actually do things that support the tribes. We need more people on the inside who can help educate the rest of the legislators on environmentalist issues, health care, education, and things that can overlap with what the tribes are doing. We have to work with them on what works for the tribes and what doesn’t, and try to come up with things that works for both the non-tribal and tribal communities. 

What is the biggest issue you wish to address if you are elected into that seat?

We want a little more flexibility with tribes because we want to be able to do compact schools for the tribes. I think most of the tribes want to be able to set up their own schools and be able to receive some state funding to help do that.But we don’t necessarily want to see state funding going to compact schools that primarily benefit rich kids. We have to work with legislators to develop proper language to where we can do both. 

What are compact schools?

They are really just privately-run schools, created in order to give kids another option on how to get an education. But for the most part, they are primarily schools for rich kids. Most of the funding comes from rich families who pay tuition fees, they get some supplemental state funding, but a lot of it is just fees from the kid’s parents. Both middle- and low-income families can’t afford to send their kids to compact schools. So, what the tribes are looking into is creating a tribally funded school along with some state funding to help pay for it. 

You mentioned that you have done a lot of legislative work over the years, if elected would you be doing some more of that same work, or would be proposing and writing other bills?

Probably a combination of the two. Proposing new bills to submit, but also commenting on other legislator’s bills from the inside and try to make some changes to make them better for the tribes or to convince the legislators that they really are doing the wrong thing. But most likely, the worst bills typically come out of the Republican Party, and they’re doing it just to show support for their members. And even if they don’t expect the bill to pass, they’re still going to submit them just to show their voters that they’re trying to do something. So, we can’t kill all the bad bills, but we can at least try to change them to where they’re less damaging to the tribes.

What are some of your proudest moments working for Natural Resources and doing that important legislative work?

Most the time, we were just trying to kill ‘bad bills’. I didn’t really get too involved on creating good ones. It’s a long process. When the bill is submitted, it has to go through a committee in each house and has to be passed by each house, before going to the Governor for final approval. And we have asked the Governor to veto a few bills, which is what governors have done over the last few years for us. But most of the time we can get them killed in committee if they are something that could hurt the tribes.

What are some examples of bad bills?

Well, most of them that I fought against were bills for water rights. When they were ready to authorize cities, counties, corporations, and others to pull more water out of the river. Really, every river is already over-allocated for water, so anymore that comes out just hurts our fish runs even more. We’ve really worked hard to prevent further water appropriations. 

You said you were fresh out of high school when you started working for the Tribe, how has working with the Natural Resources department over the years prepared you for this run?

My first like four years, were working with our hatchery program. I’ve worked with every governor since John Spellman. And I know a lot of the legislators in Olympia because we’ve worked with them for a few years. I’ve got the experience dealing with legislative issues, things I’ve learned on the job working with other folks. Dave Somers and Kimberly Orton are the two who I’ve learned the legislative issues from most. Of course, Dave’s our county executive now and Kimberly retired from us a few years ago. 

A lot of it’s just spending the time doing it and learning on the job. It takes a lot of time and effort to read through the proposed bills, understand how the process works, talk to key legislators before the bill is discussed in committee, and then actually testify in front of the committees. If the bill makes it out of the committee, it’s talking to a lot of legislators to try to prevent it from passing out of the house.

And of course, you have done some very important work with Qualco Energy. Can you talk to us about that project?

The one project that I’ve worked on that everybody likes, bio-gas project, where we work with Werkhoven Dairy. We receive all of their cow manure and run it through an anaerobic digester and capture the methane gas within the digester. That’s just the normal product of decomposition. Anaerobic digester speeds up the decomposition rate of the cow manure, so we capture the methane and use it for producing electricity. And the digestate that comes out the back end of it, the farmer uses it to irrigate his fields because it’s basically a high-nutrient water. They use the nutrients to fertilize their field as well.

When you apply raw cow manure on farm fields, it takes a year to a year-and-a-half for the nutrients to mineralize into a form that the crops can use. And during that year, year-and-a-half, a lot of those nutrients wash away during the floods. By running it through the digesters, it comes out in the form that crops can use right away. So, we store the liquid effluent in our lagoons and apply it as needed. And none of that nutrient is getting washed into our river systems. That’s the main reason Tulalip got into it, developing renewable energy with just a byproduct.

You have dedicated years to protecting our environment and tribal treaty rights, how will that experience help you if elected to this position?
I’ve worked on environmental issues, and fish and wildlife habitat issues for over forty years. I actually started the Tribes’ air quality program back in the 90’s. 

We had a person burning all sorts of debris, which would have been illegal anywhere else. He found out there was a loophole because the Tribe didn’t have any air quality regulations on the books. 

He wasn’t breaking any laws, because the state laws on air pollution are not enforceable within reservation boundaries under the Clean Air Act. The federal regulations for clean air are pretty minimal. And we couldn’t show that he was violating any federal rules, so we had to create our own set of air quality rules. We were able to put a stop to it because he was burning plastics, fiberglass, rubber, all sorts of things that you really don’t want to be breathing. 

Are there any specific areas within environmental preservation that you haven’t had the chance to focus on, that if elected to this position, will allow you to work on?

Over the last four decades I’ve worked on about everything, so I don’t think there is anything I haven’t put much time into. I would probably put more time into protecting wildlife habitat. We must rebuild our deer and elk herds for our hunters. I work with our wildlife staff periodically to provide some assistance for them, but that is an area I believe we need to put a little more time into.

In addition to those two values, environmental protection and defending treaty rights, what are some other issues that you are passionate about?

Being a tribal member and working for the Tribe my whole adult life, I want to help the tribes out any way I can. I know mental health and drug addiction are big issues. And it’s not just on the reservation, it’s everywhere. That’s something I want to get more involved in. That’s something my dad (Adam Williams) worked on back in the late 60’s through the 70’s. He started Tulalip’s drug and alcohol program. That’s a problem that has been getting worse over time. We need to do a better job of education and outreach before people start using the drugs and come up with a better way of treating people once they do start using.

Do you have any suggestions or tips for people to start being more environmentally friendly? Something that they can start working on right away?

People need to stop throwing trash out their windows. I can’t believe how fast that builds up along our roadways. I don’t know how many polluters are our tribal members, I hope it’s not much. A lot of our tribal members are good at recycling things, because of the way they’re brought up – our traditional background. Most of our members have learned enough about their culture that they respect our environment and want to protect it, and really aren’t doing the things that the rest of the country does. Unfortunately, other cultures don’t have our background, our respect. I think we’re trying to teach the rest of the world. 

Exactly. And if you get into that position, our voice will be amplified, and you can help speak to those issues on a higher level.

Yes! We really need to treat our environment better. One of the biggest problems is the amount of toxic drugs that end up in our stream system, both prescription drugs or illegal drugs. Your body only absorbs a small portion of what you take-in, and the rest ends up in the sewage system. Since our sewage systems aren’t designed to remove drugs, they end up washing out into our streams and rivers. We can detect levels of certain drugs in the juvenile fish coming out of the rivers; we can detect cocaine levels in our juvenile Chinook – and pretty much every prescription drug can be found in those fish now.  

Now the latest issue has been tire residue. Little rubber pellets wear-off our tires and end up at the storm drain, killing off our juveniles. Coho are actually the most susceptible. We just found out about it during the last year, and it’s really showing up in urban streams. The heavier the traffic is, the higher the concentrations of the tire residue that’s hitting the streams. So, we’re looking at different ways of treating the stormwater to help prevent that residue from affecting our fish. Fortunately, we’re finding some fairly simple ways of doing it, but having to do to every storm drain is going to cost a lot. We’re working on testing out some different techniques in the Nisqually watershed that seem to be working.

The Washington House of Representative District-38 seat represents the Tulalip/Marysville/Everett area, and you are the only tribal member running for that position. Are there other tribal members running for a seat in the other districts throughout the state?

Debra Lekanoff, who’s an Alaskan Native, is holding a seat and currently is the only tribal member in the house. Previously, we had John McCoy, of course, in the Senate and before that he was also in the House. And we had a senator, Claudia Kauffman, who is from the Nez Perce tribe, and has worked for Muckleshoot for many years, she’s running for the Senate again.

Why is it important to have tribal representation in that position?

When John McCoy was there, he was able to really teach legislators about Northwest treaty tribes. When they were drafting bills, they would talk to him and ask him questions about how the bill would affect tribes. He was able to explain to them the tribal view on a lot of those and he was able to do that before the bills became public for others to look at. You get a lot of opportunities to educate other legislators on the issues that concern tribes, and that really makes it easier to get good bills passed.

Are there any important upcoming dates that Tribal membership and our readers should know about?

The ballots should be getting mailed, I believe on July 14^th, and then Election Day for the primary is August 2^nd. We’re scheduling a kick-off event for the campaign at the Tulalip Resort Casino on June 30^th from 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Where can people learn more about your campaign?

They can visit the campaign website, www.ElectDarylWilliams.com. And we also have a Facebook page. We have cards that we will be handing out when we start going door-to-door. 

Is there anything that we didn’t touch-on that you would like to mention?

A lot of tribal members know that I’ve worked for the tribe forever, but it’s important that we have a strong tribal voice in Olympia. With Debra being the only tribal legislator, we really need to have two or three tribal members down there, and hopefully this year we will!

By Kalvin Valdillez, Tulalip News

“The reason Salmon Ceremony is important is because it’s a part of our culture,” said Tulalip tribal member, Josh Fryberg. “We want to preserve it for our future generations while honoring our past generations, who kept the ceremony alive for each and every one of us.”

On the bright and overcast morning of June 11, Tulalip dancers and singers gathered outside of the tribal longhouse. They shared laughter and exchanged many pleasantries while draped in traditional regalia. Cedar-woven hats, headbands, cuffs, waistbands, and jewelry were proudly displayed by the Coast Salish people, as were beautifully designed shawls, vests, ribbon skirts and shirts.

Meanwhile, the community gathered inside the longhouse, and joining them were several members from other tribal nations including Lummi, Swinomish, Quinault and Makah. There were also many non-tribal members in attendance, who wished to learn more about the traditional lifeways of the Tulalip people and witness the important work that is practiced at the start of every fishing season.

The drummers and singers formed a line beginning at the entrance of the cedar-plank building, and at 10:30 a.m. on the dot, they began to sing Harriette Shelton Dover’s Welcome song as they entered the longhouse, circling the fire at the center of the floor twice.

“This ceremony was taken away from us,’ said tribal member, Arielle Valencia. “It’s good that we’re reclaiming it.”

In an attempt to ‘kill the Indian, save the man’, the U.S. Government outlawed cultural and spiritual practices during the early 1900’s. The sduhubš ancestral teachings, language, and traditional way of life were almost completely lost, including the Salmon Ceremony. However, a resilient group of tribal members held onto their teachings while they also endured the horrific boarding school experience. 

After years of keeping that information tucked away safe in their memory banks, they came together in the mid-70’s and recalled the events that took place at the Salmon Ceremony, sparking a revitalization that grows stronger with each passing year. Leading this revival was none other than Harriette Shelton Dover, who passed on the story of the Salmon People and a handful songs that are a major part of the annual ceremony of honor. 

In the early 90’s, Tulalip Leader Bernie ‘Kai Kai’ Gobin shared a retelling of the Salmon People story with the Marysville School District. Kai Kai shared, “The story goes that there is a tribe of Salmon People that live under the sea. And each year, they send out scouts to visit their homeland. And the way that the Snohomish people recognize that it’s time for the salmon scouts to be returning to their area is when, in the spring, a butterfly comes out. And the first person to see that butterfly will run, as fast as they can, to tell our chiefs or headmen, or now they are called the chairman. One of the other ways they recognize that the salmon scouts are returning is when the wild spirea tree blooms. The people call it the ironwood tree, and that’s what they use for fish sticks and a lot of other important things, like halibut hooks. It’s a very hard wood. So, when they see either one of these, a tribal member will tell the chairman, and he immediately sends out word to the people and calls them together in the longhouse for a huge feast and celebration to give honor to the visitors that are coming.”

The current Chairwoman of the Tulalip Tribes, Teri Gobin, has a special connection to the Salmon Ceremony and has attended each gathering since it’s revival, as well as every practice leading to the event each year. 

Teri shared, “My father [Stan Jones Sr.] was one of the main people to work with the elders to bring the Salmon Ceremony back. A lot of these songs were almost lost. It was Harriette Shelton Dover and all these iconic elders that wanted to make sure this was carried on. That was so important. My mom was the one who brought the cakes, and we would visit and write everything down to keep it for future generations. And that’s what’s most important, that these young ones are learning now.”

The future of Tulalip was well-represented at this year’s gathering. Youth of all ages took the ceremony very seriously, recognizing the importance of an event that pays tribute not only to the salmon, but to their identity as the descendants of the sduhubš people. Happy to engage in the cultural experience, each time the kids entered the longhouse they went in focused solely on the work that was taking place, and sang and danced with their all. 

“It’s important that we understand and learn the songs that have been brought back by the elders, the main songs of the ceremony,” stated young tribal member, Image Enick. “The ceremony is also important because I’ve always thought of it as a good way for the young ones to learn the songs, and what it is to see and show respect. And to actually see the young ones go out there and dance.”

Prior to this year’s ceremony, the Tribe began preparing eight-weeks in advance, giving the participants the opportunity to learn all about the traditional ceremony, and build a strong connection to the songs, stories, dances, blessings and chants. The practices were held at the Tulalip Gathering Hall this year and the tribe conducted an entire walkthrough of the Salmon Ceremony at each practice, taking plenty of time to explain to the youth what the dances and songs mean to their people.  

Ten songs and blessings are offered at the Salmon Ceremony and they are performed in the following order:

• The Welcome Song
• Sduhubš War Song
• Eagle/Owl Song (Tribute to Kai Kai)
• Blessing of the Fisherman
• Listen to our Prayers
• hik^w siyab yubəč
• The Happy Song
• Table Blessing Song
• Canoe Song (Kenny Moses Jr.’s Song) 
• New Beginnings Cleansing Song (Glen’s Song)

Halfway through this year’s ceremony, everything came to a sudden halt when Jaxson Gobin, a young Tulalip tribal member, ran into the longhouse after the blessing of the fisherman and the prayer song ended. Bearing good news, Jaxson informed the people of the arrival of a special guest. 

Said Jaxson, “When we sing the prayer song, my grandpa gives me the signal – when to go out. And he tells me when to come back in, which is at the end of the song. Then I yell, the canoe is coming, but isn’t touching the shore yet, with big chief king salmon.”

Hearing of the scout’s arrival at Tulalip Bay, the tribe then began singing hik^w siyab yubəč, as they filed out of the longhouse to greet the first king salmon of the 2022 fishing season. 

“hik^w siyab yubəč is one of the primary Salmon Ceremony songs,” explained Glen Gobin, the Tribe’s official Salmon Ceremony Leader. “We sing this all the way down to the beach once yubəč is here. We sing this to greet our visitor. Once the canoe has landed, and he’s unloaded, he now leads the way. From this point for the rest of the ceremony, he’s at the front, nobody goes in front of him. We sing this all the way to the longhouse and then again when we take him back to the water. We recognize him, give thanks. He is the scout, he comes to see how well we are doing and if we treat him correctly, he’ll tell his people that the Tulalip’s are good people.”

The guest of honor was escorted to the longhouse on a bed of cedar branches and given a tour of where the ceremony takes place, before he was prepared to be shared amongst the entire community together. 

The singers, dancers, and witnesses journeyed from the longhouse to the Greg Williams Court, following behind yubəč. Once everybody found their seat, the Tribe performed the Table Blessing Song, a song that has been passed down through thousands of years, as told by Glen. Then they all took their first bite of salmon together, followed by a drink of cool water. 

“This first piece is representative of us all sharing the blessing of the yubəč,” said Glen as he addressed the participants in the gym. “I ask that we all eat this piece at the same time together. Now, I’m going to ask that we all take our water and drink it together. This clear water represents the purity of life, and the lifegiving waters in which the salmon come from. Now I’m going to ask that we all eat this wonderful meal together.” 

Following the meal, the people brought yubəč’s remains down to the canoe and he was sent back to the Salish Sea to start his journey back to his village, so he could tell the Salmon People how well he was treated by the people of Tulalip. In return, the salmon will frequent the waters of Tulalip Bay this season, where tribal fisherman can catch and bring them into the tribal community, and they can continue providing delicious sustenance for the sduhubš people as they have since time immemorial. 

“Salmon Ceremony is about giving respect to those that come from nature,” Glen reflected. “But it also teaches about giving respect throughout life and honoring those gifts that we get, and respecting our way of life in a good way. Part of that is making sure how we sing the songs, how we conduct ourselves, it teaches how to carry yourself in life. All of the songs have meaning, everything is connected. The songs encourage the people to carry themselves in a good way.”

He continued, “Today was great. The longhouse was full. The floor was extremely full. It’s great to have that problem, to have all the young people circling that floor and still coming through the door. The kids did great. The songs were all together, everything sounded great and everybody looked great. I think the ancestors would be very proud, and are very proud, of the work we are doing.”

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News

Uniquely woven into Native communities, Pendleton Woolen Mills continues to partner with and share traditional Native design and artistry with the world. Known for their vibrant colors and distinctive patterns, Pendleton blankets and jackets have been embraced by the Tulalip Tribes for generations. From graduation gifts to burial shrouds, from decorative wall hangings in tribal member homes to staple items in gift shops of both the Tulalip Resort and Hibulb Cultural Center, Pendleton is synonymous with Native pride and heritage. 

The connection with Tulalip will continue to grow and evolve now that a Pendleton store has officially opened at Seattle Premium Outlets. The iconic wool wears have never been more accessible to the local community with huge discount savings and exclusive tax exemption for Tulalip citizens.

Seventeen-year-old tribal member and soon to be Marysville Getchell graduate, Alaqua Spencer, visited Pendleton on its ceremonial grand opening. She perused many of the store’s offerings before falling in love with a signature zip-front wool jacket. She shared, “This was my first time ever inside a Pendleton store. Seeing all the cool Native designs on so many different items was amazing. I bought a gray and black jacket that I absolutely love.”

Fellow Tulalip citizen Udora Ceja was excited to visit the outlet’s latest addition as well, while her 6- and 5-year-old daughters scurried around, checking out all the colorful purses and handbags. They could be heard arguing over which bag was prettiest, but before coming to an agreement, the 5-year-old darted off after catching a glimpse of a cute pair of baby booties. 

“We were walking around the Outlet and saw the sign saying ‘Pendleton: Now Open’ and we had to check it out,” shared Udora after coming away happy with several purchases. “It was a good opportunity to pick up some cool Father’s Day gifts. I was surprised to see they have so many nice designs and stunning graphics. I didn’t know Pendleton made so many products outside of blankets and jackets. And the prices are really good, too.”

Pendleton has long held connections with wool ranchers across the nation, with some providing wool to Pendleton for nearly a century now. Not only is much of their wool grown in the U.S., it’s also milled in Pendleton’s Oregon and Washington factories. Adding another layer of connectiveness to past Tulalip generations that wove every day garments from mountain goats and the legendary wooly dogs.

Wooly dogs were a specialty breed that the Coast Salish held in high regard, to the point their caretakers kept the coveted source of fur on nearby islands to prevent crossbreeding. The dogs were sheared every summer and their warmth generating wool was used to make protective layers during the winter months. According to local historians, the wooly dog breed went extinct in the early 1900’s. 

In the absence of the wooly dog, sheep quickly became the alternative wool of choice as it’s a natural, durable fabric that can better withstand the natural elements associated with the Pacific Northwest.  Modern wool is one of the most sustainable sources for textile use as fleece regrows every year. Plus, sheep wool naturally resists odor, stains and soiling. 

Since 1909, Pendleton has produced Native-inspired blankets, robes and shawls for tribes across the continent. Today, Pendleton maintains its connection to the Native American population by uplifting Native artists and supporting a variety of Native causes that make a real-world impact. 

In partnership with the American Indian College Fund, Pendleton creates wool blankets whose proceeds are collected and disbursed as college scholarships for the next generation of Native scholars. In fact, Pendleton has provided nearly $1.65 million in higher education support for Native students to date.

Self-taught ledger artist, beader, graphic designer and painter from Montana’s Fort Peck Reservation, Chelysa Owens (Fort Peck Assiniboine & Dakota Sioux) is an American Indian College Fund scholar and 2021 Tribal College Blanket Contest winner. Her art is represented by Pendleton’s ‘Unity’ pattern.

“Pendleton is one of my favorite brands,” she said. “They work with the artist to get the work as close to our vision as possible. I’m living the dream at such a young age because I have always wanted to be a graphic artist. This just adds to my art journey, which is a good feeling. I would like to give a huge thank you to Pendleton Woolen Mills and the American Indian College Fund for giving this amazing opportunity to tribal college students and allowing others and me to showcase our talents and share our visions with you.”

Pendleton is also tied to the Water Is Life movement with their most recent Native artist collaboration. Emma Robbins (Diné) is an artist, community organizer, and Executive Director of the Navajo Water Project. This community-managed utility alternative brings hot and cold running water to homes without access to water or sewer lines. The blanket she designed, the Gather Blanket, costs $279 on the Pendleton website. A portion of each sale goes to support the Navajo Water Project. 

“This is a dream of mine, to work with a company like Pendleton. We grew up with Pendleton all around us, and even though the company isn’t necessarily traditional, it’s such a big part of our tradition,” said Emma to the Navajo Times. “And it’s exciting that we’re working with Pendleton because not only is it good to get those proceeds and get them back home to do running water systems, but also spread the word about the project and water issues and solutions that are being implemented by our people.”

The Northwest based manufacturer of everything wool offers a variety of products that prominently feature Native-inspired designs. Pendleton elevates the voices, work, and representation of tribal college students, artists and impact makers, while providing scholarship opportunities and a variety of products associated with important events.

For the Tulalip community, the long-awaited arrival of a Pendleton store at the local outlet mall means the highest grade of locally sourced, sustainable woolen blankets and jackets will continue to be associated with ceremonial giveaways and rites of passage. Like the tradition of gifting newly minted Tulalip seniors a Pendleton blanket or gifting a high school graduate a Pendleton jacket to rep with pride. This is a relationship sure to thrive even more going forward. 

By Shaelyn Smead; photos by Kalvin Valdillez

Memorial Day is often a heavy day remembering the lost lives of fallen soldiers and veterans, but it also brings a sense of pride and honor to families and friends who once knew them. Much like years in the past, Tulalip community members gathered at the Priest Point Cemetery and the Mission Beach Cemetery to show respect for all the heroes that sacrificed and laid their lives on the line for our people and our country. 

As family and friends arrived at the services, some stopped to surround the gravesite of their loved one; some placing down flowers and mementos representing their life, reflecting on the person that once stood side-by-side with them. American flags were put on display at gravesites to those that have served.

The services were held by the Tulalip Veterans Department, with Board of Director Mel Sheldon guiding those in attendance. 

Mel reflected on the importance of recognizing Memorial Day saying, “When I think of this weekend, I think of all the men and women who served. Whether it be World War 1, World War 2, the Cold War, the Korean War, Vietnam, Iraq, or Afghanistan. We always come together to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Tulalip has a rich history of men and women who have served this country, and we are proud of all our veterans. We remember so we don’t forget.”

Chairwoman Teri Gobin paid special thanks to everyone in attendance, to the fallen soldiers, the veterans who have served, and to those who are still serving. She spoke about her father being a proud Marine, and the admiration for service members he instilled in her. She also paid a special thank you to the groundskeepers and cemetery maintenance crew that prepared the cemeteries for this month.   

Tulalip Veteran Angela Davis spoke and shared her experience of being a veteran, and the bond that she shares with others, “With my uncles, father, and grandparents all being a part of the military, I knew from an early age that I wanted to serve. Being in the military, for some of us it’s a choice to join, but for others, it chooses them. There’s many different paths that you can choose from, whether it’s to be a politician, or a police officer, education, or preserving culture, we all have a servant’s heart. We want to give to our community and to our people.”

Many notable moments took place to pay tribute to the Gold Star mothers, fathers, families, and friends of fallen soldiers and veterans, acknowledging the sacrifice they too have made, and the pain that they have endured. 

Native American culture has always encompassed a warrior identity. Tulalip veteran Cyrus “Cy” Hatch III exemplified this culture by holding roll call of the 247 fallen soldier and veteran names. A sense of honor and esteem swept over the tribal community members in attendance.

Ending the service was the Tulalip Honor Guard with a 21-gun salute, representing that Tulalip will always remember, so we don’t forget.

By Kalvin Valdillez, Tulalip News

“The elders taught us that we always need to be listening because some day you’ll be tapped on the shoulder to say something, to take over or lead something, and you need to be prepared,” said Tulalip tribal member, Glen Gobin. “Back in 1968, before the revival, they wanted the youth, which at the time included myself and my siblings, to start to learn some of the songs that we still use as part of the Salmon Ceremony today – the welcome song, the happy song. We were taught those songs at early age and I always felt honored to be a part of that.”

With less than a month to go, the tribal community of Tulalip continues to prepare for their annual Salmon Ceremony gathering, which will be held this year on Saturday June 11, beginning at 10:30 a.m. at the Tulalip Longhouse. Over the past four weeks, dancers, drummers and speakers have been getting reacquainted with their traditional songs by participating in weekly practice sessions, starting at 5:00 p.m., every Thursday.

The practices have been hosted at the Tulalip Gathering Hall, however, the final practice on June 9^th will be held at the longhouse. During the approximate two-hour practice session, the tribe takes time to walkthrough the entire Salmon Ceremony from top to bottom, so the people can really get an understanding about what the songs and dances mean to the tribe, and why they are offered each year. 

“I love being at the center of the longhouse when we’re all in there together and we all sing [The Prayer Song] for the first time,” Glen expressed. “The power of song with all our voices is very moving, you can feel it inside you. I try to get the kids to feel that – the power of our voices. It gives you strength and encouragement and it also makes you feel that you belong, that you fit in.”

Revived back in the mid-70’s, the Salmon Ceremony has become a staple tradition at the start of each fishing season for the people of Tulalip. During the ceremony, the tribe welcomes and honors the first king salmon to arrive at local waters. The ceremony also serves as a way to provide the fishermen of the tribe with a blessing before they hit the Salish Sea to harvest salmon for their people. 

Prior to the assimilation era, the Salmon Ceremony was practiced by the Snohomish people since time immemorial. The ceremony was brought back in an historic effort by Harriette Shelton Dover and a handful of elders who were able to recall the songs and dances that were performed at the event. Those songs and dances were then passed on to the next generation. And ever since, the tribe has passed down the teachings year by year to the future of Tulalip.

Many Salmon Ceremony participants will be the first to tell that the practices leading up to the actual ceremony are equally important as the special day of honoring itself. Tribal leaders are welcoming the entire community out to the remaining practices, four in-total before the big day. 

In 2020, for the first time since the revival, the Salmon Ceremony and all the practices were canceled due to the pandemic. In 2021, the tribe brought the ceremony back, but in an effort to limit the spread of COVID, there were no practices leading to the event. These important practices, where traditions are handed down to the next generations, were canceled for two straight years in a row, and the participants felt as if a significant piece to the ceremony was left out. Now with the return of the practices, the people feel a stronger connection to the songs, dances and stories that will be shared at the ceremony.

Said Glen, “It’s about giving respect to those that come from nature. But it also teaches about giving respect throughout life and honoring those gifts that we get and respecting our way of life in a good way. Part of that is making sure how we sing the songs, how we conduct ourselves, it teaches how to carry yourself in life. All of the songs have meaning, everything is connected. The songs encourage the people to carry themselves in a good way.”

In anticipation of the Salmon Ceremony, Tulalip News has been featuring a weekly mini-series focused on the all the important work that goes into the annual event. Over the past four weeks, we took a deeper look into the ceremony, highlighting its history and stories. This week, we sat down with Glen, the official Salmon Ceremony Leader, a title handed down from the late Stan ‘Scho-Hallem’ Jones and Bernie ‘Kai Kai’ Gobin, to go over the eleven songs, blessing and chants that are offered at the ceremony each and every year.

The Welcome Song

Glen: “The Welcome Song is well-known and it is Harriette Shelton Dover’s song. For a long time, when we sang her song, Harriette was the only one in front of everyone, with the strongest drummers and singers following behind her. Now we have four elders leading us, typically two times around the longhouse, to start the ceremony.”

Sduhubš War Song

“This is where all our young warriors line up with their spears. A while ago, I was back at D.C. at the National Archives building. In some of the writings there is a record of this song, the sduhubš war song. And it tells what the meaning is: I am Sduhubš, I am a fierce warrior. I have nothing but friends, for I have already killed all our enemies.”

Eagle/Owl Song (Tribute to Kai Kai)

“You know, Stan always called it the Eagle/Owl song, but nowhere in the song do we sing about the eagle. But anyway, it’s a Jones family song and he gave it to the ceremony. Scho-Hallem gathered Kai Kai, because they grew strength from each other and prayed for each other. Kai Kai was my father, him and Scho-Hallem were very close friends. They were very strong leaders for our tribe. They worked together as a team for our tribe to help us move forward to where we are today.”

Blessing Song

“The blessing of the fishermen! This was a song that was gifted to Stan and my dad by a lady named Bev Tom. It is about remembering your ancestors and remembering where you come from. It’s a blessing of the fishermen to wish them good luck and a safe season.”

Listen to our Prayers

“I love being at the center of the longhouse when we’re all in there together and we all sing this for the first time. The power of song with all our voices is very moving, you can feel it inside you.”

hik^w siyab yubəč

“This song is one of the primary Salmon Ceremony songs. These are all prayer songs. We sing this all the way down to the beach, once yubəč is here. We sing this to greet our visitor. Once the canoe has landed, and he’s unloaded, he now leads the way. From this point for the rest of the ceremony, he’s at the front, nobody goes in front of him. We sing this all the way to the longhouse and then again when we take him back to the water. We recognize him, give thanks. He is the scout, he comes to see how well we are doing and if we treat him correctly, he’ll tell his people that the Tulalip’s are good people.”

Happy Song

“This is a crowd favorite where the Shawl Dance is performed. Back in 1968, before the revival, they wanted the youth, which at the time included myself and my siblings, to start to learn some of the songs that we still use as part of the Salmon Ceremony today – the welcome song, the happy song. 

We were taught those songs at early age and I always felt honored to be a part of that. All of the songs have meaning, everything is connected. The songs encourage the people to carry themselves in a good way. And that goes back to the sduhubš people, we were always considered high class. But not high class like I’m better than you. Others viewed our people as siyab, high class people, because the way we carried our people.”

Table Blessing Song

“The table blessing song is thousands of years old, it’s been around that long and that’s how it was shared with us. It’s a very powerful song. It’s not often that you have a prayer song that has that fast of a beat, that you sing it that loud. Maybe it’s a joyous prayer. We all take a small piece of fish and eat the guest at the same time. Then we all take a drink of a half-glass of water together at the same time.”

Canoe Song (Kenny Moses Jr.’s Song) & New Beginnings Cleansing Song (Glen’s Song)

“Through the years we added some songs at the end. It used to end to stop at hik^w siyab yubəč, but then the canoes still had to paddle out. That’s when Kenny’s song came. We started singing Kenny’s song for the canoe returning to the shore once more. 

But then the girls wanted another song that they could dance to, because they didn’t want to leave, so I shared my song at the end. It’s a song of cleansing and new beginnings. It’s about, as you walk through life, you gather up all these things and you hang on to them. At different times you need to start to release them, because either some of those things start to bother you or you no longer need them so you release those things and only keeps what gives you strength and keeps you going. So you’re starting over again, that new beginning and you’re cleansing by releasing what doesn’t serve you.

When that song came to me, it was weird because I never thought I would receive a song. We were doing some spiritual work, canoes were put away for a year, we brought them back out and brushed them off and put them in the water. We were coming back by the longhouse and I was coming up the hill and the song started coming to me like a ton of bricks. I got home and sang it for about two hours. I drove around all week, singing it all the time. It wouldn’t leave. So finally I called Kenny Moses Jr. He came up to my dad’s house and I sang it there. He asked me about what I was thinking of and feeling at the time. It’s kind of a cleansing song about new beginnings.”

By Kalvin Valdillez; photos by Sarah Jean Hart and Monie Ordonia

Red dresses and shirts hauntingly waved in the wind on MMIWP Awareness Day throughout the reservation of Tulalip. Hanging up on road signs, fences, and even on the Tulalip reader board, the red garments were placed in highly visible areas for local traffic and pedestrians to see, bringing attention to the nationwide epidemic.

“I felt like it was work that had to be done,” said organizer and Tulalip tribal member, Sarah Jean Hart. “I started last year and knew it was something I wanted to do every year. I feel like today, May 5^th, is more than just the education piece and the prevention piece, but more so an opportunity to uplift our families and let them know that we’re here for them and that we love them, and to honor the ones who have not come home.”

Inspired by a 2010 art exhibit, called the REDress project, red dresses have become a nationally known symbol for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women movement. The empty articles of clothing provide a powerful image. The dresses are often displayed in an upright position, giving off the illusion that they are in current use, but the people wearing them appear to be missing. 

Since their first art exhibit, the REDress project helped raise awareness about the devastating epidemic over the past decade, while also providing a new and creative way for the Indigenous population to bring attention to the MMIWP movement in their respective tribal communities throughout Canada and the U.S. 

Sarah first brought the project to Tulalip in 2021, and after multiple people approached her and inquired about the dresses, she decided to make this an annual tradition in commemoration of MMIWP Awareness Day. With the help of fellow tribal member, Monie Ordonia, Sarah spent over six hours the day beforehand hanging the dresses and shirts along Marine Drive and in Tulalip neighborhoods. 

The red dresses and shirts were accompanied with hand-painted signs that read messages such as: No More Stolen Sisters & Brothers, Rise Up and Protect Our Brothers and Sisters, Remember Them and Say Their Names. A few pieces of clothing also displayed messages – in white paint were the names of those individuals who fell victim to this MMIWP epidemic and called Tulalip home – including Kyle Van Jones, Jr. Lacy, Bridgette Simpson, Jessica Jones and May Ellen Davis. 

Sarah shared, “A few years ago, it started to really hit home – how many of our own women, not only our women but our brothers too, started going missing. There was no justice for my cousin and so I just knew that we needed to do something. For me to light a candle wherever I put a dress, that’s me letting them know that this is your way home and we’re here waiting for you and we love you.”

In a Facebook post following MMIWP Awareness Day, Sarah also shared, “Our hearts are always in prayer for our MMIW & MMIP. Our loved ones taken too soon. We remember, honor and love you always.”