Recently, an inside source reached out to Tulalip News in hopes to pass a message to the all the kids living on the reservation. According to this source, who is definitely not a dalmatian named Sparky the Fire Dog, the one and only Easter Bunny will be returning to Tulalip on Saturday March 30, to deliver toys and sweets to the children of the tribal community!
Now the translation is a little ruff ruff, but the same source also revealed that Tulalip happens to be one of the Easter Bunny’s favorite places to visit, and he cannot wait to greet the kiddos with a big hug or an awesome high-five this year. The source, who has been spot-on with this information, also shared that the Easter Bunny is excited to reunite and join forces with his bestest pal in the whole wide world, Sparky the Fire Dog, once again.
This is the fourth year in a row that the bunny and dalmatian duo have teamed up to bring smiles to the kiddos on the reservation, in what has become known locally as the annual Easter Run. The event was originally started to help bring back a sense of normalcy during the height pandemic, in a way that was both fun and safe, to limit the spread of COVID.
The Easter Run was such a big hit amongst both the youth and elders of the tribe that the local non-profit group, Together We’re Better, that organized the event, decided to bring it back year after year, even after gathering restrictions were lifted.
Together We’re Better partnered with the Tulalip Bay Fire Department and the local group Aunties in Action for the event. The large collective spends an entire day walking through each neighborhood located within the fire district’s area of service to deliver goodies to the kids alongside Sparky and the Easter Bunny. This year, in addition to the Mission Highlands, Silver Village, Larry Price Loop/ Ezra Hatch, Battle Creek, and Y-site neighborhoods, the group will also be visiting three new sites including Levi Lamont (Quil #1), 81st (Quil #2), and 77th (Quil Meadows).
The collective will begin at Mission Highlands at 12:00 p.m. and work their way through the reservation throughout the course of the day. Their official schedule, which is subject to change depending on time spent in each neighborhood, reads as follows:
Mission Highlands: 12:00
Silver Village: 12:30
Larry Price Loop/Ezra Hatch: 1:00
Battlecreek: 1:30
Y-Site: 2:00
Village of Hope 2:30
Quil #1: Levi Lamont: 3:00
Quil #2: 81st: 3:30
Quil Meadows: 77th: 4:00
The Easter Run is quickly becoming one of the more popular events at Tulalip, and after each visit, the children are sure to leave with a good amount of treats and happy memories.
So, to all the local children, 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 and Sparky the Fire Dog in-person. And parents, bring your cameras and/or cell phones to capture a photo with your kiddos and the beloved characters.
Following last year’s Easter Run, Together We’re Better Founder, Malory Simpson, expressed, “Giving back to the community always feels really good. This is all community effort; it makes my heart happy to see the community coming together to take care of each other. I just love it. The smiles and laughter make you feel really good inside. Just seeing the kids get excited is one of the best things about the event. It’s pretty fun to see all of their reactions and see how happy the kids are to spend some time with the Easter Bunny and Sparky.”
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 about this year’s Easter Run, please contact Natosha Gobin at (425) 319-4416.
Weaving cedar is a tradition long passed down amongst the sduhubš people. A tribe always attuned with the natural world, Tulalip’s ancestors practiced this art to tailor skirts, shirts, headbands, and baskets pre-contact. The teaching has been passed down through numerous generations and the art of weaving, and the work that goes into it, is still prominent in present day Tulalip. In fact, if one were to attend a cultural gathering, there would be dozens of examples of handmade cedar-woven items, which tribal members proudly adorn to showcase their heritage, teachings, and cultural pride.
During graduation season, it is common to see Tulalip graduates rocking a cedar woven cap as they accept their diplomas. And it’s a longstanding tradition that the preschoolers of the Betty J. Taylor Early Learning Academy weave their very own cedar headbands, with the help of their families, to wear at their moving up ceremony in August.
Ever since its establishment, it has been TELA’s M.O. to introduce cultural practices to the future of Tulalip at a very young age. The idea is that the children will develop a strong foundation to continue to learn, share, and progress the Tribe’s ancestral way of life by the time they are ready to make the transition to the big kids school.
TELA is reaching out to the community and seeking assistance in keeping their cedar headband weaving tradition alive. With approximately 80 preschool students graduating this coming summer, TELA is in need of at least two bundles of cedar bark, that has been drying for one year. However, TELA welcomes all donations and hopes that they can actually acquire more than the two rolls needed to complete the project.
Knowing how integral weaving is to Tulalip culture, TELA is looking to expand this teaching to all of their students and families by hosting weaving classes during their family engagement nights. Additionally, TELA has recently incorporated weaving into their family therapy sessions, in which a handful of families participate in monthly gatherings led by the academy’s mental health specialists.
After Tulalip News shared TELA’s donation request flyer to our Facebook page, many community members helped spread the word by sharing the post and tagging people who may be of assistance to TELA’s cause. One Facebooker suggested that TELA should reach out to the Rediscovery Program. Absyde Dacoscos, TELA Family Engagement Coordinator, shared that she was thankful for the suggestion and hopes that Virginia Jones would be open to instruct a class if TELA is able to obtain enough cedar bark donations from the community.
That same Facebook post also led to an opportunity for their students and families to learn about stripping cedar bark, as a Facebook scroller invited the academy to harvest cedar bark from trees on their property for any future projects, as cedar bark needs time, at least one year, to dry before it can be utilized in weavings.
Said Absyde, “It’s important to keep the Tulalip culture alive and to make sure the traditions are passed on to the kids. We need bark that has been dried properly for at least a year. Mostly for our preschool graduates. That is our number one concern right now, to make sure they get headbands for the graduation ceremony in August. One to two rolls at least for headbands, but we’re willing to accept any amount, so we can hopefully do the weaving nights as well.”
Donations can be made in-person at the Betty J. Taylor Early Learning Academy. For additional information, please contact Absyde at (360) 716-4250.
A momentous day unfolded for the people of Tulalip and all Indigenous communities in Washington State as Governor Jay Inslee visited the Tulalip Resort Casino on March 19 to sign several new house bills. These bills not only enhance the recognition and education of the Native community but also allocate additional resources and aid to assist tribal communities grappling with the drug epidemic.
The occasion wouldn’t have been possible had it not been for one of Tulalip’s greatest champions of the people, the late John McCoy (lulilas). John loved his people and his country, and because of this, he served 20 years in the Air Force, became a computer programmer, and worked in U.S. President Ronald Reagan’s situation room in the white house. In 2002, he ran for Washington State Senate and won. There, he served ten years in the Washington House of Representatives after being appointed to the State Senate, representing the 38th Legislative District.
One highlighted bill was No. 1879, Since Time Immemorial Curriculum, a testament to John’s dedication. This meticulously developed curriculum aims to teach about the Indigenous tribes of Washington State accurately. It marks the first instance of the Legislature incorporating Lushootseed language into State law. The bill explicitly acknowledges John McCoy’s tireless and visionary efforts in supporting student and educator learning about the history, culture, and government of federally recognized Indian tribes in the Pacific Northwest.
In 2005, John sponsored Substitute House Bill No. 1495 to compile comprehensive information on tribal history, culture, and government statewide. This initiative sought to integrate these vital aspects into the social studies curriculum, particularly in courses covering the history of Washington and the United States. Due to McCoy’s diligent efforts, the Legislature will pay tribute to him by naming the curriculum the John McCoy (lulilas) Since Time Immemorial Curriculum.
“In Washington D.C, he broke down barriers, built bridges, and educated tribals and non-tribals alike about the challenges faced in Indian Country,” said Tulalip Tribes Chairwoman Teri Gobin. “He had national recognition for being an innovative and visionary leader and bringing the Legislature forward not only for the tribe but also for the state of Washington and all of Indian Country. Our children are benefiting from what he has fought to bring to this State.”
“John sponsored the foundational Legislation that led to the teaching of the curriculum on tribal history, government, and culture in our schools,” Governor Jay Inslee said. “This is also the first time the Legislature will incorporate the Lushootseed language into law in the history of the State of Washington.”
“My dad fought for everyone, not just the people in Washington State but for all Indian Country,” John McCoy’s daughter Sheila Hillarie said. “He worked that bill to help his grandchildren. There were mostly plains Indians, and that was talked about in school when I was growing up. There was nothing about the coastal Natives. So, I feel that this Bill John McCoy (lulilas) Since Time Immemorial Curriculum will help educate the people on the culture and knowledge of tribes.”
The legacy of John McCoy is a beacon of advocacy and progress for the Tulalip community and all Indigenous peoples across Washington State. His tireless dedication to education, culture, and tribal sovereignty has left an indelible mark on Legislation and learning. As we move forward, let us continue to honor his memory by embracing the rich heritage and wisdom of our native communities, ensuring a brighter future for generations to come.
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House Bill No. 1879 – Relating to naming the curriculum used to inform students about tribal history, culture, and government after John McCoy (Lulilas). Primary Sponsor: Rep. Lekanoff
Third Substitute House Bill No. 1228 – Relating to building a multilingual, multiliterate Washington through dual and tribal language education. Primary Sponsor: Rep. Ortiz-Self
Engrossed Substitute House Bill No. 2019 – Relating to establishing a Native American apprentice assistance program. Primary Sponsor: Rep Steams
Substitute House Bill No. 2075 – Relating to licensing of Indian health care providers as establishments Primary Sponsor: Rep. Lekanoff
Substitute House Bill No. 2335 – Relating to state-tribal education compacts. Primary Sponsor: Rep. Santos
Substitute Senate Bill No. 6146 – Relating to tribal warrants. Primary Sponsor: Rep. Dhingra
Substitute Senate Bill No. 6186 – Relating to Disclosure of recipient information to the Washington state patrol for purposes of locating missing and murdered indigenous women and other missing and murdered indigenous persons. Primary Sponsor: Rep. Kauffman
Second Substitute House Bill No. 1877 – Relating to improving the Washington state behavioral health system for better coordination and recognition with the Indian behavioral health system. Primary Sponsor: Rep. Lekanoff
Substitute Senate Bill No. 6099 – Relating to creating tribal opioid prevention and treatment account. Primary Sponsor: Sen Dhingra
Totem Middle School’s gym reverberated with unity in a crescendo of joyous energy as the Marysville School District and Tulalip Indian Education came together to host a vibrant round dance for students and families. With over 200 attendees on Thursday, March 7, the event echoed with feelings of love and celebration.
MC Randy Vendiola, the evening’s announcer, conveyed the essence of the gathering, stating, “The round dance is a celebration of our way of life, fostering strength within our community. These songs are for all the good people and all those who need healing. We are all equal.”
The round dance moves in the same direction as the earth in a clockwise circle. The drummers play in the middle, and the dancers form a circle around them, hopping one foot and sliding the other in rhythm to the drum beat. Everyone from the community was encouraged to join in the dance, and several families from different backgrounds joined the round dance for the first time.
“I enjoyed the evening,” said Ervanna LittleEagle of Warm Springs, Oregon. “It’s beautiful to see all the drummers and all the young ones being mentored by the older ones. I think it’s important to share our culture with people that aren’t Native. There is a lot of representation happening in different arenas right now, and I think that having this space for different cultures to come together and experience our customs helps us sustain our way of life.”
“This was my first-round dance,” student and tribal member Ellashawnee Gorham-Dumont said. “Having powwows like this is special to me. Seeing how other people dance and make friends is cool. I think it’s difficult to share our culture with people. You must teach them and get them to understand why we do what we do and respect our ways of doing things. They must be willing to learn.”
The sense of community and cultural celebration blended seamlessly in the rhythmic circle of the round dance. With participants from various backgrounds, the dance became a powerful expression of unity and highlighted the importance of cultural exchange and understanding.
By Kalvin Valdillez, Tulalip News; photos courtesy of Tulalip Tribes Natural Resources
Last week, we saw problematic journalism about Tulalip by the King 5 media team. The story highlighted a culvert and road collapse on 12th Avenue NW, within the Battle Creek neighborhood on the Tulalip reservation. The footage showed residents of the Aqua Hills Homeowners Association blaming the Tribe while simultaneously asking for the Tribe’s assistance to remedy the issue.
On the afternoon of March 1, heavy rainfall led to flooding which caused a decrepit culvert and the private road above it to wash out. The angle the media team chose to take was, of course, sympathetic to the approximate 20 affected families. However, they neglected to provide context. Tulalip has a long history of offering help and being turned away by Aqua Hills residents. The Tribe responded to this situation immediately, ensuring the residents were safe and had drinkable water, despite being met with hostility by the HOA on numerous occasions.
Moving forward in this article, it is important to understand that the Tulalip Tribes has zero responsibility in the maintenance of 12th Avenue NW. Although the road and the neighborhood are located within the boundaries of the Tulalip reservation, this is a privately owned and operated road, and its proper care and upkeep is the sole responsibility of the Aqua Hills HOA.
This particular instance is a prime example of how Native sovereignty is consistently undermined and exploited by non-Natives who choose to buy property and reside on reservations all throughout the country, without acknowledging or following any of the respective tribe’s laws, rules, or regulations.
The Tribe issued a detailed media release pertaining to the collapse on March 5, which explained that back in 2013, Tulalip notified the HOA that the culvert which caused the flood was inadequate and needed to be replaced. The Tribe also expressed an interest in working together with the HOA to get a properly sized culvert installed. The HOA did not share the same interest at the time and failed to take action following the Tribe’s initial recommendation.
Nine years later, in 2022, the Aqua Hills HOA reached out to the Tribe and asked for their help in removing beavers in their area through Tulalip’s beaver relocation project. After agreeing to relocate the beavers living along the Battle Creek marshes, the Tribe’s Natural Resources Department was met with conflict as one of the HOA property owners denied them access to their land and threatened to take legal action if the Tribe continued with the relocation effort.
The media release also spoke about how the Tribe has been on the scene and made a handful of their various departments available to assist with the road closure, whether that’s through surveying the damage, restoring potable water to the residents, or ensuring that the homeowners are not physically trapped within the enclosed area.
Out of the entire detailed media release, King 5 chose to share just one section of it in their article about 12th Avenue NW:
“The non-native residents are asking Tulalip to replace private infrastructure that is the homeowners’ responsibility, at the Tribe’s expense, and for the benefit of a handful of landowners…Tulalip will continue to work with the HOA to arrive at a quick and effective solution to this crisis because of the Tribes’ values.”
Let’s spend a second here because balanced journalism, which shares both sides of story, is important especially when dealing with tribal sovereignty. This statement, although true, was altered to villainize the Tribe and help push the homeowner’s narrative that it’s the Tribes obligation to fix the culvert and road. In total, four paragraphs that explained how the HOA got themselves in this predicament and burnt bridges with the Tribe were ignored and not mentioned whatsoever in the article. And the portion that was included, has key statements missing, that ultimately misleads readers about the situation. The original statement reads as follows, with the sentences that were excerpted in italics:
“Tulalip neither owns nor collects taxes to maintain these parcels. The non-native residents are asking Tulalip to replace private infrastructure that is the homeowners’ responsibility, at the Tribe’s expense, and for the benefit of a handful of landowners. They have been aware of the vulnerability for a decade and have not addressed the issues that led to this problem. Tulalip will continue to work with the HOA to arrive at a quick and effective solution to this crisis because of the Tribes’ values – not because it has a responsibility to rectify problems caused by private non-member landowners.”
It is upsetting that a Tribe that has done so much good throughout the region, that has consistently given back and has routinely helped build up the local community, were portrayed as negligent, unwilling to help, and at fault for the incident on 12th Ave NW, when in fact it is the complete opposite of the situation.
This is dangerous because the news station is making a conscience decision to exclude the Tribe’s voice on a story where they were attacked on-air and in-print, regardless of their efforts to help these individuals and families over the past 11 years.
Since King 5 chose to silence Tulalip leadership and those who are monitoring the road closure closely, we wanted to share their perspective in this article, where they can provide insight to the collapse of 12th Ave NW.
Teri Gobin, Tulalip Chairwoman
12th Avenue NW is a privately owned road. The Tribe does not own it and we do not have any responsibility to fix it. What happened there is a private owner of the land had a culvert there, that was undersized. And actually, our natural resource people told them years ago, that it was failing, that they should do something about it. The owner of it told us that the Tribe had no jurisdiction, being it was on his private land, and asked us to leave.
If this were to happen two weeks later, it would have wiped out a chum run. We were getting ready to bring our fingerlings down there. It would have wiped out that run, and who’s responsibility would that have been?
They have been warned that this culvert was bad. And they did nothing about it.
They don’t want anything to do with the Tribe until when they need the Tribe, and they think the Tribe will take care of that. It’s not our responsibility.
Carson Cooper, Tulalip Managing Attorney
We have a mix in the types of roads that are located here on the reservation. There are really three types. There are roads that are maintained and owned by Snohomish County. There are tribal roads that are owned and maintained by Tulalip Tribes. And then there are private roads, which are roads that individual communities have decided they want to restrict access to.
The road that goes over Battle Creek is a private road. It’s the responsibility of Aqua Hills Homeowners Association. What that means is that they are responsible for maintaining both the road and the culvert. They originally funded that road. They did the construction. They put in the culvert without the involvement of Tulalip Tribes, and they’re responsible for maintaining it and making sure it’s in good shape.
Ryan Miller, Tulalip Director of Treaty Rights and Government Affairs
I think it’s really important for people to understand that originally, reservations were set aside for tribes, and they were collectively owned by the tribal government. It wasn’t until the allotment era that those reservations were broken up into individual Indian allotments. And that’s how we ended up in this situation, that we have with checkerboard reservations. There are examples of Indian women who had an allotment, and they received some kind of government funding, and the government said you can’t be a property owner and receive welfare from the state, so now you have to sell your property and pay it back. There are lots of different times when the BIA, that’s supposed to hold that land and trust for the benefit of tribal members, mismanaged the money, mismanaged the land, leased the land to be logged or mined, or some other use, and never gave the money to that person. And that person ended up having to sell the land. That created the start of this adversarial relationship between non-Indian people and Indian people on the reservation. And as Snohomish County got bigger, those jurisdictional questions expanded. Environmental rules and permitting for homes and things like that, that didn’t exist prior, became more and more of a problem.
When we have a catastrophic event like this, especially if there are fish in the water, one of the number one things that we worry about is turbidity. So, you get a lot of sediment stirred up in the water, it becomes a part of the water column and fish can get that into their gills and it kills them. So that’s kind of the number one immediate threat. And also, there’s the threat of this large volume of water coming out all at one time, which could push the fish out into the saltwater before they’re ready. Which could again kill them because they need time to adjust. They need to get in that mixture of salt and freshwater, and they go through some physical changes in their scales that helps protect them from saltwater, it’s part of the biology of anadromous fish.
So, those are the immediate threats. And then the long-term threats are – if this culvert doesn’t get repaired properly, it could cause significant water quality challenges into the future for temperature, for flows, depending on if there may be chemicals or other things within the structure that could cause problems downstream. Those are kind of the main risks. And until it’s fixed, we can’t put fish in this facility, because there’s always the threat that the culvert itself could move downstream. It could have significant impacts on the lungs of fish, of their gills. It could burn them, it could burn their skin, it could delay or inhibit their ability to go through the smelting process which is what they need to do in order to get into the saltwater.
Sam Davis, Tulalip Tribes COO
We had a culvert fail. That happened around 3:00 p.m. or 4:00 p.m. on Friday and we responded through most of the night. We had our emergency management there, Snohomish County emergency management there, so we had the all the response teams ready to go.
It had a very big impact on Battle Creek and flooded out our chum hatchery. We do have a major chum hatchery downstream, so our gauges that are in Battle Creek went off the chart. We had four to six feet of excess water above where it normally is, so that was really where our strategy was, to look at our areas downstream.
As a Tulalip member and a lifelong citizen up of Tulalip, it’s been disturbing to look in the news media and have these people pointing their fingers at Tulalip like we’re somehow to blame for their lack of maintenance on their asset and their inventory in the road.
We would like to be good neighbors, but when somebody is bad mouthing us that much in the in the media, in the press, it hurts a little bit, and it makes us a little angry. It’s pretty simple – this is the private road owned by an HOA. It’s laid out in a legally binding document. And now that they don’t have anywhere to go, they want to point fingers at us, and that’s the wrong thing to do.
A unique documentary series featuring the voices of Indigenous climate justice leaders was previewed by ecstatic Hibulb patrons as they sat intently in the cultural center’s makeshift longhouse turned film screening room on a winter afternoon. The one-of-a-kind digital storytelling series is titled Facing The Storm; an ode to the mighty buffalo who don’t cower from a storm, but instead charge into it head on.
“It is my honor to introduce Mikayla Gingrey, a flourishing film maker, and her talented assistant, her mother Marya Gingrey. Both are descendants of the Apache nation,” stated Last Real Indians contributor, Rae Rose. “I have been invited to introduce the upcoming docuseries, Facing The Storm: The Indigenous Response to Climate Change, an Aminata Multimedia Group docuseries.
“Mikayla is using her talent to highlight and document the important stories that often get overlooked, the struggles, the heartbreaking losses, along with the love, and sometimes overlooked triumphs of ordinary people doing extraordinary things.
“These films will highlight Indigenous leaders, activists, and community members who are working towards our collective future,” she continued. “This series is our chance to spotlight the achievements, not usually acknowledged in mainstream media. It is also an important chance to give voice to and shine a light on those who are working to combat climate crisis, and to those providing spaces for healing and growth in our indigenous communities. All with the hope of creating real and lasting change.”
An estimated 70 people filled the longhouse sits, while others willingly stood near the entrance way just to glimpse two parts of the five-part docuseries.
The first episode covered the divestment movement of large financial institutions (think Bank of America and Wells Fargo) who are the primary backers of oil pipelines. Illuminating the people and organizers that became Mazaska Talks, the filmmaker focused on the Indigenous-led Seattle campaign to get the city of Seattle to divest from Wells Fargo.
“When we took on the city of Seattle, so many people reached out from all around the globe who were interested in running similar campaigns on their homelands. This showed us how valuable our work was to the cause and the importance of sharing it online and through social media in order to get the word out through whatever means necessary. We knew the mainstream media wouldn’t tell the story from our perspective,” explained Lakota activist and local Marysville School District Indian Education coordinator, Matt Remle. His tireless activism was instrumental to Seattle officially divesting from Wells Fargo in 2020.
Divestment has proven an historically successful means of resistance for disenfranchised people around the world. South Africa, Sudan, and Burma are just a few places where it has seen success. Divestment is not a magic bullet, but it is a powerful tool to challenge the status quo of placing profits over people. These same banks are backing the new expansion of the DAPL system into the Bayou Bridge pipeline, as well as four proposed tar sands pipelines that together would add over three million barrels of the dirtiest oil in the world to flow across turtle island every single day:
Keystone XL (TransCanada) – 830,000 barrels per day
TransMountain (Kinder Morgan) – expansion from 300,000 to 890,000 barrels per day
Line 3 (Enbridge) – expansion from 390,000 to 915,000 barrels per day
Energy East (TransCanada) – 1.1 million barrels per day
“While first peoples own, occupy or use 25% of the world’s surface area, we safeguard 80% of the world’s remaining biodiversity. Our identity is in the landscape–the mountains, the rivers, the plants, and the animals. For this reason, we are in a unique position to advocate for the ecosystem our shared human existence,” further explained Matt to the longhouse audience. “But if we are to preserve the Earth as a home for all future generations, we need everyone to help us restore Indigenous and environmental rights. That is where divestment comes in. That is where you come in.”
To learn more about the grass roots movement and how you can support them by divesting from specific financial institutions, please visit MazaskaTalks.org
The second episode of Facing The Storm focused on food sovereignty and how it sustains culture, identity, and positive health outcomes. It tied together the Water Is Life movement with the simple fact salmon is a first and foremost food source for Coast Salish peoples. The episode beautifully wove together teachings from Coast Salish ceremonies and other cultural events that are dedicated to salmon to depict the ancestrally deep roots the tribes have with their land and local waterways.
Although not shown at Hibulb, the filmmaker shared with the still captivated for more attendees that episode three covers the relocation of Quinault’s main village and that episode four is about Tulalip citizen Kayah George and her ongoing resistance movement towards the Trans Mountain Pipeline in Vancouver, B.C.
Following a raucous applause for the contemporary storyteller as the Hibulb film session ended, Mikayla Gingrey took a moment to reflect on the importance of sharing her works on Native land, such as Tulalip.
“It means so much to me to be able to debut the second episode of my series here in Tulalip,” said the thought provoking 25-year-old Mikayla. “My goal for this project is to inspire the next generation of climate justice warriors. In that spirit, to show the series here, I feel honors and pays tribute to the past and present generation of warriors from this region.
“Also, Matt Remle is such a huge mentor to me. He’s built such a strong connection to the Tulalip people through his work in education, and together we share the same mission to educate and inspire the younger people,” she continued. “It’s so important they be empowered and inspired to carry on this legacy of defending Mother Earth, defending the sacred, and defending a basic human right to have clean air and clean water. There’s a space for everyone in the climate justice fight and I want everyone to walk away from the series knowing you can do something, whether its big or small, it all makes an impact.”
On Friday, March 1, the Greg Williams court was transformed into a public forum in order to showcase enthusiastic candidates running for the two Board of Director seats up for grabs at the upcoming General Council election.
An estimated 50 Tulalip citizens were in attendance, sitting tolerantly in the spacious setting, while another 60 or so households tuned in from the comfort of home while livestreaming on iAmTulalip.com.
Three in-person audience members, each representing a different generation of life experience, were willing to participate in a pre and post forum dialogue to help us better understand why they attended, what they hoped to learn, and, generally, how the forum informed their voting practice, if any. Representing the Baby Boomers was elder Lena Hammons. Representing Generation X was Deborah Parker, a former tribal councilmember and current chief executive of the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition. Representing Generation Z was Youth Council chairwoman Faith Valencia.
“I’m here to learn who I would vote for, but also I’m attending to learn more about dynamics of how these forums go, like what exactly happens here. I’m hoping to hear topics discussed that prioritize the youth or ideas to support the youth or at least something about the seven generations teaching to show those seeking a Board seat aren’t focused just on the present and themselves,” said Faith.
“I always come to the Candidate’s Forum, but why I thought it was even more important to attend this year’s is the fact so many young people are running. The potential for having two brand new Board members who would represent a younger generation really interested me. I’m curious to hear what their ideas are and what teachings they are coming from. One of the most pressing concerns I feel the Tribe faces is the ongoing drug epidemic, so I’m hoping to learn that it’s on the candidate’s radar,” shared Lena.
“I’m here with my young nephew, Zeus Parker Jr., who will be voting for the first time at General Council. I thought it was important to come here with him and introduce him to the candidates and further his understanding of what the community is about,” offered Deborah. “For me, economic development is always important, so ideally I’d like to hear the candidates speak to their ideas for growing and diversifying our revenue stream beyond gaming. I’d like to see if someone here is creative with their ideas for new business.”
The 2024 Candidate Forum was designed to be a public event where candidates running for tribal council are invited to express their positions on a variety of subjects and introduce themselves to the community, if so desired. In the most ideal sense, the forum was to provide a stage for each candidate to share their platforms, policies, and visions for the future. Such a forum would then help voters become informed about where each candidate stood on various issues, enabling them to make educated choices when voting at General Council on March 15.
Spanning over two hours while being respectfully moderated by Hibulb Cultural Center manager Mytyl Hernandez, the participating candidates at this year’s forum shed some light on what impact they intend to make, if elected. Topics discussed included communication style, general welfare increases, lost teachings, the drug epidemic, holding fellow Board members accountable, building trust within the community, treaty rights experience, minor trust accounts, and more.
Following the event’s conclusion, the generational representatives shared their experience, specifically detailing whether or not they learned what they hoped to.
“I would have preferred that each candidate got to delve more into their thoughts on our drug epidemic, but for the ones who did have the chance to speak on it, you could tell how passionate they were because this is something that impacts us all,” said elder Lena. “Something that stood out tonight is there are candidates who need to know much more about our treaty and what it means to exercise our treaty rights if they hope to be in a leadership position, like a Board seat, one day. That being said, I am excited for the younger ones who have stepped up and are willing to lead and wish them all luck on March 16.”
Our Youth Council chairwoman, Faith, was really hoping to hear candidates speak to the youth vote and their ideas for supporting the ever-growing youth demographic. Did she hear that? “Not necessarily. They kind of tried to give us recognition,” described the young leader. “I asked a couple questions, and neither was answered directly. So hopefully we, as a Youth Council, can get them to offer more clear and direct answers when we get a chance to sit with them next week.
“It’s important for the youth vote to be taken seriously and in order for that to happen we need to show up at events like these,” she added. “It’s disappointing not to see more younger people, and look I get it. It’s easy to understand that they’ve probably showed up to something like this before and witnessed only arguing or non-answers with no real solution. But in order for our voices to matter we have to show up and vote for people willing to [factor us in] their decision making.”
Lastly, Gen X’er Deb Parker offered her takeaway. “I don’t think the candidates had enough time to really answer questions I had regarding economic development. Some questions were answered, but overall, I think reading their candidate statements that were mailed out and making use of social media to see their recent posts and ask further questions will be necessary to fill in the gaps. It’s not realistic to expect each candidate to know everything about all topics that single individuals may have questions about. It was clear that each candidate has their own knowledge base that they are bringing to the table and has their own idea as to what they think are the most pressing concerns right now.
“This event showed how beautiful and healthy our community can be when potential leaders, current leaders, and past leaders are able to share space while being patient, listening to one another, and respecting opinions that may defer from their own. This isn’t something you see in other places where candidates are typically interrupting and yelling over one another to get their point across. This makes me proud to be Tulalip to witness how we continue to love and respect one another in this process.”
In-person voting for the two open Board of Director seats will take place over a two-day period, Friday March 15 (9am-4pm) and Saturday March 16 (7am-1pm), at the Tulalip Resort Casino.
“We have much to do in our tribal government and community,” said Tulalip Tribes CEO Rochelle Lubbers at a March 5 community meeting co-hosted with COO Sam Davis. The meeting’s agenda was to discuss several upcoming projects in Tulalip with openness and transparency.
Some of the critical projects that were discussed include Tulalip agreeing to build an apartment complex called Quil Creek Crossing to combat the need for housing. Construction will start soon and is projected to be done by 2025. “We are excited about this project. We will have 84, 1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom apartments for our community,” said Sam.
The tribe is also responding to the growing demand for other essential services. Recognizing the current capacity constraints at the Healing Lodge, plans for Healing Lodge 2.0 are underway. This expansion aims to provide much-needed sober living facilities for both men and women, aligning with the tribe’s commitment to holistic well-being. Simultaneously, construction developments on 4th and 88th street, including multiple roundabouts, signifying proactive measures to enhance community infrastructure and traffic management.
Discussions also highlighted striving to create better communication between the tribal government and the community. “We need to reinforce our mission, vision, and values. Everyone should know and find a better way to serve the community,” said Rochelle.
“It was a perfect meeting and also very informative,” tribal elder Pauline Williams said. “I liked the part about the housing. I know many families need homes, and it’s also a lot to take care of a home. I think there should be a program that helps get families into homes and teaches them how to maintain it. I’m on my way out, and I want to make sure the young people have a nice place to be proud of and for them to learn and manage what we have.”
“I got here late, but the meeting was good,” tribal member Laverne Jones said. “I liked that they are working on communications and the issues employees and tribal members are having. Community engagement is important because it affects the tribal members and gives them a chance to submit their issues and try to find solutions for them.”
As the Tulalip Tribes embark on these transformative projects, the commitment to community well-being and open communication reflects their dedication to creating a vibrant and sustainable future for all tribal members. For more information about upcoming projects or if you missed the meeting, you can watch it at IamTulalip.com.
