Use the link below to download the September 30, 2015 issue of the syəcəb
September 30 2015 syəcəb
Category: Tulalip News
Tribal Court in good hands
Judge Theresa Pouley leaves Tulalip to teach
By Niki Cleary
“Judge Pouley has been one of the most influential, prolific and iconic tribal judges of our time,” said Tulalip Court Director Wendy Church. “She holds three things very dear to her heart: her tribal court clients, the tribal court and tribal sovereignty. In the six years I’ve had the pleasure of working with her, I’ve seen her commitment and passion for those three things over and over.
When Tulalip’s longtime Chief Judge Theresa Pouley hears the accolades, the down to earth grandmother of two just chuckles and gives the credit to those around her.
“Tulalip was changing the face of Indian Country and asked if I would help do that,” she reminisced. “What an amazing journey for all of us. It’s like a whole new historic era. Never have Indian people been given the opportunity to determine their future more than in the last five years, and Tulalip is really responsible for that. Tulalip shared their economic advantage and programs they had, they were willing to put their name and their tribe on the line for the benefit of all Indian Country. They did it for everybody.”
Judge Pouley pointed out the Tribal Law and Order Act, the tribal provisions of the Violence Against Women Act and Tulalips ongoing commitment to restorative justice.
“I remember in 2005 we were starting to build a wellness court here and Maureen Hoban had a snippet out of a treaty that said what a peaceful and generous people [the ancestors of contemporary] Tulalips were, I’ve witnessed that first hand.”
Teaching and family, two of Judge Pouley’s great passions in life, will be her next adventure.
“I’m going to be teaching law, intro to law, contracts and civil procedures. I’ve applied for this job at Edmonds twice before. My appointment [as Chief Judge] is up in 2016, so it came at just about the right time. I’ll be working 170 days a year and I get every summer off and the whole month of December. I have my second grandbaby on the way, and more time with grandbabies is always good,” she grinned.
Even though she won’t be here to watch over it, Judge Pouley isn’t worried about the future of Tulalip Tribal Court. She sang the praises of her replacement, incoming Chief Judge Ron Whitener.
“Judge Whitener is up to the task,” she affirmed. “What an amazing thing to be able to take a professor from the University of Washington (UW) and recruit him to want to be a tribal court judge. He was part of the Attorney General’s advisory committee on youth violence, he has academic ties and a wealth of knowledge from working with the Attorney General. He is a Squaxin Island [citizen]. We’re really borrowing the best and brightest from the UW to take over as Chief Judge, it’s a testament to the forward progress of tribal courts that we can attract that kind of talent.”
Judge Pouley joked, wiggling her petite feet, “He has really big feet, so he’s not going to have any trouble filling these shoes.”
Although she’s leaving Tulalip Tribal Court, Judge Pouley said she’s not giving up all her ties to Tulalip. She is, after all, a resident of the Tulalip Reservation.
“Did you see Jon Stewart’s goodbye?” she asked, referencing the farewell speech of the late night comedian and host of The Daily Show. “It’s really hard to let go, but you should just view it as a long conversation, that way you never have to say goodbye. I feel that way about Tulalip. Our conversation is going to take a little pause, but it’s not the end of the conversation. I have clients here that know and respect me. There are lots of people that I’ve met and I’m grateful that they’re in my path and I can count them as my friends. I’ve seen Tulalip grow and become such a safe place.
“I just want to give a heartfelt thank you to all the people who have supported Tulalip Tribal Court over the years,” she continued. “Ten years is a long time. Tulalip has really taken care of me and treated me with open arms. I have so many friends here and I’ve developed knowledge and respect for so many people. I walk with all their prayers and good wishes every day. I feel so privileged to have been here.”
Tulalip’s WIC Program
Submitted by Erika Queen, WIC Nutrition Program, Karen I Fryberg Tulalip Health Clinic
Getting to the WIC office is easier than ever. No more paging WIC. The door just past the bathrooms is unlocked. Just come back to WIC and say “Hi!”
WIC gets money from the state and federal WIC budget and provides services to our local community. Women can get WIC services during pregnancy through baby’s first birthday so long as they are is breastfeeding. If a woman is not breastfeeding, she can get WIC for six months, even after a miscarriage. Infants and children can get WIC until their fifth birthday. Call to see if your family qualifies – 360-716-5625.
WIC can help new moms even more
Tulalip Health Clinic WIC clients can now borrow high-quality electric breast pumps, without fees (ask for details). If you, your family, or friends have questions about breastfeeding, call WIC at 360-716-5625.
WIC is offering painless iron tests
The WIC Program has recently offered a new option for all clinics to provide “no-poke” iron tests for most children and adults. Not all WIC offices are providing no-poke iron tests. Tulalip WIC is very happy to provide this painless test to our clients.
WIC started in order to prevent low iron in children. Common signs of low iron may include paleness, irritability, and tiredness. In little ones, low iron can cause behavioral problems and developmental delays. If untreated, problems may last into the school years. For more information, search for “anemia” at kidshealth.org.
WIC still gives checks for healthy foods
These checks are to provide fresh produce, milk (lactose-free & soy are available), whole grains, and more. Getting WIC is based on income. Almost all families/children participating in these programs can get WIC:
- TANF
- Commodities/Basic Food
- Apple Health
- Infants/children up to age 5 who are placed in the care of others by a court (through the state or beda?chelh)
- Other families who meet our income guidelines (call for details)
Meet the staff
Erika Queen has been working with moms and babies for nearly ten years, in WIC for almost 5 years. She started with Tulalip’s WIC program in December 2014. Erika is a Health Educator and served in the US Navy before working with WIC. She loves working with moms and babies as well as providing families with understandable information about health and wellness. While not at work, Erika can be found volunteering with Search and Rescue, doing anything “DIY,” becoming more familiar with traditional cooking & other traditional health practices, and spending time outside with her husband, Brian, and their two pit bulls, Jessi & Bella.
Sydney Costello has been working as a WIC dietitian since 2001 in Snohomish County. She enjoys the relationships that she has built with families through pregnancy, into breastfeeding and infancy, then into the preschool years. Sydney’s time with Tulalip’s WIC program began in June 2015! Sydney’s husband, Geno, and her daughters Irene (9) & Stevie (7) keep her busy. Geno loves basketball & will coach Irene’s team in the fall. Irene will play soccer with Stevie this fall too! Sydney volunteers with La Leche League of Marysville, MOMS Club of Arlington/Stanwood, North Sound Dietetics Association, and Kent Prairie Elementary PTA.
Erika and Sydney are long-time Western Washington residents who look forward to getting to know everyone here in Tulalip better. They would like to thank Della and Sara for their many years of service, and feel honored to partner with the Tulalip community in promoting healthy, happy families for years to come.
In accordance with Federal law and Department of Agriculture (USDA) policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability.
To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call toll free (866) 632-9992 (Voice). Individuals who are hearing impaired or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339; or (800) 845-6136 (Spanish). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Washington WIC does not discriminate.
Problem Gambling and Family
Submitted by Sarah Sense-Wilson, Problem Gambling Coordinator, Tulalip Tribes Family Services
Problem gambling adversely affects the family of the gambler in a number of ways because of the problem gambler’s altered behavior, dishonesty and manipulation.
What can be lost or damaged:
Trust is often the first casualty in the family of the problem gambler. Change in the behavior of the family member is often attributed to many other possible problems before gambling is identified as the problem.
Respect for the problem gambler is generally lost once this problem has been identified. “Why can’t you just stop so the problem will go away?” “You can fix this!” When the gambler can’t, respect for them is lost.
Relationships are built on trust and respect. Without these, family relationships will be weakened or destroyed.
Family Dynamic is dependent on each family member meeting the needs of the others. Problem gambling can destroy the ability of the gambler to do this.Employment can be affected in various ways. The gambler will often neglect responsibilities at work and/or develop an attendance problem as they begin to have less control over their need to gamble. In the worst situation, the gambler will steal from their employer in order to continue their gambling. Any of this can lead to loss of employment and prosecution.
Financial security for the family is often lost as the gambler seeks more and more resources with which to gamble. All of the family’s financial resources may be liquidated without their knowledge. Savings, home equity, retirement accounts, children’s savings, etc may all be lost or damaged.
Reputations are difficult to protect as the gambling problem affects more and more aspects of the gambler’s life and become known by individuals outside of the family.
What can result:
Stress is a certain occurrence for all of the family members of the gambler.
Isolation between the gambler and their family generally occurs as their behavior changes.
Neglect of dependents occurs as the gambler losses more and more control of their behavior.
Distrust occurs between other family members as the extent of the problem and the extent of financial loss and the ramifications of this become known.
Resentment/Anger also follows as the gambler loses control and the scope of the problem becomes known.
Domestic violence may result in a family affected by a member with an addiction problem. The family of a problem gambler can be impacted just as easily as that of someone with an alcohol or drug addiction. The problem gambler may be the victim or perpetrator.
Co-occurring disorders such as depression, substance abuse, and other compulsive behaviors often occur as a result of or along with the gambling problem.
Other Family Issues
Children of problem gamblers have a higher probability of developing a gambling problem than those with parents who do not gamble. This follows the pattern as experienced by children of those affected by substance and domestic violence.
If any of these signs sound like someone you know, that person may have a problem with gambling.
Help is confidential and it works. Call (360) 716-4304 or 1-800-522-4700. Don’t wait for the problem to get worse!
Debunking 5 myths about the flu
Submitted by Jason McKerry, MD, FAAP, Karen I Fryberg Tulalip Health Clinic
The flu shot doesn’t cause the flu. The shot is an entirely dead virus— it’s impossible for it to replicate in your body and cause infection. The nasal spray is a very weakened strain (imagine a sprinter without legs or a bumblebee without wings) that is unable to replicate in the lungs to cause disease.The most common side effects after the shot or nasal spray are fatigue, low-grade fever, and runny nose (from the nasal spray).
You may feel like you “don’t get the flu.” Well, chances are that you do or you might. Research shows that anywhere from 5% to 20% of all adults get influenza every year. Anywhere from 10% to 40% of all children get it annually as well. Sometimes it’s just a mild infection; sometimes it’s far worse. You may not know you’ve had it unless a clinician tests you.
The flu shot doesn’t work. It does work, but like every shot, it’s imperfect. It is possible for someone to still get the flu after a flu shot, but the infection is far less severe when he or she has had the shot. Each year the flu shot can change in effectiveness due to differing strains that are included in the shot and that may circulate in your community. You need a flu shot every year because the influenza virus mutates while moving around the globe.
I’m healthy, so I don’t need a flu shot. We’re lucky that we’re healthy, but don’t let that fool you. Healthy children and adults die from the flu every year. Often about half of the children who die from influenza (usually a couple hundred each season) are healthy infants and children. About 30,000 people die every year from flu in the United States. The flu shot you get now can help protect you.
If you don’t “do” flu shots but you now have a child, you must change. Your children, particularly those younger than 4 years, and those infants too young to get a shot (younger than 6 months) are utterly dependent on you getting a flu shot so you don’t bring influenza home to them.
Source: Mama Doc Medicine: Finding Calm and Confidence in Parenting, Child Health, and Work-Life Balance
Flu Facts
Why get vaccinated?
Influenza (“flu”) is a contagious disease that spreads around the United States every winter, usually between October and May. Flu is caused by influenza viruses, and is spread mainly by coughing, sneezing, and close contact. Anyone can get flu, but the risk of getting flu is highest among children. Symptoms come on suddenly and may last several days. They can include:
- Fever/chills
- Sore throat
- Muscle aches
- Fatigue
- Cough
- Headache
- Runny or stuffy nose
Flu can make some people much sicker than others. These people include young children, people 65 and older, pregnant women, and people with certain health conditions – such as heart, lung or kidney disease, nervous system disorders, or a weakened immune system. Flu vaccination is especially important for these people, and anyone in close contact with them.
Flu can also lead to pneumonia, and make existing medical conditions worse. It can cause diarrhea and seizures in children.
Each year thousands of people in the United States die from flu, and many more are hospitalized.
Flu vaccine is the best protection against flu and its complications. Flu vaccine also helps prevent spreading flu from person to person.
Inactivated and recombinant flu vaccines
The injectable flu vaccine is either an “inactivated” or “recombinant” vaccine. These vaccines do not contain any live influenza virus. They are given by injection with a needle, and often called the “flu shot.”
A different, live, attenuated (weakened) influenza vaccine is sprayed into the nostrils.
Flu vaccination is recommended every year. Some children 6 months through 8 years of age might need two doses during one year.
Flu viruses are always changing. Each year’s flu vaccine is made to protect against 3 or 4 viruses that are likely to cause disease that year. Flu vaccine cannot prevent all cases of flu, but it is the best defense against the disease.
It takes about 2 weeks for protection to develop after the vaccination, and protection lasts several months to a year.
Some illnesses that are not caused by influenza virus are often mistaken for flu. Flu vaccine will not prevent these illnesses. It can only prevent influenza.
Above Flu Facts from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Vaccine Information Statements, 2015. The information contained on this site should not be used as a substitute for the medical care and advice of your pediatrician. There may be variations in treatment that your pediatrician may recommend based on individual facts and circumstances.
Lady Hawks unable to capitalize against the Eagles, lose 0-3
Photo/Micheal Rios
By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News
The Lady Hawks played their third straight home game of the young season on Tuesday, September 22. They hosted the Eagles of Grace Academy.
In the 1st game, Grace Academy came out firing on all cylinders and made short work of the home team 25-10. During the short between game intermission, Lady Hawks Coach Tina Brown pleaded with her team to communicate. “Ladies, you have to talk out there. I’m going to keep rotating players until I find that person who is not going to stop communicating and keeping everyone on their toes.”
The 2nd game was highly contested and saw the Lady Hawks play their best volleyball of the season. They seemingly matched Grace Academy point for point and were communicating as a team as their coach had urged them to. Tied 16-16, Grace Academy took a timeout. Following the timeout, the Lady Hawks went back to bad habits of not communicating and gave up some easy points. That made all the difference as they lost the 2nd game 20-25.
The Lady Hawks didn’t respond well to start off the 3rd game and quickly found themselves down 2-10. They hung in there and did their best to keep one another positive. The closest they’d get back in the game was 15-20, as they went on to drop the 3rd game 15-25, and lost the match 0-3.
Following the game, #10 Keryn Parks shared her thoughts on the match. “During practice this week, we’ve been working really hard on our fundamentals; digs, spikes, settings and serves. I think we are improving every game and we are learning from our mistakes.
“I honestly think we are getting better because it’s a competition for us to be on the court playing, we all want playing time and as much time on the court as we can get. So we’re all trying to be loud and communicate and play our best. Going forward we need to work on communicating better and getting our serves over the net. They are just like free-throws, the more practice the better they’ll be.”
Contact Micheal Rios, mrios@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov
Lady Hawks fall to the Knights, 0-3
Photo/Micheal Rios
by Micheal Rios, Tulalip News
On Friday, September 18, the Tulalip Heritage Lady Hawks hosted the Eagles of Highland Christian at the Francy Sheldon gymnasium. It was the second game of the 2015-2106 volleyball season and second home game for the Lady Hawks. Coming off a 0-3 match defeat at the hands of the Lopez Island Lobos in their home opener, the Lady Hawks were looking to capitalize on their extra days of practice.
The Lady Hawks started out hot as they jumped out to a 3-0 point lead in the 1st game, but the tide was quickly turned as they would go on to drop the game 12-25.
In the 2nd game, the Lady Hawks once again started out playing very good team ball and communicating with each other. This resulted in an 8-4 point lead before the Knights turned the heat on and took a 21-12 lead. The Lady Hawks dug deep and behind some key aces they managed to battle back and close their deficit to only 3 points, down 18-21. The Lady Hawks’ surge made the Knights take a timeout to collect themselves. Following the timeout, the Lady Hawks were unable to match the intensity of the Knights and lost the 2nd game 19-25.
The lack of intensity continued into the 3rd game for the Lady Hawks and they lost 14-25, resulting in a 0-3 sweep.
Contact Micheal Rios, mrios@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov
Walk for Suicide Prevention and Awareness, September 29
The walk will begin at the Tulalip Health Clinic at 5:oo p.m.
For more information contact Family Haven, 360.716.4401 or 360.716.4402
September 23, 2015 Tulalip syəcəb
Click on the link below to download the September 23, 2015 issue of the Tulalip syəcəb newspaper:
September 23 2015 syəcəb
Tulalip removes statute of limitations on sexual assault cases
By Niki Cleary, Tulalip News
It’s a nightmare. Whether it happens to you or someone you love, or just someone in your community, it is a trauma with vast ripple effects. Rape. Sexual violence. Child molestation. Just naming the crime is uncomfortable, scary, traumatizing. Imagine if it happened to you, to your best friend or sibling, and it’s every parent’s worst nightmare to think it could happen to your child.
“Victims might hold onto an assault for years without saying anything,” said Tulalip Chairman Mel Sheldon. “In the past, when they found the courage, or the right situation came up where they could talk about it, the statute of limitations may have passed. There was no justice for them. This is about sending a message to those that were victimized, letting them know that we care and from this day forward there will be justice no matter when the crime happened.”
According to the Department of Justice National Crime Victimization survey 284,350 people were victims of rape or sexual assault nationally. This doesn’t include domestic violence or intimate partner violence, which often includes a sexual assault component.
“We know Native American women are three times more likely to be sexually assaulted,” said Tulalip Prosecutor Brian Kilgore. “It’s an epidemic and it drives a lot of the trauma and grief behind the drug epidemic.”
Only a fraction of sexual assaults are ever reported and fewer still are prosecuted. The reasons why are far from simple. They run the gamut from cultural norms to the physical, financial and psychological pros and cons of reporting. Particularly, since the majority of sexual assaults are committed by someone known, or related to the victim.
A few of the lifelong effects of sexual assault include post-traumatic stress disorder, inability to form healthy attachments, sexual dysfunction, depression and anxiety. This is also further complicated by the reactions of those close to the victim when the victim discloses the crime. The fear of losing their support systems, or worse, being shunned or blamed for the assault, often stops victims in their tracks.
“This is about sending a message to those that were victimized, letting them know that we care and from this day forward there will be justice no matter when the crime happened.”
– Mel Sheldon, Tulalip Tribes Chairman
“If you have 100 sexual assault victims, maybe 10 or 15 will get reported,” explained Aaron Verba, the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Investigator for the Tulalip Prosecutor’s Office. “You might file three and then when it comes to a guilty verdict, maybe you’re down to one. It really comes down to the cost for the victim,” he continued. “There’s a 99 percent chance that you were victimized by someone you know or are related to.”
Because the perpetrator is often part of the community, peers and family may be unwilling to believe the crime happened. In many cases not believing the victim is a form of self-protection, Aaron described. Families don’t want to see another family member as an offender.
“Everyone is victimized,” he said. “For the family, if they support the victim sometimes they have to admit, ‘I believe this bad thing happened to you and I may have unknowingly been involved in the grooming process.’ The family has to decide whether it’s safer for them to support the victim or the perpetrator.”
Oftentimes, it’s easier to simply deny that the crime happened, to blame circumstances or even blame the victim. Jade Carela, of the Child Advocacy Center.
“Why don’t they come forward?” she asked. “As a community member, I feel like the community support isn’t there yet. We have sex predators in our community that hold high positions or spiritual positions in our tribe. Victims have to wonder, ‘Why would I come out in a community that still holds these people up? I’m not going to get support.’ In the past when they were ready, the statute of limitations may have been up, and then it was too late.”
“It’s especially hard to disclose if a victim has seen another victim disclose and it went badly for them. Sometimes people justcarry that trauma around with them,” Aaron continued. “It’s a conversation we have with every victim that walks in here. Or they may be thinking I’m going to put this person away for the rest of his life, and you have to have an honest and frank conversation about the fact that we may not get 40 years, or even 30. This person may be back in the community in one year.”
Particularly in Native American communities, after the perpetrator serves time, community will be looking to reintegrate the person into everyday life. That means that the victim will likely encounter the perpetrator at community events, family events and everyday activities like going to the grocery store.
“When you sit down and tell people realistically what is going to happen, sometimes they change their mind,” said Aaron.
With all of the obstacles and potential fallout surrounding sexual abuse, there are just as many positive reasons to disclose a sex crime.
Brian explained that most rapists have a history of sex crimes, and unless they’re prosecuted, a future. Making sure that a perpetrator doesn’t hurt someone else is a huge incentive for some victims.
“Rape kits are expensive to test,” said Brian. “The State of Ohio had thousands of untested rape kits sitting on a shelf and they paid to have them all tested. When they did they found a pattern because most rapists are serial rapists. It’s not a comfortable thing to say, ‘I was raped,’ but there’s a good chance if they’ve done it to you, they’ve done it to other people. The only way to stop them is to shine some daylight on it.”
Removing the statute of limitations on sex crimes isn’t just an empty political move, said Jade, it’s a step towards justice, healing for victims and an overall healthier community.
“As a community, we can show these victims that we love them by not being secretive about this. We need to educate our children, and come forward. Know that from here forward, whenever you are ready, we can still prosecute the crimes that happened to you.
“We always talk about the drug epidemic,” she continued. “Drugs are a symptom, they’re not the cause. The root cause is that when these drug addicts were little kids, things happened to them. If we want to eradicate drug use on the reservation, what we need to do now is keep our children safe.”
Aaron agreed, “There’s an incredibly high correlation between drug use and trauma. If you poll all the people who come through our court for drug offense, I’m guessing that 99.99% of them would have some sort of emotional abuse, neglect, physical abuse, or sexual abuse. Ultimately there’s a reason that you use drugs to change your reality, usually it’s because your reality sucks.”
Last, both Jade and Aaron agreed, disclosure is about healing.
“The women coming out now were children when this happened to them,” Jade said. “Hopefully, now they’ll feel safe enough to tell the reality about what happened to them so that they can get help. So that they don’t pass that on to their children.”
Aaron pointed to the new law as a sign of the changing times. But family support is going to be even more valuable.
“The important thing is how we support a victim,” he said. “When they disclose, they need to know they’ll be believed and someone will do something about it. The big thing about disclosure is that’s when you start healing. You can’t truly heal a wound until you take care of it, you can cover it up, you can ignore it or pretend it didn’t happen, but you can’t truly heal.”
Aaron also pointed out that sexual assault leaves scars that can take generations to heal.
“I heard once that it takes seven generations for sexual abuse to get out of a family,” he said. “That’s if the first person actually gets treatment, resolves issues and gets back to a somewhat healthy way. That person is still going to pass some of it on. You can’t not pass your life experiences on to your children, whether you know you’re doing it or not. We have people who have kept that stuff hidden for 30 or 40 years. The people on this reservation are still dealing with the effects of sexual abuse in boarding schools.”
This resolution is not retroactive. If the statute of limitations has already expired, the crime may not be prosecuted in Tulalip Court. However, Brian explained, it’s still worthwhile to report it.
“If you have DNA evidence, the federal statute of limitations runs from when you test the evidence,” he said. “For a lot of folks, the police may have a current file on the perpetrator, and any information will help them in their investigation. We can never promise that a case is going to be prosecutable, but we don’t know if it’s never reported.”
If you were the victim or witness of a sexual assault, or any crime, the first step is to call the police, regardless of how much time has passed. In emergencies always call 911. For non-emergencies you can reach the Tulalip Police Department at 360-716-4608.