Category: Tulalip News
National Night Out, August 4
Tuesday August 4, 2015 at the Tulalip Boys and Girls Club parking lot, 5-7 p.m.
Adiya Jones earns MVP of all-Native invitational
By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News; photos courtesy of Adiya Jones
The 13th annual Native American Basketball Invitation (NABI) tournament, presented by Nike N7, the Seminole Tribe of Florida and the Ak-Chin Indian Community, took place from June 30 thru July 4 in Phoenix, Arizona. NABI has become the largest basketball tournament in the world featuring Native and Indigenous high school youth. This year’s tourney featured 152 teams, totaling 1,600 Native high school-age youth representing teams from all across the United States, Canada and New Zealand. Through NABI, Native American high school athletes are given the opportunity to shine and use their talent to secure college athletic scholarships, while being showcased in front of countless college scouts.
This summer’s tournament featured over 350 games played in three days of pool play and bracket games, with the Gold Division Championship games played at U.S. Airways Center, home of the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury, on Saturday, July 4. NABI also features a college and career fair, Team Meet & Greet pool party and educational seminars where the high school athletes are taught skills that inspire them to succeed and strive for higher education.
For Tulalip tribal member Adiya Jones, her talents on the basketball court were sought after by Team Nez Perce, the Idaho State Champions from Lapwai, ID. Nez Perce lost in heart breaking fashion in the finals of NABI 2014 and felt that by adding the post presence of Jones they would have enough fire power to win it all this year.
According to Jones, the invitation to play with an all-state championship team was an opportunity she couldn’t refuse. “The Lapwai team have been my rivals in most all-Native tournaments. They’ve always brought out the best in my game when I play against them. Being asked to play with them at NABI was very humbling and would give me a chance to work on my skills while being surrounded with a state champion.”
Not only was Jones playing on the Nez Perce team, but she would be starting at center every tournament game. The combination of speed and outside shooting that separates the Nez Perce girls from their opposition is usually enough to claim victory in any game. Now, with Jones holding down the paint, Nez Perce was the clear favorite to win the Gold Division championship.
Through the first four games of the tournament team Nez Perce, led by Jones, rolled teams in dominant fashion; winning by an average margin of 29 points per game. It wasn’t until the quarter-finals that Nez Perce finally found themselves in a competitive game versus Pueblo Elite. At halftime, the offensive driven Nez Perce, had only managed 7 points and were trailing 7-11.
“It was 112 degrees outside and we were playing our 2nd game in a gym with no A/C,” says Jones, who attributes the team’s poor first half to the tough to play in conditions. “We were super tired, but at halftime we had the chance to rehydrate, sit down, and catch our breath finally.”
Following halftime, Nez Perce would go on to outscore their opponents 31-16 in the 2nd half and claimed a 38-27 victory. Things wouldn’t get any easier for the now battle-tested Nez Perce, as they would have to play their semi-final game in less than two hours. The game would be another highly contested battle, but Nez Perce would prevail 40-33 and get a night’s rest before their championship game versus Cheyenne Arapaho.
The Championship game was held at U.S. Airways Center, home of the NBA’s Phoenix Suns, at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 4. It featured two undefeated squads in Nez Perce and Cheyenne Arapaho who were both 7-0 to this point.
As detailed by Jones, “our final game was such a good game. It was so close the whole time, with neither team taking more than a 4 or 5 point lead. It was the only game we played that I had doubts if we’d be able to pull out the win because Cheyenne just looked like they wanted it more. With like 2:00 to play we finally managed a little run and took a 6 point lead, but then Cheyenne pushed the tempo on us and we were really tired so it worked. They went up 2 points with barely any time remaining. We called a timeout, drew up a play, and were fortunate to execute the play perfectly. Cayla Jones made a game-tying basket right before the final buzzer to tie it up.”
The clutch basket by Nez Perce forced a 3-minute overtime period in the final game of the tourney. Nez Perce would ride that momentum in the extra period and earned a hard fought 78-75 victory to claim the Gold Division Championship. For her stellar tournament play, averaging a stat line of 18 points, 9 rebounds and 7 blocks, Adiya Jones was awarded tournament MVP.
“I was shocked. Extremely thankful, but shocked more than anything. There were so many good girls there,” says Jones. “My MVP and our tournament Championship is all do to the team chemistry we had. There were several scouts who commented on how good we looked playing together, they thought we had been playing together for years, but this was my first time playing with this team. They made me feel super comfortable in their system and it really showed in my performance. It was definitely the highest level of play I’ve been a part of and the best competition I’ve gotten from a tournament.
“Overall, NABI was such a great experience for me. Off the court I was able to sit down and talk to basketball mentors A.C. Green, 3x NBA Champion, and Kenny Dobbs, world renowned slam-dunk champion. Their words were so inspiring, just hearing them talk of their trials and tribulations…their motivational speeches to us. After the tourney was over I had college coaches and scouts give me their contact information. We’ve had some back and forth via email already and, hopefully, now there are some potential opportunities available for me to play college ball.”
Contact Micheal Rios, mrios@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov
July 22 2015 syəcəb
Long time priest to Tulalip made honorary tribal member
Photo courtesy/ Denise Hatch Anderson
By Brandi N. Montreuil, Tulalip News
TULALIP – Tulalip Tribes made Father Patrick Twohy an honorary member during the Saturday, July 11 regular board meeting. A petition authored by Don “Penoke” Hatch Jr, a Tulalip member, asked that Twohy be made a permanent member of the Tribe for his spiritual work and service with the Tulalip community and surrounding Native population. It was granted with unanimous approval.
Twohy, a Jesuit priest and director of the Rocky Mountain Missions of the Oregon Provence of the Society of Jesuits, has served as chaplain to Native Americans for 36 years for the Archdiocese of Seattle. His work in Tulalip has spanned numerous generations to become a part of the Tulalip people’s spiritual history.
“He’s gone to funerals and headstone blessings and visits the hospital when someone is sick. Or he goes to the home of people who just need picking up; he is there for the families,” said Hatch, who has known and worked with Twohy over three decades. The two still work together to provide necessities to the Native population in Seattle through donations to the Chief Seattle Club.
Described as a peaceful man and a true servant of Christ, Father Twohy has authored two books about his work in Native communities. In the forward to his book, “Beginnings: A Meditation on Coast Salish Lifeways,” Twohy expresses his connection to his work and to the Native people he ministers to.
“The book, Beginnings, is meant to be a bridge of understanding between First Nations Peoples and other peoples. Through the knowing of our true relationships with one another, we may find that though we all walk separate paths, we are on one sacred journey.”
“He is part of us and in our reservation his work has such a tremendous impact. No matter what religion you are, he is always there for you,” said Hatch.
Twohy was wrapped in a Pendleton blanket during the ceremony as a symbol that he is family and will be provided for. He was also gifted a Chief Seattle Club jacket for his numerous years of service to the club.
“Today is one of the happiest days in my life,” remarked Father Twohy, who said he felt overwhelmed with joy. “There is no greater honor for me than to have accompanied the Tulalip people on their journey. I have known so many generations and I have great trust and hope in the people that they will continue this sacred way of life that has been passed down to them. I admire the Tribe for their compassion, not only for their people but all people. They care for all, for instance all the help they have given to Chief Seattle Club. It is remarkable the support they have given us.”
Twohy, now as a member, will be buried in the Mission Hill Cemetery in Tulalip alongside the people he has faithfully ministered to.
“I have known generations of teachers here at Tulalip and so many great elders that I feel so much learning has been passed on to me. I hope to have many more years to walk with the people. It is such an honor and joy for me, and I would like to walk with them into the next world,” said Twohy.
Brandi N. Montreuil: 360-913-5402; bmontreuil@tulalipnews.com
Children’s Reading Time at Hibulb this Saturday
Hibulb Cultural Center will feature special guest Tessa Campbell and her dog Buster at their Children’s Reading Time series held tomorrow, Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
It’s Too Hot to Cook!
Don’t let the weather drive you to the drive-thru
By Niki Cleary, Tulalip News
Summer is hot. This summer, in particular, has been a scorcher. The last thing you want to think about when it’s hot, is heating up the oven and making the house even hotter. Not to mention who wants to do dishes (which means adding humidity to the already miserable heat)? So, what do you do for dinner? Eat out of course.
Wait, wait, wait. Bad idea. Why? The average drive through meal at McDonald’s can easily top 1,000 calories. Let’s do the math: that’s one quarter pounder with cheese at 520 calories, medium fries an additional 340 calories and a 12 oz. strawberry banana smoothie (hey, it’s hot and smoothies are healthy, right?) at 210 calories. For reference, moderately active adult women typically need about 2,000 calories a day, and men closer to 3,000. I don’t even want to talk about federal subsidies for unhealthy foods, the power of corporate food or why that kind of food is unethical. Okay, I do want to talk about it, but not in this article.
So, rather than pack on the pounds in the middle of bikini season, with a little prep you can enjoy home-cooked meals that don’t turn your house into a sauna. First, let me preface this by saying, I enjoy cooking. But even if you don’t, these recipes are easy enough to follow.
How to get started; food, like a house, requires a good foundation in order to be awesome. In this case, that means buying fresh, in-season, preferably local and possibly organic. Sounds like a tall order, right? I’m not just being difficult (although according to my relatives, I can be), there’s actually a good reason for those requirements. Bear with me, I’ve been told shopping with me is like a civics lesson.
First, when you buy food in season, and local, it just tastes better. Out of season food doesn’t have the same intensity of flavor, and often has weird textures. Second, the more local your food, the closer to ripe it is when it’s picked. When food travels it has to be picked under ripe, stored in refrigeration while it’s shipped. Last, local food bypasses the guilt of knowing your meal came with a carbon footprint. Add to that the fact that buying local means you are providing jobs in your community and it feels like good karma all around.
Before you decide whether to buy organic or not, take a look at the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) lists: The Dirty Dozen and the Clean Fifteen (www.ewg.org). This list features the foods that are most and least contaminated by pesticides. Every year the EWG tests samples of produce for pesticide presence and makes a recommendation based on the results. Let’s face it, organic is expensive and unless you want to spend a whole paycheck grocery shopping (which I’ve been known to do), you need to prioritize. Either avoid, or buy organic the Dirty Dozen and don’t worry about organic for the Clean Fifteen.
Fresh is important. It’s easy to get carried away when you buy produce, especially if you treat yourself to a farmer’s market where there are samples, and the booths are cute and you can’t stand to not support that kooky old guy wearing bibs and a straw hat. I can’t state this enough, don’t buy too much. If you do buy too much, process and freeze it immediately.
Trust me you’re not going to eat 10 pounds of potatoes, five pints of blueberries, five pounds of carrots, three bunches of kale and several pounds of beautiful, bright red cherries all while they’re still at their peak flavor. It doesn’t matter how mouthwatering they are, unless you have a family of 10 eating every meal together, you’re going to throw them away and feel bad about it.
Now that we feel good about shopping, let’s look at the menu. You’re going to have to imagine my Julia Child’s impression: Today we’re making a delectable meal that requires very little cooking indoors. I have one last confession: I don’t measure very often, so this is an approximation of the last time I made this meal, your results may vary.
Photo/Niki Cleary
Grilled stuffed red bell peppers
- 4 organic red bell peppers (you decide if organic is worth the price, but all your friends are doing it, so…)
- 1 package of ground Italian sausage (it comes in hot or mild)
- 1 cup of rice
- 1 cup of water
- 1 can of diced stewed tomatoes
- Shredded Italian blend of cheeses (I buy a pre-shredded mix because I despise shredding cheese)
Pre-heat gas or charcoal grill to medium heat (about 350 F)
In a large saucepan over medium heat, saute the Italian sausage. I find that a spatula works way better than a spoon for breaking up ground meats. You don’t have to cook it completely, just until there is very little pink. Add to that your rice, water and stewed tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to low heat. Simmer for about 20 minutes.
While that’s simmering, slice your peppers in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. I use red peppers because they cook more quickly than green, but really, you can use any color your heart desires and the market sells. As soon as your rice mixture is done, you’ll fill the halved peppers and top with shredded cheese, then pop them on the grill for another 10-15 minutes. Serve hot.
Photo/ Niki Cleary
Red white and blue quinoa salad
- 2 cups of quinoa
- 1-2 cups Blueberries
- 1-2 cups Strawberries
- ½ cup Mint leaves
- Honey
- Juice from 2 Limes
- Salt to taste
Prepare about 2 cups of quinoa according to the package instructions. The key with quinoa is to rinse and drain it a couple of times before you cook it, that helps it come up light and fluffy. Chop your fruit and mint and add to the cooked quinoa. In a small bowl mix the juice from two limes with honey and salt to taste. I don’t know what to tell you guys, I didn’t measure, so just go with what tastes good to you. Pour the lime mixture into your salad, mix and serve at room temperature, or make ahead and serve chilled.
Photo/Niki Cleary
Cheesecake graham crackers
- Graham crackers
- Local, in season fruit (this time of year it’s blueberries, blackberries and peaches)
Cheesecake frosting
- 1 cup of butter (use the real stuff for goodness sake, it just tastes better)
- 2 boxes of cream cheese
- Juice from 1 large lemon
- Vanilla (a couple capfuls? I’ll be honest, I just dump some in straight from the bottle)
- Powdered sugar
This is the decadent dessert portion of our meal. I make no apologies for the calories, they’re worth it. Just use moderation, or halve the cream cheese frosting recipe, or put some of it away and slather it on French toast or banana bread later in the week. It’s also great for no-cook cheesecake, by the way. It keeps well in the fridge for about a week, or you can freeze it for about a month. If you freeze it, thaw it overnight in the fridge prior to use.
Allow your butter and cream cheese to come to room temperature. Using a hand mixer, cream the butter and cream cheese until well blended. Add the lemon juice and vanilla and blend again. Add the powdered sugar a little at a time, and to taste. I’m pretty sparing with the sugar, I don’t like it too sweet. Add a little, taste it, add a little more. Remember the graham crackers and fruit are sweet, so you don’t need too much sugar.
Place your cream cheese and fruit on pretty serving dishes and assemble your desired cheesecake graham crackers one at a time. Yum!
Please email and let me know how these recipes work for you (ncleary@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov) and give me some feedback on whether I’m being too complicated or too vague or if you like or dislike the food. Enjoy your summer and please, don’t let the heat drive you to the drive-thru!
New Snohomish County 911 service to assist when a call can’t be made
By Brandi N. Montreuil, Tulalip News
There are countless stories from 911 operators about cryptic messages from victims of crime. Buzzfeed News reported last year about a woman who called 911 and pretended to order pizza in order to hide her plea for help from an abusive boyfriend.
Situations like the pizza order can easily be mistaken as prank calls. Despite the quality training of 911 dispatchers, it’s tough to decide whether it’s a real emergency or someone’s idea of a joke. To date, many victims haven’t reached out to emergency services because making a phone call during a violent encounter can be too obvious.
Today Snohomish County completed testing and began accepting 911 emergency texts. The ability to text 911 is a lifeline in some situations. The program is still in its infancy and while individuals with plans through AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon can reliably text 911, internet texting services might not be reliable.
“Being able to text 911 will benefit clients who are in domestic violence situations, especially when you are in the presence of the perpetrator, whether they are right next to you, close to you or watching over you. It will be easier to hide a text message than to talk over the phone when in an emergency. Working in this field as an advocate, I think trying new things to reach out to victims and making it possible to come forward is always a benefit,” said Leora Jones, Tulalip Tribes Legacy of Healing Women’s Advocate.
The traditional method of calling 911 is still preferred. The text service is touted as a secondary option, “call if you can, text if you can’t.” It is not meant to replace traditional 911 calling.
“Text to 911 was designated for Short Message Service (SMS) texting, but continues to evolve quickly,” said SNOCOM 911 Executive Director Debbie Grady in a July 2nd press release. “Although we’ve done extensive testing, we don’t have control over text delivery from the carriers of handsets. We don’t know how various over-the-top (OTT) applications and text from Wi-Fi will react in the 911 environment.”
If you’re not sure whether your carrier offers the ability to text 911, DO NOT send a “test” message to 911, instead a call your carrier and ask if this option is available under your plan.
If you live within the boundaries of the Tulalip Reservation, roaming poses a problem when using the new service. Cell signal strength can vary in many parts of the reservation. Tulalip Chief of Police Carlos Echevarria cautions, “The best way to reach Tulalip Police Department during an emergency is to call 360-716-9911.” A general 911 call or text is routed to SNOCOM and may or may not be transferred to Tulalip Police Department, which can lengthen response time. The Tulalip Police Department has a team of dispatchers that are fully trained to handle emergency calls and decode cryptic messages such as the pizza delivery call.
The option to text is welcome, however, there are shortcomings that texters should be aware of. A text can take longer to send, time is crucial in life-threatening situations. Also, location information sent through text is not the same as the information dispatchers receive when you call.
Other things to consider before opting for a text verses call: 911 text is not available while roaming and a text or data plan is needed to place the text. It is unknown how the new service will perform through Wi-Fi use. Also, multiple texts to 911 can be received out of order. Think back to that time you made dinner plans and your friend received the name of the restaurant before they received the text asking to meet up. Because the information isn’t always received in the order it is sent, it can be confusing for dispatchers. Last, texts may not be received depending on cell signal strength.
If you use the 911 text service, make sure you type in your location and provide the type of help needed. Answer questions and follow 911 dispatcher instructions. Do not use texting abbreviations, emoticons or emoji. Keep your text brief and clear and continue responding until the 911 dispatcher has closed the dialog. For those in a domestic violence situations or life-threatening circumstances, remember to silence your phone so that incoming texts are not audible.
Others who benefit from this new update in 911 emergency services are individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability. In emergency situations, it’s not always easy to remember common safety practices, please refrain from texting and driving.
Tulalip Legacy of Healing Advocacy Center serves past and present victims of violence. For more information about their services contact 360-716-4100 or email lohsafehouse@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov.
Brandi N. Montreuil: 360-913-5402; bmontreuil@tulalipnews.com
Summer meal program for kids
By Mara Hill, Tulalip News
Whether people realize it or not, many parents and guardians depend on an important outside resource to help feed their kids. That resource is located at places most are familiar with such as early learning centers and elementary, middle, junior high and high schools. Some families rely on the school system to keep food in their kid’s bellies during the day but summer brings a different set of challenges to meal time and family schedules.
Through a partnership between the Marysville School District and the USDA, the summer meal program is offered at nine different sites, including Quil Ceda Tulalip Elementary and the Tulalip Boys and Girls Club. Kids and teens 18 years and younger are offered a free snack and lunch at all nine locations through August 21.
Please see flyer for times and locations. For more information please contact the Marysville School District at: http://www.msvl.k12.wa.us/contact-us or 360-653-7058 with any questions or comments.
Revised Tulalip watering schedule for the 4th of July
Due to the hot weather and the 4th of July coming up, Tulalip residents are able to water from now through the 4th of July. On July 5th everyone will resume to the original watering schedule. Happy and Safe 4th.
