Category: Tulalip News

beda?chelh asking for input at community meeting

By Monica Brown Tulalip News Writer

TULALIP, Wash. -The community meeting held on Tuesday April 23rd, focused on beda?chelh who brought this years and previous years statistics. The meeting gave community members the opportunity to ask questions and voice concerns about current beda?chelh  policies and procedures.

Questions raised centered on how to help a child in need and what can a parent expect when they turn to beda?chelh for help.

 If a child comes to you or you know of a child that is in need of help, beda?chelh prefers that you notify them first and they will review the case, investigate it and create a CPS file (Child Protective Services). If a parent recognizes that they are struggling with addiction and want help they can speak with beda?chelh and they will put the parent on a safety plan to complete, so that their child can remain with them while they are getting help for their addiction. If the risk level becomes too high, the parent will be asked to place the child under the care of a family or friend to ensure the child’s safety.

The safety plan is based on the circumstances of the situation and is initially three months, “The safety plans are time sensitive. The plan will go for three months and then they will reassess if the safety plan needs to be extended for another month or whatever is necessary to keep them from being in the system long-term,” said Jennifer Walls, Lead Case Manager at beda?chelh.

Efforts are being implemented to keep tribal children that have been placed in non-tribal homes connected with culture events.  “We are pushing for more cultural activities for our youth and that includes children that are placed off the reservation in non-tribal homes,” said Lena Hammons Director of Behavior Health. 

The outreach department is currently understaffed and is working towards becoming fully staffed so that they can create a staggering work schedule in order to ensure that they are able to transport children to and from meetings and cultural activities.

The current policies and procedures are being reviewed and reworked so that they are more effective and are easier for parents and guardians to navigate and aim towards healing the parents and reuniting the parent and child. Community Meetings are the 4th Tuesday every month. To view the community meeting in its entirety visit Tulalip Matters at wwww.kanutv.com. If you have something that you would like to include please call the concern line 360-716-4006.

Current statistics for Youth in Need of Care:

Child placement numbers for 2013

  • 2 institutionalized
  • 55 placed with non-family
  • 144 placed with family
  • 7 returned home

Child drug test results for 2013 through March

  • 3 tested positive for marijuana or other drugs
  • 2 tested positive for meth
  • 4 tested negative

Reported child abuse cases for 2013, children under 10 years of age.

  • 4 physical abuse reports
  • 6 sexual abuse reports

Sheldon presents ‘State of the Tribes’

Kirk BoxleitnerTulalip Tribal Chair Mel Sheldon Jr. speculated that the economy might be on its way back during this year’s State of the Tribes address to the Greater Marysville Tulalip Chamber of Commerce on April 26.
Kirk Boxleitner
Tulalip Tribal Chair Mel Sheldon Jr. speculated that the economy might be on its way back during this year’s State of the Tribes address to the Greater Marysville Tulalip Chamber of Commerce on April 26.

By Kirk Boxleitner, The Marysville Globe

TULALIP — Tulalip Tribal Chair Mel Sheldon Jr. expressed optimism for the future, both in the short term and the long run, as he delivered this year’s State of the Tribes address to the Greater Marysville Tulalip Chamber of Commerce on April 26.

“This was one of the strongest economic regions of the pre-Columbian era, and it can be so once again,” said Sheldon, citing the Native American tribes’ commerce in this area, even well before white settlers had ever arrived. “We offer gaming, retail and entertainment to visitors.”

Sheldon summed up the results of the recent Tulalip Tribal Board of Directors election by noting that he, Vice Chair Deborah Parker, Treasurer Chuck James and Board members Glen Gobin and Marlin Fryberg Jr. had all been reelected, while Marie Zackuse was elected back onto the Board as secretary, and Theresa Sheldon was elected to her first term on the Board.

“Deborah Parker has really led the charge on the Violence Against Women Act,” Sheldon said. “It’s a monumental achievement on behalf of Indian Country and all women.”

Sheldon also praised Ken Kettler, president and chief operating officer of the Tulalip Resort Hotel and Casino, for the roles that he and his staff have played in the Tulalip Resort’s host of awards over the past year, including being named “Best Casino of the Year” by KING-5.

“This place is a destination,” said Sheldon, who cited the number of organizations that take advantage of the hotel’s conference rooms. “We’re 100 percent occupied during the weekend and 80 percent occupied during the week. You can build something like the Taj Mahal casino, that people will visit once and then never again, or you can do what we did.”

While the Tulalip Resort is set to add Asian fusion cuisine and sports bar restaurants this summer, the Quil Ceda Creek Casino is due for $15 million worth of remodeling.

“There’s been rumors for a while that we might be adding a new hotel wing, and the truth is that we’re always having conversations about it,” Sheldon said. “If we’re at 80 percent of our total occupancy during the week, we could probably stand to expand.”

Although Sheldon praised the Tulalip Amphitheatre as an intimate outdoor venue for entertainment and various community events, he acknowledged that the Board has asked itself whether there should be a larger capacity events center as well. And with the Tribes meeting their budget projections, Sheldon speculated that the economy might be on its way back.

“Tulalip dollars stretch a long way,” Sheldon said. “Seventy percent of our work force lives off the reservation. We pay out $120 million in annual wages, and most of that money stays in the local economy. Last year, Quil Ceda Village paid $40 million in state sales tax.”

Sheldon touted the past year’s openings of Cabela’s and the Olive Garden, and anticipated the impending completion of 90,000 additional square feet to the Seattle Premium Outlets. At the same time, Sheldon was quick to share credit for the Tribes’ successes with its partners in the cities of Marysville and Everett, Snohomish County and beyond.

“Marysville’s got a great mayor whose work will benefit this community even long after he’s gone,” said Sheldon, who mentioned Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring’s lobbying against the traffic impacts of increased coal trains as but one example, before he directed his comments to outgoing Marysville School District Superintendent Dr. Larry Nyland. “From our hearts, we thank you. We’ve always trusted you. We’re blessed with great leaders all around. If we want a strong economy, we need to keep working together.”

Tulalip Tribes’ cultural director lived for preservation

Mark Mulligan / The Herald File, 2011Hank Gobin, museum director at the Hibulb Cultural Center, listens at the grand opening of the center in Tulalip.
Mark Mulligan / The Herald File, 2011
Hank Gobin, museum director at the Hibulb Cultural Center, listens at the grand opening of the center in Tulalip.

By Bill Sheets, The Hreald

TULALIP — Hank Gobin lived to see his dream come true: the creation of a museum to serve as the focal point of local tribal history and culture.

Gobin, 71, cultural resources director for the Tulalip Tribes, passed away Thursday — a little more than 1½ years after the Hibulb Cultural Center was dedicated in August 2011.

While the museum may be the most tangible testament to his legacy, his role in preserving tribal culture runs much deeper, tribal members say.

“Our community mourns the loss of a truly great man,” Tulalip Chairman Mel Sheldon said in a written statement.

“He was a prolific artist, activist and traditional scholar, who worked in the areas of art, education, language revitalization, museum studies and traditional foods research.”

Gobin was a force in starting the tribes’ cultural resources program in the early 1990s. This included a program to teach Lushootseed, the Puget Sound tribes’ unwritten native language, to help save it from extinction.

“He was one of the key advocates who pushed for the creation of the Lushootseed program,” said Natosha Gobin, a language teacher for the Tulalips.

The language program has grown from its fledgling origins to a year-round course in Montessori school, along with kids camps in the summer and an annual eight-week workshop for families.

“He’s always been a huge advocate for cultural preservation and bringing it all together,” Natosha Gobin said.

Her father, the late Bernie Gobin, was Hank Gobin’s first cousin.

“It was a hard loss,” she said of Hank’s passing.

Henry Delano Gobin was born in 1941 and raised on the Tulalip reservation. He left at age 21 to pursue an education and studied art at several colleges in the West, including the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, N.M. and the San Francisco Art Institute. He received a master’s degree in painting at Sacramento State University and later taught art and ethnic studies.

Gobin returned to Tulalip in 1989 and quickly began working on preserving tribal culture, including pushing for the museum. Finally, after a long haul, the tribal board in 2005 approved the building, which opened in 2011.

Gobin used his artistic talent and education to closely supervise the design of the cultural center. The day the $19 million building opened, Gobin recalled a conversation he’d had years earlier with the architects.

“One of the things I want you to do,” he told them, “is to capture the light.”

The 23,000-square-foot building’s main corridor is equipped with skylights. The museum houses traditional tribal cedar baskets, tools, clothing, canoes, totem poles and other items, some of them hundreds of years old. Many of the items had sat stored away in people’s homes on the reservation. Lectures and other programs are held at the cultural center as well.

The museum’s grounds at 6410 23rd Ave. NE are home to a native plant cultivation and harvest program in which young people learn traditional tribal culinary ways.

“I think it’s an exciting time for the Tulalip Tribes and Tulalip people,” Gobin said shortly before the museum’s opening.

Gobin also was instrumental in reviving the annual tribal family canoe journey and setting the traditional protocol for the event, according to an obituary issued by the tribes.

“His spiritual beliefs were a prominent aspect of who he was; and it was this spiritual way of life that enabled him to carry out his responsibilities to protect his people’s cultural and environmental interests,” the obituary read.

“Everything about Hank was genuine and his magnetic personality touched the lives of all those who he crossed paths.”

Gobin is survived by his wife, Inez Bill-Gobin; two sisters and three sons. Services were held Monday.

Cinco de Mayo returns to Totem Middle School

Source: The Marysville Globe

MARYSVILLE — The local community’s seventh annual Cinco de Mayo Celebration will return to the Totem Middle School cafeteria and gymnasium on Friday, May 3, from 6-8:30 p.m., and all Marysville and Tulalip community members are invited to participate

The free event will include Mexican food, music, dancing and activities. The food will be prepared by the Marysville School District food service students in the School House Café program. Music and entertainment will be provided by the mariachi band Mi Pais, as well as other local groups. Several activities will be geared specifically toward children, such as playing in bouncy houses, breaking piñatas, face-painting, and exploring police and fire vehicles. New this year will be Molina Healthcare’s cat mascot, Dr. Cleo, who will be on hand to lead activities with children, and they will bring a bike to make frozen non-alcoholic drinks.

Thanks to several donors, event organizers have received enough funding to offer Cinco de Mayo as a free event again this year. Monetary donations have been received from the Marysville Rotary, the Marysville YMCA, Molina Healthcare, the Marysville Free Methodist Church and HomeStreet Bank. In-kind and volunteer support has also been instrumental in making this event happen, and has been received from the Marysville School District, Molina Healthcare, Marysville Printing, Belmark Homes, the Mi Pais mariachi band, Sea Mar Community Health Center and various student groups.

The community effort has been lead by Marjorie Serge, with support from Jim Strickland, Victor Rodriguez, Susan Stachowiak, Wendy Messarina Volosin, Anastasia Garcia, Anayelle Lopez and others.

Questions in English should be directed to Marjorie Serge, by phone at 425-350-2064 or via email at Marjorie_serge@msvl.k12.wa.us. Questions in Spanish should be directed to the school district’s information line 360-657-0250.

Go-Go’s & B-52s visit Tulalip

Tulalip Amphitheatre, Saturday July 6, 2013  8pm

Meet The B-52s & The Go-Go’s! Select From Three Different VIP Experiences!

Don’t miss your chance to meet both legendary artists! Select from three different VIP experiences which can include a premium ticket, Meet and Greet with The B-52s and/or The Go-Go’s, exclusive merchandise and more.
Click here for Tickemaster package option or visit the Tulalipcasino.com

Awakening of the canoes

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Tribal members clean the canoes every srping prior to canoe practice.
Photo by Monica Brown

Article and photos by Monica Brown

On Wednesday, April 17th, Tulalip tribal members brought out the canoes; Big Sister, Little Sister and Big Brother, for the traditional cleaning and awakening them. This activity, referred to as protocol, is important spiritually for the canoes and tribal members.

The significance for waking the canoes  is to clear any sort of negative energy that may be left over from the season before or any bad energy that may have accumulated over the winter.

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Photo by Monica Brown

During the resting period the canoes are housed in a special canoe shed behind the Veteran’s Center. Tulalip tribal member Jason Gobin is the delegated as caretaker of the canoes and ensures that protocol is followed once the canoes are put away for the season and reawakened the following spring.

“The water is very powerful and the canoe is what takes care of us while we are out in the water,” says Tribal member and Canoe Family Skipper Darkfeather Ancheta, “Being in the Skipper position I have felt the negative energy. If the negativity is there then the canoe will not want to turn the way you are trying to make it go.”

The canoes are made from cedar trees and have a spirit giving them life for many years so they are taken care of diligently by tribal members. At the end of the season they are put to rest in their covered area until the following spring.

Canoe practice for the 2013 Canoe Journey will be held at the Tulalip Marina at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday and is open to the community.

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Photo by Monica Brown

For more information, please contact Jason Gobin at 360-716-4370 or jasongobin@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov.

Hazen Shopbell Jr., basketball star in the making

The Seattle Stars Youth Basketball TeamPhoto submitted by Marin Andrews
The Seattle Stars Youth Basketball Team
Photo submitted by Marin Andrews

Article by Monica Brown

Tulalip Tribal member, Hazen Shopbell Jr. is in his second season on the elite basketball team in Seattle called the Seattle Stars. Seven year old Hazen has been playing basketball since he was three years old, when he played at the Boys and Girls Club and has been on Seattle Stars team since kindergarten. Hazen is the son of Marin Andrews and Tulalip Tribal member Hazen Shopbell and Tia Shopbell (stepmother).

Hazen and his teammate’s practice every week during which they run lines, do drills and practice making shots. Hazen’s mother, Marin Andrews said, “They practice on regular-sized hoops, the hoops are eight feet high.”

Joining the Seattle Stars Youth Basketball Club provides players and their families the opportunity to travel when the team competes in California and Nevada. The club is a very structured program that is dedicated to “teaching young boys, through the game of basketball, that success is measured by giving your best.”

In School Hazen’s favorite subjects are Physical Education and Art however he is very good at Math. Even though his favorite sport to play is basketball he has also participated in T-ball, soccer and gymnastics. The Seattle Stars Basketball Youth Club has teams for kindergarten through fourth grade; Hazen plans to stay with the club through fourth grade but is excited to begin playing football next year too.

Earth Day celebration at the Qwuloolt Estuary

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Qwuloolt Estuary Restoration Project and earth Day Celebration

Article by Monica Brown

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Ecologist Walter Rung demonstrates how to plant a native tree.
Photo by Monica Brown

TULALIP, Wash. – Community members chose to celebrate Earth Day on April 20th, by helping plant native trees and shrubs in the Qwuloolt Estuary located on the South end of Marysville. The Adopt a Stream Foundation (AASF) is guiding this portion of the project by planting the native trees and shrubs which have been made possible by a grant from the Washington State Department of Ecology through a $250,000 Allen Creek Grant. The main focus of the grant is  to work with and  inform nearby homeowners that live near the Allen Creek watershed about the restoration project. Walter Rung, Ecologist from the AASF says “We are going to door to door and talking to them about ways to help improve water quality in the creeks.”

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A plastic shield is placed around the tree in order to help it thrive and prevent it from being cut down when the invasive species are removed from the area.
Photo by Monica Brown
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A peek iside that the freshly planted tree.
Photo by Monica Brown

The expected outcome of  the restoration project is to raise the population of salmon, and migratory birds that inhabit the Qwuloolt Estuary and it’s tributaries. Planting native vegetation is one way of helping to improve water quality. CK Eidem from the AASF informs, “Today we’re putting in about 100 potted stalk and 100 live stakes; potted stalk are potted plants and live stakes are a cutting from a tree which will grow into a shrub if planted at the right time of year,”

Other environmental changes are being made such as improving natural channel formation  and eventually removing the tide gate. The tide gate is located just south of the storm water Treatment Facility and should be taken down within a year.

“We’re expecting once they remove the tide gate that there will be a lot more salmon in the creek,” said Walter Rung.

At the estuary project, informational booths and speakers informed people about how to protect the estuary and streams in the area by simple methods of not using toxic chemicals in their yards for weed control, disposing of pet droppings properly and regular maintenance their septic systems. Staff from Tulalip Tribes Natural Resources Department explained the stages and reason of the restoration project and provided delicious samples of Sitka Spruce tea and Nettle Tea.

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Josh Meidav and Kelly Finley hosted The Tulalip Tribes booth.
Photo by Monica Brown

This project has been made possible through a large partnership between The Tulalip Tribes, City of Marysville, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, Sound Transit, Wash. Dept of Fish and Wildlife, Wash. State Recreation and Conservation Office, Natural Resources Conservation Services, Snohomish Basin Salmon Recovery Forum, Sound Salmon Solutions and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.