White Earth Band votes to end ‘blood quantum’ for tribal membership

When Erma Vizenor was first elected to the office of secretary-treasurer at White Earth in the late 1990s, she promised she would work toward constitutional reform. Voters approved that reform last night. (Tom Robertson/MPR News file)
When Erma Vizenor was first elected to the office of secretary-treasurer at White Earth in the late 1990s, she promised she would work toward constitutional reform. Voters approved that reform last night. (Tom Robertson/MPR News file)

By Dan Gunderson, Minnesota Public Radio

MOORHEAD, Minn. — White Earth Band of Ojibwe tribal members have approved a new constitution that dramatically changes tribal government and expands membership in Minnesota’s largest Chippewa tribe.

The new constitution eliminates the blood quantum which requires a person to prove they have 25 percent Indian blood and changes to a system based on family lineage. But choosing a new constitution is only the first step in what will likely be a long and challenging process.

White Earth Nation Chairwoman Erma Vizenor has advocated for constitutional reform for 16 years, and said Tuesday that when 79 percent of voters approve a new constitution, as they just did with 3,492 votes cast, it’s a transformational moment.

“It feels great. It is gratifying to know that the people of White Earth have spoken and spoken strongly,” Vizenor said.

White Earth’s government will also expand. The new constitution replaces the five-member Reservation Business Council with independent executive, legislative and judicial branches.

The new separation of powers will help create economic stability on the northern Minnesota reservation, Vizenor said. “If we look at all the research on economic development in Indian Country, to diversify the economics of the reservation is dependent on an independent judicial system.”

But first, White Earth needs to resolve a conflict its new constitution sets up with the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe which is the governing body of six bands. The Red Lake Nation is independent of the MCT.

White Earth Constitutional Reform Manager Terry Janis says negotiations with the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe will take time.

“There’s some significant differences between the current MCT structure and this new proposed constitution and so they’re going to have to engage a process with MCT to figure out how they’re going to resolve those differences to allow White Earth to remain a part of MCT,” Janis said. If those differences can’t be resolved, White Earth would need to decide if it will withdraw from the MCT. The issue will be discussed at a Minnesota Chippewa Tribe meeting next month.

Vizenor said she’s confident an agreement can be reached because the numbers are on the White Earth band’s side: Its members make up more than half of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe.

Once membership in the MCT is resolved, White Earth will schedule an election for a president, members of the legislative council and a chief judge. Those new elected officials will then create the laws that define the new government roles based on the new constitution.

That might well be a process fraught with challenge according to James Mills, a consultant who helps tribes across the country with constitutional reform. He has not worked with White Earth, but said he’s helped about 50 tribes write or amend constitutions. In his experience, reform sometimes creates a power struggle.

“When someone writes a constitution that divides the powers between the three branches, if they’re not clear about who does what and when, the executive and legislative will often argue over whose authority it is and I’ve seen them just become stagnant as a result,” Mills said.

Vizenor said she knows the path forward is filled with challenges, but she says tribal members have given a mandate for change and she expects the transition to be successful.

How long that transition will take is unclear. Vizenor says she hopes new elections can be held within a year.

EDITOR’S NOTE: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported that the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe governs all of the Minnesota Chippewa bands. The Red Lake Nation is independent of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe. The current version of this story is correct.

Marysville students out perform the nation’s priority schools

Members of the NEA and WEA present banners and library checks at Tulalip Quil Ceda Elementary.
Members of the NEA and WEA present banners and library checks at Tulalip Quil Ceda Elementary.
Andrew Gobin/Tulalip News

 

NEA recognizes Marysville schools’ turnaround

 

Article and photos by Andrew Gobin/Tulalip News

Tulalip − American Education Week began Monday, November 18th, with visits to Totem Middle School and Tulalip Quil Ceda Elementary school by the National Education Association (NEA) and Washington Education Association (WEA). Both campuses, earmarked as priority schools, exemplify a joint commitment of students and teachers to academic achievement. The incredible turn around embodies the intent of the School Improvement Grant (SIG grant) they received as schools in need. A change in national perspective led to the development of the grant which catalyzed the positive turn around at these schools.

“Because of previous legislation, schools that needed assistance were labeled failing,” said Kim Mead of the WEA, referring to No Child Left Behind, which decreased funding to schools that did not meet state and national standards. “We changed our perspective, failing schools came to be seen as priority schools.”

In the last five years, 97 Washington schools were considered failing and had their funding cut. With the new perspective of those schools as a priority, the US Department of Education created the SIG grant in 2010, providing three-year funding to schools on the national priority list. 28 schools were awarded grant funding of the 60 eligible schools in Washington state that applied.

The SIG grant is conditional funding, giving four plan options to bring schools up to standard. These options are closure and transfer students to high achieving schools, turnaround by reorganizing currents school curriculum and staff, transformation through a change in leadership and instruction, and restart which would convert public schools to charter schools, which were illegal in Washington state until 2012. Of the 28 Washington priority schools awarded grants, now specified as SIG schools, 1 school closed, 23 selected transformation, and 4 opted for the turnaround, including Totem, and Tulalip Quil Ceda.

Led by the teachers, these schools developed their staff and curriculum to change the professional practices in their schools. Through the SIG funding, Totem purchased laptops for each grade in order to assess individual understanding of course materials. They developed a home visit program so that teachers have the necessary skills to bring school needs into the home, while addressing home issues, not as a means lower standards or make accommodations, but to understand how to balance the school work with home life. The most prominent demonstration of home life coming to school is the morning assembly at Tulalip Quil Ceda, which incorporates traditional values into the school day. The NEA observed the assembly during their visit.

“I chose Washington to kick off American Education Week,” said Dennis Van Rockel, NEA president. “I hear so much about Washington, what you all are doing here, and I’m glad to be able to come and see it first hand.”

Programs in these SIG schools that see drastic positive improvement are leeching out into other schools throughout MarysvilleSchool District.

“This is important as we get ready to roll out the Common Core curriculum, which is the national standard equivalent,” said Tulalip Quil Ceda teacher, George Camper.

2013 marks the final year of the SIG grant funding, which means the priority schools were evaluated nationwide. Totem and Tulalip Quil Ceda not only outperformed all others in the state, they outperformed the nation’s priority schools. In recognition of their achievement, each of their libraries were given $500, and each school was given a banner acknowledging their accomplishment.

The nation is now looking to Washington as an example for the work Totem, and Tulalip Quil Ceda schools have done. They have set a standard for priority schools nationwide, which is described in a packet titled ‘Improving Student Achievement in High-Poverty Schools: Lessons from Washington State,’ that outlines how these schools successfully turned around from persistently low achieving to high achieving.

Team N Tense Speeding in to the 2014 Competition Season

teamntense-webBy Kim Fleischmann

The start of a new season for Team N Tense, Coached by Kim Fleischmann skating for Marysville Skate Inn began in Puyallup, WA the weekend of November 15-17. Where the inline speed skaters ages 6-69 years of age raced their season opener. The skaters were ready to begin the season with practices starting in September training 3+ days a week. Team N Tense received placements in the following divisions.

Primary Boys  Ben Juracich 1st Place, Elementary Boys Ivan Spencer 6th Place, Freshman Girls Nikita Fleischmann 5th Place, Freshman Boys Nashone White Bear 1st Place, Sophomore Women Rachel Killstrom 6th Place, Sophomore Men Torin Davenport 2nd Place, Senior Men Jerimiah Lotan 3rd Place, Veteran Men Eric Fleischmann 3rd Place, Esquire Men Fred Brevic 1st Place. Elementary2 Boy Relay Ivan Spencer-Isaac Juracich 4th Place, Sophomore 2 Man Relay Nashone White Bear- Torin Davenport 4th place, Veteran 2 man relay Eric Fleischmann- Fred Brevic 2nd Place.

Also competing in the meet was Juvenile Boy Isaac Juracich, Elementary Girls Abby Varn. Great job Team N Tense. The next competition will be held in Auburn, WA Jan 18-20.

Fryberg honored for service on School Board

Wendy Fryberg during her last Marysville School Board meeting as Director District 4.— image credit: Kirk Boxleitner
Wendy Fryberg during her last Marysville School Board meeting as Director District 4.
— image credit: Kirk Boxleitner

KIRK BOXLEITNER,  Marysville Globe Reporter

MARYSVILLE — Wendy Fryberg began serving on the Marysville School District Board of Directors in 2010, after being appointed to the Director District 4 position in the wake of Michael Kundu’s resignation, and she retained that seat in 2011, after running unopposed, but when that term expired this year, she chose not to run for re-election.

As such, the Marysville School Board was joined by members of the Marysville School District, as well as the surrounding Marysville and Tulalip communities, in honoring Fryberg’s service to the school district during the Board’s regular session meeting on Monday, Nov. 18.

Marysville School Board President Chris Nation called a recess during the meeting to conduct a brief celebration in tribute to Fryberg, during which he and his fellow Board members were effusive in expressing their praise and appreciation to Fryberg, whose departure also leaves vacant the Board’s vice president position.

“Wendy brought instrumental leadership to this board,” said Nation, who also serves in the Director District 1 position. “I will always embrace that.”

“Wendy has been a heart behind the Board — a gentle, willing person with an iron heart to serve our children,” said Dr. Becky Berg, superintendent of the Marysville School District. “She will be missed.”

“I have always been impressed with how Wendy and the other Board members care about the children — all children,” said Pete Lundberg, who serves in the Director District 3 position. “Wendy is very thoughtful and a good decision-maker.”

Tom Albright, the Board’s Legislative Representative who serves in the Director District 5 position, credited Fryberg with helping the Marysville School District Board of Directors receive the title of Board of the Year from the Washington State School Directors Association in 2012.

“It has been an honor and a pleasure to work and sit beside Wendy for three years,” Albright said. “I appreciate her smile and her hard work on behalf of all students.”

The meeting’s attendees from the public included Mel Sheldon Jr., chair of the Tulalip Tribes, as well as Sheryl Fryberg and Norma Razote — the general manager and deputy manager of the Tribes, respectively — and each one had plaudits and insights of their own to share about Wendy Fryberg’s service on the Marysville School Board.

“Thank you, Wendy, for stepping up to the plate, addressing the challenges and serving on the School Board for every child,” Sheldon said. “You have made us all proud, along with our community. Your work will serve our next generation. We raise our hands up to you.”

“I am so proud of Wendy and her sheer determination,” Sheryl Fryberg said. “She has grown tremendously through her work on the School Board. From the budget to academics, she took it all to heart. We are very proud of her, and happy to have her come back to our family gatherings. I also lift my hands to Wendy, and to all of the School Board members, for the important work that they do.”

“Wendy has been a great support for me this past year,” Razote said. “She has evolved so much, and as the executive director in adult services for the Tulalip Tribes, I have counted on her so much. I’ve heard so many great things about her work on the School Board.”

Following some coffee and cake, Wendy Fryberg thanked everyone for their comments.

“This has been a great three years,” Fryberg said. “I have learned a lot. I want to thank Don Hatch Jr. for strongly encouraging me to follow in his footsteps and serve on the School Board. This is a really profound team that we have. It’s been a strong team. I appreciate what I’ve learned about the educational system as a Board director, and I’m thankful that my children and everyone’s children are well taken care of in the Marysville School District. I really appreciate this recognition.”

Quinault Nation Receives Grant for Pellet Manufacturing Plant

Source: Water 4 Fish

TAHOLAH, WA (11/24/13)– The Quinault Indian Nation (QIN) has received a $63,231 US Department of Agriculture Rural Business Opportunity Grant to conduct a feasibility study on the viability of a tribal pellet manufacturing plant on the tribe’s reservation, according to Fawn Sharp, QIN President.

The envisioned pellet mill is expected to consume logging slash blended with higher grade fiber and/or alternative bio-crop fiber such as Arundo Donax (Nile Fiber), to produce industrial quality pellets that eliminate the need for annual logging slash burns, according to Sharp. “We also anticipate creating new jobs as this Tribal Enterprise is developed. New jobs would include facility operations and maintenance, biomass harvesting, biomass sorting, mechanical equipment operators, truck drivers, and administrative support,” she said. “We anticipate as many as 36 new jobs from this project.”

Upon completion the study will bring the Quinault Indian Nation one step closer to a sustainable biomass for heat system that not only provides heat to essential tribal facilities but will also begin a new technology on the Reservation.

The Quinault Nation has been investigating the use of forest biomass material generated from QIN forest management practices as fuel for heating new or existing tribal facilities for years. The existing Tribal facilities being considered for retrofit in support of a biomass for heat facility include the Tribal Health Clinic, Department of Natural Resources, the Executive Office complex and the Administration complex.

To officially get this project off and running, QIN partnered with Columbia-Pacific Resource Conservation & Economic Development District (ColPac) to apply for grants from the USDA Rural Business Opportunity Grant Program and the US Forest Service Woody Biomass Utilization Grant Program. The successful grant application was done in support of a biomass feasibility study on the Quinault Reservation. The feasibility study, successfully completed in January of 2012, determined QIN generates more than sufficient biomass quantities to sustain a low pressure boiler system using wood chips or pellets (created from forest slash) as a green fuel source to produce low cost wood heat.

Due to the project’s focus on biomass as a sustainable renewable energy resource, a diverse team of partners and the potential for new Tribal jobs in support of biomass for heat technology, the project was designated as one of seven national USDA Great Regions Projects by USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack in 2010.

“Currently our project is in the final engineering and design phase for a QIN Biomass for Heat Facility,” said Sharp.  “In support of this phase QIN applied for and was awarded a 2012 US Forest Service Woody Biomass Utilization Program Grant in the amount of $205,000,” she said.

Engineering and design of the QIN Biomass for Heat Facility is being accomplished by Richmond Engineering and includes the following tasks: Abbreviated Master Plant Site Selection, Schematic Design, Design Development, and Final Design/Bid Preparation. The QIN Biomass for Heat Facility is being engineered and designed as a low pressure hot water biomass heating facility.

The initial Biomass Feasibility Study concluded that 400 bone dry tons (BDT) per year of biomass fuel, in chip or pellet form, would be required to generate the sufficient amount of heat for QIN’s existing buildings. Timber harvests and forest management create 32,000 BDT of biomass-slash annually. The QIN reservation falls within the lush temperate rainforest and is highly productive making this biomass project highly viable as well as sustainable.

“Air quality, wildlife habitat, and forest resources will benefit from this project. Also QIN will save $78,000-$126,000 per year in utility bills from converting our current electric heat to wood heat. When constructed our Biomass for Heat Facility will help QIN become more energy independent. It will also help us become more self-reliant as we create local jobs,” she said.

“This is the type of project that creates jobs, on and off the reservation. It promotes energy independence and supports sustainability and sovereignty,” said Sharp . “It’s exactly what we’re looking for at Quinault,” she said.

Rising air pollution prompts region-wide burn bans

Source:Puget Sound Clean Air Agency
Pierce County: Stage 2
King & Snohomish counties: Stage 1
 
 
SEATTLE, Wash. – To protect public health from worsening air pollution, the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency is issuing a Stage 1 burn ban for King and Snohomish counties, effective at 2:00 p.m. November 24, 2013.
 
A Stage 2 burn ban remains in effect for Pierce County.
 
These bans remain in effect until further notice.
 
Last night fine particle pollution levels spiked in many areas throughout the Puget Sound region, especially in neighborhoods where wood-burning is common.
 
 
During a Stage 1 burn ban:
 
  • No burning is allowed in fireplaces or uncertified wood stoves. Residents should rely instead on their home’s other, cleaner source of heat (such as their furnace or electric baseboard heaters) for a few days until air quality improves, the public health risk diminishes and the ban is cancelled. The only exception is if a wood stove is a home’s only adequate source of heat.
  • No outdoor fires are allowed. This includes recreational fires such as bonfires, campfires and the use of fire pits and chimineas.
  • Burn ban violations are subject to a $1,000 penalty.
It is OK to use natural gas, propane, pellet and EPA-certified wood stoves or inserts during a Stage 1 burn ban.
 
During a Stage 2 burn ban:
 
  • No burning is allowed in ANY wood-burning fireplaces, wood stoves or fireplace inserts (certified or uncertified) or pellet stoves. Residents should rely instead on their home’s other, cleaner source of heat (such as their furnace or electric baseboard heaters) for a few days until air quality improves, the public health risk diminishes and the ban is cancelled. The only exception is if a wood stove is a home’s only adequate source of heat.
  • No outdoor fires are allowed. This includes recreational fires such as bonfires, campfires and the use of fire pits and chimineas.
  • Burn ban violations are subject to a $1,000 penalty.
It is OK to use natural gas and propane stoves or inserts during a Stage 2 burn ban.
 
The Washington State Department of Health recommends that people who are sensitive to air pollution limit time spent outdoors, especially when exercising. Air pollution can trigger asthma attacks, cause difficulty breathing, and make lung and heart problems worse. Air pollution is especially harmful to people with lung and heart problems, people with diabetes, children, and older adults (over age 65).
 
For more information:
 
 

Upcoming holiday events at Tulalip Cabela’s

Taste of Cabela’s, Saturday and Sunday, November 30th – December 1st, 11 AM

Taste of Cabela’s is the perfect chance to taste all of our holiday treats and unique foodie gifts for the holiday season.  Stop by the Home and Cabin Department to taste a variety of dip, soups and our famous fudge.  The Eagles Nest Deli will be sampling Elk, Boar and Bison meats and other goodies sure to peak your interest.  Our Camping department will be sampling a wide variety of tasty marinades and spices along with other treats that Cabela’s has to offer.

Don’t miss this day of munching on delicious food and kicking off the holiday season in Cabela’s style.

 

Pictures with Santa, Saturday-Sunday, December 7-8 11:00am-6pm, by the Fishing Department

Santa and his elves will be visiting our store! Come for a chance to whisper your Christmas wish lists and to take a commemorative photograph of the occasion. We’ll send you home with a free Cabela’s keepsake frame and photograph with Santa.

Native American travels across U.S. photographing citizens of tribal nations

Courtesy Matika WilburJenni Parker, right, and granddaughter Sharlyse Parker of the Northern Cheyenne tribe pose in Lame Deer, Mont., in August.
Courtesy Matika Wilbur
Jenni Parker, right, and granddaughter Sharlyse Parker of the Northern Cheyenne tribe pose in Lame Deer, Mont., in August.

By Simon Moya-Smith, Staff Writer, NBC News

She sleeps on couches, dines with strangers and lives out of her car. Still, Matika Wilbur does it for the art and for the people.

Wilbur is Native American. Invariably strapped to her arm is a camera, and other than a few provisions and clothing, she owns little else. Last year she sold everything in her Seattle apartment, packed a few essentials into her car and then hit the road.

Since then, she’s been embarking on her most recent project, “Project 562.”

The plan is to photograph citizens of each federally recognized tribe, Wilbur said. Sometimes she’ll journey to an isolated reservation, other times she’ll meet some of the 70 percent of Native Americans living in urban settings. Yet she hopes that when her project is complete it will serve to educate the nation and “shift the collective conscious” toward recognizing its indigenous communities.

To date, Wilbur has photographed citizens of 159 tribes.

In 2010, when Wilbur first conceptualized the campaign, there were 562 federally recognized tribes in the U.S., hence the name. Since then, the U.S. government has added four more nations to the list.

Courtesy Matika WilburNative American activist and poet John Trudell, left, and Son Coup of the Santee Sioux Nation pose for a photo in San Francisco, Calif., in July. 

 

The project all began three years ago when Wilbur photographed her elders from both of her tribes, the Swinomish and Tulalip. She soon decided it was not enough to photograph only her people. After raising $35,000 through Kickstarter.com, an online funding platform, she had enough to realize her project and zip across the country capturing the faces of this nation’s first peoples.

Wilbur said her project is aimed toward debunking the bevy of erroneous stereotypes surrounding Native American culture and society and to reiterate the continual presence of Native Americans.

“We are still here,” she said. “We remain.”

One of those stereotypes is the image of Indians clad in feathers, nearly naked running across the prairie, whooping it up like what’s oft portrayed in western cinema. Also the caricature image of Indians as mascots.

With that in mind, Wilbur said the project is meant to drive conversations about the ubiquitous appropriation of Native American culture and to discuss how U.S. citizens can evolve beyond the co-opting of indigenous images and traditions.

“I hope to educate these audiences that it’s not OK to dress up like an Indian on Halloween,” she said. “I’m not a Halloween costume. I hope to encourage a new conversation of sharing and to help us move beyond the stereotypes.”

Wilbur added that she hopes her photos — her craft — will display the “beauty of (Native) people and to introduce some of our leaders to a massive audience.”

Wilbur, 29, operates on a modest budget and relies heavily on the “generosity and kindness” of the people she meets when travelling throughout Indian country. Many of her photo subjects will host her overnight and provide her with meals.

Courtesy Matika WilburAnna Cook of the Swinomish and Hualapai tribes poses for a photo in Swinomish, Wash., earlier this month. 

 

“I come in a good way. I bring gifts. I interact with their children well. I behave myself. I walk the red road,” she said. “People believe in my project because they, too, have been affected by the stereotypical image and they want to see it change.”

In between shoots, or maybe over dinner, Wilbur will tape record her subjects as they impart their wisdom and life stories. She plans to transfer the files to an application, which will coincide the corresponding photos in a future exhibition.

In the last year, Wilbur has slept in her two-seater Honda only once or twice but, following a new fundraiser in January, she hopes to get a van to sleep in on those long nights out on the open road.

Wilbur said that the fact that there are newly recognized tribes is indicative of the progress Native Americans are making today and that she plans to photograph the four tribes as well as various others who haven’t been recognized by the federal government.

Currently, Native Americans make up 1.6 percent of the entire U.S. population, according to the U.S. Census.

On Oct. 31, President Barack Obama proclaimed November 2013 as Native American Heritage Month and designated Nov. 29, 2013 as Native American Heritage Day.

Wilbur’s previous work has been showcased across the U.S. and internationally at the Royal British Columbia Museum in Canada and the Fine Arts Museum of Nantes in France.

In May 2014, the Tacoma Art Museum in Washington will host an exhibition of Wilbur’s collection of photos. In the meantime, she says she’ll continue her project and “let it flow as the spirit moves it.”

Shop for Native American holiday gifts at Tulalip

By  Monica  Brown,  Tulalip  News writer.

TULALIP, Wa- Tulalip’s  annual  Native  Bazaar  is  happening  this weekend, Nov 23rd  and 24th, and December 7th and 8th.  The bazaar is a great place to  buy  handmade gifts  for friends and  family and offers everything from cedar woven items art, carvings and drums, to jewelry, clothing and food.

The bazaar is open 9:00am – 4:00pm and is located  at  the Don Hatch Jr Youth Center, 6700 Totem Beach Rd, Tulalip. I-5 exit 199, follow the signs.

20131123_125559

Among the many native themed crafts is a line of clothing that has been tailored to show off native America designs.
Among the many native themed crafts is a line of clothing that has been tailored to show off native America designs.

20131123_125828