Please use the following link to download the April 30, 2022 issue of the syəcəb
Mother’s Milk: The importance of breastfeeding
By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News; images courtesy Indigenous Milk Medicine Week
As Tulalip’s membership continues to increase, growing from approximately 3,600 in 2003 to 5,100 in 2022, so too does the number of newborn babies being enrolled into the Tribe every year. This baby boom, estimated at 120 per year, led to the Tribe investing in a whole host of Community Health related programs and services geared towards creating positive health outcomes for our youngest generation.
One such program is Maternal Child Health, wherein we find health educator Erika Queen of Alaska’s Inupiaq tribe. She has been working with moms and babies for nearly seventeen years. A focus of hers is helping our Tulalip mothers understand the importance of breastfeeding.
With Tulalip’s baby boom in full swing, it’s a critical time to understand just how important mom’s life-giving milk truly is. This may seem obvious to some readers, but recent statistics show the practice of following the CDC’s recommendation of exclusively breastfeeding until baby is six months is in huge decline. In fact, by this standard, just 25% of infants at 6-months-old are receiving the litany of benefits that come from mother’s milk.
Making the issue even more disheartening is the notion Native mothers and babies have one of the lowest exclusive breastfeeding rates at six months of any race or ethnicity in the nation. For our Native communities, breastfeeding is a public health issue. Because of the enduring health benefits breastfeeding provides, community leaders and medical professionals are making a concerted effort to reconnect Native women to the cultural tradition of breastfeeding. This is where Erika’s vital role as a health educator and advocate for both mom and baby comes in.
“The most important reasons for nursing your baby is that you want to. If you don’t want to do it, that is 100% your choice, I only advocate that people make that choice after considering the pros and cons of all your options. I’ve cried along too many parents who were informed that they “couldn’t” or “shouldn’t” breastfeed, only to find out that the reason given was due to that person/provider’s lack of understanding or lack of knowledge,” shared Erika.
“There is a myriad of reasons that show continuing to grow your baby from your body after birth is important, and that list keeps growing: lower rates of disease for baby, reduced risks of cancers, asthma, type 1 diabetes, ear and tummy infections, SIDS, and NEC (in preterm babies). Lower rates of disease for the birthing parent, too. Breastfeeding can help lower a mother’s risk of high blood pressure, ovarian cancer, breast cancer, and type 2 diabetes.
Women who practice breastfeeding and meet their feeding goals also have a protective factor against postpartum mental health problems. This means that telling someone to stop a successful breastfeeding relationship for their mental health is actually counterproductive. It also doesn’t completely prevent mental health issues postpartum – it just means it lessens them and removing breastfeeding may actually make those problems worse.
Mother’s milk is exactly what is needed by almost all babies. Its more than food alone, it aids our immune system in many ways – from the white cells and immune factors fed to baby (such as after baby’s saliva tells their nursing parent’s areola that baby was exposed to a germ at daycare) to feeding very specific gut bacteria that eat only oligosaccharides from human milk (not found elsewhere) – according to UCLA, 70% of the immune system is in the gut.
Breastfeeding/nursing can be an outstanding parenting tool. The act of breastfeeding releases hormones in parent and child that help to calm and connect – the love hormone, oxytocin – which can bring a tantrum to an end, heal more booboos than all the Band-Aids in the world, and build a bond and a relationship that is both strong and durable.
Science can tell us even more reasons that feeding babies the milk from their parent (or another human) is the ideal, but science doesn’t begin to understand how breastfeeding can connect us back to our ancestors, renew our cultures, and deeply feel human in the face of trauma, and more than anything, it doesn’t explain how it feels to look at your chubby baby smiling up at you with milk running down their chin rolls and think, “I made all of that.”
I think the most important reason to nurse your baby is that you can and you want to,” added the local health educator. “I nursed my baby because I knew it was the best possible nutrition, I knew it was more than just food, and I knew that it is how my ancestors fed their babies for eons.”
If you are a new or expectant mother, or a mom multiple times over with a baby and simply want to ask questions about breastfeeding in a safe place with a health educator dedicated to a successful outcome, then please contact Erika Queen directly. She is here to assist you and eagerly awaits your questions. Her contact info is as follows: Erika Queen, Maternal Child Health Educator. Cell number 360-913-2382 (text OK), E-mail Equeen@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov
Hiring tribal candidates is essential for tribal government employment
By Shaelyn Hood, Tulalip News
Tulalip Tribes currently has 39 job openings within tribal government, ranging anywhere from work in the health clinic, to law enforcement, education, in-office positions, etc. Some of these positions even offer as much as a $2,500 signing bonus, and yet filling the positions has been somewhat difficult. The Human Resources department and Employment department are working tirelessly to find the perfect candidates and provide the Tulalip community with qualified personnel to take these jobs over.
Unfortunately, during the pandemic, much like many businesses, organizations, and tribal governments, Tulalip Tribes took an economic hit and had to make some difficult financial decisions. While they fought to keep their employees for as long as they could, eventually budget cuts had to be made. Inevitably, Tulalip lost a good portion of its staff, keeping their remaining staff based on seniority, and essential workers.
Since then, Tulalip has still been trying to maintain their current staff, while still formulating a plan towards rebuilding their employment numbers.
Executive Director of Human Resources, Amanda Hegnes, spoke about a hiring issue across the nation, and how medical/behavioral health positions have become the most challenging to fill. Tulalip has felt this as well with a Mental Wellness Therapist job opening they’ve had available since 2020.
Though some of the available positions are part of a niche job market, Amanda says that there are some ways to promote yourself as a candidate for these positions. These include earning the highest level of education pertaining to your job market, and expanding your job-related experience.
The hiring process for a typical position starts with listing advertisements, a screening, testing, interviewing, job offer and paperwork (UA & background checks), and finally onboarding.
It is no question that tribal members are preferred candidates when applying for positions within tribal government. Amanda talked about Tribal Code – Chapter 9.25 Tulalip Employment, that allows our membership and those who may support a Tulalip household to have first opportunity at an available position. It is because of this code that allows for tribal preference. They screen applicants in the order of Tulalip tribal members, spouse, parent or child of an enrolled Tulalip tribal member, current legal guardian (with court documentation of guardianship), or a domestic partner of a Tulalip tribal member, federally recognized Natives, federally recognized Native spouses, and current employees.
The current hiring process is set up to allow tribal members a better opportunity to obtain government-ran jobs. When publishing an open position, Employment Manager Nicole Zackuse said “the TTT Employment team will post the positions every Monday on their website and tribal Facebook pages. We also share harder-to-fill and niche positions on LinkedIn.”
Based on the latest tribal government employment records, of the 952 employees, Tulalip tribal members make up 450 (47%) of the current staff. 89 employees are either a spouse, parent or child of an enrolled Tulalip tribal member, current legal guardian (with court documentation of guardianship), or a domestic partner of a Tulalip tribal member. 83 employees are Natives enrolled from other tribes and 4 employees are spouses of Natives who are enrolled in other tribes. Lastly, there are 326 non-Native employees.
For more difficult and niche positions, Amanda discussed that if a tribal member does not meet certain job requirements, in an attempt to help them, they will advise the applicant to update their resume with any related job experience and education. This outreach allows tribal members a secondary opportunity to advance themselves in the interview process and further themselves as a candidate.
A misguided mentality that some people like to fall back on is the idea of favoritism in the hiring process. This concept is something that the department does not take lightly, as this would be a major ethical breach. As Nicole said, “the Employment team does not allow for favoritism or nepotism in the hiring process. All those who participate sign an agreement for fairness. If suspicion of bias occurs – the department will evaluate and possibly replace the suspected committee member(s).” Making this idea of favoritism virtually impossible.
For centuries, non-Natives have been regulating and dictating Native Americans on how to live their lives. With this oppression comes years of silence, lack of control, and forced colonization ideologies. The advantage of being a sovereign nation, is that we have the ability to apply tribal preferences for job openings. With tribal members taking on leadership roles, department positions, and overseeing day-to-day operations, we have the ability to use our voices for the better of our people.
As a tribe we value uplifting our Native brothers and sisters. We encourage our people to get an education and training in order give back to the community and work for the various departments in the tribe. This sets a precedence so that members can uphold the standards and cultural preservation of Tulalip Tribes, and establish a strong Native presence for generations to come.
If you are looking to start a new career path within tribal government, please refer to Tulalip Tribes’ employment website, employment.tulaliptribes-nsn.gov.
Anita Rodgers
April 4, 1948 – April 18, 2022
Anita Rodgers, 74 of Tulalip passed away April 18, 2022.
She was born April 4, 1948 in Everett, WA to Joseph Pacheco and Magdalen “Oudy” Cladoosby. She received her flight attendant license in 1998 from the International Air Academy. She worked as a cook for the Tulalip Montessori. She was a traditional tribal dancer, traveling with her grandfather, Ernest Cladoosby to various Pow Pows. She liked to dance and go on road trips and camping with her children and grandchildren.. She liked Karaoke She loved her cats. She loved to go shopping and going to yard sales. She was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. She was a master at making fry bread. She was a very giving and compassionate person.
She is survived by her three sons, Joe Henry, Vince Henry, and Rick Henry; grandchildren, Joe, Jerry, Brandon, Dustin, Anthony, Taylor, and Jasmin; and numerous great-grandchildren; siblings, Robert Monger, Chuck Vassar, Lucinda Cladoosby, Mark Monger, and Rose Webb. She was preceded in death by husband, Randy Rodgers, her parents; her sister Tina Pacheco; brothers Darryle and Joseph Pacheco; and her nephew Nathan; and her daughter-in-law Loulou..
A celebration of her life will be held Monday, April 25, 2022 at 10:00 AM at the Tulalip Gathering Hall with burial to follow at Mission Beach Cemetery. Arrangements entrusted to Schaefer-Shipman Funeral Home.
Spring Powwow returns to University of Washington
By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News
During the second weekend of April, bright and bold and absolutely beautiful Native culture filled the University of Washington’s Hec Ed Pavilion. Known best as home court for the Washington Huskies basketball teams, the 10,000-seat venue was a welcomed sight for singers, dancers and drummers who journeyed near and far to celebrate the return of UW’s spring powwow.
Notably absent for two consecutive years out of an abundance of Covid-related caution, the annual event returned for 2022 with an eye-catching array of Indigenous tradition on full display. Typically held shortly after the cherry blossoms bloom, the spring cultural celebration represents a season of renewal and rejuvenation.
“The circle has been closed the last two years because of the pandemic, so opening up these doors and blessing up the floor is must needed medicine for our people,” said event MC, Tulalip’s own powwow circuit aficionado Jobey Williams. “It’s a great honor to bring these traditions, dances and songs back to the University of Washington, so the people could use this opportunity to get some must needed healing.
“Our powwow here brings enlightenment to the heart for those with an empty chair at home from a loved one lost. To see so many people fill the seats in this arena lets me know how much the powwow circle is needed right now. Everyone is welcome to join the circle and receive that traditional medicine to heal their spirit,” he added.
According to UW history, the first powwow was held on the University of Washington campus and was coordinated by the American Indian Student Council in 1971. In 1989, from the AISC emerged First Nations @ UW which continues to organize and develop the biggest powwow in Washington State.
For a few years the powwow was held off campus, but in 1994 the First Nations organization worked hard to ensure the powwow was held on campus. This enabled First Nations to further its mission of promoting higher education and sharing Native American cultures within the University community. The support of the Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity has contributed to making this an annual event a university staple which attracts thousands of Native and non-Native individuals.
2022 marks the 51st rendition of the university’s student organized powwow. Giving Tulalip an additional connection to the well-attended, public event was fourth-year undergad student Hailey Enick. She serves as the Coastal Chair for First Nations @ UW and fulfilled an essential role during the powwow by holding boom mics over alternating drum circles.
“I decided to get involved and incorporate my coastal traditions in our UW powwow, which led to us opening with local canoe families offering a healing ceremony,” said the 22-year-old Tulalip tribal member intending to double major in American Indian Studies and Education. “It’s been an amazing experience working with everyone behind the scenes and having this event playout exactly as we wanted. Being the smallest student population at the university, it means so much to have our Native American culture and communities embraced and incorporated within our school functions.
“Growing up in Tulalip, where we have a lot of Husky fans, I dreamed of attending UW. Now, that I’m actually here fulfilling that dream I can say it’s a great institution offering amazingly diverse academics,” Hailey added. “I can’t recommend enough that our high schoolers consider UW as an achievable goal. I took a nontraditional route by attending Everett Community College for multiple years before successfully transferring to UW, which just proves there are multiple pathways to arrive at a desired destination.”
Just as there are multiple types of powwow protocols, in this case noncompetitive, there were multiple styles of dance for audience members to be in absolute awe of. From graceful grass dancing and frenetic fancy dance, to eagle feather adorned traditional dance and the mesmerizing metallic sound of women’s jingle dress, the Native performers turned tradition into shared connection. Accompanied by the continuous beat of the drum, it was much more than an audio/visual extravaganza. It was a welcoming back of the circle. It was medicine for the spirit.
“Self care is just that, it’s self care. What we’ve been missing is community care,” shared former UW tribal liaison and current PhD student, Ross Braine (Crow Nation). “We had no idea that our powwow would be this well received given the time we’re in. But as we’ve learned over the past two days, our students needed this, our elders needed this, and our local community needed this. The return of our spring powwow is about love for the people and all the good medicine that comes from being in community.”
April 23, 2022 syəcəb
Please use the following link to download the April 23, 2022 issue of the syəcəb
Following the Salmon Ceremony Part 1: Practice begins
Part 1: Practice begins
By Kalvin Valdillez, Tulalip News
“After the treaty signing and after the boarding school era, much of our teachings were taken away,” Then Tulalip Vice-Chairman Glen Gobin explained to a packed longhouse last summer. “We were not able to speak our languages. We were not able to live with our families. Much of what we had as a culture was disappearing quickly. Some of the elders remembered certain aspects and would share those memories of how things used to be. The elders in 1976, Harriette Shelton Dover in particular, said we need to revive Salmon Ceremony, we need to bring it back. She gathered up different elders and they pieced together what each of them knew about the Salmon Ceremony from either things they personally witnessed or things they heard their grandparents talk about.”
With less than two months away, the tribal community of Tulalip has begun preparations for a special and important event that takes place along the shore of the bay each summer. Known as the Salmon Ceremony, the tribe celebrates an integral piece of their Salishan culture in traditional fashion. Draped in shawls, cedar hats and headbands, and vests, tribal members gather at the local longhouse to honor the salmon for providing nourishment to the people since time immemorial.
After it’s revival in the late ‘70’s, the Salmon Ceremony has become a strong tradition for Tulalip tribal members and surrounding tribes who signed the 1855 Treaty of Point Elliott. Not only does the ceremony pay respect to the salmon population, it also provides space to thank all the tribal fishermen, blessing them with a traditional song for a plentiful and safe season out on the water.
During the Salmon Ceremony, the tribe honors their guest, or the first catch of the season, with Tulalip songs, stories and dances that were passed down through the generations. The guest is escorted to the Tulalip Longhouse, via a cedar dugout canoe, where tribal members wait ashore with drums and rattles in-hand to welcome their guest of honor with songs performed in the traditional Lushootseed language.
The salmon is then taken into the longhouse for a blessing before it is prepared for a meal and enjoyed by those in attendance. The guest’s remains are sent back to the water after the ceremony. As the legend goes, the salmon returns back to its underwater village to show its community how well the Tulalips honored the salmon people. And therefore, more salmon will travel to the nets and lines of tribal fisherman throughout the course of the season.
Every year, the Salmon Ceremony traditions are upheld and precisely executed by the tribal membership and it appears that every dance step is in perfect line with each drumbeat. Lessons are passed on from elders to the youth, thanks to practice sessions held weekly leading up to the Salmon Ceremony. This year, Salmon Ceremony practices will be held at 5:00 p.m. each Thursday at the Tulalip Gathering Hall, with the exception of the last practice, (June 9) which will be held at the longhouse.
The Salmon Ceremony celebration is scheduled for Saturday June 11th at 10:30 a.m., which means there are eight total practice sessions before the event takes place. As the Tulalip community prepares for this year’s festivities, Tulalip News will feature a weekly mini-series focused on the traditions and hard work that goes into the Salmon Ceremony each year.
Glen expressed, “Harriette always said that so much was taken from us and what we do today may not be exactly the same as it was done two hundred years ago. But as long as we do it with good intentions and with a pure heart, our elders will receive it in that manner. So, we hang on to those bits and pieces that we have and we’re thankful for them.”
A vote for the levies, is a vote for our kids
By Shaelyn Hood, Tulalip News
On February 23, the Marysville School District (MSD) introduced two levies to the community. These typically take place when a school district is needing more funds and property taxes are instilled as a way to subjugate them. The introduced levies from MSD are the Education, Programs & Operations levy, and the Technology & Capital Projects levy.
Though the relationship between Tulalip Tribal members and MSD has wavered for many years, the levies are a way to join forces and make a better environment for students.
Executive Director of Education, Jessica Bustad spoke about the troublesome relationship, “for years, people within our community have not been satisfied with the District. There’s a lot of pain and trauma around experiences that have happened in public schools. There is a lot of healing that needs to be done, and we have to work through that and make sure that the school district is held accountable. But at the same time, we also have to be supporting our students, and the levies can help do that.”
The Education, Programs & Operations levy is designated to help support smaller class sizes, making it easier for children to get one-on-one attention. It also helps establish programs for students with disabilities. It provides student transportation with more bus stops and shorter bus rides. In addition, it supports the Early Learning Center for pre-k kids, and many of the arts, music, athletics, and various extra-curricular activities.
The Technology & Capital Projects levy is designated to help integrate better technology for students, provide system administrators to oversee the school systems, aid curriculum software and licensing, and provide 24/7 WIFI access across all buildings.
With the district serving more than 1,200 Native American/Alaskan Native students, with the local Native population primarily consisting of Tulalip tribal citizens, the Tulalip Education Division is a driving force of support.
“This directly impacts our kids and tribal support is crucial. If we can get a high voter turnout from the Tulalip community, then we can impact and sway the vote, just by us exercising our right. We have to do what’s right on behalf of our students and the community,” Jessica said.
At a community meeting held in the Administration Building, Interim Superintendent Chris Pearson also addressed the unsteady relationship and how MSD is trying to bridge a new path with staff. He discussed the evolution of four new board members, including Superintendent Zachary Robbins and Executive Director of Finance David Cram. Chris went on to say, “there’s been significant change in our upper level positions, and we want to rewrite our story and improve the work that we do.”
One common misperception of levies is how they affect the overall revenue that the schools receive, and why they are a necessity when public schools already receive state and federal funding. According to last year’s revenue chart produced by the District, the federal revenue only makes up for about 14% of the schools funding, state revenue makes up about 68%, Local Non-Tax makes up 1%, misc. other makes up 3%, and still 14% of the school’s revenue comes from must needed property taxes.
Currently, there is still a healthy number of projects that need to be taken care of to maintain the different schools’ infrastructures. Knowing this, the District is trying to improvise and find ways to get funding elsewhere. Eventually, within the next five years, Chris said they do see themselves having to apply for a bond and completely rebuilding the older schools. Understanding this, they are willing to put some projects to the side in order to keep property taxes lower.
Unfortunately, as Chris also pointed out, enrollment in MSD has declined in recent years. This hurts the schools because they receive a certain amount of money per enrolled child, and as a result of this, some of the state funding has declined as well. This limits the District on how they allocate funds for the schools’ maintenance, building infrastructures, and overall budgeting. Making this a pivotal moment for the schools when establishing funds for the fall.
Anyone who is registered to vote in the state of Washington and lives within Snohomish county is able to vote yes to pass the levies. Ballots were mailed out on April 7th, and all ballots must be administered into one of the drop box locations by April 26th. The closest drop box to tribal members is located in the Tulalip Youth Center parking lot.
If you or anyone else would like more information about the levies and how beneficial they could be to our tribal students, please reach out to the Tulalip Education Division at 360-716-4909. And don’t forget to vote!
Dean Vince Markishtum
April 22, 1965 – April 14, 2022
Born in Tacoma, WA April 22, 1965 to Yvonne Johnson and Turk Markishtum. He is an enrolled tribal member of The Makah Nation, grew up in Oahu, Hawaii and Seattle, WA where he graduated from Franklin High school. He then went on to pursue a career in Construction for over 30+ Years. He began his career with Tulalip Tribes in 2007 as maintenance and security officer, he’s always been a hard worker from home improvements to work, building and applying every skill to his everyday life. Dean was a huge golf, Seattle Seahawks and Mariners fan, he went to games, collected jerseys and rearranged his schedule to watch every game. He took pride in every vehicle he ever owned and invested in each one, loved to keep them clean and running well.
He is survived by his wife of 22 years Jennifer Markishtum, his children Justine (Josh), Dean, and Steven (Rhonnalee) Markishtum, Marc (Tiffany) Robinson, Sheena (Martin) Robinson, Carissa Robinson, and Cyrus (AnaMaria) Williams, special niece/daughter Yvonne Markishtum. Siblings Debbie (Billy) Ancheta, Sean Esperas, Dwight Esperas, Terry Markishtum. Grandkids Grayson Gombosky, Tracen Aria and Bentley Markishtum, Hannah and Faith Apperson, Kaeson, Eliza, Keoni, Tehya, Mekiyen, Elysia, Marcis Robinson, Nayeli and Kaycee Moddejonge-Williams.
Dean is proceeded in death by his mother Yvonne (Tom) Johnson, Fathers Turk Markishtum and Ed Esperas and brother Stanley Markishtum.
A celebration of Dean’s life will be held Wednesday, April 20, 2022 at 10:00 AM at the Tulalip Gathering Hall with burial to follow at Mission Beach Cemetery. Arrangements entrusted to Schaefer-Shipman Funeral Home
Patricia “Pat” Marie Cuellar
March 11, 1944 – April 12, 2022
Patricia “Pat” Marie Cuellar , 78 of Tulalip passed away April 12, 2022.
She was born March 11, 1944 in Monroe, Washington to Morris and Hilda Feller.
She was a traveler and raised her children through thick and thin. Pat loved her siblings and grandchildren very much. She loved her wiener dogs and took them everywhere. Pat was so happy when she would see her family and friends, she greeted everyone with a smile and a hug. Pat enjoyed shopping and buying gifts for her grandchildren, she was thoughtful and made sure she told her grandchildren she was always thinking of them. She is survived by her life mate of 30 years Cory Wentz; sons Troy Carlson and Leslie “Will” Martin; sisters Dorothy Frahm, Sharon Mark, Lorraine Hill, Dulcie Walters, Mary Watson; grandchildren, Leticia, Jesse, Amado, Malia, Cassius; great-grandchildren, Elenor, Aleysha, and Ramona. She is preceded in death by her parents, brothers Joseph Williams, Ken Feller, sister Lorretta “Candy” Martin, daughter Leilani DeLeon.
A celebration will be held Tuesday, April 19, 2022 at 10 AM at Schaefer-Shipman Funeral Home with burial to follow at Mission Beach Cemetery.