TULALIP – Gardeners in training took part in a transplanting extravaganza on Sunday, March 16, at the Hibulb Cultural Center.
A new partnership between the Tulalip Tribes and the Washington State University Snohomish County Master Gardeners Foundation is making it possible for participants to learn the nit and grit of greenhouse gardening.
During Sunday’s event, 40 gardeners of all ages transplanted 75 flats of broccoli, kale, and chard seedlings into larger pots. These seedlings will be part of a crop grown to aid local food banks, such as Tulalip Food Bank, and other Snohomish County Master Gardener food bank gardens.
Tulalip tribal member Gisselo Andrade Jr., helps transplant broccoli that will be harvested for the Tulalip Food Bank during the Greenhouse Gardening class hosted by the Tulalip Tribes and Washington State University Snohomish County Master Gardeners Foundation on March 16, 2014. Photo/ Richelle Taylor
“We all got to know each other more and shared our passion and enthusiasm for gardening,” said Veronica Leahy, Diabetes Educator at the Tulalip Karen I. Fryberg Health Clinic. The gardens began with the clinic’s diabetes management care and prevention education as the ‘Gardening Together as Families’ program. The program expanded through the Rediscovery Program at the Hibulb Cultural Center to incorporate traditional plants and traditional foods
“Even in the rain we were warm and comfortable inside the greenhouse, enjoying each other’s company,” said Leahy.
An additional class was held on Wednesday, March 19, that focused on proper transplanting, water, and sanitization techniques, along with how to seed and label plants, and protecting young plants as they grow.
For more information on ‘Gardening Together as Families’ program at the Hibulb Cultural Center, please contact Veronica Leahy at 360-716-5642 or vleahy@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov.
Brandi N. Montreuil: 360-913-5402; bmontreuil@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov
Photo/ Richelle Taylor
Seventy-five flats of broccoli, kale, and chard seedling were transplanted during the Greenhouse Gardening class hosted by the Tulalip Tribes and the Washington State University Snohomish County Master Gardeners Foundation on March 16, 2014 at the Hibulb Cultural Center. Photo/ Richelle TaylorPhoto/ Richelle Taylor
Inez Bill discusses how to gather Nettle. Photo: Francesca Hillery
By Andrew Gobin, photos by Francesca Hillery
The nuisance in the back yard known for its annoying sting and pungent earthy smell, nettle is not the most desirable flora of the Pacific Northwest. For northwest tribes, however, nettle is a cultural and traditional staple. The Rediscovery Program at the Hibulb Cultural Center began their spring harvest of nettle sprouts March 12th, working to reintroduce the use of nettle into the community and continuing the revitalization of our culture.
Inez Bill, who has spent the last ten years learning about how to use nettle, harvested nettle sprouts on the bluff above Arcadia on the Tulalip Reservation. Derek Houle, who has been involved with the culture program for most of his life, and Lauw-Ya Spencer, who became involved in 2012 through the summer youth program, joined Bill as they gathered the sprouts to use in the rediscovery program. They then process the nettle sprouts for use in foods and preserve some nettle for continued use throughout the year.
“Nettle was a staple for our people for hundreds of years,” explained Bill, “It has tremendous health benefits. For food you have to harvest the sprouts in the spring, or in the summer you can harvest the tops of the nettle, the stock gets too hard. Here at the museum we have expanded the uses. We make nettle tea and different flavored lemonades with nettle tea. We also have created Hibulb Bread, which is like buckskin bread, only more healthy and nutritional.”
Bill and her husband, the late Hank Gobin, learned to harvest and prepare nettle and other traditional flora from Valerie Segrest, Elise Krohn, and the late Bruce Miller, whose dedicated themselves to cultural revitalization and educating about traditional flora. Bringing that knowledge to the rediscovery program, Bill continues their work in revitalizing traditional plant use. As a girl, Bill’s elders instilled in her the respect and reverence for these traditional plants as foods and as medicines and she hands down those teachings throughout the rediscovery program. She also gets creative, incorporating nettle into many recipes.
“The Hibulb bread is diabetic friendly. It is made with ground almond meal instead of flour, and without salt or sugar. Ground nettle is added, but we had to play around with how much was the right amount.” said Bill.
A true superfood, nettle is packed with nutrients. It can be ground up and added to almost any dish for a healthy boost. The cultural center makes a seasoning, ground nettle for recipe ingredients, blanched and frozen nettle for later in the year, nettle stock, nesto (nettle pesto), and so much more. As a cultural staple, beyond food, nettle was traditionally made into twine and nets, it is one of the stronger natural twines.
To learn more about the rediscovery program, or to participate in activities, contact Inez Bill at the Hibulb Cultural Center at (360) 716-2638.
Sidebar:
Nutrients of nettle mg/100g (About 1 Cup)
Calcium 2900
Magnesium 860
Iron 41.8
Potassium 1750
Vitamin A 18,700 AU
Vitamin C 83
Thiamine .54
Riboflavin .43
Niacin 5.2
Chromium 3.9
Cobalt 13.2
Phosphorus 447
Zinc 4.7
Manganese 860
Selenium 2.2
Sodium 4.9
Protein 16.5%
Andrew Gobin is a reporter with the See-Yaht-Sub, a publication of the Tulalip Tribes Communications Department. Email: agobin@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov Phone: (360) 716.4188
Seattle University Prep students learn about the wedding dowry canoe during a school tour on March 11. The canoe was donated to the Hibulb Cultural Center by Tulalip member Wayne Williams, and was carved around the 1880s. Photo/ Brandi N. Montreuil, Tulalip News
Hibulb Cultural Center breaks down Native American stereotypes through school tours
By Brandi N. Montreuil, Tulalip News
“We call ourselves a cultural center not a museum, because we are still an intact and living culture. What you see here is how our lifeway’s were then and are today,” greeted Mary Jane Topash, Hibulb Cultural Center’s Tour Specialist to Seattle University Prep students on Tuesday, March 11, at the beginning of their tour.
The 23,000 square feet center with 50-acre natural history preserve will be celebrating it’s third year this August. Since its opening, it has become an important representative of Tulalip culture to hundreds of visitors through the use of tours.
Seattle University Prep students take time to read text about the Treaty of Point Elliot , which established the Tulalip Reservation. Photo/ Brandi N. Montreuil, Tulalip News
While most who visit the center have little or no prior knowledge of Tulalip, or Native American heritage, Topash says every school tour is treated as an opportunity to change perceptions and educate youth, who may one day work with tribal
As part of the special tour students were able to learn about traditional plants and how they were used. Photo/ Brandi N. Montreuil, Tulalip News
councils.
Staff at the center is faced with an uphill battle. How do you engage youth to learn who you are as a cultural community when they have no idea you still exist?
“Our biggest problem is people think we are a static culture, that we have died off. Often times, I am the first Native American the students have met,” says Topash, who starts her tours with a video in the center’s longhouse to give visitors a foundation of who Tulalip people are and what they believe.
“I always like to make a point to show them our traditional headdress that we [Tulalip people] wear. It helps to quickly squash the Native American stereotype. A lot of patrons come in and say ‘I didn’t know you have canoes,’ or ‘I didn’t know you didn’t live in teepees.’ That is why I also explain in my tours why we are a cultural center. We are not done, we are still living,” said Topash.
During the hour-long tour, the nearly 30 students quietly trailed along, peering at hundreds of items that are distinctive to Tulalip culture. A few students lagged behind showing little interest in the beautifully handcrafted cedar woven baskets or interactive exhibits, but majority of the group listened. As Topash began to talk about why Tulalip is a federally recognized tribe and has sovereign rights, it became clear how much educating still needs to be done in public schools about the history of Native Americans.
“It isn’t what they typically learn,” said Topash about the lack of response from the students in the Treaty of Point Elliot portion of the tour. “They are not exposed to that. It is mainly based on what they have learned in textbooks, so to come
Hibulb Cultural Center Tour Specialist Mary Jane Topash discusses the craft of the welcoming figures carved by James Madison and Joe Gobin. Photo/ Brandi N. Montreuil, Tulalip News
in and see it for themselves is different. The biggest reaction we get is from teachers on how their students reacted to what they have learned in the classroom after coming here.”
A diversity of visitors in age and race populate the weekly tours with each one having a different level of Native American exposure. This spring Marysville School District, through the Indian Education Department, has signed up to have all district third graders visit the center.
“There are three portions that I make a point to reinforce in each tour, which is the treaty portion, the boarding school, and when I explain the inside of the basket structure, because that is how we have sustained ourselves through the three topics highlighted in that structure,” said Topash. “It is always a different reaction depending on the age group. I like educating people about Tulalip, it is a personal thing as a tribal member to teach about what we have done, and what we are still doing. It can be taxing, but it is rewarding because you get those light bulb moments where people understand who we are, that is my favorite part of the tours.”
Hibulb Cultural Center is located at 6410 23rd Avenue N.E., Tulalip, WA and is open Tuesday through Monday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. For more information on group tours and rates please visit www.hibulbculturalcenter.org or contact 360-716-2600.
Brandi N. Montreuil: 360-913-5402; bmontreuil@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov
Steve Madison will be at the Hibulb Cultural Center on Saturday, February 22, at 1 p.m. for our Culture Series event. He will demonstrate Pacific Northwest Native Design.
Temp exhibit is a reflection of Tulalip’s living culture
By Niki Cleary, Tulalip News
The Hibulb Cultural Center and Natural History preserve is a place for the Tulalip people and our neighbors. Hibulb Senior Curator Tessa Campbell explained that the facility, especially the temporary exhibit, is dynamic and always changing just like the people who live at and visit Tulalip. The current temporary exhibit, Coast Salish Inheritance, will be on display through May 2014.
“[In the exhibit] you can see how our culture, how our teachings are still alive today,” she said. “They’ve been passed on and at the same time they’ve evolved. You can see just about every medium that’s out there: beadwork, carving, painting, mixed media and even kids’ artwork. There is also music, two tribal artists did music composition and the video portion. It really shows a good look into Tulalip artists today.”
Admission to the Hibulb Cultural Center is always free for Tulalip Tribal Members, for non-members admission is only $10 for adults with reduced rates for seniors, students and military. Children under five are free. The first Thursday of each month, admission is free to all visitors. For more information about the Hibulb Cultural Center visit the www.hibulbculturalcenter.org.
TULALIP, Wash- On Thursday evening, as part of the Hibulb Cultural Center & Natural History Preserve’s Lecture Series, staff from the Tulalip Lushootseed Language Department provided a presentation on the “Lushootseed Calendar”. Natosha Gobin and Michelle Myles, Lushootseed language teachers, explained how Coast Salish people kept track of time by observing weather and nature.
Today our lives are dictated by the calendar. Our agendas are arranged by what day, week, or month it is. Not too long ago, native people of this area did not think of days as Tuesday or Wednesday, or if it was February 3rd or the 4th, rather they witnessed the conditions in their surroundings, or environment, which would indicate what tasks need to be done, or what events need to be prepared for.
“We don’t have an exact translation for each of the months,” Natosha Gobin explains. “But what we have is each particular thing that happens around that time.“ For example, for what we know as April, one thing that happens is slihibus, or the time when the swans/cranes migrate, referring to the time you would see large white birds migrating back to the area. This was a reminder that the weather is starting to get warmer; the “season” is changing.
For more information on the Lushootseed Calendar, or the Lushootseed Language department, log on to www.tulaliplushootseed.com call (360) 716-4495.
TULALIP, Wa – Tulalip’s Hibulb Cultural Center, on occasion, feature film screenings of films that star, are filmed by or are written by Native Americans, yet all tell one facet of the Native American life. Thursday, Oct 24th’s featured screenings were of Jeff Boice’s work with the Tulalip Tribes. Jeff Boice, a videographer/editor, has been working with the Tulalip Tribes since 1990, has also done video shootings for large media companies such as The Discovery Channel and CNN.
The evenings screening were many short segments of the Walking Tour II with Ray Moses, History Minutes and a Williams Shelton’s segment. The Walking Tour follows Tulalip tribal member Ray Moses as he tells stories about significant locations on the Tulalip reservation. “He’s quite a historian. It was great working with Ray,” commented Boice.
History Minutes are under a few minutes, are produced for the museum and focus on one particular aspect of tribal life such as boarding school life or construction of summer homes that were used in the old days.
The William Shelton segment centered on the portion of William’s life when he carved the Sklaletut pole, a culturally important piece of artwork. Boice has a genuine interest in documenting the past of the Tulalip Tribes and states, “Our hopes are that this video will help generate enough interest to be able to do a longer documentary [on William Shelton] but not just that but to generate interest in preserving the Sklaletut pole.”
Most screenings events at the Hibulb are relatively intimate, are under a few hours and include a Q and A afterwards. For more about future film screenings at the Hibulb please visit their website or call 360-716-2600. To view the works of Jeff Boice, visit Boicetv.com.
The 37-foot story pole was originally carved by Tulalip Tribe leader and artist William Shelton. It stood in a park in Illinois for more than 70 years until weather and bugs forced it to be taken down. Now the Burke Museum is working to bring it home. (Photo courtesy Freeport Park District)
SEATTLE – For more than 70 years a pole stood watch over a Boy Scout park in Freeport, Ill. This pole shared a story, carved in wood, of a Native American culture to those who visited the park until it was removed.
And, now the Burke Museum wants to bring this story pole – created by in the Northwest by Snohomish Tribe leader William Shelton — home.
“It’s an important pole for us because we don’t have a pole from that period,” said Robin Wright, with the Burke Museum. “William Shelton really initiated the totem pole carving for the Coast Salish.”
After being carved by Shelton, the 37-foot pole was sent to Illinois in 1935. There it stood in Krape Park until 2008 while weather and bugs led to its decay. The story pole was taken down five years ago and has remained in a warehouse ever since.
“The bottom of it where it went into the ground is completely rotten, and other portions of the pole need some loving care,” Wright said “It’s in pretty poor condition.”
Not sure what to do with the pole, the Freeport Park District contacted the Burke Museum to see if it might be interested in taking it. The museum is home to a large Northwest Coast collection and very familiar with works of Shelton and the Coast Salish culture.
However, getting the pole here is tricky and will cost thousands of dollars. To help offset some of those moving expenses, the museum turned online, to a crowd sourcing fundraiser in hopes of raising $7,500. The money will help pay for a truck and flatbed trailer to haul the pole across the country.
Shelton is recognized for carving a number of poles between 1910 and the 1930s, and this particular pole, Wright said, tells the same kind of story found on all his poles.
“The whale at the bottom and the eagle at the top” Wright said. “Whales are very important for the original story of the Tulalip Tribe. It goes back to a time when people were starving and whales would help herd the salmon up the stream so people could get food.”
The Burke Museum plans to work with representatives from the Tulalip Tribe, as well as Shelton’s family, who happen to live in Snohomish County, to interpret the pole once it arrives. It’s unknown how much it will cost to actually restore the pole, and it will need to be fumigated. The hope is to hire Tulalip carvers trained in story pole restoration.
Shelton’s pole will be tallest pole in the museum’s collection and will be mounted inside.
More information about the museum’s fundraising efforts can be found online.
