Skykomish Archives - Tulalip News

by Micheal Rios, Tulalip News

On Tuesday, October 6, the Tulalip Lady Hawks (2-4) volleyball team hosted the Rockets (1-5) from Skykomish. The Francis J. Sheldon gymnasium was decorated with pink signs, pink balloons, and pink ribbons to recognize October as national Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

It was clear just by watching the two teams warm-up prior to their match that the Lady Hawks had a decisive advantage in skill and athleticism. All the Lady Hawks had to do was execute their game plan and not commit turnovers that result in points for their opponent.

The 1^st game started out rough for the home team to say the least. They weren’t communicating, there was no hustle, and most of all they were scoring most of the points for their opponent by committing error after error. Coach Tina Brown called timeout when the Lady Hawks went down 9-10, but was unable to get her team going. The Lady Hawks were visually stunned after giving away the 1^st game, 17-25, to the Rockets.

Before the start of the 2^nd game, coach Tina told her team, “All we have to do out there is talk, that’s it. Just talk and we’ll win this match. If you don’t communicate with each other then you make it very difficult to win.”

The Lady Hawks took that 1^st game loss personal, as they should have, and came out motivated and determined to make up for it in the 2^nd game. Jumping out to a 10-3 point lead calmed the girls’ nerves and allowed them to settle in and just play their game. They would win the 2^nd game 25-15, tying the match at one game apiece.

In the 3^rd game, #13 Jaylin Rivera kept the momentum going for her team by serving up four straight aces. With #12 Aliya Jones leading the way with her active voice and energy, she sparked the rest of her teammates to follow suit and hustle their way to a 25-13 win to claim the 3^rd game.

The 4^th game would be the easiest of them all for Lady Hawks, as the Rockets best player appeared to strain her hamstring and come out of the game. Leaving little competition for the Lady Hawks, they took the game 25-12 and the match 3-1. It was the first home win on the season for the Lady Hawks, and moved their overall record to 3-4 and only 1 game behind for 4^th place in the division standings.

By Ojibwa for Native American Netroots

For the Salish-speaking tribes of the Washington coast, canoes were traditionally not only their most important form of transportation, they were also cultural icons. The Hibulb Cultural Center and Natural History Preserve honors the Tulalip (Snohomish, Snoqualmie, Skykomish, and others) cultures.

The importance of canoes to the Tulalip peoples is evident in the Hibulb Culture Center. The canoe theme shown in the windows above is repeated throughout the Center.

Canoes were made by hollowing out a single log with fire and adzes. By filling the hollowed out log with hot water, the canoe makers could then widen the canoe by forcing stout cross-pieces between the gunwales.

Carving a canoe begins with spiritual preparation: the carvers must prepare themselves with fasting, prayers, and the sweatlodge. It is not uncommon for the task of carving a large canoe to take two years. Once the log is chosen, a prayer is said for the cedar and an offering is given to thank it for its sacrifice.

The final stage in carving the canoe involves the use of hot rocks and water to steam-bend the sides outwards. This steaming also draws the bow and stern upwards as well as adding strength to the vessel. For the large ocean-going canoes, the prow and stern pieces are added last, the thwarts and seats are installed, and the exterior is finished. Then the canoe is given a name and is ready to begin its life on the water.

Three canoes are displayed in the Center.

River Canoe:

The river canoe shown above was carved about 1880 by William Shelton. It was restored by the Tulalip Tribes Carving and Arts Department.

The bow of the canoe is shown above.

Small Canoe:

This small canoe was carved about 1930 from a single log by William Shelton.

Ocean-Going Canoe:

This canoe was made about 1880 as part of a wedding dowry. The canoe was built by the bride’s family from the Quinault Nation and given to the Tulalip groom is a wedding present.