Shoalwater Bay Tribe P.O. Box 130 Tokeland, WA 98590...Shoalwater Bay Tribe P.O. Box 130 Tokeland, WA 98590 General Council 2017 June 30, 2017 Greetings, I am writing to invite you

Shoalwater Bay Tribe

P.O. Box 130

Tokeland, WA 98590

General Council 2017

June 30, 2017 Greetings,

I am writing to invite you to our General Council meeting scheduled for Saturday, August 5, 2017. The day will begin with a breakfast served beginning at 8:30 in the Sand Verbena. The business portion of the meeting will begin at 9:45 in the space below the restaurant. You will hear reports from the Enrollment and Investment Committees as well as a request to sell two properties held in Fee in Pierce County (parcel #0317122005 and #0317111005). These properties were acquired in the 90’s as part of a business venture. There will also be a tribal government financial report and a report from the Willapa Bay Enterprise board. Our youth will perform prior to lunch.

At 1:00 we will break for lunch upstairs in the Sand Verbena. If more time is needed we will reconvene downstairs. As always enrollment cards will be available after lunch.

We look forward to seeing you in August. Masi, Michael Rogers

nam̓sč̓ac Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribal News P.O. Box 130, Tokeland, WA 98590 July/August 2017

Newsletter also on Website at www.shoalwaterbay‐nsn.gov

Tribal graduates from left to right: Sophia Anderson, Madison Judkins, Hope Ellingburg, Audie Murphy Jr., Dustyn Taylor, and Dereck Thomas

2017 Graduates

The Shoalwater Bay Newsletter

The newsletter is a monthly publication of the Shoalwater Bay Tribe. Your letters, articles, photographs and drawings are encouraged. We reserve the right to edit for clarity or length or to decline any letter. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of this publication or the Shoalwater Bay Tribe. Accuracy is important to us. We take care in editing, but errors do occur. We want to correct them. If you believe printed information is in error, please let us know.

Submission Deadlines are the 20th of each month

Mechele Johnson, Public Relations Specialist PO Box 130 Tokeland, WA 98590 360-267-8202 Direct Line 1-800-633-5218 ext. #2103

mjohnson@shoalwaterbay‐nsn.gov

Shoalwater Bay

Tribal Council

Charlene Nelson, Chairperson

[email protected]

Jennifer Taylor, Vice Chairperson,

[email protected]

Lynn Clark, Secretary,

[email protected]

Joel Blake, Treasurer,

[email protected]

Dennis Julnes, Member at Large,

[email protected]

Shoalwater Bay Tribal Police

Robin Souvenir, Chief of Police

Matt Padgett, Patrol Sergeant

Kristof Aho, Officer

Christopher Boggs, Officer

Sarah Boggs, Officer

Police Office 267‐8164 (Questions Only)

For Police Dispatch call

(360) 267‐8391 or 911

This is a brief summary by nature of our officers calls for the Month of

May and June

We want to share your news!

Send any news, announcements, birthdays, births,

weddings, anniversaries, photos (with caption), etc.,

To:

[email protected]

Page 2 Shoalwater Bay News July/August 2017

Agency Assist 5

Alarm 1

Animal Problem 7

Ci zen Assist 13

Collision 3

Disorderly 5

Found Property 2

Harassment 1

Lockout 5

Malicious Mischief 1

Medical 1

Motorist Assist 2

Narco cs 3

Parking Problem 3

Suspicious 31

Threats 1

Traffic Hazard 3

Traffic Offense 78

Unsecure Premises 15

Total——————————————————————————‐180


Community

Madison Judkins, daughter of Dan and Jamie Judkins, graduated from Aberdeen High School on June 9th @ 6pm. She plans to attend Grays Harbor Community College for a couple of years and then transfer to a Beauty College with the goal of doing makeup

professionally. Her family is overwhelmed and so very proud of Madison!

Welcome

Proud parents Tessa and Jonathan Kranich are happy to announce the birth of their daughter Alice Ruth Kranich. Born on June 19th, 2017 at Grays Harbor Community Hospital, Alice was 8lbs 1oz and 20.5in long. She is the second child(sister to James Douglas), and the first daughter of the family. She is the newest member of the Davis family.

July Birthdays

Employee Anniversaries


July

James Anderson, Tribal Gaming Commissioner/TGA Director-19 Years

Shannon Kanavan, Certified Professional Coder-17 Years

Christopher Boggs, Police Officer-3 Years

Amanda Pollard, Certified Medical Assistant and Phlebotomist-3 Years

August

Roberta Merkel, Accountant-21 Years

Michael Hermon, Water System Director/Outdoor Maintenance Supervisor-16 Years

Michael Taylor, Facility Maintenance Director-14 Years

Jennifer Stepp, Gaming Agent-12 Years

Tanya Brown, CHR/Diabetes-12 Years

Crystal Ashe, Lab Manager/X-Ray Tech/Phlebotomist-12 Years

Tony Johnson, Education Director-7 Years

Ashlea Pollard, Dental Assistant-6 Years

Larissa Pfleeger-Ritzman, Natural Resource Specialist II-5 Years

Emily Maldonado, Certified Physician’s Assistant-3 Years

July

1st-Brooklyn Blake

6th-Yvonne Thompaon

6th-Kaylynn Taylor

6th-Trae Ardeneaux

7th-James Kranich

8th-Jacques Fracchia

10th-Kenneth W. Waltman

11th-Kianna Anderson

14th-Anne Steinhilb

14th-Cody Blair

14th-Jacob Christensen Jr.

14th-Mollyanne Taylor

17th-Joshua Moore

18th-Joan Julnes

19th-Lorraine Morrison

21st-Kristopher Clark

22nd-Andrew Taylor

23rd-Steven Johnson

24th-Ryan Trowbridge

24th-Victoria Judkins

25th-Earl Davis II

25th-Braelynn Murphy

27th-Jodee Lopez

29th-Chavala Shillinger

29th-Macy Taylor

31st-Shane Thomas

31st-Raleigh Anderson

31st-Joselyn Hoeppner

August

1st-Dana Persson-Zora

1st-Vernita Shipman

2nd-Charles Lea

2nd-Shawn Van Giesen

2nd-Evan Steinhilb

2nd-Kaden Powell

3rd-Joshiwa Schoettler

4th-Tuh-Wahun-Nuh Shipman

8th-Jasmine Blair

9th-Donald Lea

12th-Mary Downs

12th-Bruce Davis

12th-Karen Morrison-Perry

12th-Kevin Willoughby

12th-Brianne Norman

12th-Palix Welch

13th-Christine Walker

15th-Brock Johnson

16th-Anita Blake

16th-Victoria Johnson

16th-Charmaine Sanchez

17th-Heidi Persson

17th-Everett Walker

18th-Thomas Persson

20th-Elizabeth Shipman

22nd-Karen Engel

26th-Angelic Johnson

28th-Ayla Griffith

28th-Kobe Beck

30th-Lon Clark

30th-Courtney Persson

30th-Sirena Sanchez

31st-Harry Blair

Resolutions


Medical

Stephen Bell D.O.

Doctor of Osteopath

Emily Maldonado PA-C

Physicians Assistance Certified

(360) 267-0119 or (800)841-2244 option 0

Dental

Greg Cebulla, DDS

Doctor of Dental Surgery

Denny W. Homer, D.M.D.

Doctor of Dental Medicine

Lindsey Gerow, RDH

Registered Dental Hygienist

Mental Health

Jeanne Paul, LMFT

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist

Advanced Clinical Hypnotherapist

(360)267-2508

Sally Heath, LICSW, CDP

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

Chemical Dependency Professional

(360)267-2508

James States, MD

Medical Doctor

Adolescent Medicine Specialist

(360)267-2508

Substance Abuse

Laura Hamilton, CDP

Chemical Dependency Professional

Program/Manager/Clinical Supervisor

(360)267-8126

Wellness Center

Resolution No. 06-02-17-20

Whereas, the Tribal Council is empowered to take all actions necessary for the exercise of powers delegated or vested in the Tribal Council pursuant to the Constitution of the Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe; and

Whereas, the Tribal Council has reviewed the proposed amendment for including in-service distribution to the 401(k) retirement program;

Now Therefore Be It Resolved that the Tribal Council hereby approves inclusion of in-service distribution in the John Hancock 401(k) retirement plan and Spectrum Pension Consultants and approves Trustee signature on the attached Adopting Resolution.

5 For 0 Against 0 Abstained

Resolution No. 06-09-17-21

Whereas, the Shoalwater Bay Tribe pursuant to its sovereign rights, has chosen to pursue gaming activities as a viable means to generate badly needed revenues to fund tribal programs and projects and to provide meaningful employment opportunities for the tribal membership; and

Whereas, the Shoalwater Bay Tribe has previously passed by resolution a tax on the Shoalwater Bay Casino per machine per day,

Now Therefore Be it Resolved That; the Shoalwater Bay Casino is

granted a reprieve from said machine tax for a six month period starting May 1, 2017.


Resolution 06-16-17-27

Whereas, the Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe is committed to providing Tribal members with a safe, self-sufficient community free from terrorism along with adequate response in times of disaster; and

Whereas, the Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe has been informed of funds available through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Tribal Homeland Security Grant Program for projects that carry forward the Department’s mission and focused efforts of guarding against terrorism; securing our borders; and improving mitigation, readiness, and disaster response and recovery.

Now, Therefore Be it Resolved, the Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribal Council does hereby commit to support and authorizes the submission of an application to the U.S. Department of Home-land Security-Tribal Homeland Security Grant Program to provide funding for 2 police vehicles, 5 ruggedized laptops, update to the mitigation plan, training, mileage and travel for $213,042.00.


Notes from Home


By Charlene Nelson, Tribal Chairperson

July 7, 2017

Dear Tribal Family,

I hope you had a wonderful 4th of July. We had 4 fantastic days of fireworks and festivity here. The Tokeland Parade and family picnic after the parade were fun. The Trek over Tokeland turned out to be an adventure for many people. Our Tribe mowed a path and the Trekkers were able to walk on part of our new wetlands. Everyone was very appreciative of the opportunity. The Elk and Eagles were hiding out and did not make a stage appearance or at least not when I was walking. The Stands owned by our Tribal Members put on great fireworks shows for our guests who came down to enjoy the vacation in Tokeland.

During the last few weeks we lost three Tribal Members, Ellen Johnson, Karlin Taylor and Gail Leber. The services for Ellen and Karlin were testaments to the joy they brought to friends and family. I believe that Gail’s service will be held in September. I know the Door was open, the Light was on and God welcomed each of them into His House.

Speaking of Family there will be a One Tribe, One Family get together on August 4, 2017 at the Tradewinds by the Bay Event Center. I know it is a busy time for everyone, but I hope you will stop in, visit, and meet family you know and family you do not know. Our strengths come to each of us from our ancestors and from each other. We will start about 4 and probably wind up about 7, you can drop in for just a few minutes or the whole time whatever works for you. Last minute exciting news, Junel Davidson is giving a presentation about 5:30 PM. Junel is a genealogist.

But most important please come to the General Council meeting on the 5th. We have important issues to discuss and unless we have a quorum we cannot discuss or vote on anything. I know it is sometimes hard for people to get here, very expensive and it take time away from your job and home but we need you all, we need your strength and wisdom and your voices. See you in August.

Charlene

Geotechnical Drilling

Recently on Lake Road, HartCrowser and Western States Drilling Company were here from June 19th to June 22nd doing geotechnical drilling tests. The purpose of the drilling is part of the pre-planning and preparation, otherwise known as Phase 1, for the move to higher ground. Because Lake Road would be the main access point, the drilling was necessary to insure that the land could support a road. Earl Davis and Kenny Waltman Jr. from Culture and Heritage were also present during the drilling process in case of an archeological finding.

Lucas Randall and Brad Write of Western States Drilling

Geologist from HartCrowser, opening the drilling sample

A first look at the soil sample from drill

Earl Davis of Culture and Heritage examines the drill sample

Bits of shell found at nearly 30 feet down

Chief Souvenir featured in State Emergency management

Quarterly newsletter


2017 Annual Yellow Brick Road

Officer A

ho sharing information

with L

oki Torset at the police booth

Westport P

olice and Fire

Departm

ent at their informational

booth

Holly Blake w

ith grandson’s Troy and Bradley Butler

Heidi Brow

n of SPIPA, and Tanya

Brown from

the Wellness Center at

the breast cancer awareness booth

Wellness center em

ployees CeCe Hom

er, L

inda Kauzlarich and Janice Christen

A view

from the Y

ellow B

rick Road

State Route 105 route

Summ

er youth employees w

orking at the w

ater stop along the route Sum

mer Y

outh Em

ployees enjoying a w

elcome lunch break

Community Garden


On Sunday, June 4th, community members gathered to volunteer with the beginning stages of the new community garden. Several volunteers showed up, and the weather was perfect for gardening. Raised beds were assembled, placed and planted. A large garden plot was rototilled, raked, and planted. A fence was put up to protect the garden from critters as well. It was wonderful to see tribal and community members from elders down to little ones working on the garden.

The community garden is located behind the Blackberry Lane homes and is part of a grant from the Department of Justice and the American Indian Health Commission. The goal of the garden is to provide healthy foods, promote food sovereignty, education and community service opportunities.

Gardening has been scientifically proven to be therapeutic and a great form of exercise. It is also a way to gather as a community and work together on something that benefits everyone. It is fun and well worth the time. Keep your eyes out for upcoming volunteer days. There will be a regular schedule soon.

Master G

ardener, Travis T

orset

Leatta A

nderson, Leah T

homas, Jam

ie Judkins and Sam

Johnson work on a raised

bed

Elder, Colleen D

ietl works on raking the

plot

Loki T

orset, Ferrill Johnson, M

aybelle Johnson, T

jyden Anderson, and T

ahoma

Johnson work on a raised bed

Jamie Judkins and L

eatta Anderson

planting vegetable starts Jam

ie Judkins works on “deer proofing”

the raised beds

Fire near Reservation


Independence Day

Jake Christensen, Holly Blake, Joel Blake and Shane Thomas look on as fire erupts

Jake Christensen, Joel Blake and Shane Thomas speak to a State Fish and Wildlife ranger regarding the fire

Tons of smoke was visible for quite a distance The roadside after the fire was put out

On the afternoon of July 17th, a fire erupted just down the road from the reservation on State Route 105 in the North Cove area. The wind blew bits of embers which started several small fires in other spots along 105. The fire grew to a more substantial size very quickly, but thankfully help arrived and the North Cove fire department was able to put the fires out. It is unknown at this point what the exact cause of the fire was, however, the investigators at the scene stated they believed it was more than likely caused by a vehicle towing something with a chain which caused sparks. The warm summer weather and wind didn’t help.

Pacific County Sherriff Scott Johnson at Tokeland Parade on July 1st-Photo by Holly Blake

Shoalwater Bay Police Officer Kristof Aho in Tokeland Parade on July 1st-Photo by Holly Blake

Attendees enjoying free BBQ at Shoalwater Bay Casino 4th of July festivities

Live band, Black Shepards, play for the crowd Large firework’s are lined up and ready to go for the big show


Tea By the Sea

Healing Salve Class

Tanya Brown and Vickie Simera talk to the attendees about the healthy benefits of herbal teas.

Tea attendees fill out health surveys

Chairwoman Charlene Nelson and sister Ellen enjoy conversation over tea

Pam Drake catered the Tea with healthy and delicious food

Leah Thomas

Finished salve Delia Culp carefully pours ingredients for the healing salve

Maybelle Johnson, 6, helps put the lids on the cooled healing salve

Tanya B

rown and D

elia Culp help instructor, W

inter Strong, make

healing salve

On June 23rd, Winter Strong from the Skokomish Tribe came to teach participants how to make healing salve. A salve containing, comfrey, calendula, lavender, olive oil and beeswax was made together as a group. The salve aids in healing minor cuts, burns, insect bites and dryness. It turned out great and was amazingly easy once you got the hang of it. The salves were used as a gift item for attendees of the June 24th “Tea By The Sea.” Both events were funded by Native Women’s Wellness Program and the Comprehensive Cancer Care Program. Winter Strong, a folk herbalist, provided instruction, knowledge and teachings about medicinal plants and herbs at both events.




Smack Dab Does It Again

For the second year in a row Smack Dab Fireworks takes the trophy at the annual Shoalwater Bay Casino’s “Battle of The Stands.” Seven fireworks vendors competed on Saturday, July 1st, with their own fireworks show. A panel from the audience were the judges of the contest.

News From Around Indian Country

Saving the language that brought us ‘Seattle’ For several hours each day, Amber Hayward slips out of Eng-lish, her first language, and into Lushootseed, the Native American language that gave Seattle, Tacoma, Issaquah and Skagit their names. As she showers, straightens her hair and puts on makeup, she describes each action in the language. She chats about her day in Lushootseed with co-workers at the Puyallup Tribal Language Program, and in the evening she speaks in it to her children, ages two and nine.

Lushootseed, once spoken by an estimated 12 thousand people from tribal nations all across the Puget Sound, has given the Northwest a legacy of place names. Today, only a few people speak it, and none of them fluently.

Hayward is an enrolled member of the Puyallup Tribe, and has worked for the tribe as a language instructor since 2011. Like many in her generation, she was never exposed to Lushootseed as a child, and opted to learn it as an adult. For some this might seem daunting: Lushootseed is rich in vibrant, explosive sounds written with special symbols, as well as com-plex grammatical concepts far from anything in English.

But for Hayward, learning, using and teaching Lushootseed is more than a job. “It’s life work,” she says.

Members of historically Lushootseed-speaking tribes from all over the Puget Sound will have the chance to learn the lan-guage in an immersion environment this August. The Univer-sity of Washington, Tacoma and the Puyallup Language Pro-gram have put together a two-week course intended to train a crop of new teachers to bring the language back to their com-munities. It’s the first time an immersion course of this kind will be taught in historical Lushootseed territory.

“Lushootseed is a modern language — the problem is that historically it’s been taught as an academic language and one that’s sort of dead and of the past,” says Danica Miller, who will facilitate the course.

Lushootseed is far from the only indigenous language in the Northwest at risk of fading away. The Northwest Pacific Plat-eau, including Washington, Oregon and parts of British Columbia, is considered one of the top five hotspots in the world for language loss due to its density of indigenous lan-guages, and the fact that, more often than not, the people speaking these languages are grey-haired.

According to Russell Hugo, a specialist in indigenous language revitalization who holds a Ph.D. in linguistics from the Uni-versity of Washington, the Northwest preserved a large num-ber of Native American languages well, because the region was colonized by Europeans later than other regions of the United States.

That is until the 1880s through the 1920s, when thousands of Native American youths in Washington were sent to boarding schools. They were punished for speaking these languages in these schools, and Lushootseed and other languages declined in speakers under this policy of forced assimilation. Economic pressures since this time — which favored English as a lan-guage of employment — had gradually whittled away speak-ers of most languages in the region, Hugo says.

At Chief Leschi school, operated by the Puyallup Tribe, Hay-ward teaches Lushootseed to preschool and elementary school children. Situated in the Puyallup Valley south of Tacoma — Mt. Rainier looming large on the horizon — Chief Leschi has a student body that’s 98 percent Native American, hailing from some 60 tribes, according to Hayward.

Inside, staff trade friendly greetings in Lushootseed. Most signs, down to a placard indicating the drinking fountain, are written in both Lushootseed and English.

As she visits classes, Hayward is joined by the person who may know more Lushootseed than anyone else alive. Zalmai Zahir, of Nakota Sioux and Afghan ancestry — also known by his Lushootseed name ʔəswəli (pronounced UH-swuh-lee) — works as a freelance language consultant for the Puyallup Tribe and others. He grew up in Seattle and around the Northwest, and learned the language from elders, including Hayward’s great uncle. Zahir has been working to revitalize Lushootseed for over three decades.

Amber Hayward uses emojis to teach children the Native language of Lushootseed

Zalmai Zahir and some Lushootseed students in Puyallup.

August 2017 11:30 am-1pm

Monday through Friday: $4.00

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 Soup

&

Sandwich

2 Chicken Cordon

Bleu

Potato

3 Soup

&

Sandwich

4 Tater Tot Casserole

Vegetable

5

6 7 Meatloaf

Potato

Vegetable

8 Soup

&

Sandwich

9 Catalina Chicken

Rice

Vegetable

10 Soup

&

Sandwich

11 Hearty Salad

12

13 14 Ham

Potato

Vegetable

15 Soup

&

Sandwich

16 Tacos

17 Soup

&

Sandwich

18 Chili Dogs

19

20 21 Biscuits

&

Gravy

22 Soup

&

Sandwich

23 Baked White Fish

Rice

Vegetable

24 Soup

&

Sandwich

25 Hearty Salad

26

27 28 Pork Loin

Potato

Vegetable

29 Soup

&

Sandwich

30 Spaghetti

Vegetable

Garlic Bread

31 Closed

http://www.puyalluptriballanguage.org/�

https://books.google.com/books?id=M7KRhRt3i2cC&pg=PA146&lpg=PA146&dq=lushootseed+speakers+before+contact&source=bl&ots=sA3x50BNFl&sig=Tqumm-8YKu-j6WWd18Ni0S8jCVY&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiNpv_px_PMAhUS02MKHSfnASQQ6AEITTAJ#v=onepage&q=lushootseed%20speakers%20before%20contact&f=false�

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_place_names_in_the_United_States_of_Native_American_origin#Washington�

http://puyalluptribalnews.net/news/article/uwt-to-offer-lushootseed-immersion-program-this-summer�

http://press.nationalgeographic.com/2007/09/20/languages-going-extinct-fastest-in-5-regions-around-world/�




August 2017 Gym Hours:Mon-Fri:11 am-7pm

Sat & Sun: 9am-5pm

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 4 Tribal Council

10 am

5 General Council

Breakfast: 8:30

Meeting: 9:45

6 7 8 9 Tribal Court

1 pm

10 11 Tribal Council

10 am

12

13 14 15 Neighborhood

Watch

6-8 pm

16 17 Wolf Haven

In Library

5-7 pm

18 Tribal Council

10 am

19

20 21 22 23 24 25 Tribal Council

10 am

26

27 28 29 30 31

News From Around Indian Country

Zahir is just one of many Lushootseed speakers and teachers who studied the language under Vi Hilbert, one of Lushootseed’s last fluent speakers, who died in 2008. Hilbert spent decades cataloguing and teaching the language. She transcribed recordings, translated books, recorded stories and cultural knowledge, and taught the language to others. The late University of Washington linguist Thom Hess credits Hilbert with saving much of the language, saying that “thanks to her Herculean efforts, much more history, grammar, lexicon and myth has been saved from oblivion than posterity had any right to expect.”

And yet, the Lushootseed Zahir learned from Hilbert was about an eighth of its former self, according to his former teacher. When Zahir reads old Lushootseed texts, probably the world’s foremost expert in the language understands only about 75 percent of what’s written.

Zahir is so dedicated to using the language in everyday life that he once took on the challenge of abstaining from speaking or thinking in English for two weeks. Zahir’s vision for Lushootseed revitalization, which also guides the Puyallup Language Program, is gradual. Classroom learning is just the surface. Ideally, adults and children in the community would increasingly speak and use the language in their homes and everyday lives, and it would feel less and less like an obligation.

Some formerly endangered languages have seen encouraging successes with a method that is currently impossible for Lushootseed to implement.

Since the 1980s, for example, speakers of the Hawaiian language jumped drastically in number thanks to its immersion preschools, or “language nests.” This method of revitalization was originally developed by the Maori in New Zealand.

One of the founders of Hawaii’s language revitalization move-ment, Larry Kimura, once welcomed Hilbert as a guest to Hawaii. The Hawaiian language is a success story in revitalization, Kimura acknowledges. When asked why, he answers without hesitation.

“The children,” he says. “If your children don’t speak it, it will not live… I mean speak it fluently, naturally, like children do, in whatever activity they engage in.”

But what worked in Hawaii can’t necessarily be completely duplicated elsewhere. For example in Hawaii, children were exposed to the language without strong influences from English.

“You’d better speak it seriously,” he says. “You can’t be saying ‘Ring around the roses’ and then after that you go back into English.”

Tony Johnson, chairman of the Chinook Nation in Oregon, was one of the first to take this method to the North American mainland, revitalizing a language called Chinuk Wawa. Like Lushootseed, Chinuk Wawa, or Chinook jargon, has left linguistic traces in the Northwest; place names like Alki, Lummi, Tukwila, and words like potlatch and skookum.

Johnson, who learned the language from elders as a young man, was hired by the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde in the 1990s to

revitalize the language.

Inspired by the successes of Maori and Hawaiian, and with some advice from Zahir, Johnson set up immersion preschools for children.

They were a success; children in the schools became fluent at a level appropriate for their ages. “[We] found that, kind of amazingly, the kids coming in the door almost didn’t even notice the difference as long as they have a lot of attention and love,” he says.

Johnson says he would like to see language immersion schools insulated from tribal politics, and prioritized so that they receive sufficient funding.

“There’s always competition for dollars, and these programs are very time and money intensive if you want to do it right,” he says. “But once you commit to it and you actually see the results, it’s just as plain as day that that’s the way to do it. Bottom line is, we have to create immersion environments.”

In British Columbia, where 60 percent of Canada’s indigenous languages are spoken, there’s been a decline in fluent speakers of indigenous languages between 2010 and 2014. This is largely due to elders passing away, says Aliana Parker, a language revitalization specialist with the First Peoples’ Cultural Council (FPCC). But encouragingly, there’s also been a rise in semi-fluent speakers.

“We’re seeing a growing population of people who are really investing in learning their languages and developing their proficiency,” she said. “That was very exciting to see.”

The FPCC helps indigenous groups revitalize their languages using a variety of methods. Immersion schools are not possible for every community due to the high costs of these programs, Parker says. A lack of funding and government support are the biggest challenges for revitalization, according to Parker.

Indeed, according to Hugo, strong political support, incentives to use the language, and generous funding were key to revitalizing Hawaiian, Maori and Hebrew, three of the greatest success stories for revitalization. Lushootseed doesn’t yet have enough teachers or funding for immersion schools, Hayward said. And of course, it has no fluent speakers.

This last point doesn’t worry Zahir too much. According to him, Lushootseed has better odds than other endangered languages that do have native speakers, because it’s well-preserved in texts. Also importantly, Lushootseed is slowly gaining more speakers, who are using it for increasing minutes and hours each day. It’s crucial that this continues, Zahir says.

Instructor Miller has been working on learning Lushootseed for years, though she says her level of fluency is “barely existent.” But for her, speaking the language perfectly is not a requirement. “Because I have difficulties with the language, doesn’t mean I can’t still be part of the community and apply my skills to help my people,” she said.

(continued on following page)

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https://books.google.com/books?id=DXjWBQAAQBAJ&pg=PT20&lpg=PT20&dq=%E2%80%9CThanks+to+her+Herculean+efforts,+much+more+history,+grammar,+lexicon+and+myth+has+been+saved+from+oblivion+than+posterity+had+any+right+to+expect%E2%80%9D&source=bl&ots=7NJ3RtH8l3&sig=lroZMQB1C5jaSo0G7nik7586TPM&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjdxtiz-d3MAhVL5mMKHa86BTEQ6AEIHDAA#v=onepage&q=%E2%80%9CThanks%20to%20her%20Herculean%20efforts%2C%20much%20more%20history%2C%20grammar%2C%20lexicon%20and%20myth%20has%20been%20saved%20from%20oblivion%20than%20posterity%20had%20any%20right%20to%20expect%E2%80%9D&f=false�


News From Around Indian Country Cont’d

When it comes to Lushootseed’s long-term future, Zahir says, nothing is certain. If the language survives, it may not quite be the same language that was spoken for centuries along the Puget Sound.

“Lushootseed, if it revitalizes as a major language in people’s lives, it’s going to be heavily influenced by English,” Zahir says. Lushootseed’s complex grammar is already being simplified in a few cases by its speakers, in ways that resemble English. This may be inevitable, Zahir says. And certain subtleties may van-ish.

“You may lose some of the identity, some of the marked-ness of that language or meaning of that language or worldview that that language has,” he says.

Why save Lushootseed? For Zahir and others, part of the answer is this worldview the language presents. Another is its deep connection to their culture.

“Maybe I don’t go out and weave baskets and stuff, but if I can speak my language, language is culture,” says Hayward. “So it just brings all that back — you start thinking with a different mindset through Lushootseed.”

If Lushootseed flickers back to life as a living language, perhaps many others will get a chance to see the world from the mindset of the Puget Sound’s first people.

Resolutions Continued

Chetanya Robinson is a former intern with Crosscut. He was born and raised in Seattle and graduated from the University of Washington in fall 2016. He enjoys reporting on an eclectic range of topics, especially cultural identity

and the environment. His work has also appeared in the Seattle Weekly, KCTS9 Earthfix, The Seattle Globalist, Awoko newspaper in Sierra Leone, and the International Examiner, where he's a regular writer. You can follow him on

Twitter at @chetanyarobins.


Whereas, The Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe provides members and other Native Americans in the service area with a range of programs and services through the Southern Puget Intertribal Planning Agency (SPIPA); and

Whereas, SPIPA has prepared the FY-2017 Family Violence Prevention Proposal to include the Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe Tribal Community; and

Whereas, the grant, if funded, will provide the Tribe the opportunity to intervene with services to the entire community help victims through the trauma of violence; and

Now, Therefore Be It Resolved, the Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe Tribal Council does hereby commit to support and authorizes SPIPA to apply as the lead agency for and

authorizes the submission of a grant application to HHS for the purposes stated in the grant proposal.

5 For 0 Against 0 Abstain


Whereas, The Shoalwater Bay Tribal Council is the governing body of the Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe in accordance with their Constitution and By-Laws; and

Whereas, The Shoalwater Bay Tribal Council believes that the provision of decent, safe, and affordably housing and housing services is of utmost priority for members of the Tribe;

Now Therefore Be It Resolved, that the Shoalwater Bay Tribal Council hereby authorizes the submission of the FY2018 Indi-an Housing Plan/Indian Housing Block Grant Application no later than July 18th, 2017. 4 For 0 Against 1 Abstention


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Shoalwater Bay Tribe P.O. Box 130 Tokeland, WA 98590...Shoalwater Bay Tribe P.O. Box 130 Tokeland, WA 98590 General Council 2017 June 30, 2017 Greetings, I am writing to invite you