Inchelium Cultural Research Center
NEWSLETTER ICRC Newsletter
Issue 2, 2024
www.incheliumcrc.org
Message From The President It’s been nearly a year since our beloved leader left us. Her presence has been missed beyond words I can express. While we all have felt the gigantic emptiness since her passing, we push forward and continue to work toward fulfilling her dream – now our dream here at the ICRC. She would be so happy and proud of our success in the past year and so are we. Like others, I was pulled into Nancy’s web on this, but her dream became my own. With the year came a lot of change, the first being the large step up from the role of Vice President to that of President. This has been daunting, however, with the help of our great Board of Directors and Executive Director, we have a good line of support.
ICRC Board of Directors 2023 - 2024
Lots of good work completed since June 2023: - We had two local high school interns, Madeline Desautel and Torrence Finley, who started the lengthy process of inventorying the collections, helped draft some of our internal policies, and wrote an article featured in February’s issue of North Columbia Monthly; - Multiple fundraisers held to push the organizational tasks forward. Our most financially successful was the Silent Auction/Craft Sale this last December while our most widely received was a special program on the legacy of Kettle Falls, hosted by Bill Layman and Shelly Boyd at the Woodland Theatre. It was a full house! - New relationships are being fostered internet service, which we can now say is with other organizations to better our LIVE! services to the community. In example, - Started in February 2023 by Lakes Bigfoot Communications is stepping General, LLC, we are still seeing through out of their own comfort zone to building renovations to bring us up to provide us with tribal-supported code. We are almost there.
Joyce Kohler President
Laura Stovel Secretary
Jamie Stensgar Treasurer
Patti Bailey Member-at-Large
Cindy Marchand Member-at-Large
E. Richard Hart Member-at-Large
Tina Wynecoop Member-at-Large
Inside this Issue Message From The President ......... 1 We Are Live! Grand Opening ........ 2 Extending A Legacy ....................... 2 Sx̌ʷənitkʷ Kettle Falls Event .......... 3 Annual Report ................................ 3 Grant Funding Received ................. 4 New Scholarship Program .............. 4 Summer Youth Employment/ Tribal Internship Program .............. 5 Upcoming Events/Training ............ 6 Membership Application ................ 6
- Lastly, we are opening a scholarship in Nancy’s honor for local high school graduates, GED, vocational, technical, and graduate students who exemplify her dedication to community, the first of which will be handed out this June during graduation season. I’m happy to be a part of continuing Nancy’s dream and I will do my best to move the ICRC forward. Always on my mind, I’m working with, “What would Nancy do?”
Joyce Kohler, President
We Are Live! Grand Opening of the Inchelium Cultural Research Center On June 2nd, 2023, the Inchelium Cultural Research Center opened the doors to supporters, excited community members, and friends alike. Nancy Michel, former President of the Board of Directors, was front and center as nearly 85 attendees filtered in, congratulated her on this accomplishment and broke bread with an amazing luncheon catered by another local nonprofit, the Way Café Opened with prayer and smudge from Father Jake Morton, S.J., Sulustu Moses, and Shelly Boyd, the afternoon included small (but mighty) speeches given by Nancy herself, Colville Tribal councilman Roger Finley, and John Hale, one of cofounder Kaye Hale’s sons. Kaye had passed the June before, as the ICRC was securing its first lease in this new space. The excitement, love, and support in the air was incredible. Guests, board members, and volunteers left, emotional cups full. We were so grateful to the community during this momentous event, and for continuing to drive our mission to connect our cultural history with the public.
Extending a Legacy Torrence Finley, ICRC Winter Intern (published in the “North Columbia Monthly”)
Nancy Michel was always laughing. The life of the party with an ability to make great friends wherever she went, people naturally gravitated toward her. She was always willing to go above and beyond, putting gin her own time and effort to make sure the community had what it needed. She didn’t sit back and wait for someone; she was the one who started projects and delegated friends to help. As one tribal councilman stated, if she had your phone number, she wasn’t afraid to use it. Throughout her life, Nancy was passionate about the small community of Inchelium and its people. Truly, until her passing last June, she could be found out and about getting things done for others. Her last endeavor, the incorporation and grand opening of the Inchelium Cultural Research Center was a swan song of sorts. Born through the alignment of two forces – her friendship with Kaye Hale (tribal historian, and fellow cofounder who had passed the previous June), and her desire to connect the tribal community with its dispersed cultural record – the event was held
Nancy Michel giving heartfelt appreciation.
Friday, June 2nd, with Nancy front and center. Nancy passed shortly after, on the morning of June 30th. Speaking on Nancy’s many accomplishments, ICRC board member and friend Patti Bailey stated, “I wish more young people knew her like we knew her, that nothing was impossible, and you can make a difference.” In continuing her legacy of community service, the ICRC will be starting a service-based scholarship open to high school seniors and college, vocational, and technical students in the area who exemplify dedication to the community. She will also be receiving a state award this coming May at the Washington State Museum for her “Service to Local History” Lastly, the ICRC will be holding a memorial fundraiser this coming June 21st, from 11 – 3 PM, to continue raising funds to support the continuation of her work in cultural preservation. The full version of this article can be accessed at https://www.ncmonthly.com, February 2024.
Sx̌ʷənitkʷ Kettle Falls Event Patti Bailey, ICRC Board Member
The ICRC helped to facilitate a series of events this last autumn: our friend of the Columbia River, researcher, and author, William “Bill” Layman curated a stunning exhibit of rare photos and information on fishing sites and the geography of Kettle Falls, or as we know it, “Sx̌ʷənitkʷ.” Called through his dreams to study photos he had of the historical site, the details of fishing locations, methods and techniques pulled together a fascinating depiction of life at the falls into stunning photos, flashcards, and an audiovisual presentation cohosted with Shelly Boyd, educator and advocate of our tribal people. The first event was a presentation at the Woodland Theater in Kettle Falls. During this presentation, Bill and Shelly provided discussion regarding translation, meaning, and significance of the site and the project alike. At this time, we also had the opportunity to honor and recognize past president, Nancy Michel, and board members,
interns, and volunteers from both Kettle Falls Historical Center and the ICRC for community leadership. Many individuals and both organizations volunteer countless hours supporting education and preservation of our rich local history. The days following, Bill and his partner Susan traveled to Inchelium, presenting first at the Senior Meal Site and then at the Inchelium School, ensuring access and discussion of the material with some of our community youth and elders. It was a great couple of days hearing our elders tell family stories from the days of fishing at the falls and witnessing the engagement of students in cultural art and history. Bill then sent a full set of the photos to the Colville Business Council and our Research Center, the ICRC. Our board and staff, along with the Kettle Falls Historical Center, are grateful to have benefitted from the proceeds of this program generously donated by Bill.
NWMAC L95-80.1
National Archives
ANNUAL REPORT Our fiscal year [FY] runs from October through September. For 2022 – 2023 we have accounted for: Public-Sourced $7,594.61 in donations $720.00 in membership dues ($3,386.19) in expenditures
Grants $16,005.01 in grant funds ($14,719.72) in grantrelated expenditures
As a Washington state nonprofit 501(c)(3), we are required to make annual reports available to the public as requested. If you would like a copy of our annual report, contact us at Incheliumcrc@gmail.com, or request a copy through the WA Secretary of State at https://ccfs.sos.wa.gov/#/
Grant Funding Received: Washington State Library, Institute of Museum and Library Services
Grant Funding Received: National Endowment for the Humanities for Preservation Assistance
The Inchelium Cultural Research Center received a grant from the Washington State Library to address our digital preservation needs! Since we’ve received plenty of archives and special collections materials in digital formats – and anticipate collections donations to increase – our project, “Digital Preservation Infrastructure” will support the following activities:
The second grant received by the ICRC, from the National Endowment for the Humanities [NEH], is to support preservation activities specific to the environment of our collections:
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Development and implementation of a Child Internet Protection Act online safety policy; Start-up costs for internet and wi-fi to streamline digitization process and accessibility; Staff training in, and development of a Digital Preservation Plan with accompanying policies; and Digitization skills development for our summer youth workers!
This grant is supported with funding provided by the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services administered by the Library Services and Technology Act, through the Washington State Library, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State.
- Rehousing materials for collections storage; - Shelving to support our growing collections - Environmental data loggers to begin our monitoring program for long-term collections care. About the National Endowment for the Humanities
Created in 1965 as an independent federal agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities supports research and learning in history, literature, philosophy, and other areas of the humanities by funding selected, peer-reviewed proposals from around the nation. Additional information about the National Endowment for the Humanities and its grant programs is available at: www.neh.gov.
New Scholarship Program Dedicated to Past-President Nancy Michel in Honor of Service to Community Starting this spring, our first scholarship program will open to local graduates and continuing education students who demonstrate exemplar service to community. To kick-off the fundraising campaign, Nancy was posthumously nominated and awarded by the Washington State Historical Society for “Service to Local History” with a respective $500.00 award to open the scholarship. If you would like to donate to our efforts at honoring community-driven youth, consider using our website to donate or sending a check/money order to our mailing address, MEMO: Scholarship. If interested in applying for the scholarship, visit our website at Incheliumcrc.org for more information.
Summer Youth Employment and Tribal Internship Program Benefits All
CCT SYEP Torrence Finley scanning in records from the Kaye Hale Collection
We were joined over the summer by two youth employees in the Tribal Summer Youth program, Torrence Finley and Madeline Desautel. Incoming seniors in local Inchelium High School, the two young women were incredibly helpful, organizing one of the smaller collections for processing, and beginning digitization of one of the larger collections held at our facility. Additionally, both came back during their early winter break to help out with drafting one of our internal policies and writing an article celebrating the life and legacy of founder Nancy Michel. The policy will be hosted on our webpage at Incheliumcrc.org while the article, which is featured earlier in this newsletter in condensed form, can be found in the February issue of the North Columbia Monthly.
CCT SYEP Madeline Desautel organizing the Special Collections area
Both women have contributed so much to our nonprofit, while also taking away important skills and information. As Torrence Finley stated, “I have learned about so many historical events just from looking through old newspapers. I love being able to learn more about the history of this area and its people.” We look forward to continuing our partnership with the Colville Tribal Summer Youth Employment Program [SYEP], bridging historical information with learning opportunities, all while helping process our collections for better access by all! For more information on the Colville Confederated Tribes Youth Development Program, please visit https://www.cct-ene.com/syep or call (509) 634 – 2476
MISSION STATEMENT The Inchelium Cultural Research Center is an accessible, welcoming archive and library and a space for sharing and dialogue. It provides community members with an opportunity to store and contribute to the shared cultural record of our homeland and fosters meaningful connections between our community and the history, both national and international, of Indigenous groups in and around Inchelium.
Upcoming Events, Trainings, Opportunities May 4, 2024 Honoring of Nancy Michel, Service to Local History Washington State Historical Society/Washington State Museum, Tacoma June 30, 2024 Nancy Michel Dedication to Community scholarship application due Open to high school graduates, GED, vocational, technical, and graduate students June 12 – 19, 2024
ICRC ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION Name Address
City State/Province
Zip
Paddle and Salmon Ceremony
Phone
SAVE THE DATE Inchelium Cultural Research Center 1st Annual Memorial Fundraiser
E-mail New Membership $20 Renewal Membership $20
Friday, June 21st 11 AM – 3 PM Luncheon, Music and Fundraising Activities Including Silent Auction, Craft and Baked Goods Sale, Membership T-Shirt Campaign, and more!
AUSPICES The Inchelium Cultural Research Center is a community-based library located on a federally recognized reservation. Multiple members of the board are enrolled or descendants of the surrounding Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. The ICRC is not an enterprise, subsidiary, or representative of the tribe, rather, serves the tribal community of Inchelium, Washington, as an independent, state incorporated, tribal-member led 501(c)(3).
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Please send application with your check payable to: ICRC P.O. Box 206 Inchelium, Wa., 99138 The Inchelium Cultural Research Center (ICRC) is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization. No material goods or services have been provided in exchange for your membership and/or contribution. T ax I.D.#38-4168217