Suquamish News - June 2020

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Suquamish News

June 2020 | 1

Suquamish News Volume 20

June 2020

No. 6

Celebrating Suquamish Graduates Parenting During a Pandemic

In this issue...

Tribal Elders Shout-Out to Grads — p7 What Will It Take to Re-Open? — p9 Domestic Violence Help — p12

CKA’s Graduating Class — p3

Emergency Management — p11

Salmon Recovery — p14

Suquamish News

2 | June 2020

Community Calendar Events & Meetings

Suquamish Elders

UPDATE: General Council is now scheduled for August 15, 2020, at the House of Awakened Culture. (See details below)

For Elders information contact: Della Crowell (360) 394-8417 Donna Sigo (360) 394-8472

Suquamish Tribal Council meets Mondays, June 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29 from 11-2pm. For a link to the meeting, Tribal members can contact Rebecca Purser, (360) 900-8031 or rebeccapurser@suquamish.nsn.us Suquamish Warriors For information, contact Jean Belmont, (360) 601-7918 or jbelmont87@gmail.com PME Board of Directors will meet on June 24 at 9am. For agenda and meeting information, contact Brenda George, (360) 6210047 or brendageorge@clearwater­ casino.com Suquamish Tribal Gaming Comm.

Call Angela Brainerd, (360) 394-8652 Suquamish Seafoods Board meets on June 16 at 2pm at the House of Awakened Culture. Contact Shanel Carlson, (360) 394-8512 for details Suquamish Museum Board June 11 at 11am, online. Contact Janet Smoak for log-in, (360) 394-8499.

Fireworks

Suquamish Police Department The Police Department lobby is available to drop off payments and for other government-related paperwork.

Lobby hours : Mon-Fri, 8am–4:30pm Front Desk: (360) 598-4334 Emergency: 911 Wellness Center Front desk: (360) 394-8558 Crisis Hotline: (888) 910-0416 Chat: www.imhurting.org

Published monthly by the Suquamish Tribe: 18490 Suquamish Way, Suquamish, WA 98392

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Email us at: communications@suquamish.nsn.us

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Send letters to: Suquamish News Editor, PO Box 498, Suquamish, WA 98392-0498

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ELC families: Tuesdays, 11am-1pm CKA families: Wednesdays Elders Meals: call (360) 394-8465

Most desk phones are transferred to staff members’ cell numbers. Main contacts: Communications: (360) 394-7184/7102 Comm. Development: (360) 394-8415 Emergency Management: (360) 394-8507 Emergency Work Orders: (360) 900-7050 Emergency Utilities: (360) 710-3223 Health Benefits: (360) 394-8466 Human Resources: (360) 394-8409 Human Services: (360) 394-8465 IT Help Desk: (360) 394-8432 Finance: (360) 394-8430 Fisheries: (360) 394-8438 Tribal Child Welfare: (360) 394-8480 Tribal Court: (360) 394-8697

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Suquamish News

Letters should include the writer’s full name, address, and home telephone and may be edited for clarity and space.

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Fireworks may be sold and purchased from May 22 to July 6, 2020.

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On the cover “I want to congratulate the new graduates of 2020. I hope they find their direction and know how they want to achieve it. I wish them a happy and prosperous future.”

— Bill Stroud, Chairman of the Suquamish Tribal Elders Council (See more from Elders on page 7.)

Sign up for Suquamish Updates Now for texts and emails with alerts & updates: Suquamish.nsn.us/Suquamish-Updates-Now

Chief Seattle Days & General Council A public Chief Seattle Days Pow-Wow will not happen this year due to COVID-19. Instead, we are seizing this moment to go back to our roots and celebrate our great leader, with our Suquamish People.

We are keeping the spiritual aspects of Chief Seattle Days: • Honoring his memory with a graveside service, • Flexing our sovereignty by holding our General Council meeting • Feeding our souls with a salmon & clam bake • Reconnecting with each other.

This decision was difficult, and we appreciate the input. Many more details are still to be worked out.

Suquamish Tribal Council

Production Staff

Leonard Forsman

Chairman

Leonard Forsman

Editor-in-Chief

Wayne George

Vice-Chair

Sarah van Gelder

Managing Editor

Nigel Lawrence

Secretary

Jon Anderson

News Editor

Robin Sigo

Treasurer

JoAnn Joe

Photography/Design

Rich Purser

Member

Editorial Policy

Sammy Mabe

Member

publication of letters to the editor and guest editorials. Submission of

Luther Mills, Jr.

Member

Reproduction of Suquamish News, in whole or in part, without written permission from the Suquamish Tribe is strictly prohibited.

Publishers of the Suquamish Newsletter reserve the right to refuse editorials and letters is encouraged. However, they represent the opinion of the author and not necessarily that of the Suquamish Tribe. As such, we reserve the right to refuse to print any letter, for any reason.

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Suquamish News

Chief Kitsap Academy’s First 6th Grade Class Is Graduating

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Council on what the Tribe’s priorities should be moving forward. Education was consistently listed as one of the top priorities, according to Serene Williams.

That began a process that eventually grew into creating a new school, named by popular vote during another General Council, after one of the Suquamish Tribe’s greatest war chiefs. Chief Kitsap Academy would take its place among the South, Central, and North Kitsap schools.

What would make CKA different, however, was its unique focus on Tribal culture and identity, while also keeping class sizes small.

When CKA first started, only six in ten Native American kids in the area were graduating from high school, says the Suquamish Tribe’s Superintendent Joe Davalos.

“That first year, when we had just high school kids, we were getting students who were so credit deficient that it was virtually impossible to get them to graduate on time.

So, we rethought the structure of the school. Let’s start them in middle school.”

Around the same time, the state legislature was debatThe early years ing a new concept that would allow Tribal governments The idea of creating a separate school for the Suquamish to create their own school districts – or compact schools community had been building for years.

-- and receive funding directly from the state.

Around 2008 a survey had gone out to the General By the summer of 2014, the initiative had been signed

hen Ramona Charlese Mayo started sixth grade in 2013 she was, as she puts it now, “really a handful.”

“I was a mean person,” she says, “I was very disrespectful. I wouldn’t think before I talked.”

She got into trouble. There were even a few suspensions.

Mayo was a young student in a young school. Chief Kitsap Academy had just opened the year before with only 30 high school students and four teachers.

But that first year was more of a gestation period, because the Chief Kitsap Academy we know today was born the following year when the school expanded to include middle school students like Mayo as well.

Both Mayo and her new school were growing up together and figuring out their place in the world.

Mayo and the handful of her fellow classmates who started their journey together as CKA’s first sixth graders, are now seniors preparing to graduate as the Class of 2020.

And in some ways it’s like CKA is graduating as well.

June 2020 | 3

into law and the Suquamish Tribe was signing up to be the very first Tribal community to transition into the new arrangement.

When Mayo and her classmates were starting their seventh grade year, CKA became the first compact school in the state, and the first school of its kind in the nation.

“There were concerns that by compacting, we’d become just like any other school. That we wouldn’t have a unique blend of the tribe’s language, culture, and history,” says Davalos. “We were concerned that by having to meet all the rules and regulations of the state in becoming a school, we’d lose our identity.”

Not if Serene Williams, her mentor Randi Purser, and the other CKA staff members had anything to do with it.

Culture as the cornerstone Williams had started working for the school as a front desk receptionist while she was going to college full time and eventually became one of the school’s culture instructors.

She says she is proud to have played a role in helping shape the education of today’s seniors from the very beginning of their time at CKA. “This class has been really super emotional for me,” she says. “But is also reminds me of why I’m here, why I love to do what I do. This is the first class I’ve been able to see go through all these transitions. I’ve gotten to have these ah-ha moments individually with each of these students.”

One of many recent moments, she says, was working with senior Jayden Sigo who was sweating whether he could pass his Lushootseed language final by speaking in “full immersion” for at least seven minutes.

“He really didn’t think he could do more than five minutes. He ended up speaking eloquently for 12 minutes.

He was just ecstatic,” she says.

School principal Lucy Dafoe says “culture is the cornerstone of the school. We get to do these creative offerings that other schools don’t get to do. And it always ties back to culture and identity.”

Indeed, the focus on culture has only increased over the years, even as the academic rigor has increased well.

While the student body has grown from a few dozen to 85 kids this year, the class sizes remain small so that teachers can better focus on students’ needs.

Native magnet school “Probably one of our biggest strengths has been keeping the classes small and building real relationships with these kids,” says Cindy Webster-Martinson, who’s worked as an educator at CKA and is now the President of the North Kitsap School District. “That just makes a huge difference.

“Native schools are typically called alternative schools,” Continued on page 6

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Education News

Congratulations Class of 2020 The Class of 2020 saw their senior year cut short by COVID-19. Classes went on line. Celebrations were canceled.

Jobs dried up. Still, these Suquamish high school graduates are showing what it means to be strong & resilient.

Breylin Omari Alexander, John Champe High School in Aldie, VA. Played basketball, track & field, and high jump. “I am so proud of who you are, and who you’re left to become.

Never give up on your dreams! Love, Mom.”

Maxwell Charles Sigo-Dawes, North Kitsap High School. Professional musician. “Congratulations on your graduation, Max! Thanks for playing such great bass for me. I love your original songs too. I love you, Grandma Lynn.”

Lacy Rose Gladstone Hawk, CKA. Studied cultural arts: especially loves beadwork. My goal is to be a veterinarian technician. “God bless you. It was a tough pull, but you made it. I love you and congratulations, Dad.”

Raven SpiritBear Roberts, Kingston High School, Miss Chief Seattle Days 2019-2020, started beadwork business. “Congratulations Raven! You did it!! We are so incredibly proud of you! Love Lenora, Jon, and Mila.”

Jasmine Faithanne Barnes, Henry Foss High School, Tacoma. Will attend Pierce College to study dental hygiene. “If I can get through this, I can get through anything.” “I am so proud of you! Keep up the good work! Love Gramma.”

Hali-Aleetsah Deam, Kingston High School.

“Congrats on your graduation baby girl! We are all so proud of you. May your dreams stay big and worries stay small. We love you, Mom and Dad.”

Logan K. Mabe, Findlay High School, Findlay, OH. Will attend Seattle Pacific Univ. Hopes to learn about his Suquamish culture. “We are SO proud of you. We love you very much, Mom, Dad, Haylie, Jess, and your nieces.”

Jayden Luke Sigo, CKA. Played on CKA’s first basketball team. Chief Seattle Warrior 20172018. “My goal to become a music producer and give back by teaching youth about music.”

“Awesome job Jayden! We love you!”

Tu-tai-ud Rose Brealan-Bayes, CKA. Will attend Peninsula College focusing on Native studies and then transfer to Evergreen State College. She is a Lushootseed instructor and works at the Suquamish Museum.

Antonia Ewing, Kingston High School. Played basketball, learned American Sign Language, and studied athletic medicine — planning more study in the medical field and “to bring what I learn back to the Tribe’s new clinic!”

Niomi Pavlock, Lincoln High School, Portland, OR. Interned teaching reading and writing.

Loves painting, drawing, softball, and hanging out with friends. Will attend Portland Community College and then a 4-year college.

Miya Angelique Smith, CKA. Played for Lady Bears Basketball team, wrote and illustrated a children’s book in Lushootseed. “We are beyond proud of you! You are an amazing daughter, sister and Auntie. You can only go up from here!”

Suquamish News

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June 2020 | 5

CKA’s Valedictorian and Salutatorian Plan to Return to Suquamish to Give Back

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Mataya Gliding Eagle Stroud, Kingston High School. Earned varsity letters for basketball and track. Will attend Olympic College and Tacoma Comm. College to be a paramedic.

Madeline Welch, Oliver Hazen High School, Renton, WA & Bellevue College. NASA Native American Student Alliance. Hazen Track Team, Volunteer at Duwamish Longhouse.

Plans to major in communications at U.W.

Koh-kai Williams, CKA. Participated in Song & Dance, carving, learned about treaty rights.

Plans to continue working as a fisherman. “I am so proud of you my son! Keep shining and don’t let anything hold you back! Mom”

here’s a lot of uncertainty during this COVID-19 outbreak. But the valedictorian and salutatorian of Chief Kitsap Academy are both sure of one thing: They both plan on succeeding — and they both plan to return to Suquamish after college to give back to the community they love.

They have good reasons to believe success is in their future. As members of the first class to attend Chief Kitsap Academy since 6th grade, Brandy Boure and Ramona Charlese Mayo are graduating this year with both a high school diploma from Chief Kitsap Academy and college credit earned at Olympic College through the Running Start program. Both are headed to college — Boure to the University of Washington, and Mayo to finish her AA degree at OC before transferring to a 4-year college.

Brandy Boure, is a Suquamish Tribal member and the 2020 CKA class valedictorian. She’s working on the speech she will deliver at graduation, even though the ceremony has been delayed like so much else during the last part of her senior year because of the COVID-19 outbreak. Her theme for her speech is, “It’s okay to change.” You may have one idea of what you want to do, but it’s fine for that idea to evolve and change, she said.

And that’s what happened to Boure. In 8th and 9th grade, she excelled at math and loved looking at the stars. “I was amazed that those tiny specs could be actually something so huge!” she said. She thought she would become an astronomer. But then she met Randi Purser, a language and carving instructor at CKA, and that encounter rekindled her love for her culture. Suquamish culture was important to Boure, even as a very young child. “There are baby pictures of me in regalia,” she said. “Our culture was taken away, and now we’re bringing it back to life,” she said.

Her plan is to study Native American art and literature at the University of Washington, and then return to Suquamish to work as a culture specialist at CKA. Ramona Charlese Mayo, CKA salutato-

rian, moved to Kitsap County from West Seattle, where she was one of thousands attending a large public school. At CKA, she was amazed by the close-knit community and the opportunities for one-onone time with teachers. One of Ramona’s favorite things is the focus on the language. “Things are labeled in Lushoot­ seed, people speak it, and wear hoodies with the language,” she said. In addition to studying the language, she taught it at the family Lushootseed class.

Both Mayo and Boure are part of the CKA Song & Dance group, and they both enjoyed representing the Tribe at special occasions. They volunteered at Chief Seattle Days, serving food, bringing plates to Elders, and helping with clean up.

Elders have been a special inspiration to these young people especially during the pandemic when the words of the Elders have encouraged them.

“The Elders are so proud of the class of 2020. All the adults are, and that’s really lifted us up,” says Mayo.

“I want to thank the Elders who always looked out for me and my classmates beginning when we were in Kindergarten. I want to thank them for keeping the culture alive,” said Boure. “They had to do a lot of studying to learn our culture after

the boarding school time, when so many were so afraid.”

The encouragement from Elders and teachers and staff at CKA has helped the two classmates deal with canceled graduation ceremonies and with jobs lost as a result of the outbreak. Mayo was working at the Casino, and Boure was part of the oyster crew at Suquamish Seafoods. Boure not only missed out on senior sports, a slated visit by a U.W. scout was called off when spring games were canceled.

What do they want the next classes of students to know? School always comes first, says Ramona. Social life should come second. “That’s what got me through high school. Staying on top of my grades,” she said. “Go to class, be on time, don’t let grades slip, go to bed early.”

Mayo wants to be first in her family to graduate from college. “I’ll be back afterwards, and I see a future that is happy, successful, and stable,” Mayo says.

“Don’t just worry about what’s happening around you,” Boure advises students coming up behind her. “Focus on what you want to do.” Thank you for believing in us, Boure says.

“It’s been a pleasure to go to CKA and to be part of this community,” says Ramona.

“It’s a great place to call home.”

Suquamish News

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Congratulations CKA Class of 2020

The Chief Kitsap Academy Class of 2020 is one of the largest in the school’s history, and all indigenous.

Along with the CKA seniors on pages 4 & 5, these members of the Class of 2020 are making us proud!

Judah Andrews

Jenna Celestine

Colin Edwards

Kaylee Edwards

Katamia Ives

Mateo Sipai

Nathaniel Swift

Matthew Tom

Chief Kitsap Academy 6th Grade class is graduating (continued from page 3) says Dafoe. “I’ve been wanting to shake that alternative term for a long time. Because I think we can also be thought of as a Native American magnet school.”

“Back in the day, you had to learn how to walk in two worlds. Well, guess what? Not anymore. This is just our world. I think that’s one of the most rewarding parts.

There is no two worlds for our kids. This is our world.

This is who we are. And they can carry it anywhere.”

Even as the school has had to wrestle through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dafoe says students and staff have found ways to mix cultural strength with academic creativity to keep things moving forward.

“You want to talk about resilience?” she says. “Our kids bounce. They rolled into this online program. I mean, I don’t even know if they fully understand how much they

rolled with things.”

CKA was one of the first in the region to get a laptop to every student and transition to online classes.

Meanwhile, graduation rates are consistently at or near 100 percent with more and more students moving on to college.

Mayo is one of them.

“CKA really helped me turn things around,” she says.

“While I was once disrespectful, I am now a much more respectful — and respectable — person. I care more for people and the outcome of what I’m trying to say and do.”

She and other students say it is the sense of family that CKA creates that makes it so special.

“It’s a small school, but it’s a family,” says Miya Smith, another senior who started out at CKA as one of the orig-

inal sixth graders. “The staff are really kind. They show interest in who you really are. And share their own life.”

Smith says she wants to become a nursing assistant and come to Suquamish to work for the Tribe’s Health Division.

Mayo credits vice principal and athletic director Rex Green and school counselor Shawn Adams with inspiring much of her transformation. “They never labeled me as a bad student. They just showed me how to do things differently, how to communicate differently.”

There is perhaps no greater tribute to a school than that its own students aspire to return as teachers and faculty.

Mayo is among several in this year’s graduating class who wants to do exactly that.

As the Class of 2020’s Salutatorian, Mayo says she plans to go to college to study psychology. “I’d like to come back here to CKA and work as a guidance counselor.”

By Jon Anderson

suquamish.nsn.us

Suquamish News

June 2020 | 7

Tribal Elders to Graduates: You Got This!

This was a tough year to be a high school senior. Suquamish Elders want you to know they believe in you.

“Congratulations graduates! With everything we’ve been able to give you through the Tribe’s resources, go out there and do something great with your life! We’ll be watching. We’ll be rooting for you. And we love you!”

Barbara Lawrence, Tribal Elder and Education Outreach / Since Time Immemorial Curriculum Coordinator

“My words to our graduating students are that you are so lucky. You belong to this Suquamish Tribe, or you’re going to school in this Suquamish area. If you look around you, you probably have support anywhere for anything you want to do! Just be all you can be, because there are no limits.”

Betty Pasco, Suquamish Tribal Elder

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Government News

Chairman’s Report

The Suquamish Tribe and Port Madison Enterprises have applied for and received federal and/or state funding to pay for expenses related to the COVID-19 pandemic. We have had preliminary meetings to determine what expenses are eligible to be covered by the COVID-19 grants. More information on these budgetary issues will be forthcoming. ***

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he past month continued to be primarily devoted to adapting to the changes that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to our economy, government operations, and Tribal community.

The Washington Tribes have been working together on coordinating our efforts to protect the Tribal gaming industry, which provides essential funding to our Tribal governments. Gaming revenues fund critical government operations including health care, treaty rights protection, public safety, and education.

Every Tribal casino operation in Washington closed their doors in mid-March to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 in their respective communities. After two months of closures, a number of Tribal leaders began to discuss how and when they would reopen their gaming operations. Tribal leaders and their gaming operations staff considered information provided by the state along with data gathered from federal agencies, Tribal health experts, and local health conditions to determine opening dates.

Tribal leaders, with the support of the Washington Indian Gaming Association, met by teleconference with Governor Jay Inslee to discuss his plans for reopening the state economy and the public health data he would be relying on. During this

call, Tribal leaders, including Suquamish leaders, informed the governor of our plans to reopen.

The Kalispel Tribe was the first to open their casino near Spokane on May 4, followed by the Stillaguamish Tribe, which opened the next week.

The PME Board and the Suquamish Tribal Council decided upon a May 18 opening that coincided with Nisqually, Squaxin, and Puyallup opening dates.

After some revisions, the Tribal Council approved PME’s re-opening plan, which limits occupancy, implements a thermal imaging camera system to track body temperature, tracks player IDs, temporarily prohibits smoking, and requires masks for employees and customers.

PME developed the plan with the help of a medical consultant and the Suquamish Tribe’s community nurses. We also met with local elected officials and the Kitsap County Public Health Department to share our reopening plan, and they were satisfied with our approach.

Tribal Council has attempted to strike a balance between protection of public health and the opening of our essential government gaming operations, which supports our treaty protection efforts and provides essential services to our Tribal citizens.

The Suquamish Tribe continues to be engaged in government-to-government consultation with federal and state governments on COVID-19 funding opportunities, and for guidance on testing and best practices.

The White House held four Indian Country COVID-19 Response Update Calls in May. The calls included COVID-19 reports from several federal agencies including Indian Health Service, the Surgeon General, and the Treasury Department.

Tyler Fish (Muskogee Creek), who has been leading the calls, announced that he is now Executive Director of the White House Council on Native American Affairs, an Obama-era council that is intended to promote an inter-agency approach to Indian Country issues and priorities. Tyler will remain involved in Tribal consultation.

The Indian Health Service has encouraged Tribes to develop testing plans, and it will support Tribes by providing testing kits and the necessary Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

The Treasury Department announced that it had sent out the first CARES Act (COVID-19) payments to Tribal governments. This payment, and the other federal investments in COVID-19 response, represent the largest investment in Indian Country in U.S. history.

We are appreciative of the U.S. Congress for passage of the CARES Act and for including funding for the Tribes to help us face this unprecedented economic and public health challenge.

Treasury also provided guidance on the second CARES Act payment application process and provided details during

a separate call with the Department of the Interior.

Tribal leaders asked questions and provided updates on each of the calls.

The president of the Navajo Nation provided a situation report on their struggles to contain the COVID-19 spread on their reservation.

The National Congress of American Indians continued to represent our interests in Washington, D.C., as COVID-19 legislation has moved through Congress. NCAI has held monthly calls to keep the regional leaders informed about legislation, legal cases, and federal funding opportunities. I serve as the Northwest Area vice-president of NCAI. *** The Bureau of Indian Affairs Regional Office in Portland continues to hold COVID-19 teleconferences for Tribal governments in the region, providing information on funding opportunities and answering questions from Tribal leaders.

Members of the State House of Representatives held a COVID-19 meeting with Tribal leaders to discuss public health and infrastructure, and economic reopening plans.

Elected leaders in Kitsap County held weekly COVID-19 calls. The calls included updates from the Kitsap County Health Department, with officials briefing us on testing efforts, PPE supplies, and infection rates. Leadership is eager to reopen the county economy and Kitsap County has now entered Phase 2 of the Governor’s reopening protocol, allowing restaurant openings with limited occupancy, limited non-essential travel, opening of nail and beauty salons, new construction, and gatherings of up to five people.

Testing and contact tracing are the primary tools for managing the pandemic. Testing of symptomatic individuals is the preferred approach. If a positive test is determined, then contact tracing will track their movements and determine who was exposed and needs quarantine.

Many summer events are being can-

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celled, including all events in Poulsbo through August 1, 2020.

Planning continues for this year’s Salmon Homecoming in September, which will likely be a one-day event pending public health conditions.

Suquamish Moves Cautiously Towards Re-Opening General Council 2019 at Kiana Lodge.

General Council 2020 is now planned for August 15 at the House of Awakened Culture.

*** Suquamish Tribal Council members met with Mithun Architects to review conceptual plans to expand the House of Awakened Culture. This will allow the building to host larger events.

The Suquamish Tribe government offices are still closed through at least June 7, 2020. A phased reopening of our offices is under development. Much of government continues to operate through telework and virtual meeting platforms.

Council approved the summer fireworks season (see page 2). A meeting with firework stand operators was held virtually and resulted in some good information for Council and staff. Council has provided operators with social distancing and mask-use protocol for their properties.

Human Services and the Elders Program held a crab distribution event at the House of Awakened Culture that was very popular, with many Elders driving through to get some traditional food.

The Tribal Leaders Congress on Education held their first meeting since the pandemic hit the region. This was a virtual meeting and was well attended.

All the Tribal schools are working hard on creative ways to teach and feed their students. Colleges are continuing classes virtually. Western Washington University is raising money to build a longhouse on their main campus in Bellingham.

The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation held a business meeting in virtual format. The primary agenda item was a review of a proposal for altering and/or demolishing historic U.S. Army housing on military bases scattered across the nation. We also provided updates on our respective activities, including how we are adapting to the impacts of the pandemic.

Leonard Forsman, Chairman Suquamish Tribe

June 2020 | 9

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he way Tribal government operates today would have been hard to imagine just six months ago. The Tribal Council meets weekly, spread out along tables at the House of Awakened Culture, all those present wearing masks.

Others attend via video link. Government offices are closed to the public, and most staff are working from home or are on a temporary furlough. Suquamish Wellness offers counseling sessions online. Students switched to attending online classes. The Police lobby has taken on the added duties of being the drop-off spot for child support payments and accepting mail and messages for government staff.

The Emergency Operations Center has been activated to coordinate the response to COVID-19, but it too operates mainly out of home offices. And 46 members of the government staff were temporarily furloughed.

Meanwhile, events that are at the heart of the Tribe’s cultural and spiritual life have been canceled or postponed: The Renewal Powwow and the 2020 Canoe Journey are canceled. General Council was rescheduled for June 28, and now will take place on August 15 in conjunction with a Suquamish-only Chief Seattle Days event (see page 2).

This has taken enormous adjustment and planning, but it has paid off. Not a single resident of the Port Madison Indian Reservation has tested positive for COVID-19. While Seattle has seen thousands of cases, Kitsap County as a whole has had only 160 people test positive.

This local success, coupled with the fact that testing and contact tracing are now possible, has led Tribal leaders to begin planning to re-open. (See page 10 for details on testing.)

“The Chairman would like people back on June 8, on a staggered, realistic schedule,” says Acting Co-Director of the Suquamish Tribe, Scott Crowell.

Crowell, who heads the Community Development Division, was asked by Tribal Council to serve alongside Human Resources Director Jamie Gooby as acting co-directors following the departure of Executive Director Shyla Spicer in early May. So long as cases remain low, “we are in a good position to

jump into bringing people back,” Crowell said.

Staff will return slowly to working on site, said Gooby.

Precautions designed to protect the health of staff and Tribal members will include: • Prompt identification and isolation of sick people and contact tracing • Hygiene and masks • Social distancing measures • Cleaning and disinfecting protocols • Training and setting new norms.

Gooby and Crowell are prioritizing services for Tribal members that cannot be offered remotely. This includes providing vouchers, COVID-19 tests, and health and wellness services that can not be handled on the phone or online.

Treaty Protection outdoor fieldwork will continue in Phase I, and landscaping, construction, and housing rehab will resume. Most Tribal enterprises are already re-opened or will be soon. Construction will begin soon on five units of scattered-site housing, according to Crowell. Those who have been working remotely will continue to do so.

Once this phase has been implemented and reviewed, Tribal Council will determine whether to begin the next phase, with more returning to work on staggered schedules.

The opening of the Early Learning Center is especially challenging as child care is needed by parents returning to work. The ELC staff is working on a plan to re-open safely.

Chief Kitsap Academy, like schools everywhere, is planning for a fall full of uncertainties.

Stay in Touch!

Sign-up for Suquamish Updates Now (SUN) to receive text and emails with the latest updates and alerts from the Tribe: Suquamish.nsn.us/suquamish-updates-now/ Check the Tribe’s website: https://suquamish.nsn.us and Facebook www.facebook.com/suquamishtribe for updates.

Send questions to covid_questions@suquamish.nsn.us.

Suquamish News

10 | June 2020

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Wellness

COVID-19 Testing Comes to Suquamish If you are positive, we will give you information on keeping yourself and those around you safe. We will also ask you to assist us in locating anyone you had close contact with so we can give them information on isolating themselves and watching for symptoms.

Getting a test for COVID-19 will not tell us if you have been exposed or if you have had the virus in the past.

8 Ways to Well-Being During the changes, closures, and isolation resulting from the COVID-19 outbreak, it is important to maintain balance and health. Stop a moment, and take inventory of all the areas of your life. You may find a need to plan and act with increased intention and awareness during this time, to promote physical, mental, social, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Here are 8 tips to try:

1

Take one step at a time It is easy to become overwhelmed, anxious, or scared when faced with extreme situations and obstacles. Focus on what you can control. Focus on what produces feelings of joy, pride, and comfort. Stay informed, but limit exposure to social media and the news. Focus on today, and find ways to feel productive.

2

Be kind, supportive, and forgiving to others, including when you are online. Offer thanks to important people in your life. Also, be gentle to yourself.

Acknowledge your strengths. Smile.

3

Be flexible In the face of adversity, adapt. Change your plans and expectations. Look for new ways of doing and being. Explore and be creative. Try something new, like that project you’ve been thinking about.

Suquamish Wellness offers:

Psychiatric services Naturopathic services Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Process addictions (such as gambling, sex, or internet addiction) • Mental Health • Domestic Violence Victim Advocacy • Peer support Please call Wellness with questions, or to request services at (360) 394-8558 • • • • •

4

Plan ahead If you are feeling overwhelmed because each day feels chaotic, develop a schedule. Budget your time. Set limits, expectations, and boundaries for yourself and your family. This could include things like reducing screen time, increasing sleep or exercise, or scheduling quality time to do an activity with your family or friends (in person or online!).

5

Stay positive Don’t allow yourself to hyper-focus on the negative; think and speak in a positive way. Model this for others who are struggling. Don’t criticize others, and don’t criticize yourself.

6

Take care of yourself Don’t neglect the basics: Get plenty of sleep. Exercise regularly. Eat healthy.

Drink water. Reduce or eliminate alcohol and drugs. (Now is a great time to quit smoking!) Pray, meditate, or journal daily. You will be better prepared and equipped to help others if you are taking care of yourself.

7

Take care of others Reach out to someone you haven’t heard from in a few days. Send an email, a text, or a Snap. Give a family member a call. Be aware of other people’s needs. Don’t hoard! Take what you need. Give.

8

Relax and enjoy today Look for the bright part of each day and give thanks. Don’t dwell on thoughts such as, “I wish this was over!” Focus on what you have today and what you can do with your time and energy. Find ways to calm down if you find your stress levels too high.

Jonathan Glover, LICSW, is mental health supervisor at Suquamish Wellness Center.

If you have life-threatening symptoms such as severe shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, call 911.

Suquamish Tribe Community Health Nurses Barbara Hoffman, RN, (above) and Amanda Brazeau, RN, (below) get trained to administer COVID-19 tests.

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he Community Health Program is now able to offer COVID-19 testing to Suquamish Tribal members as requested and members of Tribal households, Suquamish government and PME employees who have three or more symptoms (see below).

If you need to be tested, call the Community Health Nurses Barbara Hoffman, RN, (360) 394-8468 or Amanda Brazeau, RN, (360) 394-8594. We are available from 8am to 4:30pm, Monday to Friday.

Testing will be administered during the hours of 8:30am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, by appointment only. Testing will be completed at 18490 Suquamish Way, at the back of the Tribal Center. Patients will be tested in their car.

Symptoms of COVID-19 include: • Cough • Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing • Fever • Chills • Muscle pain • Sore throat • New loss of taste or smell.

Getting a COVID-19 test will tell us if you have the virus at the point in time you were tested.

Your best defense against the virus is to: • Limit the number of people you have contact with other than those who live in your household.

• Stay a minimum of six feet away from others as much as possible.

• Wash your hands frequently.

• Clean frequently touched surfaces often.

• Wear a mask in public • Practice healthy lifestyle principles.

• Stay active (get outside or take walks with household members).

• Get enough rest.

• Limit social media.

If you have any questions or concerns we would be happy to discuss with you.

By Barbara Hoffman, RN

Suquamish News

suquamish.nsn.us

Reprinted from the Seattle Met Magazine

How Seattle Copes: Cherrie May Handles Emergencies for the Suquamish The tribe’s emergency manager began preparing for a pandemic more than a decade ago.

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il spills, chemical spills, natural disasters. Back in the late 1990s, when Cherrie May started working in emergency management for the Suquamish Tribe, out on the Kitsap Peninsula, these were her focus. Then, a�er 9/11, she took a job with Region 2 Homeland Security as a tribal planner. “That’s where I really began understanding the importance of having a separate plan for pandemics,” she says.

In 2007, she returned to the Suquamish Office of Emergency Management and began formula�ng a pandemic plan. It came just in �me. When the H1N1 (swine flu) pandemic hit in 2009, May coordinated mass vaccina�on sites

for the tribe. Then she and Dr. Sco� Lindquist (then Kitsap County’s public health officer, now the Washington state epidemiologist for communicable diseases) created the na�onal model for mutual aid agreements between tribal governments and U.S. public health districts.

Today, May is the tribe’s emergency manager, a role that involves mostly planning and training the tribe’s staff and members so that its government and community can respond to problems large and small—everything from fires to earthquakes. Early this year she began monitoring informa�on about

COVID-19ʹs progress. Her response, of course, quickly escalated: first communica�ng about social distancing, then limi�ng mee�ngs, phasing in a con�nuity of government plan, and eventually helping to close the tribal government, except for cri�cal staff. She’d worked for FEMA during Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita, where she saw a governmental “total system failure,” but nothing quite prepared her for the scale of coronavirus.

Some of those prepara�ons have been vital, though. When I asked May what system failures she’s seen during this pandemic, she men�oned the compe��on over Personal Protec�ve Equipment (masks, gloves, etc.). Especially since the tribe doesn’t have a health clinic and uses private insurance for its members, she says the distribu�on by state and federal agencies was “skewed” in the ini�al scramble for PPE. At first, the tribe wasn’t ge�ng any. Though the tribe doesn’t have a clinic, it does run a wellness center and needed PPE for its nurses, for cri�cal government staff (like May), for people working in food banks. But “we had planned for these disasters, so I did have stockpiles available.” That lasted un�l Kitsap County was able to offer some of its PPE supplies. “I’m absolutely amazed and happy at how well governments are working together,” she says, referring to the county, city, and tribal governments in the region.

Overall the pandemic has had May working 12 to 14 hour days, frequently six days a week. Amid that she and her husband (also working full-�me) had to start homeschooling their three kids. At first, she says, “I primarily worked from home and I had my staff of three si�ng at the table with me with their workbooks.” Since May is a first responder,

June 2020 | 11

two of her kids are now ge�ng childcare. To achieve some sense of normalcy, the family sets aside a couple hours for cooking and ea�ng dinner together each night.

May’s job also offers her ballast in an uncertain �me, “a sense of ease” knowing she’s able to offer assistance.

She’s seen it all over lately—neighbors reaching out to fix a nurse’s flat �re so she can get to work, parents supporting others’ homeschooling efforts. “It is very helpful to be the helper.”

By Stefan Milne. Reprinted with permission from Seattle Met. Photo is Seattle Met Composite Image.

Suquamish News

12 | June 2020

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Get Help for Domestic Violence or Assault Suquamish police, advocates, and counselors are a phone call or text away

D

uring hard times, tensions at home can build. With shelter-in-place orders in effect as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, difficult issues can spill over into violence.

“We know all this is brewing a perfect storm for domestic violence,” says Suquamish Police Department’s Deputy Chief Mark Williams.

Williams and the Tribe’s domestic violence advocates want survivors to know that help is available for the asking.

Start by calling 9-1-1. Or, if you’re worried about being overheard, send a text to 9-1-1.

Whether it’s to report a domestic violence (DV) assault, get immediate assistance, or because you are in danger, call or text 9-1-1.

“Every victim that reaches out is going to be believed, is going to be provided services, and we are going to make a 100 percent effort to investigate the situation,” says Suquamish Police Department Detective Richard Christopher.

9-1-1 dispatchers will send the police officers closest to your location. If you are in Port Madison Indian Reservation, this will most likely be officers from the Suquamish Police Department. Because of the way the dispatching system works, calling the local police desk can actually be slower.

Learn about your legal options.

You can file for a protective order or explore other legal options with the help of Selina Ayres, the Suquamish Police Department’s Domestic Violence Victims’ Advocate. Call or text her at her direct line (360) 900-6499.

“I connect people to the best information and resources that are right for them and their situation,” says Ayres. “And if someone is interested in a protective order, I can help them figure out which court is best to file in, whether it’s Suquamish Tribal Court or Kitsap County.”

The conversation with Ayres is confidential. You can decide later if you want to involve the police or courts.

Talk with a DV counselor at Suquamish Wellness Call or text Elizabeth Tonti at (360) 328-6622 (direct line).

Tonti is a domestic violence victims’ advocate, and she can help you arrange for resources, decide what’s right for you and your children, and build a safety plan.

Talk or chat online with someone right now You can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800799-SAFE (7233) any time.

“The Hotline provides lifesaving tools and immediate support to empower victims and survivors to find safety and live free of abuse. We also provide support to friends and family members who are concerned about a loved one.”

If it’s not safe for you to call, or if you don’t feel comfortable calling, you can use the live chat service at www.thehotline.org.

Anyone who has been a victim of assault — women, men, or children — can get help. You have options available in Suquamish, and people who care.

If you’re not sure what to do, call any of the numbers listed above, and you’ll get help.

Lushootseed suEabSucid Word of the Month

pədstəgʷəd June pŭd-stŭg-whŭd Time of Salmonberries

J

une is the time when the salmon berries begin to ripen for picking and eating. The young spring shoots can be picked, stripped of the outer layer skin and eaten. Check with Azure Boure in the Traditional Plants and Medicine Program. Also, please make sure you follow the Ethics of Harvesting when you gather.

suquamish.nsn.us

Suquamish News

June 2020 | 13

Clearwater Casino Resort Re-Opens With Many Safety Measures in Place Suquamish Joins Other Regional Tribes in Cautiously Opening Up Gaming

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he decision in March to temporarily close the Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort was a difficult one. The Tribe’s largest enterprise is a source of employment for hundreds of people, including many Tribal members and residents of Kitsap County. It is a large source of revenue, which Tribal government relies on.

Nonetheless, with the COVID-19 pandemic spreading, and concerns for the health of guests, staff, and, especially, Elders, the Tribal Council and PME Board decided to shut the doors.

On May 18, the Casino and Resort partially re-opened. The Clearwater isn’t the first casino in Washington to re-open, but it also isn’t the last one. The Point Casino operated by the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe is opening on June 1, for example.

The opening took place only after many safeguards were in place. The casino is limited to 60 percent capacity. Guests,

staff, and vendors all walk past thermal cameras that can detect if any of them are running a fever. Every other slot machine is left vacant, and guests are asked to flip on a light when they complete their play at a machine so staff can sanitize it for the next guest. The entire facility is temporarily non-smoking, and masks are required for staff and guests.

The Salish Kitchen, Beach Rock Music & Sports, and The Clearwater restaurant remain closed. Table games have not reopened, and all events and entertainment, including the well-loved lawn concerts, are postponed until further notice.

Irene Carper, PME Chief Operating Officer, says she feels confident in the precautions taken by the Casino: “We probably have the most safety measures out there,” she said.

“No staff have tested positive so far, and we want to keep it that way,” she added.

Museum is temporarily closed

14 | June 2020

Suquamish News

suquamish.nsn.us

Fisheries

Fixing Habitat is the Key to Salmon Recovery

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ntil we take real action to protect and restore salmon habitat, we are looking toward a future with more tightly restricted fisheries for everyone.

That’s the lesson after treaty Tribal and state fisheries managers reached an agreement last month through the North of Falcon process on a package of salmon fishing seasons for 2020-2021 that provides greatly reduced harvest opportunity compared to recent years while still contributing to ongoing salmon recovery efforts.

The main reason for the decline of salmon throughout western Washington is that their habitat is being lost faster than it can be restored and protected, and the trend shows no signs of improvement.

We plan fisheries based on impacts to individual salmon stocks depending on their overall abundance and how many are needed to escape harvest and spawn.

Treaty Tribal and nontribal sport and commercial fisheries are structured to limit impacts on stocks of concern that are not expected to reach spawning goals.

Anticipated weak returns of chinook to the Stillaguamish River and midHood Canal this year required extensive closures to protect dwindling pop-

ulations. Coho returning to the Queets and Snohomish rivers also were stocks of concern.

We also are challenged by increasing predation by seals and sea lions, and the food needs of endangered southern resident orcas. Meanwhile, the ongoing effects of climate change threaten salmon and their habitat with drought, low streamflows and higher water temperatures.

The reductions we had to make this year are painful for both Tribal and nontribal fishermen and fishing communities.

We already have steadily reduced Tribal fisheries over time in response to declining salmon runs. Depressed chinook stocks mean there will be no Tribal fishing on river systems in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, such as the Hoko, Elwha and Dungeness.

Unfortunately, the state had to substantially reduce its popular winter chinook recreational fishery in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, San Juan Islands and Hood Canal areas, to protect imperiled Stillaguamish chinook.

Stillaguamish chinook presented a management constraint greater than usual this year because only 990 total fish were forecast to return: 363 natural

origin and 627 hatchery fish.

Under Endangered Species Act guidelines, the National Marine Fisheries Service determined that we need at least 400 returning Stillaguamish chinook to reach spawning grounds. That decision made the returning hatchery salmon especially important because they are produced for escapement, not harvest.

They are key to an integrated recovery program that uses both hatchery and natural origin salmon to increase the abundance of adults returning to the spawning grounds.

Tribes rely on ceremonial and subsistence fisheries to feed our families and preserve our cultures. The Stillaguamish Tribe hopes to harvest just 30 chinook from the river this year for its annual First Salmon Ceremony and other traditions. Many Tribal chinook fisheries have disappeared altogether. Tribal fishermen haven’t had a directed salmon harvest on chinook in the Nooksack River for more than 40 years.

We won’t be able to manage our way around the ongoing loss of salmon habitat much longer, but hope may be on the horizon.

A bright spot appeared this year when — for the first time — treaty Tribal and state salmon co-managers included habitat recovery as part of fisheries management planning. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife director Kelly Susewind pledged to work with the Tribes to address habitat issues in the watersheds that are limiting natural production of salmon. Part of that effort will include a science-based instream flow assessment from a salmon point of view.

This is cause for hope because habitat protection and restoration – and cooperation – are the keys to salmon recovery.

Working together to address habitat is the most important thing we can do to help salmon. We know what the future holds if we don’t.

By Lorraine Loomis, chair of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission.

Photo: An adult chinook salmon returning to the North Fork Stillaguamish River is collected to be used as broodstock in the Stillaguamish Tribe’s hatchery. By Kari Neumeyer.

Suquamish News

suquamish.nsn.us

June 2020 | 15

Birthdays

e n Ju June 1 Charles Dryden Kai Williams Michael Matz June 2 Angela Tate Brian Belmont Heather Traucht James Anderson Paul Peck June 3 Bernadette Loneia Bradley Jackson Kamiakin George Michael Cordero Tutau Abraham June 4 Clayton Winnie James Zimmerman Lance Purser Laura Yaeger Rebecca Castillo Robert Rubeck June 5 Darrel Hoffman David Hoffman Ignacio Santos Jr. Ruth Lindell Wade Williams

June 6 Joel Sigo

June 7 Janis Marquez

June 8 Amber Jackson Kyle George Porcha Vaught Raymond Forsman Shoshanna Bayes June 9 Jessica Fisher Shawn Hawk Sr.

June 10 Anthony Agibinik Kayla George- Purser Richard Belmont June 11 Alexander Potts Cookie Boyd June 12 Bardow Lewis Oya June 13 Beatrice Berlin Hazle Pacquette Isaac Covarrubias Jami Swayze Lisa Ellis June 14 Corey Manley Jace Joe Karyn Keller Todd Belmont June 15 Angel Freeman

June 16 Joshua Bagley June 17 Ayanna Jones Danielle Demain Samantha Kimmel June 18 Breanna Moore Michael Smith Quanaisja Rubeck June 19 Edward Bradwell Mitchell George June 20 Camillia Keller Gabriel Rubeck Levi Mabe June 21 Avianna Lawrence Ivy Cheyney Stormi Vivian June 22 Adam Edelstein Bearon Old Coyote Joshua Smith Julie Haubrich Maiya Jeffers Rhett Mills Sydney Purser June 23 William Crowell June 24 Anjelica Rodriguez Isaiah Pondelick

June 25 Ariana Warner Awasis Williams Michael Julian Armstrong Nancy Reynoso-Purser Peggy Snow Reyna Nolan Shane Clark June 26 Beverly Adams Christian Lawrence Nancy Young

June 27 Ann Forsman John Vollenweider Jr. Lewis George June 28 Maureen Sather Sharon Parrett Stephen Lawrence Sr. June 29 Niomi Pavlock Sarah George June 30 James Porter Lucas Nichols

Suquamish News

16 | June 2020

suquamish.nsn.us PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID Kent, WA Permit No. 71

Paper & Cedar Hearts

Materials

Cedar, Raffia, Paper, Glue, Scissors 1. If you are working with cedar, soak the cedar in hot water, until it is soft.

2. Select 6 strips of equal length. Strips should be about twice as long as the desired size of your heart.

3. Fold 3 strips in half, and secure the open ends with a clip. Your material should make a loop.

4. Fold a 4th strip in half, and weave over/under on both sides of the loop. This means Side 1 will weave over, under, over, and Side 2 will weave the opposite--- under, over, under.

Side 1 5. Continue weaving the over/under pattern O with the remaining 2 strips. (Left photo: O O O O Yellow strip=over and Orange strip=under) O

O O O

Side 2 O O O O

O

O O O O

Top-bottom and left-right: Copy paper colored with markers; Scrapbook paper; Old book pages; Cedar drying; Cedar drying; Magazine paper

6. Remove clip. Straighten/tighten each row of weaving. Secure the bottom point of the heart with a clip. a. Paper: glue open ends together. b. Cedar: Use raffia to twine* around each strip for 2-3 rows. Tie off. Let dry, and trim any little strands of cedar or raffia that are sticking out.

*How to twine: Using two strands (I start with one long strand, folded in half), pass one strand behind the first strip of the heart (catching both sides) and the other strand in front. Pass the front strand behind the next strip. Continue.

Figure Illustration: Kenneth Greg Watson, 2008.

Instructions written by Tyler McLain Skeman, LMHCA, ATR-P (Gai-Ä“Ä“, Skokomish Tribal Member)