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Vol.

2/8

August 2009

Program

News

Hotel Offers New Gaming

Machines With Big Jackpots

The Eagles Landing Hotel added three new

Rocket Gold Series rocket gaming machines

that offer one million dollar progressive

jackpots. The machines are located on the

east side of the gaming room. They also

have a progressive meter displaying the

current jackpot. The unique wheel feature is

an added bonus.

The Eagles Landing Hotel is the fourth

business to have this machine available.

This is a lottery-style machine. When you

win, you can select your payout plan. These

machines are not available at the Lucky

Eagle Casino.

CHEHALIS

TRIBAL

NEWSLETTER

Honoring Angel “Steve”

Elders:

Medina

 “People of the Sands” 

 Loves the game

of baseball, whether

he is playing,

watching or

coaching it,

page 3

Second Annual Youth Baseball

Tournament a Success

Tournament brings smiles to youth as they

participate in the game of baseball, page 2

Chehalis Tribal Canoe Family Participates in

th

Anniversary of Tribal Canoe Journeys

20

Wellness Center Rewards

Women Who Get Exams

The Native Women’s Wellness Program

will be holding a drawing for a Pendleton

blanket for all women who come into the

Chehalis Tribal Wellness Center for their

yearly annual (Pap & CBE) exams between

June and September 2009.

To schedule your 1-hour exam, please

calls the Chehalis Tribal Wellness Center at

360-273-5504.

„„Donna Elam, PA-C works Monday Friday;

„„ Dr. Solis works Monday- Thursday.

The drawing for the blanket will only

be for those who complete the exam. The

drawing will be held on Sept. 30 at 4:00 pm

If you have any questions, please contact

Christina Hicks, Community Health

Coordinator at the Chehalis Tribal Wellness

Center.

Classes Help Families Get

Ready for the Teen Years

The Strengthening Families Program starts

September 10 and continues for seven

weeks. Classes run from 5-8 PM. All

families, parents, caregivers and youth are

invited. There will be free meals, family

discussions and games, free childcare,

special youth activities and door prizes.

Don’t miss this chance to:

Help your youth Prepare for teen years

 Avoid problems with drugs and alcohol

 Strengthen family communication

Parents/caregivers will discuss What youth this age are like

 How to make rules and establish

consequences

 How to solve problems with youth

 Ways to show love and support

Youth will learn to Handle frustration

 Resist peer pressure

 Appreciate parent/caregivers

 Get along with others

Families will Have fun doing activities and games,

discussing what makes your family strong,

and solving problems together.

Contact Lorrie Bonifer and at 709-1717

to sign up.

Chehalis Tribal Newsletter

PO Box 536

Oakville, WA 98568

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(Available-Under Construction) ©Copyright

2009 CHEHALIS TRIBAL NEWSLETTER

is a publication of the Confederated Tribes

of the Chehalis Reservation.

This is the first wave of canoes to arrive at their final destination, the Suquamish Tribe. Over 90 canoes landed at

Suquamish, then awaited landing protocol to receive permission to come ashore to share songs and dances. This

was the 20th anniversary of the Canoe Journey.

Photo submitted by Carol Austin

By Diana Pickernell and Fred Shortman

The 2009 Paddle to Suquamish marked

the 20th anniversary for the tribal canoe

journeys. Through many challenges and

much determination, the canoe journeys

survived. Many of our ancestors travelled

though the Puget Sound for many reasons:

trading, hunting, fishing and ceremonies

(weddings, traditional naming ceremonies,

potlatches, etc.). They shared their songs and

traded along the way.

Twenty years ago, the tribal canoe

journeys were revived by Emmitt Oliver

in the 1989 Paddle to Seattle. In the first

journey, there were only nine canoes that

started out. This year’s journey brought in

over 90 canoes to the Suquamish Tribe. Who

would have dreamed that this canoe journey

tradition would grow so large!

The Chehalis Canoe Family was

honored to be a part of this year’s journey.

We participated in teaching, preserving,

and connecting with our culture, learning

the history of our ancestors, sharing and

carrying on native traditions. Being able to

travel with our canoe is the most honorable

way to honor our ancestors and to practice

our culture in the same way that our

ancestors lived.

This is the third year the Chehalis

Canoe Family has participated in the tribal

canoe journey. There were over 50 tribal

and community members who lived and

travelled together, some travelling with our

canoe, tuulap tit wiiA ( Tu-lap ti weah),

and others supporting us by travelling on

land. Twenty-five youth, 10 elders and 30

adults travelled from the Lummi Tribe to the

Suquamish Tribe. At times, our family grew

to over 80 as tribal elders and community

members visited us at our campsites, or

came to witness protocols along the journey.

The heat definitely impacted the journey

this year, with temperatures going above 100

degrees. Staying hydrated, and protecting

everyone from the sun was definitely a

challenge. Our support boat carried extra

water to assist in accomplishing this task.

As canoe families arrived, and awaited

permission to land, the hosting tribes

provided water for the pullers and skippers.

The Chehalis Canoe Family worked very,

very hard this year ensuring that this year’s

journey would be a success. We participated

in many fundraisers which our youth had a

huge part in. We had numerous meetings to

learn to drum, sing and dance. Many of the

songs that were learned are songs that are

being shared by other tribes and families.

The dinner song we learned at this year’s

drum practice was a great addition.

See Canoe Journey, page 4

Tribe’s Youth Learn to Prevent

Addictive Behaviors Through Music

By Lorrie Bonifer, Prevention Specialist

On July 19, five youth participated in

Warm Beach’s 1st Native Music Mentor

Prevention Program. The camp was

extremely large, with girls on one side of the

campus and boys on the other. This involved

a lot of walking around campus to keep tabs

on the youth. The entire campus, owned

by Warm Beach, expanded to 300 acres!

The camp, Tribal Youth Music Academy,

was organized by the Evergreen Council

on Problem Gambling with grants from the

Washington State Attorney General’s Office

and the Division of Alcohol and Substance

Abuse (DASA), along with support from

several Northwest tribes.

“What we want to do is train young

people to avoid addictive behaviors, so they

themselves live the model of being clean and

sober,” commented Attorney General Rob

McKenna. “They can go out and credibly

present that to other young people.” Several

teens said they have parents, siblings, or

friends who abuse over-the-counter (OTC)

drugs. Because of that, he addressed the

teens on Friday, urging them to take what

they’ve learned back to their tribes and

schools to help save lives of other youth and

community members.

Chayse Youckton, age 8, got to shine.

He had the entire group performing his

new dance moves. One dance was called,

“The Dancing Dog.” I was recording the

Washington State Attorney General’s speech

during this time. He was a real good sport

about it.

The youth recorded their own beat, music,

and poetry. Rapping or writing poetry to

help prevent drug and gambling abuse may

seem contrived, but many of the teens said

the issues, especially prescription drug

abuse, are relevant to their daily lives . They

See Music, page 2

Youth Mako’s friend, Mako Slight, Jordan Merriman, Hiedi Gaiser, Chayse

Youckton, Jesse Youckton, Jacinda Youckton. Wrote and performed music to

prevent drug abuse.

Smiles and Good Sportsmanship Make the Great

Youth Baseball 2nd Tournament a Success

2

By Fred Shortman, Editor

Little League 10 and Under Division, pictured (L) second place Chehalis

team in sky blue, and first place Swinomish team in navy blue. Smiles and

sportsmanship made everyone a winner.

Team

Chehalis

won the 12

and under

Little

League

Division.

Every youth get recognized encouraging their growth, and interest in

baseball. Youth pictured smiling accepting their trophies, and special

awards from the coaches.

Alex

Youckton

accepts

his

All-Star

Award

Candie

Newton

was all

smiles

as she

accepts

her award.

WinterHawk

from

Swinomish

receives an

all-star and

sung Happy

Birthday.

Team

Oakville

12 and

Under

Little

League

Division.

The Second Annual Chehalis Youth

Baseball Tournament was held on the

second weekend of August. It was a funfilled weekend, watching the youth playing

the time-honored tradition of baseball.

You could see the love of the game in their

eyes as they made an outstanding play,

or a great hit to push in a run. You could

hear the cheers of the crowd, coaches, and

parents as they encouraged them to do

their best. Parents and spectators enjoyed

watching the youth playing the game with

the determination in their eye. It’s not just

about winning, but about sportsmanship and

the excitement of playing good old-fashion

baseball.

There were five different divisions played

at Tomahawk Stadium and Oakville High

School. You could hear announcer Steve

Medina’s voice, announcing the game as the

High School and Babe Ruth teams took the

field.

The weather for the weekend cooperated,

with rain showers knocking down some of

the dust from the previous hot week. The

field was ready and the umpires could be

heard yelling, “Play ball!” Each player was

recognized, receiving a trophy and a medal

for all stars in the youth division. Everyone

who came to the tournament were winners.

On Saturday, a delicious barbeque was

provided for all the baseball teams and

their families. This allowed the players and

families to visit and make new friends.

It’s something special to see all the

volunteer coaches taking extra time to

commit to keeping youth interested in

playing baseball. They encourage them to do

their best, whether winning or losing – to be

happy just getting the opportunity to play.

Great job, everyone! Keep on establishing

the ground work in encouraging the growth

of our children!

Thank You

Babe Ruth Division, pictured (L) Marvin Youckton’s Chehalis team placed

3rd in this division and the Lummi team in white took second.

Cheryle Starr sends out a specials thanks to:

sponsors -- Chehalis Tribal Youth Program

and Tony Medina, Lucky Eagle Casino, Law

Enforcement Program, and Pepsi.

Special thanks to our volunteers: Ray

Lopez who put together the Babe Ruth and

Little League tournament, provided and

managed the brackets for the tournaments,

You Can Protect Yourself,

Children, Family From Flu Music

By Teresa Solis, MD, Chehalis Tribal Wellness Center

I know it’s hard to think about illness during

the hot and fun-filled summer, but fall is just

around the corner. With the coming of fall,

flu season is upon us again. This year, along

with seasonal flu, we have H1N1, commonly

known as “Swine Flu,” to contend with.

As of the end of July, there were over 130

confirmed cases of H1N1 hospitalized in the

state as well as seven deaths attributed to the

virus.

Symptoms of H1N1 and seasonal flu are

the same. Fever over 100 degrees, cough,

sore throat, body aches, and headache. Also,

many people can have fatigue, poor appetite,

nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Otherwise

healthy adults may be stricken with flu,

be bedridden for a few days, then recover.

Anyone with a compromised immune

system may face a much more severe

course, however.

Children under two years, pregnant

women, adults over age 65 with chronic

medical conditions, people with cancer,

diabetes, heart, lung, kidney, or liver disease

or people on immunosuppression drugs are

all at risk for a more aggressive flu infection.

Young adults seem to be at higher risk for

more aggressive infection with H1N1. This

means young adults may be in a category to

receive the vaccine.

Should you see the doctor if you have

symptoms? If you are in one of the high

risk categories, the answer is definitely yes.

If you have a fever and severe breathing

problems, such as shortness of breath, pain

on breathing, or difficulty breathing, you

should contact your health care provider.

Flu is transmitted by respiratory contact.

This can be directly, as when someone

coughs or sneezes in your vicinity. You can

be infected indirectly when you touch an

object which has the flu virus on it, such as

door knobs, phones, keyboards, etc., and

then touch your face, nose or mouth. As you

may have heard, simple precautions will

help prevent the spread of flu. Covering your

cough and sneeze will decrease the number

of flu virus particles in the environment.

Washing your hands frequently or using

hand sanitizers will prevent self-infection.

Remember to always wash your hands

before eating.

The clinic will have antiviral medicines

which will be distributed according to CDC

guidelines for treatment. There may be a

vaccine available this fall, which will also be

distributed to high risk groups according to

guidelines.

We have many resources available to us

to prevent the kind of flu epidemics seen in

the past, but remember, you must do your

part to stay healthy. Get plenty of rest, eat

properly, and take care of yourself. Keep this

flu season a mild one!

Diabetes Awareness Walk

Everyone is Invited!

Satuday, September26

Sign up at 10 AM

Walk Starts at 11 AM

and coached; Carla Thomas who helped

set up the tournaments, helped with the

shopping, kept the books, coached, and did a

lot of leg work; Ryan and Jamie Smith who

helped with the T-ball game, coached and

practiced with the kids in that division; Jerry

Youckton who helped coach T-ball and little

league teams; Marvin Youckton, Jerome

Wells, Darrin Jones, and Sean Adams, who

helped with coaching teams; Gary and

Georgia Ortivez who helped with coaching

and cleaning up the grounds; Steve Medina

who was our voice for the weekend; Ray

Secena, who helped with baseball fields,

lined them all weekend and made the little

league mound, and; Amil Starr who made

sure the fields were maintained.

There’s just a lot more people who

helped out with this tournament in some

way or another to make it a success: Pam

Youckton, Joyce Thomas, Lori Bonifer, Boo

Mora, Casey Pickernell, Monica Lopez,

and all the parents and grandparents who

got out there to help the kids and anyone

else who helped that I didn’t name. Thank

you for making another successful Youth

Tournament! Your contributions make this

all possible.

5 Different Youth Divisions

T-Ball-7 and under

Chehalis scrimmaged

each other

Babe Ruth-15 and under

South Thurston

Lummi

Chehalis Tribe #1.

2 Little League Divisions Little Boston

Chehalis Tribe #2

10 and under

Tulalup/Bellevue Hawks

Swinomish

Quist

Chehalis

Pilots (Seattle)

12 and under

High School-18 and

Chehalis

under

Oakville

Lacey Rainiers

Nisqually

Chehalis Tribe

Puyallup

When asked on what they thought of this

youth tournament? Neesie Hatch, Tulaip Youth

Coordinator said, “I Love It! This is awesome!

We’re working on sponsoring a youth tournament

on the Tulalip Reservation. It’s another avenue

of keeping our kids Drug and Alcohol Free.”

Swinomish Coach, Wilbert James added, “This is

wonderful that the Chehalis Tribe sponsors and

supports this event for the youth. Encouraging

the youth to maintain their academic levels for

those who choose to play sports. Also every

youth get recognized encouraging their growth

and interest in baseball.”

(continued from page 1)

will have their own CD mailed to them

soon. There were a lot of other fun activities

such as swimming, sitting by the campfires,

and drumming. I have to admit it was a lot

of fun for everyone.

All of the photos and videos of the

week’s events that I took and recorded will

be posted to the Prevention’s MySpace

page soon for all to experience! This

event was also captured on King 5 news,

the Everett Herald, and the Stanwood/

Camano News. There was also a blog post

about it on the Washington State Attorney

General’s online blog. All of the pictures,

videos, news links, and much more can be

found on the Chehalis Tribal Prevention

Programs MySpace page at www.myspace.

com/chehalisprevention! If you have

any questions or comments, you can

contact Lorrie Bonifer at 360-709-1717 or

lbonifer@chehalistribe.org.

The Public Safety

Department is

working with Saxas

and Chehalis Tribal

Construction on the

construction of an 1100

square foot addition to

the corrections facility.

The addition will house

up to eight female

inmates in a secure

wing complete with

segregation/detox cell

and shower.

Chehalis

Tribal

Newsletter

420 Howanut Road

Oakville, WA 98568

(360) 273-5911 (office)

(360) 273-5914 (fax)

newsletter@chehalistribe.org

Business Committee

David Burnett, Chairman

Don Secena, Vice Chairman

Jessie Goddard, Treasurer

Cheryle Starr, Secretary

Dan Gleason, Sr., 5th Council Member

Chehalis Tribal Newsletter Staff:

Fred Shortman, Communications

Coordinator

Articles and opinions expressed in this

publication are not necessarily the opinions

of this publication or the Chehalis Tribal

Business Committee.

Come join this 1st annual 5K Diabetes

Awareness walk start at the Youth Center.

The Chehalis Tribal Newsletter encourages

tribal members to submit letters, articles,

photographs, and drawings to be considered

for publication. These are subject to editing.

Lunch will be provided

Barbara Mora will be the guest speaker

Door Prizes

Contributing writers, artists, and

photographers include Chehalis tribal

community members and staff.

Any question please contact Lynn Hoheisal at

360-709-1744 or lhoheisel@chehalistribe.org

Submission deadline: 6th of each month

Printed: Each month

The Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis

Reservation...

“People of the Sands”

3

Honoring our Elders:

Angel “Steve” Medina”

“...baseball has always been in his blood. He enjoyed coaching youth

in his spare time...”

Angel “Steve” Medina was born in January 1950. He was born in California

to Alice Secena and Manuel Medina. His grandparents on his mother’s side

are Nancy Beckwith-Secena and Murphy Secena; on his father’s side is Rose

Santiago. His first marriage was to Donna Dupuis who had three children from

her first marriage. Steve officially adopted her children and accepted them as

his own. His second marriage was to Terry Youckton and the couple had three

children, Owen, Jacinda, and Brenna.

Steve grew up in Pt. Hueneme,

California, and graduated from Pt. Hueneme

High School. School work wasn’t easy for

him. The driving force to get good grades

was his love of baseball. He spent extra time

studying to maintain his grades and remain

academically eligible to play. All his work

paid off and he successfully graduated in

1968.

“Both parents encouraged us to play

extra-curricular activities that the schools

provided. They also taught us to be

responsible for our actions,” recalls Steve.

He says there were always chores to do,

from mowing grass, weeding flower beds

and helping with general upkeep of the

home. “Chores and sports helped keep us

out of trouble.”

Steve’s childhood friends in California

were the Pregiels, Frank Rojas,

and Al Prader. “We loved to play sandlot

football and softball. We also played little

league and high school baseball.”

Steve says the baseball drills that his

coaches taught didn’t make sense when

he was young. Reflecting back he says, “I

had some good, sound coaching in little

league and high school. It’s funny how

much I learned from my coaches. They

were instrumental in helping me understand

the game, developing good skills, and

improving the talent that was in me. I carried

that knowledge after graduation from high

school. It makes me proud to think that three

of the kids that I coached made it to the

major leagues.”

The love of baseball and his commitment

to helping youth has always been part of

his life. He was able

to coach baseball

for 20 years. After

moving back home

to the reservation, he

coached the Rochester

Babe Ruth team along

with Mel Youckton

for 10 years.

Steve says he

has many fond

memories of his

a

im

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uncle, Ray Secena.

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when I was eight,” says Steve.

Shortma

“I was playing catch with my Uncle Ray. He

You can find Steve behind the backstop when

tournaments are being played, watching and

announcing play by play, players’ names and

the score.

threw the ball really hard and it

hurt my hand. He took my glove

off and grabbed a switch and hit

my hand. ‘This ought to toughen

it up,’ he told me. Sounds kind of

mean, and it did hurt. But he was right. It

toughened up my hand.”

Another fond memory of his Uncle

Ray was when he would surprise Steve

by showing up at his baseball games. His

mother knew he was coming, but never told

Steve. Sometime during the game he’d hear

a familiar voice ring out above the crowd,

“Who taught you how to play baseball? Who

taught you that trick?” It always brought a

smile to his face, as he searched the crowd

finally seeing his Uncle Ray laughing in the

stands. “I was honored that my Uncle Ray

would travel all the way to California to

watch me play baseball.”

Steve’s mother and father would often

travel up from California to visit his

grandparents, Nancy and Murphy Secena.

“I was too young to remember much. But I

do remember being told that it was a small,

isolated reservation and still had gravel

roads,” says Steve. “Our tribe has come

a long ways since then, with all the new

buildings and paved roads.”

Steve returned to the reservation at the

age of 31, and played for and coached the

Tomahawks. “We practiced five days a

week, and took our baseball skills to the

next level. With all that practice, we became

the dominating team at every tournament.

Those were the good ol’ days.”

One of Steve’s best memories was

playing in the Old Timers Tournament in

Yakima. He played alongside his Uncle Ray,

his cousins, his father-in-law Mel Youckton

and Mel’s brother Chops, Kenny Brown, and

Mikie Simmons. “It was great meeting old

timers from other reservation and spending

quality time with them. We learned about

their families and traded baseball stories. It

was an honor to compete against them.”

Life hasn’t been easy for Steve since he

was diagnosed with diabetes 14 years ago.

He remembers that, at age 49, his sister

Nena passed away from complications from

the disease in late the 1990s. Steve admits

that after he was diagnosed he was fearful

that he wouldn’t live to see 50. “Learning

to manage this disease has its difficulties,

but life isn’t over. I’m just thankful for each

day I’m able to wake up, and visit with my

children. I live for my kids. Helping them

grow is pretty satisfying.”

Steve has always worked in the custodial

field. “It gets a little monotonous, but it’s

nice to change jobs, and work at different

schools or colleges to break things up. It’s a

good life. You get to meet a lot of different

people, and it puts food on the table. It also

gave me free time to coach baseball.”

Now, you can often find Steve behind

the backstop at Tomahawk Stadium when

there is a baseball tournament. You can

hear his voice on the loud speaker, as he

announces the game that he loves. He is

often laughing and joking with the score

keepers and friends who come and visit. “I

enjoy the games. They bring back a lot of

fond memories of my younger days.”

Tribal Staff Profiles: Hotel Manager and Assistant Store Manager

Hi, my name is Glen Brydges,

a recognition, my wife and I

your Eagles Landing Hotel

received two round trips to

Manager. I started my hospitality

the Caribbean, all expenses

career at the age of 18, as a

paid. From there, I moved to

bus boy and dishwasher at

Portland, Oregon, where I ran

the Bon Marche in Northgate,

a hotel for Prime Hospitality

Seattle. After graduating from

Corp. After four years, the

Shoreline High School, my

company was sold and that’s

mom talked me into attending

when I was lucky to find out

Seattle Community College

about an opportunity in

Glen Brydges, Eagles

and taking hotel-motel

Landing Hotel Manager Rochester, Washington.

management courses. I have

A new hotel was being

a two year degree, but most

built by the Chehalis Tribe

of my experience comes from the school of

and they were looking for a hotel manager. I

hard knocks.

got the job and we opened on July 3, 2005.

My first hotel job was at the Ben

From that moment, the hotel has been a

Franklin Hotel in downtown Seattle. I

great success for the Chehalis Tribe. I am

worked the 11 pm - 7 am night audit shift

thinking about retiring in 2010, bringing

while attending college. From there, I

my 43 years in the hospitality industry to

became the Operations Manager for Seattle

an end. I am looking for a successor for my

Center Catering. I’m glad I was young at the position and I would like it to be a Chehalis

time, because this was a hard job. I set up

tribal member. A training program is in

banquets for 100-1000 people, coordinated

development. A tribal member pursuing

staffing, food, and tear down.

a career as hotel General Manager should

I worked in Fairbanks, Alaska in a 200obtain a 4-year hospitality degree as a solid

room hotel and resort at Port Ludlow as the

background to a successful career.

Food and Beverages Manager. I managed

If you would be interested in an exciting

the Motel 6 in Kirkland, Washington for

and challenging career, please contact

four years. For two of those years, it was the Managing Director Chris Richardson or HR

number-one motel in the United States. As

Coordinator Anna Hartman.

me. My dad gave me a silver

Hello, My name is Wilma

half dollar and said, “If it

Graciano and I’m a tribal

looks like this, then it’s a

member. I am the Assistant

‘brightee.’ That’s what you

Manager at the End of the Trail

1 store, located by the tribal

need to buy.” It’s funny, now

that I think about it.

center. I’ve been working at

I originally took the AVT

the store since 1984.

(Adult Vocation Training)

I have four children: three

program classes that the

boys, Darrin “Oye,” Juan

Graciano and Jedediah

Chehalis Tribe was offering.

Wilma Graciano

It was interesting being

and late Eloise Starr. My

EOT 1, Assistant Store

parents are Violet Sanderstrained by Joanne Davis as

Manager

a store clerk. This was a sixStarr and Benjamin Starr.

My grandparents on my mother’s side are

week course. While attending the training

Andrew Sanders and Lucy Simmons. On my

classes at the tribal center, the EOT I was

father’s side are Phillip Starr and Amy Starr

being built by tribal members under the

from Muckleshoot.

Construction Training program. After the

store construction was finished, it was a mad

I come from a large family and have

10 brothers and sisters: Lee Starr Sr., Amil

house stocking the store to open its doors the

following day.

Starr Sr., Benjamin Starr Sr., Beatrice

As a store clerk, I saw many different

Christensen, Laura Starr, Starla Starr, and

Lucille Starr. Amanda Starr, Betty Starr and

managers come and go. Though my work

Louise Starr are deceased.

attendance was an issue at first, it improved

I took clerical and accounting classes.

after my children grew older. In 2003,

through persistence and hard work, I was

I also work with my mother at the family’s

promoted to Assistant Manager. The position

smoke shop. I worked purchasing fish at the

family’s fish house. I can remember being

comes with a lot of responsibilities and

rewarded for not taking redskins. Because

stress, but it has been an honor working for

I was so young, people would try and trick

the Chehalis Tribe.

Ray Klatt, Behavior Health Staff, Retires

By Gail Hurst, Chemical Dependency Counselor

Ray Klatt was employed by the Chehalis

Tribe in the Behavioral Health Clinic for

the last five years. Ray received his Masters

Degree from the Antioch College in Seattle.

He has received degrees in other fields,

such as a Masters of Divinity and a Masters

of Psychology. He was actually hired as a

trainee for Chemical Dependency, and then

moved onto Mental Health.

Going far back in time, Ray states he

has been rich, and he has been poor. He has

owned his own company in Las Vegas, and

a private practice in the Port Angeles area.

Some of the forms of employment he has

held are cleaning grease traps in restaurants,

beach bum, hotel manager in Hawaii,

electrician, and a truck driver.

Ray was born in Wichita, Kansas and has

traveled around the world 2 ½ times. Ray

is a Vietnam Veteran who flew combat for

eight years.

Ray married Sandy (organizer

extraordinaire) ten years ago, settling in

the Seattle area. Ray states “I have done

everything I have wanted to in my life.” For

his next chapter, Ray reports that he and

Sandy will set sail to go around the world.

When asked what memories he will take

with him while working with the Chehalis

Tribe Ray states, “This is a hard question.

It is hard to put into words.” He paused

deep in thought, and then replied, “Working

with the tribe is a lot like working with my

family. It’s the dysfunction and the diversity

of all families. But the concept of family

transcends the problems. This tribe climbed

up out of the hole of social economics

imposed upon them from the outside. It was

truly amazing to see the transformation.

It was a pleasure to work with people of

this tribe to aid and help with chemical

dependency and mental health issues. “

As for the rest of us remaining in the

Behavioral Health Program, we shall miss

working with Ray. On July 28 the tribe had a

surprise going away party for him. Ray was

a good sport about it, as tribal employees

took turns roasting him. The hats that they

Ray Klatt

is a man

who

genuinely

states, “I

have done

everything

I have ever

wanted to

do in my

life.”

had him model added to the fun. Yes, it was

all in good fun, and the laughter of that day

will always bring fond memories of Ray

being part of our little family back in the

Tsapwaum Program. We’ll miss him and we

wish him luck!

4 Canoe Journey

(continued from page 1)

Each person was responsible for

decorating their own regalia. There wasn’t

a moment lost, as you could see elders,

youth, and adults working on their Coastal

Salish regalia. Many thanks go to Trudy

Marcelley, Dianne Devlin, Sally Pikutark,

and Elaine McCloud as they worked

diligently in preparing the vests and tunics

that were worn during formal protocol. And,

more thanks to the youth and adults who

decorated them after receiving them.

Living and traveling with “one heart,

one mind” as a family is a holistic and

instrumental part of learning about each

other. Being a part of tribal journeys, you

begin to recognize the values that are

missing from the world in general -- like

standing each other up, being happy to

see each other, feeling the love the of

togetherness. We all had a common goal in

our hearts and minds. Our elders and leaders

provided strong teaching, giving our Canoe

Family such a strong core. Everyone who

participated and represented the Chehalis

Tribe was totally awesome! Great job,

everyone!

Protocol

Each canoe family requests to enter and

leave the shores of the hosting tribe. What

an honor it is to request permission to enter

or leave. As you stand up in the canoe, you

focus on what is needed to announce with

honor and a good heart.

Each hosting tribe had two types of

protocol: formal and jam sessions. Formal

protocol usually starts after dinner. Each

canoe family was selected in the order

of farthest tribe to the hosting tribe. We

honored the hosting tribe by dressing up

in full Coastal Salish regalia, singing and

drumming our songs, and honoring the

hosting elders, leaders and youth.

The jam sessions usually took place after

formal protocol was finished as other canoe

family members started drumming and

singing. It was a great time for sharing each

other’s traditional songs and drumming. Our

canoe family looked forward to these jam

sessions.

Power Pulls

On the journey, we learned that each pull

with our paddles is a prayer. “Power pulls”

were times for intense pulling. A puller

would request and be given permission

from the skipper dedicating the power pull

as a strong prayer for that person or thing.

When we pulled, we counted off the pulls.

Each dip of the paddle was a dedicated

prayer for the requesting person. These pulls

uplifted the spirit and the canoe would lift

up and flow across the water effortlessly,

like the canoe had wings. Whenever it was

announced on shore that our canoe was

arriving ahead of schedule, Tribal Elder

Sylvia Cayenne would say, “My angels have

wings today.”

Circle

We learned that when we heard the call,

“Chehalis Canoe Family Circle-Up!” We

needed to form a circle. In Circle, everyone

lets the speaker be heard. Those who have

a contribution to the canoe journey, take

turns letting themselves be heard. Circle was

also a time when issues were discussed and

handled as a family.

Rules

Everyone had to refrain from calling the

canoe the “b_ _ _” word. This was strictly

enforced, and violators would have to swim

in order to bring honor back to the canoe.

Also, we honored the canoe by not spitting

or throwing trash in the water.

The Chehalis Tribe strives for a healthy

canoe group. We promised to refrain from

the use of profanity, negativity, and use of

alcohol and drugs on the canoe journey.

Violation of this rule was enforced by

having to perform 20 push-ups.

Helping Out

Everybody participated in setting

up camp, which consisted of a kitchen,

makeshift living room and tents all around.

Setting up tents and blowing up air

mattresses were necessary routines to move

to the next destination. This year we got

lucky and didn’t have to move very much.

We had three coffee pots going at 5 am

each morning before the day’s pull. The

night before a pull, our pullers would fill the

coolers with water, Gatorade, sandwiches

and snacks for the following day.

Final Protocol

Our final protocol at Suquamish was

great. We went on the floor at 1 am and

finished at 2 am. Everybody participated

in singing, drumming, and dancing to our

songs. We looked really good. We received

many compliments from other canoe

families. We represented the tribe very well.

There are so many people to thank for

such a fantastic and successful journey.

It’s hard to mention them all. Our hands

also go up to: Ray Krise for the use of his

support boat; his cousin Bear and family for

allowing us to camp out in their yard and use

their house; Suquamish Tribe for such an

outstanding job and hard work preparing and

making this canoe journey so successful;

all the hosting tribes and their elders for

sponsoring and keeping this honorable

canoe tradition alive; Tribal Elders Trudy

Marcellay, Dianne Devlin and Elaine

McCloud for all the work making regalia

for the new canoe family members; Sylvia,

our Canoe Mama, for all the hard work she

contributes to the canoe family and helping

to keep everybody moving and making sure

that things were in order; our Skipper Gail

White Eagle has for doing a wonderful job

this year as a leader and a mentor to our

youth, and for staying so focused, which is a

key for a skipper to be a true leader.

Canoe Journey Preparation

On July 19, cold water training was held

at the Ike Kinswa State Park on Mayfield

Lake. It was a sunny day, as the canoe

family skipper Gail White Eagle took the

new youth and adults out to practice pulling.

The cold water training was intense as the

canoe was flipped over and the pullers

worked in unison with the team, following

the skippers orders to safely get everyone

into the canoe. This is a very important

training to prepare for the worse case

scenario while travelling on tougher, open

water.

On July 25, tribal and community

members witnessed the blessing of the

Chehalis canoe. Bones performed a blessing

for the canoe and prayed for the safety of

all the canoe family members and other

canoe families who were participating in

this journey. Jessie Goddard sang a Shaker

blessing song. Elders Mel Youckton and

Elaine McCloud also blessed this journey.

Canoe family members and leaders used

cedar boughs and Chehalis river water to

bless the canoe, praying for a safe journey.

Cold water training was held at the Ike Kinswa State Park on Mayfield

Lake. Canoe Family Skipper Gail White Eagle took the new youth and

adults out to practice pulling. The cold water training was intense as

the canoe was flipped over and pullers worked in unison following the

skippers orders to safely get into the canoe. This is a very important

training to prepare for the worse case scenario while travelling on the

water.

The youth worked hard at putting beads on their regalia so we could look

good going out on the protocol floor as a family. There were some youth

who put extra effort into their work. One in particular, Skylar Baker, who

worked on his vest until he was completed. All the youth worked very hard

during this year’s journey. We are proud of each and every one of them!

Our final protocol at Suquamish was great. We went on the floor at 1 a.m.

and finished at 2 a.m. Our first year pullers were recognized. Everybody

sang and danced and we looked good; many other canoe families

complimented us.

Hands Up to Those People

Who Helped Us Travel Safely

What is the Canoe Journey?

The canoe journey is a spiritual and

healing time. It is a time for participants to

strive to conduct themselves in a manner

that is honorable for the Chehalis people.

The canoe journey is not a vacation: It is

serious work. The canoe is a sacred cedar

tree, a healing medicine to our spirit, a

connection to our ancestors and the Native

and Chehalis tribal spirituality. We learn to

care for our canoe with dignity and respect.

All canoe family members sign a waiver

and code of conduct promising to adhere

to the Chehalis canoe family’s mission

statement and philosophy. We promise to

promote the growth, healing and well being

of our tribe through cultural experiences

aimed at strengthening, preserving and

rebuilding Native American values, beliefs

and practices related to the canoe tradition.

Adhering to the mission statement and

philosophy of the canoe journey promotes

growth, healing and well-being of our tribe

through cultural experiences. The goal is

to strengthen, preserve, and rebuild Native

American values, beliefs, and practices

related to the canoe traditions and to

promote Native family values.

Canoe journey participants agree to the

following code of conduct:

„„Be kind and respectful to others. Compliment

and help others, especially youth. Be positive

with our actions and words. Refrain from

use of negative talk, feelings, thoughts and

complaining. Practice positive thoughts to

carry the canoe in a good way.

„„Respect the canoe journey leaders, their

advice and opinions, honor their age and

wisdom.

„„Respect the works and actions of the skipper

and support boat captains.

„„Participate in the activities – setting up and

taking down camp, pulling the canoe, protocol

and dancing.

Canoe Family Dinner to be Held

on September 15

The Chehalis Canoe Family Dinner will

be held on September 26. We’ve also been

invited to the canoe races on September

12 and 13 at Mayfield Lake. Next year’s

journey will be to the Makah Nation.

Our hands also go up to Ray Krise for

the use of his support boat (L). He’s

pictured here loading up the support

crew as they leave from Tulalip to head

towards Golden Gardens in Seattle.

Hands up to Ray’s

cousin, Bear, and

family, for allowing

us to camp in their

yard and use their

house. Bear (R)

and his family are

surrounded by

Chehalis Canoe

Family.

Rules to Remember

One rule that was strictly

enforced was to refrain

from calling the canoe the

B - - -- word. Violators had to

swim to bring honor back to

the canoe. Also, we honored

the canoe by not spitting or

throwing trash in the water.

Violators who used profanity, or negative remarks had to perform 20 push

ups. The pushups helped us get stronger for the next Day’s pull.

Skylar Bracero (L) and

Darrin Jones Jr. (R) get

stronger for the following

day’s pull.

The ground crew is a

crucial part of moving

to the next location.

They are responsible

for loading the truck

and reassembling the

camp. They work as a

team setting up tents

for everyone. Pictured

here is the ground crew

leaving Lummi on the

first part of the journey.