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Vol.

3/7

July 2010

Program

News

Prevention Program Offers

Fun Family Activities

By Lorrie Bonifer, Prevention Specialist

CHEHALIS

TRIBAL

NEWSLETTER

 “People of the Sands” 

Events are sponsored by the Mental

Health Mini Grant, Prevention Funds. Please

contact Lorrie Bonifer at 360-709-1717 if

you are interested in attending any of these

programs.

Applications Available

Looking for work? Please contact the

following to see what positions are

available.

„„Enterprises: Contact Anna M. Hartman

at 360-273-1251 ext 112 or e-mail

Ahartman@chehalistribe.org. New

positions available.

„„Tribal Center: Sylvia Cayenne at

360-709-1508; or email Scayenne@

chehalistribe.org

„„Lucky Eagle Casino: Allison Carter at

360-273-2000

Chehalis Tribal Newsletter

PO Box 536

Oakville, WA 98568

* Return Service Requested

FirstName LastName

Street Address

City, ST Zip

PRSRT STD

US POSTAGE PAID

OAKVILLE WA

PERMIT No. 2

www.chehalistribe.org

©Copyright 2009 CHEHALIS TRIBAL

NEWSLETTER is a publication of the

Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis

Reservation.

 Fatherhood Fishing creates

memorable days for kids and fathers.

Tips for budgeting and avoiding

heat related illnesses

2010 Head Start Graduation

Celebrate with Friends and Family

„„Healing Circle: Starting July 27 at 4:30

PM. There will be a healing circle in front

of the building where the canoe is being

carved. A small, portable fire pit will be

used to cook hot dogs and make smores.

Books will be available to read, everyone

is welcome. Please bring your own

camping chair. Every Tuesday at 4:30.

„„Day Fitness Camp: Starting July 28 from

3:00-4:00 PM every Wednesday. This

will be a fun filled activity and youth

of all ages are welcome. We will have

different games set out and youth will

rotate every 10 minutes. No Snacks or

Prizes will be given out. This is a strictly

“come and have healthy fun and be fit

activity.” It will be in the parking lot of

the Community Center every Wednesday.

(This is a community volunteer project,

youth workers.)

„„Youth Talking Circle: Starting July

28 and every Wednesday. Lorrie Bonifer

will meet youth at TELO at 3:00-4:00

PM- no appointments - all youth are

welcome.

„„Fresh Organic Veggies: We have

partnered with Newaukaum Valley in

Adna for weekly fresh organic vegetables.

Pick up days for produce are Fridays.

Deliveries to Head Start and other

locations. This program will be available

until October 18.

„„Cooking Demo with Organic Veggies:

Pat Odiorne will lead a Cooking

Demonstration at Head Start, Youth

Center, and at the Elders Center once a

month.

„„I am amazing: This is a curriculum

geared towards Head Start. This program

covers many areas to help our youth

learn refusal skills, builds self esteem

and confidence. The Prevention Program

combined with other departments will

teach this class at Head Start.

„„Strengthening Families: This is one night

each week on Thursdays for 7 weeks.

It is a family oriented class that assists

families in working together to deal with

complex and simple issues.

Helpful Information

on Page 3:

Twenty-five Head Start students graduate

recognized and continue onto Kindergarten , page 2

Chehalis Canoe Family Travel the Puget

Sound in the 2010 Paddle to Makah

On Monday July 19 final landing ceremonies were amazing as Makah Nation honored all the canoe families as they

requested to enter their land. As the canoes were greeted by Elders, leaders and royalty dressed in their respective

ragalia, making this the best greeting ever.

By Fred Shortman, Editor

This year marked the fourth time the

Chehalis Canoe Family has participated

in the Tribal Canoe Journey. Shortly after

fireworks season ended, many Canoe Family

members were seen excitedly packing and

preparing for this year’s journey. Each

individual anticipated spending time with

family and making new friends while

traveling the Puget Sound with “One Heart,

One Mind.”

The journey began on Wednesday, July

7th at Squaxin Island, where camp was set

up and formal protocol happened that night.

The following morning the journey began

through Puget Sound waterways. Many

early mornings followed as the participating

tribal canoe families began each day at

4:00 AM. It was hot the first few days with

temperatures reaching into the mid-nineties.

The heat created safety issues for both the

pullers and land crew, who were grateful for

the hosting tribes providing much needed

extra water.

As the journey continued the number of

participants started to grow as familiar and

new faces joined up at different locations to

add to the pullers and ground crew. It wasn’t

a vacation though, as the ground crew

traveled in their “ground canoes” breaking

down camp, and moving to the new location

to set up again. Many hours were spent

driving to the different tribes who were

hosting the next stop. The tribes shared their

songs and dances at the evening camps.

One heart, One mind is hard to explain

and you really need to be there to get the

full impact. It is what the Chehalis Canoe

Family is all about: sharing, and teaching

the youth about family and team values,

about sharing in the workload and enjoying

each other’s company. It’s not just about

the work to be done, but about learning

and respecting each other and other Tribes’

traditions.

Campgrounds were established and

delicious meals provided by each hosting

tribe. Canoe families sang thank you songs,

recognizing their hard work and the long

hours for the cooks who worked diligently

to feed this large group of canoe families

breakfast, lunch and dinner. Hands up to the

hosting tribes and cooks for their dedication

in making this a safe and successful journey.

At camp many youth were seen learning

and laughing together as they worked

on their regalia or gift items for the final

destination protocol. Each individual was

required to make or donate ten items each,

and for many it was their first time beading

or making traditional items.

Many agreed that the early mornings

were tough, but necessary to make the

See Canoe Journey, page 4

Fireworks Season is a Family Business and

Shows Signs of Economic Improvement

By Fred Shortman, Editor

With the unusually wet and cold summer

weather the 2010 fireworks season brought

some challenges for both stand owners and

wholesalers. The soggy fields quickly turned

the entry roads into a muddy and sloppy

mess. Trucks were dispatched to fix this and

customers were able to access the fireworks

they were planning to purchase.

There were 96 Fireworks stands set up

throughout the reservation; Thunder Alley,

Thunder Valley 1 and Thunder Valley 2,

Top of the Hill, Thunder City Mall, Indian

Country, Moon Road and one stand at the

Tribal Center Parking lot and another on

South Bank Road.

Fireworks season was a time for families

to gather together to prepare their stands

for another season. Many stand owners

were seen rebuilding stands, painting

and filling their stands with stock. The

hiring of employees and arranging work

schedules brought the anticipation of selling

to customers and making it a successful

business venture. For those tribal members

who work in the fireworks stand, the hours

can be long. Some of the families take turns

to provide security in order to

protect their interests.

Marketing strategy is

the key to success for the

fireworks season. Listening

to some of the sales pitches

from the stands was quite

unique and entertaining. To

be successful many fireworks

stand owners rely on their

return customers who they

refer to as “repeats.” The

veteran stand owners always

look forward to building a

bigger customer base. The

economy and amount of

stands affected last year’s

profit margins, and continued

to impact this year’s

fireworks season; although

many stand owners agreed

they had a successful season

with some improvement over

last year.

Consumers traveled great

distances to continue their

See Fireworks, page 3

Selling Fireworks is a family tradition for

tribal members. Pictured (L-R) are Grandpa

Dennis Cayenne proudly to teaching his first

granddaughter Makayla Ortivez about selling

fireworks. She just turned fourteen and it was her

first year she worked in the stand.

2

2010 Head Start Graduates Receive a For 10 Young Tribal Members, June

Celebration Heard for Miles Around

th

10 was a Night to Remember

Jason Gillie, Education Specialist

Head Start Graduates stand up and clap with excitement as the ceremonies

ended, receiving a tremendous roar of applause from the community.

By Lloyd Commander, Director

The Chehalis Head Start held graduation

activities at the Lucky Eagle Casino on

Sunday, June 25. Over 200 family and

friends attended to celebrate with the twenty

–five students who completed their first step

in their education. Grannie Annie Jones was

special speaker and gave an inspirational

speech for the 2010 graduates. Our program

was exciting as we shared a wonderful

dinner together and the celebration was

heard for miles around!!

Head Start graduates are Latrevious

Groninger, Keziah Gleason-Velasquez,

Haezen Charles-Cayenne, Kadenze

Shortman, Rhapsody Simmons, Leonard

Zehe, Adrian Snell, Katrina Hawkins,

Fayette Filby, Enrique Rivas, Nora Ortivez,

Jake Jones, Tere’ Cabrera, Ashton Boyd,

Alexis Starr-Wright, Lucille Kilburn,

Christine Edwards, Daniel Gitchel, Gary

Walvetne, Falisity Bumgarner, Mariah

Galloway, Raina Gosenberg, Alyssia Hoxie,

Isabella Lujan, David Pickernell, Jr., Payton

Simmons, and Clarence Youckton

We would like to thank the Chehalis

Business Committee, Lucky Eagle Casino

and the parents of the graduating class (led

by Heather Galloway), the Head Start staff

and many others that helped make this event

possible. Many thanks to the volunteers

who held fundraisers and the community

members who donated money, to fund this

worthwhile event.

The Dangers of Teen Sexting

Dawn Boley, Domestic Violence Advocate

Did you know? I want to share some very

important information all parents and

youth should know about cell phones and

sexting. What is sexting? Sexting is defined

as sending sexually suggestive messages,

photos or videos between cell phones or via

the Internet.

New technologies have made it easier

and faster than ever to share information

across town or around the world. Faceless

forms of communications, such as email

and texting, give false security of being

anonymous and safe. I assure you it is not

safe! Images can easily be shared with

numerous others and can never truly be

taken back. Texting or emailing leaves a

digital footprint that can be easily traced by

law enforcement.

 39 % of teens said they had sent sexually suggestive messages by text, email,

or IM.

 20 % of teens said they had sent or

posted nude or seminude photos of

themselves.

Federal and state laws make it illegal to

create, distribute or possess sexually explicit

photographs of minors. This is true, even

when minors are distributing pictures of

themselves.

Minors involved in sexting can

be charged with possession of child

pornography, a serious crime in every

state. Offenders are required to enter a

national database of sex offenders for the

rest of their lives.

If you receive an inappropriate image or

text….

 Do not forward the image to anyone.

Think about how it could hurt the person

involved.

The evening began as families and

community members gathered in the Casino

Event Center to honor and recognize the

graduating class of 2010. The graduates

included: Shelby McCrory, Rikki Sutterlict,

Loyala Davis, Tammy Klatush, Rhyse

Pettite, Heidi Geiser, Shanin Clancy, and

Frazer Meyer. Michael McClear and Akasha

Sleight were also recognized, but were

unable to attend.

After everybody had their fill of a

wonderful meal of seafood, chicken

skewers, prime rib, and salad; the evening

began. The Education Department had

several games for the graduates to play

based on the new TV show on NBC,

“Minute To Win It”. The games ranged

from “Hanky Panky”, where the students

had to compete to see who could pull all the

tissue out of a box the fastest, to “Johnny

Apple Stack”, in which each student raced

to see who could stack/balance four apples

on top of each other. The graduates had

a blast, the crowd had fun watching and

rooting for their children. In the end, each

student received a Pendleton blanket and a

jacket from the Tribe, a computer, and a gift

personalized to each student.

Good luck in the future to each and every

graduate.

Youth Create Beautiful

Beadwork for Fathers Day

By Diane Devlin, Culture Coordinator

Tribal Youth gathered at the Community

Center on Wednesday, June 16 to attend

a Cultural Class to create a Father’s Day

Gift. Kids made beaded animal shaped key

chains and perler-bead items for their dads,

uncles or grandfathers for Father’s Day.

The kids had a great time making different

animal shapes, like dogs, cats, spiders and

frogs from pony beads strung together.

Some of the kids designed patterns from

perler beads placed on page boards and then

heated to bond the beaded patterns together.

The kids finished their project by creating a

personalized Fathers’ Day Card. Dan Penn

helped the kids learn how to say Happy

Fathers’ Day in Chehalis. The kids added the

Chehalis words for “Happy Fathers Day” to

the cards they made.

Note: Early Math Skills with Hands-On

Activities. Breading with pony beads or

perler beads is a great way to teach kids the

basics in beading.

Even better,

beading

strengthens

 If the text is from a friend, tell the friend

you do not want any more texts like that.

math skills. The calculation and math

required to construct and draft out beading

patterns is often overlooked or not realized

as a way to use math skills. The concepts of

“different” and “same” will be used in later

school years in math in both visual and word

problems. These concepts are critical first

steps in learning to classify objects based on

their visual characteristics.

Kids can start very young to begin the

steps towards beading and in turn practice

math skills by learning to bead. Use extralarge pop-beads that are about four inches

wide as a way to introduce these ideas to

young children. Later pony beads are a good

way to further develop beading skills and

perler beads are great ways to help young

hands shape ideas and design. Perler beads

come in many colors and can be cylindrical

in shape. Page boards come in shapes that

can be filled in with the beads or kids can

create their own design. There are endless

designs and patterns kids can follow or

create themselves.

If you would like beading ideas for your

child call me at 360-709-1621.

 If the texts keep coming, block that

sender. “Unfriend” the person from your

social networking account. You may

need to change you number. Only share

your number with trusted friends.

Standing Tall Conference

Continues to Inspire Youth

By Colleen Klatush and Theresa Pannkuk, Chaperones

Standing Tall! You would think the title says

it all wouldn’t you? It’s the second year for

me attending this Conference with the youth

of the Chehalis Tribe. As a chaperone I was

honored to be given the opportunity to go.

Thanks, Tony Medina, for inviting me.

The Conference was started 21 years

ago by Ken and Jessie Stevens from the

Quinault Tribe and has grown stronger and

larger every year. They invite motivational

speakers from across the United States.

Chance Rush is a hit every year, he’s very

inspirational to the youth. I was able to

speak with him one on one and discovered

our common interests and cultural

background.

Respecting your elders seems to be lost

in some tribes, and very strong in other

tribes. Many youth are proud to sing and

drum, while performing native dances that

were passed down to them from their parents

and grandparents. I met many young people

who were not afraid to talk to me and shared

a little about their lives. They really enjoyed

themselves at the Great Wolf Lodge. Yes,

it is a fun place to be, but I said workshops

first, and play during your free time. The

workshops involved drum making, dream

catchers, cultural and fashion clothing. They

were taught photography and much more.

These were great workshop for all the youth

who attended.

I found a little sit down time to talk with

other chaperones. Ken Stevens told me that

it was hard to put this year’s conference

together. So we talked about tribes

combining together to keep the Standing Tall

Conference going. I thought it was a great

idea to teach our youth, helping them into

adulthood, and to assist their future plans by

keeping them on the right path.

This is the second year that the

conference was held at the Great Wolf

Lodge, and we’d like to keep it here. It was

a great experience for me and I hope that

more of our youth will get the chance to

have the same experience I did of rekindling

old friendships, and making new friendships.

Every time I got into the elevator and I’d

see a Native American youth I asked them

who they were and what tribe they were

from. They’d look at me with a smile on

their face and tell me with so much pride

about how this was a great experience for

them. It made me feel really proud to be a

Native American. Hearing those youth say

that made me feel that there is so much faith

and pride in that our youth for who they are

and that their not afraid to say who or where

they are from.

So respect your elders and “don’t talk

back,” Stand Tall to be proud of who you are

and where you’re from. If you didn’t get that

message at the conference, then someone

didn’t get why we were there. I hope our

tribe will be one of many tribes to join in

the effort to “keep the “Standing Tall Youth

Conference” going for many more years.

Youth made some beautiful beaded gifts for fathers day at the community

center. Pictured are (L-R) Jubilee Kainz showing her beaded key chain and

Jordan Wyatt selecting the color beads for his project.

Chehalis

Tribal

Newsletter

420 Howanut Road

Oakville, WA 98568

(360) 709-1726 (office)

(360) 273-5914 (fax)

newsletter@chehalistribe.org

Articles and opinions expressed in this

publication are not necessarily the opinions

of this publication or the Chehalis Tribal

Business Committee.

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. Go to this direct link

for online newsletters copies: www.

chehalistribe.org/news-events/index.html

The Chehalis Tribal Newsletter encourages

tribal members to submit letters, articles,

photographs, and drawings to be considered

for publication. These are subject to editing.

Contributing writers, artists, and

photographers include Chehalis tribal

community members and staff.

Submission deadline: 6th of each month

Printed: Each month

The Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis

Reservation...

“People of the Sands”

Fireworks (continued from page 1)

annual Fourth of July tradition to purchase

pounding success as stand owners sit down

their fireworks on the Chehalis Reservation. with family and watch the show. There were

Even with the added pressure

a few scary moments during the

from cities that have

show but thankfully no one

banned fireworks,

was seriously injured.

customers continue

Pyrotechnics are

to celebrate

dangerous, but

with their own

worthwhile

fireworks

to provide

show. A few

a great

customers

celebration

commented

of our

that

freedom.

they’ve

selected

Thanks

spots

for the

where

Memories

there isn’t

as much

Great job

pressure

Barnaby and

from Law

his many helpers.

Enforcement

Your work and

Officers stopping

dedication in putting

them from lighting

on our show is greatly

them. Others received

appreciated Many thanks

permits providing a safe

to everyone who helped

environment for those

clean up after the

who came to their

show, including

shows.

those who came to

At the end

the show and our

of the day on

grounds crew

the Fourth,

who worked

tribal and

hard the next

community

morning to

members

accomplish

looked

this.

forward

Also

to another

thanks to the

fireworks

Fireworks

show at

Committee

the ball

and Law

field. It was

Enforcement

a spectacular

for the time

display as

they committed

the crackles,

to inspect each

explosions and

stand: Pam Youckton,

bouquets burst into

Joyleen McCrory, Chris

the sky above

Ortivez, Chris

the Chehalis

The beautiful displays of crackling palms,

Richardson and

Reservation.

bouquets, and the salutes ended the fourth alternate Shoni

The salutes are

of July celebration for many stand owners.

Pannkuk.

always a heart

Making it a celebration to remember.

Paying Old Debt by BalancePro*

3

By Diana Pickernell, Loans Coordinator

Paying a credit card or loan in good standing

is a pretty simple task – you just go online

or send a check to the address on your

statements. However, if you have older bills

that you were not able to pay in the past

but now have the means to take care of, it

may not be so easy. If you have been lucky

enough to avoid a barrage of collection

calls and letters, you may not know who is

holding the debt. You also may not be sure

about the best way to deal with a collection

agency or if it is even a good idea to pay the

debt.

Before trying to pay an old debt, you

should first confirm how long it has been

since you last made a payment on it.

Every state has a statute of limitations

that determines how long a creditor has to

sue you to collect a debt. While there are

many reasons that people pay a debt past

the statute of limitations (such as a lender

requiring it to get a mortgage or feeling a

moral obligation to), others may not feel

it is necessary if they don’t have to worry

about legal action being taken against them.

The date of last payment can typically be

found on your credit report. You can get a

free copy of your credit report from each

of the three credit bureaus once a year from

the Annual Credit Report Request Service

(www.annualcreditreport.com, 1-877-3228228).

Viewing your credit report can also help

you locate the current holder of the debt.

There may be multiple listings for the same

debt – see which agency has the most recent

report date. Ideally, the collection agency’s

contact information will appear on your

credit report, but if not, you may have to

search for it online. Another possible way to

locate the debt is to call the original creditor

and ask what collection agency they sent it

to. Then call the collection agency to see if

they still have the debt. If not, ask who they

sold it to. You may have to repeat this a few

times before locating the debt.

Once you find the agency that you

believe holds your debt, send them a letter

asking them to verify that they have it. Once

you receive it, you can negotiate a payoff.

Most collection agencies are willing to settle

for less than the full amount owed if you pay

a lump sum. Typically, the older the debt,

the bigger the discount you can get. You

should always get a settlement agreement

in writing before sending a payment. If it

is not affordable to pay off the debt all at

once, it may be possible to make smaller

monthly payments until the debt is satisfied.

However, keep in mind that in most states

paying even one dollar on a debt restarts

the statute of limitations, so a payment plan

typically only makes sense for more recent

accounts.

With a little bit of research and

negotiation, you can check paying off old

debts from your to-do list. http://www.

balancepro.net.

Spending the Day Fishing with

Dad Made a Fun Activity for All

Preparing Early for the Winter

Months Helps the Environment

By Glen Connelly, Environmental Specialist

If you use a woodstove or fireplace for heat

in the winter, now is the time to split and dry

your wood. Seasoned (dried) wood burns

hotter and cleaner in your fireplace. This

means less soot in your chimney and less

smoke blowing towards your neighbor. Here

are a few reminders:

Store your wood off the ground, so air can

circulate and dry it. (Old pallets work great.)

Split your wood before stacking and it will

dry faster.

Cover the wood pile with a tarp, or build a

wood shed to keep the rain off of it.

Never burn garbage, or wood that has been

painted or treated. They produce toxic

chemicals.

Wood smoke is the leading source of

air pollution in our area and we all produce

some of it. Every little bit we do to reduce

pollution from wood smoke makes our

community healthier for the elders, the

children and those folks with respiratory

illnesses. Tribal members can apply for

a free firewood gathering permit at your

Chehalis Department of Natural Resources,

so don’t wait. Get your firewood stored now,

and you’ll be ready to burn clean, dry wood

next winter.

Enterprise has

opened a new

business located

by the Great Wolf

Lodge and EOT III

in Grand Mound,

called Burger

Claim. They

offer burgers

and breakfast.

You can eat at

the quick serve

restaurant or go

through the drive

thru. Stop by and

check out the

menu.

Back-to-School

Celebration

Wednesday, August 18

Starts at 11:00 AM

At the baseball field

Come pick up your children’s school

supplies. There will be a barbecue and fun

filled activities for the family throughout

the day.

Any questions, contact Nathan Floth at

360-709-1578.

The Fatherhood fishing day created many fond memories for parents and

children as they spent the day fishing. Picture (L-R) are: Teresa MowitchJohnson, Mikaelah Mowitch-Johnson, MaHanah Mowitch-Johnson, Christine

Edwards, Lucille Kilburn, Donnelle Edwards, Todd Edwards

By Fred Shortman, Editor

Fatherhood Fishing Day 2010 on June 18th

was another success with smiles all around.

The weather cooperated and was partly

cloudy with little wind and comfortable

temperatures. The event was held on the

Tribe’s Ponds property in Grand Mound

with coordination from Greg Burnett who

leases the property from the Tribe.

The Natural Resources Department

and Fisheries earlier planted over 700 fish

including some from the new fish hatchery.

Both large and small fish were planted,

some as large as five pounds, to add to

the excitement. The kids were outfitted by

Head Start with rods, reels, gear, and bait,

allowing everyone to fish. The kids also

enjoyed a tasty BBQ provided by Head Start

and cooked by Andy Olson with help from

youth worker Skyler Baker.

Fishing with Dad was fun for the

approximately 30 children from Head Start

and their dads, grand-dads and other family

who participated. Natural Resources and the

Fisheries Department look forward to next

year. Special thanks to Greg Burnett, the

Chehalis Head Start Program and everyone

who helped with the event.

Helpful Tips for Preventing

Chehalis Tribal Youth Heat-Related Illness

Baseball Tournament

August 20, 21, 22

Come and enjoy a weekend watching

the youth play baseball

There will be four different baseball

divisions: High School, Babe Ruth, Little

League and T-Ball, and a barbecue on

Saturday for all the teams.

Please contact Cheryle Starr or

Joyce Thomas at 360-273-5911 or email

cstarr @chehalistribe.org or jthomas@

chehalistribe.org.

„„Dress for the heat. Wear lightweight,

light-colored clothing. Light colors will

reflect away some of the sun’s energy. It

is also a good idea to wear hats or to use

an umbrella;

„„Drink water. Carry water or juice with

you and drink continuously, even if you

do not feel thirsty. Avoid alcohol and

caffeine, which dehydrate the body.

„„Eat small meals and eat more often.

Avoid foods that are high in protein

which increase metabolic heat.

„„Avoid using salt tablets unless

directed to do so by a physician.

„„Slow down. Avoid strenuous activity.

If you must do strenuous activity, do it

during the coolest part of the day, which is

usually in the morning between 4:00 a.m.

and 7:00 a.m.

„„Stay indoors when possible.

„„Take regular breaks when engaged in

physical activity on warm days. Take time

out to find a cool place. If you recognize

that you, or someone else, are showing

signals of a heat-related illness, stop the

activity and find a cool place.

Canoe Journey (continued from page 1)

4 2010 Paddle to Makah!

Blessing of the Canoe tulap it wiA it sPaluuZmitn as the youth were

recognized who were travelling representing the Chehalis Canoe Family at

the Tribal Center Parking lot. Pictured are (L-R) Marcus Youckton, Deidra

Hawkes, TJ Trott, Cheyenne Pickernell, Shayden Baker, Skyler Baker,

JR Pickernell, Whitney Lewis, Gabe Higheagle, Thunder and Lightning

Sutterlict, Kayley Trott, Skylar Bracero.

The ground crew

is a crucial part of

moving to the next

location. They are

responsible for

loading the truck and

reassembling the

camp. Youth could

be seen working as

a team setting up

tents for everyone.

Pictured here is

Little Bear Davis and

Skyler Baker Setting

up tents at Fort

Warden State Park.

tides for safe travel on the water. Skipper’s

meetings were held the evening before to

establish leaving time and tides. Support

boat skippers were up early to meet their

respective canoes. Our canoe family was

fortunate to have two support boats during

the journey.

Many thanks go out to Dave Lopeman,

Squaxin Island Chairman and John

Setterstrom for assisting us throughout the

journey. Without them we wouldn’t have

been given permission to leave the hosting

tribe. Other thanks go out to the families

who opened their yards to host a visiting

canoe family providing much needed

showers and access to laundry services.

We can’t forget to say thanks to Sylvia

Cayenne, Canoe Family mama and mentor

who encouraged and proudly said, “There’s

my Angels!” referring to the white paddles

that look like angel wings as they moved

in unison. Knowing that tulap it wiA

arrived ahead of schedule and with the

pullers‘ power pulls and prayers they pulled

with their heart and soul. It’s not a race as

everyone knows, but prayers help move the

canoe along with grace and pride.

Thanks go out Elders Elaine McCloud

and Trudy Marcellay for helping make our

ragalia. Your work is greatly appreciated.

Hope to see you next Year! 2011 Paddle

to Swinomish.

Personal Experiences

For three continuous days small craft advisories were in effect as the

journey entered the Straits of Juan de Fuca. This photo is leaving

Jamestown! The day ended early as the US Coast Guard required canoes

to turn back due to 6-8 foot swells.

Hands Up to Those Who Helped Us Travel Safely on the Water

Support boats are crucial for the safety of the canoe and pullers. Being

available to tow the canoe, exchange pullers, and give a break so they can

rest and eat, re-energizing for the next stage of the journey.

Our hands also go up to Dave Lopeman, Squaxin Island Chairman for

being available and using his a support boat (L). He provided assistance

at different stages of the journey. This photo is towing the canoe to

Chinook Marina after landing at Owen Beach.

Hands up to John

Setterstrom and

his wife Mary for

being our support

boat during part

of the journey.

Pictured (L-R) are

Skipper Gail White

Eagle and Support

Boat Captain John

Setterstrom on the

Clarity while taking

a break.

On the left are

pullers taking

a lunch break

alongside the

Clarity

Canoe Families rafted up together to create a “Flotilla” of canoes while

they awaited to come ashore. This photo is the Puget Sound tribes on the

first day landing at Solo Point.

Ashlea Parkinson, 17 year old tribal member

commented, “Being the first time on the

Canoe Journey, it was an eye opener. The

Canoe Journey brought me closer to people

and opened my eyes to my culture. How

important respect and honor are to our

elders and to nature as a whole. I learned so

much from just watching others and how

they interacted to certain situations. Getting

involved with the Chehalis Canoe Family

impacted my summer greatly.

I was able to hear people from different

tribes gather and jam together. I had the

opportunity to paddle on my first day. When

we started out, I realized that everyone

on the canoe had joined as one. Learning

to paddle in rhythm was hard at first,

something that I’ve never experienced

before. I learned that even if you don’t know

anyone, they’ll make you comfortable and

welcome you into their family circle.

The journey has encouraged me to be

more active in our tribal activities and I most

definitely will continue to encourage others

to join us next year on the canoe journey. I

am already excited for next year! It should

be just as great as this year, if not better.

I went on the journey for experience, but

now I can use this awesome experience

for my senior project. I’ll share pictures

and memories with students and teachers.

and enlighten them on the culture and how

amazing this journey really is. It was such

a positive opportunity, and I’m so glad I

went.”

Connie Baker, tribal member wrote, “I

participated in our tribes Canoe Journey

for the first time. It was everything I was

hoping it would be. It was the emotional

high that I had heard so much about, and

not a minute of it was without some kind of

memorable emotion.

“One heart one mind” is the family

function, and no matter what task or

function was at hand, the family unit has

to function as one. The teachings, the

stories, the daily chores, and tasks that

have to get done before anything else can

proceed, is the daily addenda. And then the

fun can begin, interacting with the other

canoe families, and tribes was awesome,

everyone is there for the same purpose,

the same goal in mind, to have a safe, fun,

and memorable journey, together, as one.

The biggest family unit of all. And that

was powerfully emotional. Everyone made

everyone feel so welcome, like long lost

family visiting. All journey long I had the

feelings of de’ ja’ vu, everywhere I went

just seemed familiar, some of the faces I

saw, I thought I knew, when I mentioned

this to Leona, she told me, My grandma

(Elaine) says that the feeling of de’ ja’ vu,

means that you are in the right place at

the right time. That explained the whole

journey for me; I was in the right place at

the right time. I didn’t want to leave, and I

didn’t want it to end.

Ragalia is made for formal protocol during the journey. Pictured (L-R)

are Halissa Higheagle and Haila Old Peter cutting out the baskets for the

tunics or vests.

Sean Allen working on one of

his gifts for the final protocol

giveaway.

Many canoe

family

members

had their

hair braided

during the

journey.

Pictured

is Dianna

Pickernell

braiding

Glenda

McNair’s hair

in Makah.

Rules to Remember

One rule that was strictly enforced was to take care of your property. If

found laying around the camp, members were required to dance in order

to have them returned to them. These were recorded on camera or video.