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FREE

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Vol.

December 2009 2/12

Program

News

New Community Center Offers

Something for Everyone

The New Community Center has been

finished, and staff are moved into their

new offices. Drop by and check out the

new classrooms and see fun activities

being offered in our beautiful new

building.

CHEHALIS

TRIBAL

NEWSLETTER

 “People of the Sands” 

We currently have 116 students

signed up for the Tribal Education

Program. Our staff works with students

who are in kindergarten through grade

12 in the school district as well as in

an after-school program held at the

Community Center. The after-school

program hours are 2:30 PM to 5:00 PM,

Monday through Friday.

Chehalis Tribal Newsletter

PO Box 536

Oakville, WA 98568

* Return Service request

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City, ST Zip

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OAKVILLE WA

PERMIT No. 2

www.chehalistribe.org

©Copyright 2009 CHEHALIS TRIBAL

NEWSLETTER is a publication of the

Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis

Reservation.

 Enjoys teaching

and learning our

tribe’s culture and

history, page 3

 Working alongside the Elders makes for lasting

memories, page 2

Elders Prove Tribe’s Bazzar Has

Area’s Best Christmas Shopping

Chehalis Tribe’s

Grand Mound Plan

Receives Award

By Lennea Magnus,

Planning Director

which went very smoothly and with much

success!

The Elders were seen bustling around

their own portion of the bazaar, providing

some delicious food for purchase.

The chowders that Chops made were

outstanding! They also were raising money

through a raffle. All of the vendors donated

items from their tables to the raffle. Some

of the raffle items were donated from the

Elders themselves.

The silent auction went well also. Items

included a knitted blanket and a beautiful

beaded barrette which was received from

the Beckwith family, a beautiful wreath

with cedar ornaments which the Red Cedar

Club donated, a nice leather jacket from Phil

Hamilton, a beautiful drum from Betty and

Lloyd Fulton, a carving from Jake and Tiny

Jones. and much more.

Many thanks go to all who volunteered

and helped with the donations.

Congratulations to all the winners!!

The Confederated Tribe of the Chehalis

Reservation’s Grand Mound Development

Plan was chosen as the winner in the

category of rural and small town planning

by the American Planning Association,

Washington Chapter, and the Planning

Association of Washington. The award

was presented at the APA WA/PAW annual

conference in Vancouver, Washington, on

November 13, 2009.

The award recognizes the best examples

of land use and community planning in the

State of Washington.

The concept for the Grand Mound Plan

developed from a conversation between

Chehalis Business Committee Chairman

David Burnett and retired Thurston County

Commissioner Bob McLeod, establishing

a new model of intergovernmental

partnership. The Chehalis Tribe funded the

project and served as lead planning agency.

Lennea Magnus, Chehalis Tribe Planning

Director, worked closely with project

consultant Maul Foster & Alongi, Inc. in

producing the plan.

A series of public meetings kicked off in

March 2008 and continued throughout the

year, with meetings hosted at the Eagle’s

Landing Hotel, Lucky Eagle Casino and the

Great Wolf Lodge. The July 2008 meeting at

the Great Wolf Lodge was attended by over

100 tribal members, agency representatives

and local community members.

In October 2008, Thurston County

commissioners were briefed on the Grand

Mound plan and approved a staff work plan

incorporating its elements. The final Grand

Mound Development Plan was produced

and presented to the tribe in January 2009.

See Bazaar, page 4

See Award, page 4

„„ Heritage: Elaine McCloud, Heritage

Coordinator, 360-709-1748

We are resuming our family tree classes.

They are held on Mondays starting at

5 PM at the new Community Center in

classroom 4. If you are attending for the first

time, please obtain your family tree from

Enrollment so we have a place to start. It’s

easiest to enter the building from the south

entrance, go through the library and then to

the classroom.

„„ Cultural: Diane Devlin, Culture

Coordinator, 360-709-1621.

The Cultural Program will be working

on pine-needle basketry in December. At the

beginning of 2010, we will work on making

coil baskets in the Red Cedar Hat Club, held

every Thursday. This is an open weavers

table. No need to sign up, just drop in and

join the weavers. The classes start at 3 PM

and run to 6:30 PM every Thursday, unless

the tribe has another community event

running on the same night. Then the class is

rescheduled.

„„Language: Dan Penn, Language

Coordinator, 360-709-1747

Language classes are held on Wednesdays,

5-7 PM. Carving classes are at the woodshop

by the Tribal Center on Wednesdays,

Fridays, and Saturdays. Please check with

me on scheduling changes. The canoe has

been moved into the woodshop, so come on

over and check out the progress and work on

other carving projects. Everyone is invited.

Come meet Mr. Dave Wilson, Master Carver

from Lummi.

„„Cheryle Starr, Events Coordinator,

has moved into her new office. She is in

charge of scheduling events. Spaces are

available to be used for events you might

be interested in holding. So contact her

to reserve a room. She can be reached at

360-709-1524.

„„Elders have been having lunch at the

gathering room. Check with Nancy

Romero, Elders Coordinator, for her

events calendar at 360- 870-0141.

Elaine

SutterlictMcCloud

Chehalis youth learn to make

Christmas ornaments

„„ Youth Center: Tony Medina, Marla

Medina, Theresa Pannkuk, Jerry

Youckton, 360-273-9674.

„„ Higher Education: Racheal Mendez,

360-709-1698

„„ TELO/Education Program: JJ

Shortman, Nathan Floth, Tawni Willis,

Jason Gillie, 360-709-1578

Honoring

Elders:

The Annual Elders Bazaar attracts many vendors to come sell their wide

variety of beautiful hand-crafted items. The Elders also had a raffle, bake

sale and food for customers to purchase to raise funds.

By Fred Shortman, Editor

The Annual Elders Christmas Bazaar was

held on December 5 at the Lucky Eagle

Casino Events Center. There were over

70 vendors who showed up to have their

crafts available for sale. The bingo hall was

packed to the gills, making it one of the

largest bazaars around.

With the Christmas spirit in the air,

many families have their Christmas lights

put up and are now out shopping for that

special gift for their loved ones. Coming to

the Elders Bazaar is special to find unique

Native hand-crafted goods. And yes, you

could find it at this bazaar.

There was beadwork, carvings, clothing,

blankets, drums, paintings, and much, much

more. There were wall-to-wall venders and

you could shop at your leisure. And as last

year, Nancy Romero worked very hard for

the Elder Program to make this a successful

event! Great Job Nancy, your hard work and

dedication is greatly appreciated. During

her vacation, she received many phone calls

from vendors, and put this event together

Chehalis Tribal Weavers Learn Complex

Herringbone Style from Master Weaver

By Dianne Devlin, Culture Coordinator

Chehalis Tribal Weavers gathered at the new

Community Center Cultural Program class

room #166 to master the herringbone weave.

Fourteen women met for a full weekend of

weaving taught by Kathey Erin. The twoday class, held the weekend of November

21 and 22, began each morning at 9 AM and

lasted over nine hours each day. But the hard

work and dedication paid off for each of the

ladies.

This was no beginners’ class. Kathey

Erin, Master Weaver from Sequim, has

taught weaving classes for 15 years.

Kathey explained that she considered the

herringbone cedar to be the most advanced

basket weavers class she teaches. She told

us she was very impressed with the skill

level of the Chehalis tribal weavers who

attended her class that weekend. Everyone

who attended the class learned to master

the herringbone weave by designing a cedar

purse mostly comprised of the herringbone

weave, except the woven design in the front

of the purse.

Shown in the photo above is the diversity

of purse patterns, which demonstrates the

creative talents of Chehalis basket weavers.

Each of the purse’s designs features patterns

created with black-dyed cedar and yellow

cedar. The in-lay work of the two different

colored cedars created unique patterns that

personalized each weaver’s purse.

In addition to one-on-one directions

from the Master Weaver, Kathey provided

the weavers with a packet of detailed

instructions and full-color photos on the

techniques to completing a herringbone

cedar woven purse. For the final stage of the

purse, weavers where offered six different

patterns to choose from to compete the front

See Weavers, page 4

Chehalis Tribal members display their beautiful herringbone baskets at the

advanced classes taught by Kathy Erin. Front row L-R Evelyn Penn, Cheryle

Starr and Jessie Goddard. Top L-R Winona Youckton, Orinda Goddard,

Elaine McCloud, Diane Devlin, Sally Pickutark, Jodie Smith and Gloria Jones.

Youth and Elders Work Together Tribal Young Man Gets Noticed,

to Make Christmas Ornaments

then Named to National Panel

2

By Fred Shortman, Editor

On Tuesday December 8, the Culture

Program worked with the youth teaching

them how to make Christmas ornaments.

The class was divided into small groups

which allowed more one-on-one time to

teach young community members the

techniques of making ornaments. Sally

Pikutark, Marie Griswold, Elaine McCloud

and Dianne Devlin, offered several

ornament styles the youth chose

to make. They made angels,

snowflakes, beaded candy

canes, cedar stockings,

reindeer, and hearts.

They took them home

to hang on their

Christmas trees.

There was no preregistration for the

Christmas ornament classes. They are

offered as drop in classes for fun.

Many of the youth were joined by

parents and grandparents to help in

the making of ornaments. It was a

day to hear stories as everyone

Rhapsody

Simmons

4 years old

proudly

displays

her hand

crafted

Christmas

ornaments.

shared the special day working with the

youth, building some good memories and

working together on projects.

A similar Christmas ornament class was

repeated for the community on December

9, and a third class for the

Elders on December 10.

Sally Pikutark

showing Roberta

(11 years old)

Youckton how

to make a

beautiful cedar

heart christmas

ornament.

What a fun day

making christmas

ornaments.

Published in eShare Newsletter July 2009 by TOGETHER!

We are proud to announce that TOGETHER!

staff member, Jesse Youckton, has been

invited to join the Native American Center

for Excellence (NACE) as an Urban Youth

Representative. He will be one of 14 expert

panelists from across the country to serve on

this national panel.

Jesse first met NACE staff while

representing TOGETHER! at the

Community Anti Drug Coalitions of

America (CADCA) National Leadership

Forum in Washington, DC, in February.

Jesse attended a NACE workshop and

provided input throughout the workshop,

catching the attention of NACE

representatives.

The mission of the Native American

Center for Excellence is to strengthen

substance abuse prevention efforts in Native

American communities. Sponsored by

the Substance Abuse and Mental Health

Services Administration, the center will

identify innovative and promising programs

and practices that prevent substance abuse

disorders and related problems among

Native Americans.

Jesse is a member of the Confederated

Tribes of Chehalis and has worked at

TOGETHER! as the coordinator for SPLAT!

–Students Protesting Lies about Tobacco

I was a peer educator in the Teens

Against Tobacco Use program, a curriculum

developed by the American Lung

Association, where teens go into elementary

classrooms and talk about the dangers of

smoking and give the kids reasons to not

start.

I also served with the American Cancer

Society helping them develop training

manuals for a youth initiative used in

multiple states and later adapted the

curriculum to be culturally appropriate for

Native communities. I have also served as

a trainer in different topics around youth

coalition development.

In 2004 I was a recipient of the Selecky

Award as the Youth Advocate of the Year

from the Department of Health in Tobacco

Prevention and Control. When I graduated,

I went to the UW where I studied American

Indian Studies. I had to stop my schooling

but plan to get my degree from The

Evergreen State College.

My goal has always been to help our

people and I feel I am meeting my goal.

I now serve on different boards and

committees across the state and country

making sure our people get the right

services, protection and proper education.

youth coalition since January 2008.

Want to Quit Smoking? Try 7 Tips

Will you or someone you love resolve to

quit smoking for New Year’s? The American

Lung Association is here to help you keep

that resolution. January is the perfect time

for a fresh start, and with today’s economic

challenges, quitting smoking is not only

good for your health, but also your wallet.

At current prices, when a pack-a-day smoker

quits, it’s like getting a $2000 bonus—tax

free—every year! Having a solid plan can be

the key. Here are seven tips for success and

resources that have helped thousands give

up smoking for good:

1. Talk to your doctor about the different

over-the-counter and prescription

medications available to help you quit

smoking.

2. Look into the different kinds of self-help

options available to smokers. Visit www.

lungusa.org for tools to help you quit, like

our Freedom From Smoking®Online.

3. Take time to plan. Pick your quit date a

few weeks ahead of time and mark it on the

calendar. If you can, pick a day when life’s

extra stresses are not at their peak, such

as after the holidays. Mark a day on the

calendar, and stick to it.

4. Get some exercise every day. Walking is

a great way to reduce the stress of quitting.

Exercise is proven to not only combat

weight gain, but also improves mood and

energy levels.

5. Eat a balanced diet; drink lots of water

and get plenty of sleep.

6. Ask family, friends and co-workers for

their help and support. Having someone to

take a walk with or just listen can give a

needed boost.

7. You don’t have to quit alone. Help is

available. Consider joining a stop-smoking

program like Freedom From Smoking®

offered by the American Lung Association.

For even more help, call our Lung

HelpLine at 1-800-LUNG-USA. Our nurses

and respiratory therapists can provide expert

advice on quitting smoking.

“Be aware that smokers have different

experiences when they quit,” says Norman

Edelman, M.D. American Lung Association

Chief Medical Officer. “Some may feel

tired or even easily excitable. Others may

feel light headed, nervous or irritable and

experience headaches in addition to craving

tobacco or sweets. Know these feelings are

normal and may last for several weeks. But

eventually they will pass.”

The American Lung Association’s

Freedom From Smoking® program has

helped thousands quit smoking and is

considered the gold standard for smoking

cessation programs. This seven-step

program is also offered in a group setting,

as many participants find the support of

others a beneficial component of the quitting

process. And perfect for today’s busy world

is Freedom From Smoking® Online www.

ffsouline.org) which brings the program into

the comfort and privacy of your own home.

“Quitting smoking is one of the most

important things that you can do for your

health,” adds Dr. Edelman. “While half of

adult smokers will die of smoking-related

causes, it’s important to remember that

it’s never too late to quit. The American

Lung Association offers the best tools and

resources available.”

Merry Christmas

and

A Happy New Year

Jesse Youckton Bio:

My name is Jesse

Youckton and I am

23 years old. I work

at TOGETHER!, a

community based

non-profit that

focuses on youth

violence, alcohol,

tobacco and drug

prevention in

Thurston County. I

have been the Youth

Coordinator for the

past two years. I

first got involved in

prevention when I

was a freshman at

Timberline High

School. I stayed

active as a volunteer

for TOGETHER!

throughout my high

school career and

beyond.

Jesse Youckton with GeoMarc Panelo, Caitee Borges,

Meghan Sullivan, Kim Vivian, and Deja Dunning from

SPLAT! at the Capital in Olympia. The group was

attending Policy Maker Education Day. They were

there to educate their legislators about the dangers of

second-hand smoke.

Students Get Praise, Dinner and

Movie for Getting Good Grades

By Jason Gillie, TELO Program Education Assistant

Congratulations to the following students

for passing all their classes, or making

dramatic improvements in their academics:

Michael Boyd, Alyssa Charles, Jonathan

Jack, Jr., Sarah Quilt, Marcus Youckton,

Ann Marie Youckton, T.J. Trott, Kayley

Trott, James Quilt, Kayla Nyreen, Jordan

Merriman, Shelby McCrory, Bobby Jones,

Geo Jack, Loyala Davis, Little Bear Davis,

Heather Daniels, Sidney Cole, Kaileen Bray,

Jacquelyn Bray, Jeanette Boyd, and Jordan

Bird.

All theses students were invited to dinner

and a movie with our Education Program

Chehalis

Tribal

Newsletter

420 Howanut Road

Oakville, WA 98568

(360) 273-5911 (office)

(360) 273-5914 (fax)

newsletter@chehalistribe.org

as a reward for their outstanding work in

achieving their academic goals. Everybody

enjoyed a delicious meal at the Oyster

House in Olympia. After the meal, all the

students agreed to see the movie “2012.”

Everybody had a great time.

We recognized the students for their

dedication in getting passing grades and

having good attendance. Our program

continues to encourage any students who

weren’t able to attend to strive to get their

grades up. We would love to have all

the students join us as a reward for their

academic achievements. Great job, students!

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.

The Chehalis Tribal Newsletter encourages

tribal members to submit letters, articles,

photographs, and drawings to be considered

for publication. These are subject to editing.

From Everyone

at the

Chehalis Tribe

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”

i

3

Honoring our Elders:

Elaine Sutterlict“..enjoys teaching and learning about her culture...”

Elaine was born in October 1952 to Bennie and Hattie (Hayden) Pikutark in

Portland, Oregon. Her grandparents were John and Bessie (Walker) Hayden.

Her grandmother was Upper Chehalis and her grandfather was Lower

Chehalis. Her great-grandparents were Tom Hayden and Lucy Bill Heck, who

was married to Silas Heck at one time. Her other great-grandparents were

Clara (Jacobs) and Joseph Walker.

Elaine’s father was Inupiaq (Eskimo) from near Nome, Alaska. She has an

older half-sister, LaVera Pikutark-Dubberly, who lived with the family in her

younger years. Elaine was the middle child of three siblings, Ronnie Pikutark

being the oldest, and a younger sister, Diane “Bub” Pikutark. Unfortunately,

Elaine inherited her love of photographs from her

Diane died in 1978.

Elaine was married to Bennie Sutterlict, Jr., (Yakama Nation) until his death mother. Elaine always encourages her family to get

together for photographs every year. This helps

in 1998. They met at Central Washington State College in Ellensburg. He had

create good memories and enables them to see the

just returned from a tour in Vietnam and she had just graduated. He had a

children grow up.

daughter from a previous marriage, Darcey Sutterlict- Maass. While married to

Bennie they had four sons: Kevin, Greg, Stephan and Rikki.

Taholah to see

Elaine remembers going to a powwow

Elaine has 16 grandchildren: Robert, Leona, Michael, Leroy Jr., Cheyenne,

a dentist. “We

in Seattle. They had the Grand Entry in

would take the

alphabetical order of tribal names. “They

Brittany, Emery, Cleo, Steven, Sarah, Deidrah, Teila, Mackenzie, Nawinathla,

whole

day

off

to

called out the delegation from the particular

Pataathla, and Lawyce. There are also four great-grandchildren: Anthony, Leroy

go

to

the

dentist.

tribe and the spotlight would shine on you as

III, Cyrus, and Michelangelo.

Uncle Clem,

you danced in. They had large delegations

In 2000, Elaine married Jack McCloud, Jr. (Nisqually Tribe).

Aunt Susie, Pat from various tribes in their beautiful beaded

Elaine spent most of her childhood on

the Chehalis Reservation after her family

moved back from Portland. They lived in

her grandparent’s house, the old Eyle house,

then moved to Lizzie Johnson’s house. The

houses had no electricity and no running

water. Family members hand- carried

water from Willamette Creek. The houses

were heated by pot bellied stoves wood

cooking stoves in the kitchens. Food was

floated in plastic bags in the creek to keep it

fresh. When there was oil, the family used

kerosene lamps. When there was no oil, they

used candles.

Elaine’s last move was to the house

where she presently lives. “When we first

moved in, we had no water and carried

water from our grandparent’s house. “I don’t

remember what year all of the reservation

got electricity and running water, but I

remember having wringer washer machines

at both houses and hanging clothes outside

or around the house,” recalls Elaine.

“Our chores included carrying water,

carrying wood, making kindling, and

washing dishes,” remembers Elaine. “Mom

got sick and told me I was going to have

to learn to cook. I had to bake biscuits

because we had no bread. She showed me

the cookbook and gave me pointers. I didn’t

understand the directions that well but tried

to follow them. I tried sifting the shortening

and it was a mess and I started to cry.”

Elaine and her family member went to

the Shaker Church, then the “Little White

Church.”

Elaine went to Oakville Public School

from the 1st to 12th grades, and graduated

in 1970. There was no kindergarten or

Headstart back then. “The Timberland

Library had a bookmobile that came out

here to Oakville. My mom loved to read.

We would all check out books, and if we

didn’t read them all, my mom usually did. I

remember walking up the bookmobile steps

and seeing all those books and thinking that

it was so special that I could check them

out.”

When Elaine’s family lived in Portland,

cousins would come and live with them,

starting with Edna Youckton. She came to

help out with the kids. When they lived

at Lizzie’s, cousins took turns living with

them. At that time there were a lot of house

fires and children would be parted out

while families rebuilt or found places to

stay. Elaine’s mom took care of the Hayden

family children for extended periods of time,

like during clamming season.

Christmas time back then was different

than now. “We received care packages,

usually an outfit and a toy,” says Elaine.

“Each gift would say ‘10-year-old boy’ or

‘8-year-old girl.’ One year mine came and it

said ‘boy’. Inside was a flannel shirt, jeans

and a toy for a boy. This was when girls

rarely wore pants.”

Elaine remembers picking strawberries

each summer. “It would be cold bushes

that greeted us in the morning and hot sun

beating down on us in the afternoon,” recalls

Elaine. “We weren’t allowed to goof around.

I remember Bub and I tried squishing berries

under our noses and saying we had bloody

noses, but it didn’t work.”

Summer was also time to go get eels.

Elaine and others would go with Uncle

Clarence Youckton to gather large black

ants for bait, then head to Rainbow Falls.

”The men would use a pole with a hook to

snag the eels. They would throw them up on

the rocks and we would grab them with old

socks we had on our hands. We would bang

them against the rocks and put them in a

gunny sack.”

The family would go to the “camp

meetings” at Little Boston for summer

vacations. They were joined by the Windsor,

Ortivez, Jones and other families.

Elaine remembers having to drive to

and all of us.

buckskin outfits and then there was us. We

Mom and Susie would pack a lunch and we were just a handful of kids who had never

would eat on the beach. The quack dentist

danced before and the arena was huge. Good

they had would give us a shot of Novocaine thing for me I didn’t wear my glasses, so I

but we wouldn’t feel its effect until we were couldn’t see all those people looking at our

heading home. As we hit Aberdeen, our

small little group.”

mouths would start getting numb.”

Elaine says her life growing up on the

Elaine and her sister took up basket

reservation with a large extended family

making, beadwork and Indian dancing when was filled with happy times and hard times.

they were in high school. “I guess the tribe “We were poor and struggled, but we were

must have got some sort of grant to offer

raised by a mother who told us she loved

culture enrichment classes. Mom had gone

only her ‘Heavenly Father’ more than us.

to Chemawha Boarding School and could

There are so many stories that only my kids

teach us to knit, crochet or embroider but

and grandkids have heard and some that I

not any traditional crafts. She said she must keep to myself. I enjoy telling my stories

have been a tomboy and that all she ever did and hope other Elders will have a good time

was make bottoms.”

telling their stories for our readers.”

Hazel Pete was their teacher and John

Donavan also taught. “I remember he taught

us how to play slahal games and

how to dance.

He told us

to go home

and ask our

parents what

kind of outfits

our people

wore. Mom

said until we

reached puberty,

you usually

wore nothing.

Then the girls

wore cedar bark

skirts. When it got

colder, you would

put on a cedar

bark cape and if it

rained you would

have a cedar bark

nt of

hat. Since it rained

ine in fro n in

la

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d

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Childre

so much, we usually

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196

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went barefoot. So

o

in

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R

m

d

o

n

h

a

t

e

their firs Cheyenne, Ros

we went with ‘Plan

)

R

L

front (

B’ and made cloth

dresses.”

Staff Profiles: Youth Center Director and Behavior Health Youth Counselor

I’m Tony Medina, a tribal

member and the Youth

Coordinator for the Youth

Center for the past 12 years.

I grew up in California in

a small town called Port

Hueneme. While growing up,

I played a lot of sports. It was

great to be encouraged by

my parents and six brothers

and sister. After graduating

from high school, I worked

for Northroup Factory. I did

some landscaping to earn

extra money to purchase my first Harley.

Motorcycles have always been my love. It

was nice how far $2 worth of gas could get

me. Riding my first Harley had me hooked

from the start.

In the 1990s I decided that California

was getting too crowded, and decided

to relocate to Oakville, Washington, and

started working with the youth during tribal

summer programs. I also worked at Mima

Nursery where I met Jolene, my beautiful

wife of 16 years. My now extravagant

son, Kendell, who is 15 years old, is one

of my biggest supporters. Both volunteer

at the Youth Center and put up with my

demanding schedule.

As for hobbies, I love working with old

cars, trucks, and motorcycles.

Taking a piece of junk vehicle,

and making an operateable

piece of junk is cool. I’ve also

learned that keeping weeds out

of roses is nearly impossible.

I’ve been weeding roses

practically all my life. While

growing up in California, my

mom Alice always grew

roses in front of the house.

Weeding the rose garden

was one of my many chores.

Another of my passions

is cooking. Since becoming a diabetic

nine years ago, it’s been hard not to eat

tacos, enchiladas and especially homemade

tamales. I was raised on those foods and it

makes it difficult in maintaining the diabetes

diet. Now I only cook them for friends and

family.

These youth on the Rez keep me going

all the time. I love playing games with

them, feeding them, and on occasion,

help them in study hall preparing them

for an upcoming exam. There’s nothing

more gratifying seeing the first set of eyes

appear, as they race from the bus stop to

be the first kids at the Youth Center. Even

though the paperwork at the center can be

overwhelming, working with the kids is

Youth Center

Director

great! Each day I look forward to seeing

all the youth show up. So if you ever get a

chance, swing by the Youth Center. It will

make your day when you see those smiles

and big eyes of joy as the youth play and

have fun.

My name is Gail Hurst. In 2007, I came to

the tribe under contract to be a Chemical

Dependency Counselor for 90 days. I was

later hired permanently.

I’ve been married to my husband for

15 years (modern Brady Bunch) and have

six beautiful children (five daughters

and one son) and six grandchildren. We

met at a concert held by the elementary

school our children attended. I’ve been a

Washingtonian all my life, and thoroughly

enjoy living here.

I’m currently the Youth Counselor. My

hours are Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays

from 8:30 am until 5:00 pm. Tuesdays

and Thursdays my hours are 10:30 am to

7:00 pm. My office is located in the

Behavioral Health Clinic. Between 3:00

to 5:00 pm on Monday, Wednesday

and Friday you can find me at the

Community Center working in the

youth program. I love working with

the youth and my time is committed

to giving them the skills to avoid getting

involved with, or getting uninvolved with,

alcohol and drugs.

This next year we are hoping to have

a healing garden -- the group room in the

Behavioral Health Clinic painted by Elders

and youth who want to volunteer. (The

theme should represent the Chehalis Tribe.)

There will be more youth activities that

promote prevention and sobriety coming

later in 2010.

There will be a news flyer starting in

January on signs and symptoms of substance

use, abuse, and dependency, along with

news from Vocational Rehabilitation, Mental

Health, and Prevention. This will be coming

out to the community every four months.

My hobbies are quilting, music (I play

a variety of stringed instruments), roller

skating, hiking, movies, and exploring the

Northwest (via a motor home).

Behavior

Health

Youth

Counselor

4 Bazaar (continued from page 1)

Weaving (continued from page 1)

Eleven New Homes Will Provide

Pride in Home Ownership

of the purse. Kathey prepared died black

cedar for each student to weave between the

yellow cedar to make the designs pop.

At times there was more laughing going

on then weaving, but that is normally the

way Chehalis weavers work together, and

Kathey joined right in with the anecdotes.

Each of the weavers shared what the

completed purse meant to them. Everyone

agreed that with two long days of hard

work to complete the project, they would

wear their purses with great pride. And they

should! The purses are real head turners.

Congratulations to all who completed the

And thanks for your support!

A down turn to this day was the economy.

Yes, even though things are looking up,

vendors mentioned that things were slow.

But towards the end of the day, it was a

lot better. Many said that they had been to

other bazaars this year, and it’s the same all

over. They said vendors do well here at the

Chehalis Tribal Elders Christmas Bazaar!

They do enjoy coming to the Chehalis

Elders Bazaar and they’ll be back next year.

So, if you’re looking for a beautiful hand

made Native gift, remember to stop at the

Chehalis Elders Bazaar which is held the

first Saturday of December each year.

project. Every participant has added one

more weaving technique to their many

artistic talents.

The Cultural Program will be working

on pine-needle basketry in December. At the

beginning of 2010, we will work on making

coil baskets during the Red Cedar Hat Club.

Every Thursday is the Red Cedar Hat

Club. This is an open weavers table. No

need to sign up, just drop in and join the

weavers. The classes start at 3 PM and run

to 6:30 PM every Thursday, unless the tribe

has another community event running on the

same night; then the class is rescheduled.

10th Annual SPIPA Auction Raises

More Money than Ever for Five Tribes

By Fred Shortman, Editor

Despite the freezing temperatures, the construction workers continue

working on this beautiful new home. Tribal member families are anxiously

awaiting the completion of their new homes on the Vosper Property.

By David Boyd, CTHA Executive Director

CTHA is under way in the construction

process in building 11 new single-family

homes at the Vosper development. At

present the CTHA has qualified eight

tribal member families to enter into home

ownership under a lease mortgage contract.

The remaining three homes will be available

to qualified applicants under a rent-to-own

program which will be available in the near

future for families to apply.

The home buyer families were qualified

through a lengthy mortgage process.

Families chose their style home from

multiple floor plans of varying styles and

sizes of which their families were eligible

for. The families will select the carpet, vinyl

and interior fixtures to best suit their taste

and design, and select the exterior color

of their home. Stetz Construction from

Spanaway received the contract award and

has begun the process of construction. Each

home will be finished within 120 days from

the start date of construction.

The CTHA will designate one of

the homes to be a model home for the

community to tour, thus allowing families

to see firsthand the quality homes being

constructed for tribal member families.

These are very exciting times for the

entire Chehalis tribal community. The

CTHA Board of Commissioners and staff

will be available to discuss questions or

concerns to include all available programs

the Housing Authority offers to qualified

Chehalis Tribal members and families.

Contact the Housing Authority staff at 360273-7723.

Award (continued from page 1)

Grand Mound is a rapidly urbanizing, but

unincorporated, community adjacent to I-5,

20 miles south of Olympia.

In 2008, the Great Wolf Lodge

opened, attracting more than 300,000

visitors annually to the indoor water park,

conference center and 500-room hotel.

The existing patch-work of ownerships

and regulations presented an immediate

challenge to the project planning team.

Potential conflicts were addressed through

an open and collaborative process designed

to reconcile tribal and county regulations

and to satisfy tribal and non-tribal property

owners’ concerns.

Building on a platform of trust and

confidence in the planning process, broad

agreement was reached on the future

direction for the community. By engaging

Thurston County, property owners and

numerous business stakeholders, the 2,300acre study area now has a broadly supported

template on which future growth can be

managed.

The Chehalis Planning Department

would like to thank the Chehalis Business

Committee, tribal members, the Grand

Mound community, Rochester residents,

Thurston County Commissioners, the

Thurston Regional Planning Council, the

Thurston Economic Development Council,

and all who participated in this planning

effort.

Visit the Chehalis Tribe’s website at

www.chehalistribe.org and

click on Planning under

“Resources/Services” to

view the plan. Copies of the

plan are also available in the

Chehalis Planning Office.

Chairman David Burnett

and Lennea Magnus

with the Rural and Small

Town Planning Award

giving us the thumbs

up .

Chehalis Tribe

Holiday Closures

December 23: 1/2 Day-Closes At noon

December 24: All Day

December 25: All Day

December 31: 1/2 Day-Closes At noon

January 1: All Day

Any questions, please contact the

Tribal Center at 360-273-5911

Tribal Community

Christmas Party

Sunday, December 20

Starts at 11 am

At the Lucky Eagle Casino

Lots of fun activities for the tribal

community.

Bingo, dinner, crafts for the dids

and Santa will be there for photos and gifts.

Please contact Cheryl Starr,

Events Coordinator at 360-709-1524.

The 10th Annual SPIPA Art Auction at

the Lucky Eagle Casino was another

tremendous event. The South Puget

Intertribal Planning Agency will be using

75% of proceeds for an investment fund.

The remaining 25% will be used to meet

the immediate needs of the tribes’ youth

programs and provide services for Elders.

All the funds raised will advance the health,

education and welfare of the five SPIPA

Consortium Tribes (Chehalis, Nisqually,

Shoalwater, Skokomish, and Squaxin

Island).

People came and saw some handmade

intricate Native artwork. The craftsmanship

was awe-inspiring and will be proudly

displayed by the winning bidder. Many were

donated by Native artists, weavers, carvers,

and businesses that had been auctioned off

to assist SPIPA to achieve this worthwhile

fund raiser.

during the Christmas holiday season. He

solicited from and cajoled donors to fund his

“Christmas Fund.” Bob was SPIPA’s Indian

Santa Claus. Please join us in memorializing

Bob’s commitment to our children and

continue the work he began.

The Thrill of Bidding

Each bidder signed in and received their

number to used in the live auction. There

was a silent auction displayed on tables

along the walls. People wrote down a bid

on an item that they were trying to win.

The closing of the silent auction tables was

announced during the live auction. As the

tables were closed, you could see winning

bidders smiling as they headed to pay for

their successful bid.

Then the live auction began. Chad Ehli,

from Ehli Auction, was the auctioneer for

the day. You could hear his voice ring across

the loudspeakers as he announced the next

Children’s Christmas Fund Gets Help

item up for bid. It was entertaining and

This was one of the biggest fundraisers

competitive as each item was displayed

that the auction has had, raising over

throughout the room to get the winning bid.

$56,066. This gives the tribes $1,000

Bidders raised their numbers in the air as

more than in the past auctions. In addition

they competed for the item they chose.

the auction raised $2,720 for the Tribal

There was also a delicious seafood dinner

Children’s Christmas Fund in memory of

prepared by the casino. Johnny Moses from

Bob Bojorcas.

Tulalip was there to provide entertainment.

Bob served on the SPIPA Board of

He is fluent in seven different languages

Directors from the 1990s until his passing

and kept everyone involved as he shared his

in December 2008. He took in troubled and

stories with the audience.

homeless Indian and non-Indian youth and

Many heartfelt thanks go out to everyone

got them involved in co-curricular and extra- who helped make this such a success!

curricular activities to keep them get out of

A special thank you goes out to all the

trouble. Bob worked very hard to assure that sponsors, business, artists and all the

children at the Shoalwater Bay Tribe and

people who came out to bid and support our

other Indian children would receive presents worthwhile cause.

Focusing on Loved Ones Can Help

You Stay Sober During Holidays

By Lorrie Bonifer, Prevention Specialist

The Holidays are perhaps one of the hardest

times of the year for newly sober people.

During this time some drink for joy and

others medicate for pain.

The best way to stay sober this season

is to possibly come up with a new tradition

with your loved ones. Consider family

sledding at White Pass. The best part is that

it’s free.

There is another great family event on

February 27 and 28, which is also free. It is

the 24th Annual White Pass Winter Carnival.

This family-oriented event features a huge

snow castle, professional snow sculptors

from around the US and Canada, live

music, fireworks, a torchlight parade, a kids

carnival, and a snow sports competition.

Other ideas are watching movies at home

with hot chocolate and popcorn. There’s also

family scrap booking, and board games, or

go clam digging. Keeping busy with your

loved ones is imperative to helping you stay

sober. Your loved ones will cherish the time

spent with you.

Another way to stay sober is to find

a project you and your loved ones can

work on together. It can be a project like

finding someone in need and help them.

You can invite them to your Christmas

dinner, help them with cleaning, firewood,

groceries, or even something like cutting

them a Christmas tree, or making them a

Christmas basket with home made things in

it. Sometimes just going out of your way to

help others can, in turn, actually help you.

The decisions you make today control

your life tomorrow. Life really is about

choice and consequences.

Please be safe for the Holidays, May

God bless you! If you need help through this

holiday season to stay sober please contact:

Lorrie Bonifer 360-709-1717 or email

lbonifer@chehalistribe.org. My office has

been relocated to the Wellness Center.

WIC

Commodities

Women, Infants, and Children

Pick up at the Wellness Center

8 AM to 4 PM

January 7

February 4

March 4

WIC provides healthy foods and nutrition

information for you and your child up to

age 5. Fresh fruits and vegetables are part

of the WIC foods!

Contact Debbie Shortman at 360-709-1689

Friday, January 15

Friday, February 12

Tuesday, March 16

Pick up is available at the Community

Center between 10 AM to 4 PM

Contact Shirley or Bonita at

360-438-4216 or 360- 438-4235

for more information and

applications for commodities