Volume 8, November 29, 2012 for the WSL Updates mailing list

Topics include:

1) FIRST TUESDAYS – WASHINGTON RURAL HERITAGE DIGITAL COLLECTIONS

2) WANTED – BRANCH LIBRARIAN

3) PUBLIC INPUT NEEDED ON EARLY LEARNING

4) PLA SEEKING FEEDBACK ON DIGITAL LEARNING CENTER

5) FREE WORKSHOP – FUNDING PRESERVATION PROJECTS

6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK

Read the rest of this entry »

Not long ago when I visited Judith Moses, the tribal librarian for the Colville Confederated tribes, she shared with me, a great way that she had come up with to promote foods which were the staples of the tribes before the white man arrived.  Judith produces a calendar which contains pictures of the food and recipes as to how to prepare them.

This calendar wasn’t cheap to produce so Judith reached out to the WSU extension service.  They were happy to partner with her tribe to promote healthy eating.  Judith not only found the 12 recipes, she staged and shot the mouth watering photos of each month’s food.  It doesn’t hurt that Judith has a background in art.  Kudos to Judith for a great idea and its superb execution.

Washington State Library continues to celebrate Native American Heritage month by focusing on the history of Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce.

The Nimi’ipuu (meaning “The Real People”) founded their villages in a 17 million acre swath of land that extended from the Bitteroot to the Blue mountains, especially along the banks of the Clearwater, Salmon, and Snake River drainages.  Their language is a part of the Sahaptian sub division of the Penutian linguistic family found  in the Western Plateau of North America. They had a wealth of resources in their mountainous home region but often migrated outside of ancestral lands to gather and hunt during certain seasonal cycles.

The Nimi’ipuu were dubbed Nez Perce (“pierced nose”) by French Candaian Fur Traders in the late 18th Century.  The Nez Perce witnessed the explosion of European settlement that occurred in the very brief half century since their interactions with traders and explorers such as Lewis and Clark.  With the Nez Perce Treaty of June 11, 1855, a portion of the Nez Perce leadership gathered at the Walla Walla Council signed away roughly 9.5 million acres of traditional lands (the treaty was ratified by the federal government March 8th and proclaimed on April 29th 1959), that relegated the tribes to the remaining 7.5 million acre reservation that spanned portions of the Idaho, Oregon and Washington Territories.

When gold was discovered in the region now known as Lewiston, ID, in 1860, the United States failed to maintain the terms of the treaty, leading to an influx of white settlers into Nez Perce Treaty lands.  Three years later, a splinter group of the Nez Perce leadership signed away all but 75,000 acres of their ancestral lands.  A large portion of the Nez Perce did not accept the validity of the treaty and refused to relocate to the acreage, located in Idaho, that was set aside.  These non-treaty Indians included Chief Joseph, who stayed near his ancestral lands in Oregon’s Wallowa Valley.  Tensions and violence between non-treaty Nez Perce and European settlers arose from the refusal of treaty demands for relocation.  In June of 1877 Chief Joseph and other non-treaty leaders agreed to relocate to Fort Lapwai, ID, but a group of tribal members, outraged at past wrongs, attacked Idaho settlers in the Camas Prairie region.  When Joseph arrived to the encampment and saw the devestation, he understood it as a declaration of war, realized an appeal for peace was futile, and began a fighting retreat across Idaho, Wyoming and Montana that ultimately deposited the fighting Nez Perce in Bear’s Paw Mountains of Montana, a short distance from the Canadian border.

On September 30, 1877, the United States Army’s Seventh Calvary, led by Gen, Nelson A. Miles, intercepted Joseph and the Nez Perce at Snake Creek in a surprise attack.  The two forces fiercely fought throughout the three day stand-off until General Oliver Howard and his soldiers arrived, throwing the balance of forces off.  On October 5, 1877 Chief Joseph surrendered, and in doing so, delivered a speech that, through interpretation by C.E.S. Wood, immortalized him.  Instead of being sent to the Idaho reservation as promised by Gen. Miles, the non-treaty Nez Perce were sent to Fort Buford, KS under orders from commanding Army General William Tecumseh Sherman.  Later they were transferred to live in a swampy section of Fort Leavenworth, KS and many tribe members contracted and perished from malaria.  In 1879 Chief Joseph petitioned the President Rutherford B. Hayes and the Congress for relocation to Idaho or Indian Territory in present day Oklahoma.  Due to rejection by Idahoans the band moved to Tonkawa, OK, where they remained until 1885 when they finally returned to the Pacific Northwest to join the Colville Reservation in Washington Territory.  It is in the Collville lands that Chief Joseph passed away September 21, 1904.

The story of Chief Joseph : from where the sun now stands / by Bruce A. Wilson. Okanogan, WA : Okanogan County Historical Society, [2006], c1960. R OVERSIZ 979.5004 WILSON 2006. In Library use only.

Not long ago as the WSL tribal library consultant I facilitated the annual meeting of the Washington State tribal librarians.  One of the topics up for discussion was the native foods.  The tribes are making a concerted effort to reintroduce them into tribal members diets both as a way to preserve tribal culture and to promote healthy eating habits.

Tracy Hosselkuss, Lower Elwha tribe, talked about Ozette potatoes.  She said lots of folks in her area were growing this fingerling potatoes which  have a distinctive nutty taste.  Tracy said they are wonderful roasted in a fire pit which is the traditional way of preparing them.

As potatoes always play a starring role in my family’s Thanksgiving dinner I  asked Tracey to share some information about this food which the Makahs preserved and have been enjoying for 200 years.

It turns out that Jesuit Missionaries came up to the Olympic peninsula from Peru in the late 1700’s.  They brought the potatoes with them.  One rainy winter in the rain forest was enough for the missionaries and they left when their ship returned.  The potatoes remained and the Makahs just kept planting–and eating them.  WSU got interested in the the origin of the potatoes and ran some tests to verify the oral history of this breed.  Sure enough genetic tests revealed that the potato was indeed from Peru.

I have included links to recipes and to a place where you could order and grow these Northwest delicacies.

Weiser Family Farms

Recipe Ideas

Pan-fried Ozette Potatoes

Beef Tenderloin with Mushroom Brandy Cream Sauce & Roasted Truffled Fingerling Potatoes

Roast Chicken with red Fingerling Potatoes and Yellow Carrots

From the desk of Sean Lanksbury. PNW & Special Collections Librarian

Washington State Library Pacific Northwest and Special Collections compiled a selection of resources on the language, culture and intercultural connections of the first peoples of the Pacific Northwest, as part of the Washington State Heritage Center’s exhibit “We’re Still Here: The Survival of Washington Indians.”  In honor of the federally recognized Native American Heritage Month 2012, the State Library is highlighting this list in hopes that it will stoke your interest in the diversity of native peoples hailing from the State of Washington.

“We’re Still Here” is display at the lobby of the Office of the Secretary of State, inside the Washington State Legislative Building, until April of 2013.  Supported and vetted by many Washington Indians, this exhibit displays colorful artifacts to tell compelling and personal stories. Artifacts include rare baskets, tools, feather hats, ceremonial colorful clothing and drums.

View/Download the resource list: Washington State Library, First Peoples of Washington State: Selected Resources*

Read more on the exhibit: We’re Still Here: The Survival of Washington Indians

* The resource list has been published using Adobe’s Portable Document Format (PDF); you will need the free Adobe reader in order to read it, available for download at get.adobe.com/reader.

From the desk of Rand Simmons

President Obama proclaimed November 2012 National Native American Heritage Month and November 23, 2012 Native American Heritage Day http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/11/01/presidential-proclamation-national-native-american-heritage-month-2012. Native American Heritage Month celebrates and honors American Indians and Alaska Natives, their history, identity, struggles, triumphs, and leadership.

This month the Washington State Library and the Washington Secretary of State’s Heritage Center and Legacy Project will discuss our relationship with the tribes of the Pacific Northwest through posts to our blog, our Facebook Page, and to our Twitter account. We will talk about programs, collections, and services. Our friends will not be surprised to see the depth of our resources relating to the tribes – some from a biased viewpoint – but may be surprised to learn how we serve our tribal constituents.

A good way to begin is to visit our Heritage Center.  The Heritage Center and Legacy Project collaborated on an exhibit currently displayed in the lobby of the Office of the Secretary of State, Legislative Building, Olympia. We’re Still Here discusses the survival of Washington Indians. The exhibit runs through April 2013.

Acknowledging the early and continuing story of the Washington tribes, the exhibit has four major themes: relationship with earth and struggle over land; assimilation practices and conflict over Native identity; treaty fishing rights; and cultural revival. The exhibit includes rare baskets, tools, feather hats, ceremonial colorful clothing and drums. Its stories are compelling and personal.

You can view the images from the exhibit opening at http://www.sos.wa.gov/heritage/gallery.aspx?l=werestillhere.

For those of you who cannot visit the exhibit in Olympia take a virtual visit at http://www.sos.wa.gov/heritage/werestillhere/.

The Legacy Project released Where the Salmon Run, A biography of Billy Frank Jr. by Trova Heffernan in June 2012. To learn more about the book and Billy Frank Jr. visit http://www.sos.wa.gov/legacyproject/oralhistories/billyfrankjr/.

To learn more about the Heritage Center go to http://www.sos.wa.gov/heritage/Default.aspx or contact them at [email protected]. More about the Legacy Project is at http://www.sos.wa.gov/heritage/LegacyProject/default.aspx.

I will do my best to keep you informed and point you to new information. Rand Simmons, Acting State Librarian.

Pauline Stearns Early Learning Center

Recently I visited the Spokane Indian reservation at Wellpinit, Washington, to conduct training on math and science readiness for the tribe’s early childhood center staff.

The Pauline Stearns Early Learning Center is only a year or so old.  In addition to providing a bright spacious up to date and modern learning center for their children with the latest equipment, the tribe did some other things which impressed me as well.

Mindy Flett, the Child Development manager for the tribe, related that the tribe had used the construction of the Early Learning facility to give individuals who wished to have training in the construction trades experience.  Individuals apprenticed under experienced workers.

One of the “experts” stood out.  He was bas relief artist.  Consequently, the building is rich with art that reflects the children’s heritage and natural surroundings.

The tribe also decided to take advantage of the area’s bountiful sunlight. An entire array of photoelectric cells stands next to the Stearns Center parking lot to power the building.

Photos of the Pauline Stearns Early Learning Cener, the bas relief art and the photoelectric cells are below.

Solar power for the daycare center.

Elk Herd Bas Relief

Moose Bas Relief

Eagle Bas Relief

Forest Bas Relief

Bear Paw Bas Relief

Bear Family Bas Relief

The first sight that greeted Diane Hutchins and me as we parked in the Hibulb Cultural Center lot on the Tulalip Indian reservation was a gorgeous garden.  The individual responsible for the garden, Veronica Leahy, happened to be working on site. Before we entered the Cultural Center for our visit, we chatted with her. Veronica said that this is a collaborative program which has involved the WSU master gardeners and a local community college in addition to the classes she leads.

Besides learning about gardening, classes of thirty or more tribal members have also learned how to cook the abundant produce that results.  The goal of the program is to promote healthy activities to improve tribal health.  The loveliness of the garden itself is a great by product.  Here are more pictures of the garden.

When I set out to visit the Hibulb Cultural Center recently I had no idea that one of the results would be zucchini cake, zucchini bread and zucchini bars.  That one zucchini I’m holding in the photo produced 10 cups of raw material.  Just as the Tulalip tribe is using this garden as a way to have families work together and learn to cook healthy food together, the zucchini served as a vehicle to put me in touch with my family.  My mother comes from a Langford, South Dakota.  The cookbook I used to find the zucchini recipes resulted as a centennial (1889 to 1989) project of Lutheran church that my mother’s family has attended for several generations.  Flipping through the pages familiar names floated past along with remembrances of whose recipes could be trusted and whose could not! The zucchini resulted in family memories sprouting once more.

Looking for a change of scene? Trying to find a place that the whole family can enjoy? Visit the Tulalip Tribes’ Hibulb [pronounced “Hee-Bolb”] Cultural Center & Natural History Preserve in Tulalip.

On Wednesday, August 9, my colleague, Carolyn Petersen, and I had the pleasure of meeting staff from the Hibulb Cultural Center & Natural History Preserve and being treated to a behind-the-scenes tour of their curation facility, which is responsible for managing historic Tribal artifacts and burials that are discovered throughout Puget Sound. We also were introduced to the Center Director, Hank Gobin, who has stated in the online publication Tulalip Tribes: Cultural History Powers Today’s Progress, “We are looking to become a resource for government and the private sector, to promote proper archeological surveys and analysis before construction and to assist in properly managing discoveries to minimize the costly and disrespectful incidents that have occurred in recent years.” This is reflected in the state-of-the-art curation facility where artifacts are lovingly treated to bring the past back to life and a museum where visitors can be informed by the past. There is also a natural history preserve where anyone can be inspired and reconnect with nature.

The Center is celebrating its first anniversary next weekend, and is offering a variety of programs and events, with something for everyone. Admission will be free during this special weekend. Events will include:

Saturday, August 18:

• 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. – Beading demonstration by Richard Muir, Jr.;
• 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. – Organic vegetable gardening, gardening with families, and cooking with television personality, Cisco Morris;
• 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. – Pacific Northwest Drawing workshop with Steve Madison;
• 4:00 – 5:30 p.m. – Movie screening of “Smoke Signals” with Tracy Rector.

Sunday, August 19:

• 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. – Lecture and book signing by Billy Frank, Jr., Nisqually tribal activist and subject of the latest publication from the Legacy Project of the Office of the Secretary of State, Where the Salmon Run: The Life and Legacy of Billy Frank Jr., by Trova Heffernan. Note: Copies of this book are for sale in the Hibulb Cultural Center’s gift shop;
• 1:00 – 1:30 p.m. – Storytelling by Kelly Moses and Ray Moses;
• 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. – Chainsaw carving by Cy Williams and Tim Williams;
• 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. – Coast Salish painting by James Madison;
• 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. – Play by Red Eagle Soaring Youth Theatre.

It is so easy to forget how connected we all are to our natural environment, how it nourishes our bodies, spirits, and minds. Remember and reconnect by visiting the Hibulb Cultural Center & Natural History Preserve.

Where: 6410 23^rd Avenue NE, Tulalip, WA
Hours: Tuesday – Friday, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.; Saturday – Sunday, 12:00 – 5:00 p.m.; closed Mondays
Anniversary Celebration Weekend Hours: Friday, August 17 – Sunday, August 19, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.;
First Thursday of every month: Free – and open until 8:00 p.m.!
Free guided tours are available every Wednesday from 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.

For additional information, call 360.716.2600, e-mail [email protected], or visit HibulbCulturalCenter.org.