Page 3 - August 2011

From Out of the Ashes Arises Hope Staff Profles: Chehalis Tribal Housing 3 and a New Home for Tribal Elders Executive Director and Finance/Offcer Manager Hello, my name is James agencies to ensure that we Gutierrez. I am the Executive are fully supporting our Elders Donna Director of the Chehalis clients. and Ellery Tribal Housing Authority. I I grew-up in the Choke moved have work for the Housing Tumwater area and attended into their Authority since the end of college at the University of brand new April. Washington. My wife and I 1,700 square I have worked in moved to a little farm in the foot energy housing as an employee of Lincoln Creek area about efficient the Housing Authority of eight years ago. We have two home after Thurston County, real estate Executive Director sons. I feel like I am blessed their old agent, and private consultant James Gutierrez to do the work that I love so one was for about twelve years. My close to my home. destroyed in work has been with all aspects of housing I am looking forward to working with an accidental from helping homeless families fnd a home Chehalis Tribe members, the Chehalis Tribe, fire. Pictured to developing multi-family housing projects. and community to meet the housing needs (L-R) are I especially enjoy working with frst time of Tribe members. If you ever have any Ellery Choke home buyers. A safe and stable home is vital questions about our agency, programs, or Sr., Anthony for a household to grow and meet their full housing in general, please feel free to stop Medina potential. I also believe that in order for in anytime. I look forward to meeting you holding their our housing programs to have their greatest soon. dog Snow impact, we need to work with our partner Ball, and Donna Choke. Hello, my name is Sharon Resources, serving many of Halleck. I began working those years as an accounting By Fred Shortman, Editor as the Finance/Offce unit supervisor. My husband It was a cold and wintery morning on fortunate that the safety design for the large Manager for the Chehalis Joe also retired from state February 5 that was devastating for the propane tank worked, or the damage could Tribal Housing Authority government as a forester. We Choke family, when an accidental fre have been a lot worse.” on May 10, 2011. I quickly now chuckle when referring destroyed their home. From the ashes of this realized how fortunate I am to our so-called “retirement” disaster came a rebirth of a new home. All of Thanks Everyone! to be working with Dolly where we both still work full this happened through community support Thanks you so much to my brother Canales as she is a mountain time. We do occasionally through gifts and resources. The new house of knowledge and enjoy our obsessions built by Adair Homes is a brand new 1,700 David DuPuis for all his help and energy. shares the history of the Sharon Halleck like boating, cooking, To our housing employees Dolly Canales square foot energy effcient home, one of the Housing Authority and Finance/Office Manager and traveling. We have frst on the reservation. Five months later, and Lisa for their assistance in arranging the tribal community. two grown sons who are they happily moved back into their brand emergency and temporary housing while James Gutierrez, the new a wonderful blessing new home on July 10. we were displaced; the Red Cross for Executive Director for CTHA, has also been and keep us continually looking forward to Donna Choke had lived for 30 plus years all their funding for emergency housing very helpful in assisting with my transition what’s going on in their lives. in her HUD built home. She still carried placement; the Chehalis tribal community into housing. He has a vast knowledge With my background in governmental insurance on it even though it had been paid for their donations and fundraisers to help of housing, real estate, and property accounting it is actually very exciting giving off in the mid 2000’s. She said, “Everyone us through this trying time. Also to the management. The staff has been great to get me the opportunity to learn about HUD should carry home insurance, because you other reservations who provided emergency to know within the Housing Authority and (Housing and Urban Development) and the never know what can happen. Fortunately funding: Chehalis, Skokomish, Nisqually throughout the operations of the Chehalis activities the Housing Authority manages everyone was able to get out safely, but we Tribes and the Warm Springs Reservation. Tribe. under their programs. I look forward to the did lose some animals and sentimental stuff. Also thank you so much to anyone I might To let you know a little about myself, I coming months as I continue to learn the If you use propane to ensure that it is located have forgotten to mention. You are in our retired from state government as a Financial roles each of us play in providing housing over 25 feet from the home. We were very heart and prayers! Analyst for the Department of Natural services to the Chehalis tribal community. MADRONNA HARRIS INTERVIEW OF TRIBAL ELDER: Nina Bumgarner, Part 2 Submitted by Elaine McCloud, Heritage Coordinator These excerpts are taken from to do with what was is in his mouth. He was thanked them for saving his son’s life. knew this in the old days. All power comes interviews with Tribal Elder, Nina given a basin to spit in. He did that three The Humptulips people were called from the earth; it is the hand of God that Baumgarner by Madronna Harris. Nina times. The boy’s throat was going down “owls”. There is a story about them. In the made it. said her father was Chehalis and her and the basin was getting full. The fourth old days; they were once having a hard The frst white they ever saw had red hair mother was Chinook. We have taken the time he drew out the bone and showed it. It time. The winter they were alright. They and it scared the Indians. It was a Scotsman. liberty of taking only portions of her was about 1-1 ½ inches long. It was lodged had plenty of food put up, but the spring He had red bushy hair, sticking straight up crossways in the boy’s throat. The boy’s was really bad. So one day they said, “All interview and other editorial privileges. throat was cured and the basin was flled. the able men, everyone that could hold a like a fre and red hair all over his arms and legs. The girl who frst saw him shouted “Is The transcript in its entirety is located The father took a rife off the wall and paid harpoon should put into canoes and go out to it a skookum?” at the Heritage Offce. the doctor with it. All doctors in those days sea to look for food. So they all went, every Nina told of how clams were dried on got pay for their service, just like doctors man in the village, to try to fnd food. They stakes of salmon berry wood. It was the job Nina talked of how Indians know many today. The tamanous the Indian doctor used all went in their canoes out to the ocean. of the children to sharpen and arrange the things that the whites would never believe… was mosquito; his hand was like a snout to Then a grandmother began crying and stakes. The clams were wound through the say they’re crazy or something. She told draw the poison out. A mosquito, it gets big, sobbing “I’ll never see my grandson again.” stakes twice at special points so the heat of how her, must have been older brother, swells up, from the blood it sucks. The song It was true; they were lost at sea, all of would reach all the sections of the clam was cured before the time of the Shakers, of the Indian doctor was a high pitched, them. They never saw them again. (They are evenly. Nina said you would especially before regular doctors. As a boy, he got a humming, and buzzing like a mosquito. owls…all the men of the village.) Just the like chowder they used to make with dried bone caught in his throat. I would not come She told of a time when a woodpecker women and children were left. Still people clams. An Indian bread was made from four. out. Someone told his mother to give him came to her window and pecked at it. First out in boats are superstitious of white owls. The dough spread out about 2 inches thick bread; it would help it go down. She did they heard the knocking, just like someone Think it’s some of these men, when they the size of pizza then buried in the hot sand give him bread, didn’t really believe it. It at the door. Then they discovered it was fnd white owls out at sea. Still sometime to bake. When it baked, it would be very was sort of against her will, but she was the woodpecker. “Woodpeckers don’t do you can hear the crying and wailing for clean; no sand would cling to it at all. willing to try it. Nothing happened, the bone that” so Nina knew something was wrong. these men. The women’s cries are still alive. Nina’s grandfather was a treaty was still stuck. Next day, the boy’s throat It was some kind of warning. So she and So it’s natural for people to have hard time. participant in the 1851 treaty proceedings. was swollen way out in front of him; the her friends went to the altar at the front of It happens sometimes and we all have to go He was called a “belligerent chief” because bone was still stuck. They called for the her house and they both prayed. Two days through it. he would not stand to shake Governor Indian doctor…Tom Gugle (not sure of the later they found the body of a friend of Nina said there were a lot of stick Indians Steven’s hand when he came by, but made spelling). He came with his hair braided theirs had been shot with a 30/30 (a real around the Humptulips area. Her daughter the governor stoop over to reach him. back, his face painted and his drum. He elephant gun)! It missed the central artery in can still hear them sometimes. Once a group “You went to school many years”, he told began dancing and drumming. Then singing his leg by a quarter of an inch and it would of white teenagers were so afraid that they him, “To become a governor. I was born a high pitched song, singing, singing, - it was have killed him very quickly if it had hit asked their Indian friends to see them home. chief.” He said he did not believe Governor very high pitched. Then he danced over to that artery. But they got him to the hospital She found that humorous. They weren’t Stevens’ words. “Soon they would be free the boy and put his two closed fsts, one on very fast and operated and he was all right, satisfed until every lamp in their house was to get their food” Governor Stevens said top of the other, like a funnel, between the though he still wears a cast on his leg. She lit. “It was like a church”. “As long as the sun rises…” But it was her boy’s throat and his own mouth. He began told the boy’s father how they prayed when Nina was impressed with a biblical quote grandfather’s words that came true. to suck, his mouth was full. He asked what the woodpecker came to the window and he “My help is from the hills”. The Indians Native American Women and The Basics of Archives- 3 Annual Diabetes Northwest Native American rd Girl’s Health Conference Indian Country Awareness Walk Basketweavers Association Native Women’s Wellness Thursday, August 25 Sponsored by the Diabetes Prevention Program 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM Program 17th Gathering of Traditional Weavings From the Past-To the Present-For the Wednesday, August 31 Chehalis Tribal Community Saturday, September 17 Future at the Chehalis Tribal Community Center’s “Gathering Room” from 2:00 to 6:00 PM Center Gathering Room at the Shoalwater Bay Tribe September 30-October 2 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM. A free one-day workshop for those who work Suquamish “House of Awakening with tribal historical records, but may not be A Morning Snack and Lunch will be served. We trained archivists. Events will include a community walk, Culture” Community House are encouraging all women from Teens to elders to Space is limited and pre-registration is volleyball tournament, making medicine bags attend. We are also looking for any Cervical Cancer required! Please contact Midori Okazaki and rattles. Join us for Food, Raffes and Fun. For more information go to the offcial Survivors. If you would like more information (midori.okazaki@sos.wa.gov or 425-564- Registration is from 1:30 to 2:30 PM. regarding this event please contact: Christina Hicks 3947) to sign up for the class or for further NNABA website or contact 206-962-7248 at 360-273-5504 ext. 1741 or email: chicks@ information, or Christina Hicks at 360-709- For more information contact Lynn or email info.nnaba@yahoo.com chehalistribe.org. Watch for fyers to go out soon. 1741 (chicks@chehalistribe.org) Hoheisel at 360-709-1744.