Page 2 - Chehalis Tribal Newsletter - April, 2019

2

LUNCHEON The Elders
Luncheon
From page 1 serves as an
opportunity
person present.”
Clark said the blanket she received made her to meet
feel special. She said she has Chehalis blood, new friends.
which makes the event even more significant. Elders from
Clark came from the neighboring Cowlitz Tribe, various
whereas others traveled much further. tribes posed
Robert Jimmy from the Nooksack Tribe for photos
near the U.S./Canada border said the group he together.
traveled with all enjoyed
the event. This was the
‘It’s all Native first time Jimmy visited
American love.’ the Chehalis Tribe. He said
that when he heard about
– ROBERT JIMMY, the luncheon, he thought
NOOKSACK TRIBE it was for Chehalis First
Nations People of British
Columbia, Canada.
“My dad was from Chehalis so I wanted to
go, but he was from Chehalis B.C.,” Jimmy said
with a big smile on his face. “I didn’t know there
was a Chehalis, Washington.”
Although it was his first visit, he felt instantly
welcome. One aspect of the Chehalis Tribe that
stood out to Jimmy is how family orientated
and spiritually connected the community is.
He noticed the amount of volunteers and
level of coordination it took to put on such
a massive event. Jimmy recognized how
the Chehalis Tribe pulled together to make Chehalis tribal members share laughs at the first Elders Dance.
it successful. He said that he could tell by
the amount of people volunteering that the
Chehalis are welcoming people who would
accommodate natives from other tribes.
“It’s all Native American love,” Jimmy said.

Ray Bob performs in front of a packed audience. Bob was The grand prize raffle winner
enthused to play for such a large group of Native Americans. nabbed VIP Mariners packages.

Hundreds of raffle prizes were given out. Chehalis
Elder Cindy Andy shows off what she won.

T.J. Trott was one of the many volunteers who
helped make the event successful. Elders dish up a delicious meal featuring prime rib, salmon and an array of desserts.