In sacred rememberance…

Tribal Member Obituary: Marilyn Carlson (1935-2022)

Marilyn E. Carlson was born on May 7,1935 and died on May 20, 2022 at Ridgemont Terrace in Port Orchard.

Marilyn graduated from South Kitsap High School in 1952. She attended college and taught grade school for many years in this area. She also taught dance in the Bremerton and Port Orchard areas, most recently the adult tap class at Just for Kicks school of dance. She owned Sidney Dance Center in Port Orchard from the 1980’s to 1990’s. She loved her children’s combination classes the best.

Marilyn loved musicals and live theatre. She choregraphed the musicals Cinderella and Brigadoon at the former Bay Street Playhouse Community Theatre in Port Orchard.

She was a member of the Wizard of Oz club based on L. Frank Baum's Oz books. She loved attending the conventions dressing as various character, making her own costumes.

She was a member of the Duwamish Tribe and proud of her Native American heritage.

She was a member of Unity church of Bremerton.

Her smile and laugh will be missed.

There will be no services.

-Published in Kitsap Sun

“peaceful journey, friend”

Photos by Lupe Carlos.

Five years ago, the Seattle City Council voted unanimously to change the second Monday in October from Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day.

This decision to center the day on the millions of native peoples living in the Americas is the result of decades of indigenous-led protests, lobbying, and resistance in Seattle and beyond. The 2014 resolution was authored by Seattle-based activist Matt Remle (Hunkpapa Lakota), who emphasizes that “…[W]e as Native peoples are still here. Native communities continue to fight to protect the land, air, and waters. We continue to live instructions, traditional roles and responsibilities, which have been passed down from our origins as a peoples since the beginning of creation. We continue to sing our songs, relearn our languages and express ourselves through our dances, cultures, and humor. We continue to teach the world lessons on have to live and engage with one another ...”

Seattle, the largest city in the world named after an indigenous person, made a small but important step in acknowledging the indigenous past, present, and future of the city. However, the city continues to not recognize the Duwamish Tribe as the first people Seattle. Under the 1855 Treaty of Point Elliott, the Duwamish gave up the 54,000 acres of land and natural resources upon which the city was built, but they have never received the benefits due to them under the treaty. The face of Seattle, chief of the Duwamish and Suquamish, adorns the city seal, fountains, and manhole covers, but as Duwamish chairwoman Cecile Hansen notes “,…[T]he city is named after our chief. They honored him but they are not honoring his people today.” Without recognition or resources from the city, state, or federal government, the Duwamish Tribe, aided by community allies, have worked tirelessly to reclaim their history, celebrate their present, and build their future on their traditional lands.

In addition to being the fifth anniversary of Seattle officially celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day, 2019 marks the tenth anniversary of the construction of the Duwamish Longhouse. Empowered by funds raised from the community, in the 1990s the Duwamish Tribe purchased land in West Seattle near the archaeological site of a Duwamish village inhabited from 600 A.D. to the 1800s. Construction of the Duwamish Longhouse and Cultural Center completed in 2009, and the Longhouse continues the critical traditions of welcoming all visitors into its gathering space, housing Duwamish artifacts, and keeping the stories of the Duwamish tribe alive.

Thank you for supporting the Duwamish Tribe and Longhouse.

We raise our hands to you.

A letter from Duwamish Chairwoman Cecile Hansen

October 11, 2019

On behalf of the Duwamish Tribe, we sincerely thank you for joining us for the 2019 Duwamish Gala, Brunch and Art Auction here at Miners Landing on Pier 57. I would like to express a sincere thank you to Kyle Griffith, who was kind enough to partner with us for our annual event and host us at this wonderful location at Miners Landing. On a personal note, Kyle and I are both of Chinook ancestry, so our partnership is particularly meaningful to me and my family. This year, the Duwamish Longhouse & Cultural Center celebrates the tenth anniversary of its opening. As always, we are still honored by all who visit and further our mission of sharing our heritage. With your support, we have maintained a home to share the history of the Duwamish, who remain the indigenous people of the City of Seattle. We envision many more years of continued friendships and partnerships so that all residents of the city can call the Duwamish Longhouse their home as well. I hope your experience here at Miners Landing and our afternoon of wonderful food and beautiful native art will be a memorable one. We are coming full circle to reaffirm our rightful presence in downtown Seattle, and we are honored that you are joining us on this journey. We are once again forever grateful and in awe of the continued generous support for the Duwamish People. We extend a special thank you to the sponsors, donors, artists, community partners, volunteers, and friends. Most especially, we thank all the Real Renters who have provided ongoing support to the Longhouse for nearly two years. We raise our hands to all of you in sincere gratitude and friendship.

Most Sincerely,
Cecile Hansen, Chairperson

Photos by Lupe Carlos.

For more about the Duwamish Tribe and our annual gala, CLICK HERE to read the Washington Post coverage of the event. Seattle was named after a tribal chief. Now his descendants own less than an acre of city land.

Duwamish Hill Preserve

The Duwamish Hill Preserve is a 10.5 acre parcel of historical, cultural and ecological significance in Tukwila. Thanks to the actions of many partners including the Friends of the Hill, Forterra and the City of Tukwila, the property was purchased in 2004 and has been in active restoration ever since. The Duwamish Hill Preserve serves as an outdoor classroom, an active space for informal recreation, a culturally significant location for Puget Sound Salish people and an example of a successful partnership between community members and public and private partners.

Puget Sound Salish Cultural Garden

The Cultural Garden at the base of the hill features restored habitats with native plants important to the Puget Sound Salish people.  As the Garden becomes established, Preserve stewards intend to work with tribal and community partners to offer opportunities for sustainable harvesting of traditional foods and basket-making materials.

The cultural and natural history of the Preserve is presented through etched bench backs on the Hill and illustrated signs throughout the Cultural Garden created by local artist, Mette Hanson, in consultation with local tribe members. A focal point for the Garden is the “Journey Through the Seasonal Rounds” installation on the northwest side of Hill. This large granite etching highlights traditional uses of native plants by the Puget Sound Salish people and serves as a gathering place for classes and storytelling. A Duwamish basket design is featured at the center and encircles the piece.

For more information on local artist Mette Hanson, visit www.mettehanson.com
For more information on the Duwamish Hill Preserve and the cultural garden, visit www.DuwamishHill.org

The Duwamish Tribe at ANnual Northwest Folklife Festival

The Duwamish Tribe was invited to host the Circle of Indigenous Peoples Celebration at the 48th annual Northwest Folklife Festival in May 2019. We are honored to have hosted Indigenous peoples from all over the United States and share our history with the people of Seattle. Our raven canoe was on display at the festival and our chairwoman Cecile Hansen gave the opening welcome to the entire festival with Folklife Artistic Director Kelli Faryar. We are excited to continue our work with Northwest Folklife for years to come.

For more information on Northwest Folklife, visit www.nwfolklife.org.

Above images from the opening ceremonies of the Floralies Internationales in Nantes.

Visitors from Bulgan Province of Mongolia

The Story of the Duwamish
Told in Nicaragua

We are very honored to accept these three photos taken by Paul S. Henriksen, Director of Camp Nor'wester in Nicaragua at the childrens’ learning center in Managua. It is a very touching tribute to the wisdom of Chief Seattle that his words are reflected and known in many other cultures and places all over the world. These hand painted signs were made by an unknown student or artist and were seen at the learning center.

The signs read as follows:

I: “In the state of Washington, in the Northwest US, is a country (or nation) of the Duwamish.  It is a group that-like all the Indians- was considered a part of Nature.  They respected and venerated her and for many generations lived in harmony wit her.

 II : a quote “The rocky heights, the smooth meadows, the ardent body of the colt and man, they all belong to the same family”  Chief Seattle. Jeff means Chief or leader.

 III :  “My words are like the stars, they are never extinguished” the great Leader Seattle said.  His town has not survived, his words were not listened to.  Are we listening now?  Will we survive?