NEWS GLEAMS | WA State Attorney General Forms Tribal Advisory Committee; T'Challaween Returns on Oct. 28
A roundup of news and announcements we don't want to get lost in the fast-churning news cycle!
by Vee Hua 華婷婷
Washington State Attorney General Forms Truth & Reconciliation Tribal Advisory Committee
Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson has formed a Truth & Reconciliation Tribal Advisory Committee, which will help address past and ongoing harms caused by the state's history of Indian boarding schools. Representatives include members of tribal nations around the state, including the Yakama Nation, the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana, the Quinault Indian Nation, Tlingit and Cowichan First Nations, and the Lummi Nation.
Washington State is home to 29 of the 574 federally recognized tribes as well as other federally unrecognized tribes, including the Duwamish and Chinook. The state had 17 of the nation's 500 boarding schools. Though none were located within Seattle city limits, the closest were St. Joseph's Boarding School in Federal Way, Cushman Indian School in Tacoma, and others near Olympia and Everett.
Starting in January 2024, the commission will hold listening sessions around the state, and the action connects with a national movement to uncover such trends, first sparked in May 2022 by the federal Bureau of Indigenous Affairs (BIA), which is housed under the Department of the Interior. The department had released an investigative report that detailed more than 400 boarding schools across 37 states, which operated between 1819 and 1969, often by Christian or Catholic entities.
A press release from Washington State's Office of the Attorney General noted that "the committee will submit a report in 2025 that, among other goals, delivers recommendations on how the state can address the harm done by Indian boarding schools and other cultural and linguistic termination practices through a truth and reconciliation model."
Harmful tactics employed by the schools against Native children included discouraging use of their Indigenous languages, banning of their cultural and spiritual practices, renaming them with English names, forcibly cutting their hair despite the cultural significance of long hair, a number of harsh corporal punishment techniques, and forced manual labor. A number of Indigenous students also died and were often buried in poorly marked or unmarked graves on or near school grounds, far from their homelands. The numbers within United States boarding schools are not yet fully known, but in research of Canada's parallel system of 139 residential schools, thousands of previously undisclosed Indigenous students have been found.
T'Challaween Returns on Oct. 28; Join as a Volunteer!
The South Seattle Emerald invites participants of all ages to participate in T'Challaween, a lively 1-mile costume parade that takes place from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 28, along Beacon Hill's 18th Avenue South Healthy Street. An event for all ages, the parade promises fun and excitement, featuring "no-touch" candy tossers along the route. Additionally, dedicated event staff will be on hand to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for all attendees.
The route spans from South College Street to the Spokane Street entrance to Jefferson Park, and individuals can join the parade at any point along the way. In addition to booths set up by the Emerald, other community members will also participate by giving out candy from their homes.
For those unable to join in person, the event will be livestreamed, offering a virtual experience of the festivities. Emerald photographers will also capture the magic of T'Challaween, preserving the memories for years to come.
In adherence to safety measures, all participants are encouraged to mask up and practice social distancing to protect themselves and others, especially the vulnerable members of our community.
Volunteers Are Needed!
T'Challaween's success hinges on the support of our community. We are seeking over 60 dedicated volunteers to help make this event a memorable and impactful experience. Please fill out our Google Form to sign up and be part of this incredible celebration!
Learn more about this year's T'Challaween event on South Seattle Emerald, RSVP on Facebook, or contact us at Emerald@SeattleEmerald.org.
ArtsWA is Open for COVID Impacts Recovery Fund Through Nov. 1
Through Nov. 1, ArtsWA will be accepting applications for the COVID Impacts Recovery Grant, which offers up to $5,000 for nonprofit and for-profit businesses with a focus on arts, heritage, or science. All are encouraged to apply, but special consideration will be given to businesses that have previously not applied for Commerce of ArtsWA programs, those that are owned by members of historically disadvantaged or underserved populations, small businesses with gross revenues of less than $50,000, and those located in counties that are identified by the state as distressed areas.
The grant is provided by ArtsWA in collaboration with the Washington State Legislature, Washington State Department of Commerce, and the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
Learn more about eligibility and application requirements on the ArtsWA website.
Vee Hua 華婷婷 (they/them) is a writer, filmmaker, and organizer with semi-nomadic tendencies. Much of their work unifies their metaphysical interests with their belief that art can positively transform the self and society. They are the editor-in-chief of REDEFINE, a long-time member of the Seattle Arts Commission, and a film educator at the interdisciplinary community hub, Northwest Film Forum, where they previously served as executive director and played a key role in making the space more welcoming and accessible for diverse audiences. After a recent stint as the interim managing editor at South Seattle Emerald, they are moving into production on their feature film, Reckless Spirits, which is a metaphysical, multilingual POC buddy comedy. They have a master's in Tribal Resource and Environmental Stewardship under the American Indian Studies Department at the University of Minnesota, Duluth.
📸 Featured Image: Native American girls in a sewing class at the Cushman Indian School in Tacoma in June 1918. One of the harmful tactics employed by Indian boarding schools was forced manual labor. During WWI, the Red Cross entered into a partnership with schools to produce needed good for war-torn countries. The girls photographed were likely sewing for the Red Cross. (Photo: Marvin D. Boland, Northwest Room at The Tacoma Public Library, BOLAND-B1187)
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