Sharing the Wealth Across Generations and Cultures

Sharing the Wealth Across Generations and Cultures

Where the mouth of the Lower Elwha River spills into the Strait of Juan de Fuca along the Olympic Peninsula's north coast, the Lower Elwha Klallam people have made their home for centuries. At the time of local Anglo-European settlement in the mid-19th century, 25 Klallam villages stretched along the shores of the Strait's inland waters. Today, with an enrollment of 776 members, the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe is one of three remaining Klallam communities in Washington State; one Klallam band remains in Canada.

In their language, the Klallam are "the Strong People." Tribal member Rachel Hagaman comments, "We've been known to take on big issues. Between the tribal staff and community members, our society can be really strong when it needs to be and move forward." The Elwha Restoration Project, the cleanup of toxic waste from the former Rayonier Mill Site, and protection of cultural resources at the Tse-whit-zen (chuh-WHEET-sin) village site are recent examples of Elwha sovereignty and stewardship of their homeland. Drawing upon this community spirit, a dedicated corps of citizens participated in Horizons, a community leadership development program sponsored by the Northwest Area Foundation. The group worked together to hone leadership skills and strategies for addressing community needs, and to provide all citizens with opportunities for well-being.

The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe is governed by a General Council and a Tribal Council of five elected tribal members who determine policy and make decisions about community affairs. Tribal leaders encourage community members to develop grassroots leadership by recognizing their own abilities and talents, and by cultivating new tools of communication and collaboration. Recognizing youth as one of the community's most valuable assets, tribal leaders opened the Horizons program activities to Elwha students. Eager for a voice, several young people embraced the opportunity to work side by side with their elders to build a positive and vibrant community.

One outcome of the Horizons program has been the enhancement of summer programs that promote cultural knowledge and professional training among youth. Modeling the cooperative approach that has been a Horizons program legacy, the tribal Human Resources and Juvenile Corrections departments and the Recreation and Education programs have teamed up to offer a strengthened summer employment program for 14 to 18 year-olds. The program begins with a weeklong orientation that includes preparation for job interviewing, as well as training in such practical skills as CPR, first aid and acquiring a food handler's permit. Ultimately, the goal is to inspire young people to see themselves as valuable and employable.

Developing a positive vision for the future is the motivation behind the annual college tour program, which takes Elwha high school students to visit a variety of educational settings around Washington state, including an art college, technical college, community college, four-year university and a private school. As the first in her family to graduate from a four-year college, tribal member Lola Moses experienced firsthand the culture shock of leaving home, and recognized the need to familiarize young people with the diverse opportunities available to them beyond the reservation. The tour also acquaints Elwha youth with Native American students, professors and other professionals who can serve as role models. An added benefit of the college tour program is parents' participation in the college tour. When they see students their own age on the campuses they visit, some come away inspired to further their own education by attending college.

As the tribe's Court Director, Enrollment Officer and Juvenile Probation Officer, Lola advises the young people with whom she works, "'You can do what I did and come back and work for your tribe. Or, you can go out and represent us in different areas.' I'm trying to open their minds to think, 'I am college material. I can graduate and have choices.' Our youth are our future. We need to start with our young people to strengthen their values and give them positive reinforcement and different ways to grow and change as people. If we offer more positive programs for our kids, it will strengthen our whole tribe."

Equally important as a formal education is the knowledge that community elders are eager to share. Toward the end of the twentieth century, the devastating impact of mainstream culture and the detrimental effects of forced attendance at boarding schools contributed to a dwindling grasp of Klallam language and traditional practices among tribal members. Indeed, many feel that Lower Elwha Klallam culture was almost lost.

Since 1989, the re-emergence of the inter-tribal canoe journey has generated a cultural revitalization at Lower Elwha Klallam and among other Washington and Canadian Native communities. Every summer, a different community hosts the canoe paddle. Participants travel by canoe toward the final destination, stopping en route to visit other tribes, who accommodate the travelers and then join the journey. At each stop and at the big celebration, people dance, sing, drum and share food. Since its inception, participation in the canoe paddle has grown from 16 to 60 canoes. All canoe paddle events are drug and alcohol free.

In 2005, the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe hosted Paddle to Elwha, which brought over 60 canoes from various tribes and 4,000 guests to the community for several days. This event coincided with the Horizons program and provided a prime opportunity to mobilize leadership training, as accommodating that many guests brought out all community members and 200 non-Indian volunteers from neighboring Port Angeles to lend a hand.

The event also highlighted the need for cultural programs for Elwha youth. During the festivities, each participating tribe is called upon to share its culture, starting with the group that has traveled the furthest and ending with the host tribe. Working with the youth through Horizons and other programs, Lola noticed, "When we had the canoe journey, there were kids who never took part in their culture. But when the culture was right there, they felt, 'Wow, I want to take part.'"

To prepare young people to participate in future canoe journeys and have a better grounding in their culture at home, Horizons participants have developed a Cultural Leadership program that consists of workshops in song and dance, sewing regalia to wear for dancing and ceremonial occasions, carving canoe paddles and making drums. The workshops are taught by community members, who also counsel young people in traditional ways of conducting themselves in the community and when visiting another tribe's shores. Lola explains, "We're hoping that we reach those kids who don't know their culture very well and pull them in. We want them to know that it's their culture, something to be proud about, something to know for your life, as a leader. It completes a person to know where they're from and who they are."

Today's Elwha cultural renaissance builds upon decades of grassroots work on the part of several generations of dedicated tribal members. Tribal Council member and elder Dennis "Sully" Sullivan remembers a time when he had to travel to neighboring tribal villages to experience traditional dance, drumming and singing. During the late 1960s and early 1970s a group of elders recognized the need to take action before Lower Elwha Klallam traditional culture completely disappeared. Through the efforts of Ed Sampson, Laverne Hepfer, Irene Charles, Nellie Sullivan, Anna Bennett and Josephine "Toni" Williams, and later Adeline Smith, Beatrice Charles and Walt Bennett, Elwha language and culture remain a bridge connecting tribal members to their deep cultural roots.

In addition to learning language at home and at community events, children can begin learning the Klallam language at the Tribe's child care (for ages one month and up) and Headstart programs, and can continue formal instruction in the Port Angeles School District, where many Elwha students attend school. Klallam language classes are available at the high school level, and curricula for elementary and middle school students are in development. In cooperation with the school district, Lower Elwha Klallam is the first tribe in Washington State to have certified language teachers within the school system. High school students can fulfill their two-year language requirement by taking Klallam classes.

The youth programs developed by Horizons program participants model the successful integration of traditional Lower Elwha Klallam and mainstream cultures. Given the opportunity to identify their own issues and map a course for the future, young people have expressed interest in forming a Youth Council, modeled after the Tribal Council, so that youth of all ages can learn about leadership and form a vehicle for civic engagement. Through Horizons, youth received a head start by learning about meeting facilitation, community organizing, leading discussions and resolving conflict. Young people also hope eventually to build their own youth center in order to have a safe and comfortable place to gather in their home community. They are eager to play an active role in raising funds for the center, to learn about the process and to feel a sense of ownership in the final product. As conceived by Elwha youth, the center will incorporate academics and tutoring, cultural practices and athletics.

Traditionally at Lower Elwha Klallam, as in many Northwest Coast Indian communities, wealth is gauged in a person's generosity or capacity to share with others, rather than the ability to accumulate resources. The potlatch or "giveaway" tradition, wherein people gather as a community to share dancing, song, and the distribution of gifts, embodies this cultural value and is practiced during canoe journeys and other ceremonial occasions. Today, family, cultural knowledge and education are measures of abundance that are valued by Lower Elwha Klallam community members. Participation in the Horizons program has helped to promote prosperity at Elwha by engaging a diverse cross-section of citizens in community projects, giving them new tools to develop their natural leadership skills and discover community assets, and providing participants with fresh ways to learn about their community and plan for its growth in positive directions.

Whereas in the past, some tribal members have felt it necessary to choose between following traditional cultural practices or participating in the larger society beyond the reservation, the way seems clearer than ever to straddling both worlds and excelling in both. At Lower Elwha Klallam, there is a long history of the community pulling together in times of need. Through leadership training and working cooperatively on programs and activities, community members are weaving this collaborative spirit more effectively into day-to-day life. People are discovering new strengths within themselves and their neighbors, recognizing that everyone has something of value to contribute, working toward tribal unity and a common focus.