Chairman’s Report

Treaty rights protection, especially regarding increased access to hunting grounds; public safety; Washington State legislative news; Education Department; Human Resources, including a discussion on our internship program and promotions policy; Finance Department; Human Services, including a discussion on an emergency housing program; Community Development; and a discussion of downtown Suquamish redevelopment. We also made our selections for Tribal Council Liaisons (see page 7).

Museums and our ancestors

Design is nearly finalized on the Enetai Housing Project. Suquamish Tribe Community Development met with the project’s architecture and construction consultants; we are looking forward to construction commencing soon.

Suquamish will host the Tribal Canoe Journey July 28-30, 2023. We look forward to welcoming the canoe nations and families. Subcommittees are meeting to plan meals, camping, protocol, and other important functions needed to host this important cultural event.

The Suquamish Elders Council held their monthly meeting, the first with the current council, which was elected — and in most cases re-elected — at our General Council meeting. There were updates about the upcoming elders’ trips, the National Indian Council on Aging conference in Cherokee, N.C., and opportunities to attend cultural arts workshops. Thank you to Charlene Renquist, Tracy Tabafunda, Dickie Johnson, Bill Stroud, Jim Henry, and Donna Sigo for your continued service on the Elders Council. Thanks also to Pat Medina, who stepped down and to Kenneth Potts, who recently joined the Elders Council.

The Suquamish Museum Board met to hear updates from staff regarding their roles within the museum. Tribal member Lisa Rodriguez is serving as acting Museum director and is implementing a training program for existing staff to sharpen their skills.

The Tribal Council and key staff held a retreat in Renton, WA to review past accomplishments and set goals for the year. Subjects included:

Museums, universities, and other facilities that house human remains and sacred objects have been reaching out to Indian tribes to share inventories of their collections as required by the federal Native American Graves and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). The Suquamish Tribe is expecting to repatriate some ancestral remains in the near future from excavations within Kitsap County. More information will be provided when the notification process is complete. A reporter has contacted us to learn more about NAGPRA and the Suquamish Tribe’s experience in seeing the law and regulations enforced.

The Burke Museum hosted a ceremony to honor the workers who manage their collections department. Members of the Burke’s Native American Advisory Board participated.

Investing in salmon recovery

The West Sound Partners for Ecosystem Recovery held a virtual meeting to discuss how local governments are working together to achieve salmon recovery and improve habitat. There was a presentation on the mobile pumpout vessel, which addresses the gap in managing boater sewage waste. Pierce County leads the South Sound Mobile Pump-out program that services docks, anchorages and marinas that do not have pump-out services. WSPER approved a $10,000 grant to pilot the service to the West Sound during weekends this summer. Service is proposed for Blake Island, Liberty Bay, and Eagle Harbor, and also for events like Tribal Journey and Viking Fest.

Tribal leaders met with the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission to get an update on the Treaty Rights at Risk initiative that seeks resto- ration of salmon fisheries to Washington waters. The late Billy Frank Jr. inspired the initiative. Leadership acknowledged that we have made some progress in getting state and federal investment in hatcheries and habitat restoration but agreed that we need more investment and more action to regulate impacts to our salmon habitat.

Tribal enterprises

Our government and enterprise attorneys met to discuss a resolution to be introduced at the National Congress of American Indians MidYear conference that will improve opportunities for our construction company to acquire federal transportation contracts. The resolution seeks to level the playing field for tribally owned corporations like PMECC to compete for contracts with other vendors.

The Kitsap Economic Development Alliance held their annual meeting and economic forecast at the Suquamish Clearwater Casino and Resort. The forecast suggests the potential for a recession but indicators are hard to predict. The presenters quoted Yogi Berra at the beginning of their presentation “it’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.” Labor force shortages, unemployment, interest rates and inflation are all in play. Housing prices are outpacing wages, creating housing challenges. KEDA works to attract and retain new companies to increase the quality of life in Kitsap County.

Council members and PME staff met with Clay Roberts to discuss the growth and popularity of the sport of pickleball. The game was invented on Bainbridge Island and has been immensely popular. Clay is looking to grow the sport locally and inquired about our interest in possibly building a facility. More research is needed to test its feasibility.

Government to government

The Friends of the Waterfront Seattle held their monthly meeting in downtown Seattle. Staff gave us an update on the progress of fundraising for the waterfront park project and their plans for raising remainder of their goal. We were also briefed on the public programming efforts that have been very successful with a variety of well attended events at Pier 62/63.

I joined Sammy Mabe in attending the Port of Bremerton’s grand opening of Amelia’s Hanger restaurant at Bremerton National Airport. The restaurant has great food and a great location, and

I encourage all to visit and dine at the new diner. The Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children held a regional hearing at Daybreak Star in Seattle. The U.S. Congress created the commission in 2016 and “is charged with conducting a comprehensive study of the programs, grants, and supports available for Native children (including American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian children), both at government agencies and on the ground in Native communities.” I had the honor of welcoming them to Seattle and providing a statement on our efforts to support our youth through education, cultural programs and group activities.

Education

The Suquamish Tribal Council and Education Division staff have been in consultation with local school districts to learn about and analyze their services and programs for Native students. A site tour with staff and tribal students at the new Central Kitsap High School and Middle School included tours of their new auditoriums for music and theater. The students at CK are proud of their heritage and are active in promoting art and culture.

We also had a public consultation meeting with the North Kitsap School District Board of Directors. Council members and staff discussed the tribe’s priorities for improving the student experience at North Kitsap Schools and pushed back on a proposed cancellation of the annual honoring of native students. The board has since rescinded the decision to cancel the event.

Tribal Council Treasurer Denita Holmes testified during the Bainbridge Island School District’s (BISD) hearing on the renaming of Wilkes Elementary. The Suquamish Tribe proposed renaming the school Halilts in reference to the petroglyph at Agate Point. The BISD Board of Directors unanimously approved the tribal name.

Intertribal

We continue to be represented and active in intertribal organizations that advocate for the greater recognition of tribal sovereignty and tribal initiatives.

The Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians Executive Board is planning an informative meeting hosted by the Coeur D’Alene Tribe.

The National Congress of American Indians Executive Board is also planning a mid-year conference, which will be hosted by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community in Prior Lake, Minnesota. The NCAI Executive Director provided updates on the organizational reforms being instituted in the Washington, D.C., office, which are progressing well as we are filling more open employee positions.

The Washington Indian Gaming Association meeting was a hybrid meeting held in Nisqually. The State Legislative Session is wrapping up with little or no gaming legislation proposed. We continue to monitor the Washington State Gambling Commission’s actions to make sure that they are following state policy regarding recreational gaming.

Indian Health Service

The Indian Health Service held a consultation session with tribal leaders on their Small Ambulatory Grant program. This program provides smaller grants to help tribal health clinics meet their respective missions. The IHS. is proposing shifting responsibility for distribution of grant funds to the IHS areas where the projects are located, rather than having the IHS headquarters manage distribution.

By Leonard Forsman Suquamish Tribe Chairman

Tribal Council Schedule

Tribal Council meets May 1 & 15 and June 1, 14 & 26. Watch for SUN alerts and Weekly Updates for details.

Tribal Government

Tribal Council Liaisons

Tribal Council has established the following liaisons for tribal government:

Constitution Comm: Irene Carper

Community Police Advisory Board: Josh Bagley, Sammy Mabe

Culture Comm: Denita Holmes, Luther Mills

Education Dept: Josh Bagley, Irene Carper, Rich Purser

Elders’ Council: Leonard Forsman, Josh Bagley

Enrollment Comm: Irene Carper

Fisheries: Leonard Forsman, Josh Bagley, Sammy Mabe

Health Clinic: Josh Bagley, Denita Holmes, Sammy Mabe

Higher Education Board: Denita Holmes

Housing Board: Rich Purser

Human Services Dept: Sammy Mabe

Investment: Irene Carper, Denita Holmes, Rich Purser

Legal Dept: Leonard Forsman, Josh Bagley, Sammy Mabe,

Museum Board: Denita Holmes

N/GC/PME Board/IGA: Sammy Mabe

Northwest Indian Health Board: Leonard Forsman

Seafoods Board: Josh Bagley

Foundation Board: Leonard Forsman, Denita Holmes, Luther Mills

TCW Comm: Denita Holmes

Tribal Court: Josh Bagley, Sammy Mabe

Tribal Gaming Commission: Josh Bagley

US v WA ENV: Leonard Forsman, Josh Bagley, Sammy Mabe

Wellness Dept: Sammy Mabe

WIGA: Leonard Forsman, Sammy Mabe