West Seattle, Washington
24 Monday
(WSB photos/video)
An event announced less than a week ago filled the Duwamish Tribe Longhouse with more than 100 visitors this afternoon: The Jingle Dress Project. Longhouse director Jolene Haas explained the dancers were there for a ceremony, not a performance. They came to “lift up the Duwamish … they are sharing part of their heart.”
After Haas and her mother, Duwamish Tribe chair Cecile Hansen (above), welcomed the visitors seated all around the Longhouse’s main room, Jingle Dress Project founder Eugene Tapahe and the dancers – three women including his two daughters – spoke to the visitors for an hour.
Tapahe, a landscape photographer, told the story of how the idea came to him in a dream – after he lost his aunt to COVID. Native people celebrate death along with life, he explained, and it was agonizing that only six people could gather to commemorate the death. The Jingle Dress Dance was an Ojibwe creation for healing in the Spanish Flu pandemic a century ago – while he and the dancers are Diné (Navajo), he said the Ojibwe gave permission to other tribes to use the Jingle Dress to heal. “If we heal the land, then we’ll heal the people,” he realized. “We need Mother Earth; she doesn’t need us.” At first, they danced on lands that especially needed healing – national/state parks that he said were among the first Native lands lost to colonization.
The dancers – from left above, Sunni Begay and Erin and Dion Tapahe – are all college students or recent graduates, all from Utah. Their first dance today was an Honor Song – a prayer; Eugene asked that it not be followed by applause. The second and third were more celebratory, Before you watch and listen, a few words about the Jingle Dress – it is covered in more than 100 metal cones, not bells, that “jingle” when they click together, but make no sound if one is shaken alone.
The dancers’ regalia also included red scarves in tribute to missing/murdered Indigenous women.
After a third dance, and words of gratitude from Eugene’s wife Sharon Tapahe, they answered questions from those gathered. One question was “Who made the dresses?” Answer – family and friends. And they’re “really heavy” – up to 15 pounds.
THeir Duwamish hosts (Jolene Haas is at right above) presented gifts of cedar sprigs – a sacred tree – before a fourth dance, one that everyone present was invited to join in, a “round dance” that circled the room.
Then it was time to go, with memories of the healing as well as of the message the Duwamish and their guests repeated throughout the afternoon, a reminder from all Indigenous people: “We are still here.”
P.S. Before leaving Seattle, they plan to dance tomorrow (Sunday) at Pike Place, 3:30 pm.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Ballots are arriving. The biggest battle in the primary: Seattle mayor, 15 candidates, no incumbent,
Last Saturday, WSB and the West Seattle Junction Association co-presented the primary’s only mayoral-candidate forum in West Seattle (WSB coverage here, including video), touching on a wide range of peninsula-relevant issues. If you’re still making up your mind, another forum four days later focused on neighborhood issues including development. Wednesday’s online forum presented by Seattle Fair Growth – with co-sponsors including the Morgan Community Association – featured six candidates for all or part of it – Colleen Echohawk, Andrew Grant Houston, Arthur Langlie, Lance Randall for the entirety of the forum, Bruce Harrell departing early, Jessyn Farrell arriving late. Lorena González was invited, organizers said, but couldn’t participate.
You can watch it in its entirety here. We watched it as it happens, and our notes are below. As usual in our coverage, they are paraphrases/summaries except for whatever is between quotation marks:
Announced at the Duwamish Tribe Longhouse this afternoon before a crowd of 100+ who came for the Jingle Dress Project‘s visit (separate story on that later) – the tribe’s ongoing fight for federal recognition will include a clothing collaboration. They’re teaming up with Native-owned First Citizen Co., which showed off a few examples of the streetwear they’ll be making for the tribe to sell:
First Citizen is based in Seattle, founded by Burdette Birdinground and Devin Gros Ventre of the Crow Tribe. Duwamish Longhouse director Jolene Haas told those in attendance to watch for the formal announcement of the collaboration soon. (They already have an online store where you can buy tribe-supporting merch.)
2:31 PM: Thanks to Lura for the video. The Northern Elephant Seal that’s been seen in West Seattle waters lately (here’s our Friday report) hauled out on a stretch of private Beach Drive shore today. If you see it elsewhere, let Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network know, 206-905-SEAL.
5:30 PM: Lura has since updated us that the seal has moved on.
(Photo from seattle.gov)
Though restrictions are lifted, and our state has officially “reopened,” much remains closed. The City of Seattle, for example, has yet to reopen many of its facilities for in-person use, Among the closed facilities: Neighborhood-based Customer Service Centers, which offer a variety of services including city utility-bill payment. Since 2012, the city’s lone West Seattle CSC has been at the Southwest Teen Life Center/Pool building (2801 SW Thistle). This week, Laura emailed, asking if we’d heard anything about the CSCs’ status. They’re administered by the city’s Department of Finance and Administrative Services, whose spokesperson Melissa Mixon tells WSB, “We’re actually in the process of finalizing a reopening plan for the counters and expect to have more information to share in the next week pertaining to the dates.”
The West Seattle Farmers Market is joining the WSB sponsor team at the peak of its summer bounty. New WSB sponsors get to tell you about themselves – here’s what the market wants you to know:
Each Sunday the West Seattle Farmers Market offers fresh, local, and nutrient-dense produce and groceries for growing families. The West Seattle Farmers Market runs year-round, every Sunday, and focuses on food. Everything that is sold at markets is grown, raised, or produced in Washington. Each time you shop at the markets, you’re supporting the nonprofit that runs it, but more importantly small farmers and small businesses.
West Seattle Farmers Market simply has the best fresh produce. Oftentimes fruits and vegetables are picked less than 48 hours before the market. Buying directly from farmers allows you to ask about regenerative farming practices, treatment of soil, humane treatment of animals and their diets, and on and on. Buying directly from the source cuts out the middle man where things get a little muddy. Incorporating farmers’ markets into your weekly shopping habits is good for you, good for the economy, and great for planet earth. West Seattle Farmers Market also has an option to shop online! Folks can shop from their couch via the WhatsGood app and then pick up their orders on Sunday morning at the market.
The market is also a member of the West Seattle Junction Association! We also use the market as a supportive community space for nonprofits. COVID restrictions decreased these activities, but as markets get back to being allowed to operate at full capacity, we will have nonprofits scheduled inside the market footprint again. There’s more on our website about nonprofits, events, etc) and various charity efforts in cooperation with the WSJA – like a December coat drive and Toys For Tots event.
The West Seattle Farmers Market is open 10 am-2 pm every Sunday, year-round, on California Avenue SW between SW Oregon and SW Alaska.
We thank West Seattle Farmers Market for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news via WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here, and find info on joining the team by going here.
(Alki Point Lighthouse, photographed by Theresa Arbow-O’Connor)
Welcome to the weekend! Here’s what you should know about this midsummer Saturday:
TRAFFIC ALERTS: SDOT is scheduled to work until 1 pm at West Marginal Way/Highland Park Way, as previewed here … all weekend in the westbound lanes of SW Alaska west of California SW, as road repair continues … and the closure of SB Delridge Way between SW Holden and SW Trenton continues.
LIVE MUSIC AT THE COFFEEHOUSE: 10:30 am-noon, Marco de Carvalho, Hans Teuber, and Jeff Busch at C & P Coffee (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor).
RECORD STORE DAY: Encore at Easy Street Records (California & Alaska), featuring not just shopping but also DJ sets – Maxwell Edison 11 am-2 pm, Marco Collins 2 pm-5 pm, DJ Brownstone 5 pm-8 pm.
OPEN HOUSE: 11 am-2 pm at Daystar Retirement Village (WSB sponsor; 2615 SW Barton), you’re welcome to visit, enjoy refreshments including hot dogs and ice cream, tour the campus, and see apartments.
LOG HOUSE MUSEUM: Find out about the peninsula’s history by visiting the museum at 61st/Stevens, noon-4 pm.
BOOK SIGNING: Tavi Taylor Black, author of “Where Are We Tomorrow?”, is at Paper Boat Booksellers (6040 California SW), 1 pm today.
WINE AND SNACKS: The Viscon Cellars (5910 California SW; WSB sponsor) tasting room is open 1-6 pm, and now offering meats, cheeses, and crackers, too.
THE JINGLE DRESS PROJECT: Stopping at the Duwamish Tribe Longhouse at 3 pm, as previewed here.
WSHS CLASS OF 1971 REUNION: 4 pm at Glen Acres Golf & Country Club (1000 S. 112th) – details in our calendar listing.
SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK: GreenStage presents “Midsummer Night’s Dream” in Lincoln Park (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW). Free, 7 pm. ([corrected] 3 pm tomorrow too.)
VOTING RIGHTS VIGIL: 7:30 pm in The Junction – details in our calendar listing.
AT THE SKYLARK: Live rock ‘n’ roll at 8 pm with DREDGE, Kitty Junk, I-90 Fiasco, and Dogstrum. Tickets $10, proceeds to The Skylark (3803 Delridge Way SW) – get yours here.
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