Memories of the 5th Annual SON Potluck
by Mary Ann Dow

Around 150 people shared a feast. Thank you so much to everyone for bringing the delicious food!!! The Suquamish Tribe supplied us with 2 large tents and 50 chairs, but the weather allowed us to sit on logs at the beach and blankets on the grass.

Elder, Jim Pratt great, great-grandson of Chief Sealth led us in our blessing in Lushootseed.

Our program was emceed by Elder Ted George and David McMullen co-chairs of SON. Sarah van Gelder, co-chair emeritus, shared three stories to honor the canoe families for the strength they represent and their importance to our future.

The local Tree Frog choir accompanied by a portable keyboard that I heard cost $9 dollars at a garage sale serenaded us with two songs.

Frances Malone, SON vice-chair honored Bella Luna Pizzeria owners Bob and Kari Rowden and Bob's Mom with a plaque for moving their business down to the new location, supporting the youth with employment and providing the community with an important place to gather. They have extended their hours to open at 7:00 am, added espresso service and sweets baked on the premises, thanks to Mom. Tim IIstowanohpataakiiwa brings a large drum and extends an invitation to join in for drumming on Wednesday evenings.

Leonard Forsman, Suquamish Tribal Council Chair, Bennie Armstrong, former Suquamish Tribal Council Chair and Bob Alexander Sr, Suquamish Tribal Council attended as members of the Suquamish Tribal Canoe Families who were represented by the canoe captains and pullers. They also make up the Suquamish Family Singers and Dancers who recently went to the new American Indian museum in Washington DC to perform for the opening of a NW Coast exhibit. We are told, "They stole the show". SON presented each captain with a plaque and everyone received a handmade necklace made with something from the beach as well as beads. Attached was the message: " May you always return safely to the shore" They sang several songs and danced. Words are not adequate to describe how it felt to hear them sing and watch the dancers on their ancient village site at Old Man House Park. The ancestors were with us. It brought tears to many eyes.

Rob Purser, tribal member and Rich Brooks, both from Suquamish Tribal Fisheries were our leaders for the Old Man House Park campaign. Thanks for your part in the day. We never want to have a celebration without you.

We heard heartfelt words from all of the Suquamish canoe captains and some of the Suquamish elders. All agreed on the good food and good feelings of the day. Elder, Ed Carrier said we need to do this more often.

Elder, Rich Demain, master carver presented SON with a foot long traditional tribal canoe with paddles which he said represents the work we have done to strengthen the community.

A special thank you goes to new member and good sport, Karen Platt who headed up the potluck planning committee.

Kathryn Keve, Keve Originals did an exquisite job making all of our gift plaques.

I would not be able to list all of the things Glynis Burns, treasurer and always potluck committee member does to make this event happen. She
is our liaison with the Suquamish church where all of our past potlucks were held. I noticed she did a lot of hauling of everything from tables to coolers filled with ice and drinks. I know she shopped. Glynis wove the cattail hearts used in some of the necklaces.

Thank you to:

• Jan Hall for our invitations and Jan and Doug Hall for using their home as staging.
• Gilberto and Senji for their loving presence, help, prayers and words.
• Clarence Moriwaki and Janice Gutman for set-up and take down.
• Matthew St. Clare for filming. He and the Suquamish Tribe are
  collaborating on a film project about Old Man House Park.
  Sarina Francesca and Karen Polinsky (newest member) for staffing our SON table.
• Jim Turner and Virginia Cowling members and longtime residents of Suquamish.
• Arlis Stewart for our web site creation and updates.
• Barb Wolf for always holding a vision of peace in the neighborhood for us.
• My partner, Bruce Carter, and Kathryn Keve for all the great photos.
• All who helped out, brought food and joined us.

I had just returned from an incredible 3 weeks in Hawaii for the wedding of one of my daughters so was caught completely by surprise when I
discovered I was being honored by the Suquamish Tribe led by Bear with a beautiful shawl and necklace and Suquamish Olalla Neighbors with a plaque of the Suquamish Rainbow. Can I say May 2006 is a memorable month for me?

Our program came to a close with Roderick Harris, Nooksack tribal member, local resident for many years playing his original songs from his CDs on Native American flutes made by him.

AND.now I know...at the end of the Suquamish Rainbow are found the hearts of gold. 

Bringing neighbors together with food

By Annie Tietje May 24 2006 SUQUAMISH — Drums accompanied a song with the feeling of acceptance, community and happiness as canoes were welcomed to the shores of Old Man House Park. The songs seemed to call the pullers and canoes to the neighbors waiting to share the feast prepared in the park. The Suquamish Olalla Neighbors group welcomed one and all to its annual potluck with food and fanfare, marking the first formal event at Old Man House Park since it was returned to tribal ownership last summer. As people poured down the slope to the gathering, the call went up that a canoe had been sighted. Drummers and singers lined the beach to welcome its pullers, who were embraced into the party as soon as they set foot on the shore. “It gives me shivers,” said SON co-chair Frances Malone after the canoes landed. “It always does. It brings tears to my eyes. The drummers are young and holding onto their traditions that just a few years ago were almost lost.” “I’m always in awe when I see them,” SON co-founder Sarah van Gelder said of the canoes. “It’s a combination of ancient and new.” In his welcoming address, Tribal Chairman Leonard Forsman thanked everyone for attending and supporting the tribe and Suquamish Olalla Neighbors. Before everyone dug in, Jim Pratt, the great, great-grandson of Chief Sealth, gave a blessing in Lushootseed — the Suquamish Tribe’s native tongue. Though not everyone at the gathering understood the words, their meaning came through perfectly clear. “Tribal heritage has so much to offer and teach us if we would just listen,” Malone said. Before honoring groups in the community, the Tree Frog Choir performed selected songs, while the neighbors ate their way through the copious amount of food. “We are a community choir,” said Carol Estes, the choir leader. “We like to take part in events that contribute to the community.” Estes, who lives in Suquamish, said while the group decided to perform at the potluck on short notice, they knew that it would be a wonderful event at which to perform. “I love living here,” Estes said. “It’s a mixed community, and gives me a chance to know all different kinds of people.” Helping add to the mix are Bob and Kari Rowden. The two have helped strengthen the community through their restaurant, Bella Luna Pizzeria, which was honored at the potluck for providing a friendly place for neighbors to meet. “We’re surprised,” Rowden said. “We live and run our business by one word: respect. Everybody deserves and has respect.” This idea of respect has caused Bella Luna to become a strong pillar of the community. The Suquamish Canoe Families Song and Dance group was also honored for their continuing effort to bring fading traditions back to the forefront of the Suquamish tribal community. “I’m not really shocked,” said John Jones, one of the group’s lead singers. “The honor should really go the Suquamish Olalla Neighbors.” He added that SON has worked hard to make things right in Suquamish, joining up with the tribe to help create new and healthy relationships between the communities. “It’s really amazing to be honored by a group like that,” he added. “It’s a real honor for us to be recognized,” Forsman said. “People feel good. The group works hard, and we do it for our own spirit, family and the tribe as a whole.” Among the planned honorees were two surprise honors. One was presented by the tribe to Mary Ann Dow, the secretary for SON. “She’s worked with the group since the beginning,” said co-chair David McMullen. “It was funny, while they were honoring her, the tribe was talking about this amazing individual, and she had no idea it was her. She was completely clueless.” The tribe, following its traditional way of honoring by calling witnesses, presented Dow with a shawl and necklace. The Suquamish Olalla Neighbors also presented Dow with a plaque, thanking her for her work. The second surprise honoree was the Suquamish Olalla Neighbors. Rich Demain, a well-known carver, carved a one-foot long canoe with paddles and presented it to SON for the strength it has given the Suquamish community. The event wrapped up around 8 p.m. with a cheery, full-bellied feeling. “The spirit for the evening was so strong,” van Gelder said. “It was fabulous.”