April 7, 2019 Newsletter

Thank you to all who were present and supported in various ways Native American Indian Lobby Day this past Tuesday, April 2nd! For those interested in looking further into the multitude of current bills working their way through the state legislature that impact our Tribal neighbors, click here to view details and status updates through the state legislature website. Please continue to watch this newsletter for calls to action around legislation. 

Also, mark your calendars! Karen Capuder will be joining us for our next Gathering, sharing about the history of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. Due to her travel needs, our April Gathering will be on *Saturday*, April 20th from 1 - 4pm at Olympia Unitarian Universalist Congregation. Please use the following link to access the introduction of her captivating dissertation, which beautifully weaves together personal narrative and history: Forked Tongues at Sequalitchew: A Critical Indigenist Anthropology of Place in Nisqually Territory. For those who have read this introduction and would like to go further, please inquire at learningrightrelations@gmail.com 

Read further for upcoming events and news:

Canoe Journey Blanket Project


You are invited to support the 2019 Paddle to Lummi Blanket Project! Learning Right Relations is working in solidarity with Lummi Nation in helping with preparations for the Paddle to Lummi by sponsoring the blanket project and volunteering for the event. These blankets will be given to Lummi Nation to gift during protocol when the Tribe honors their guests with sacred gifts. 

There are a few different ways that you can support this project. 

  • Donate towards the project in any amount! A contribution of $90 will purchase 10 blankets, and donors contributing $90 will be able to keep a blanket for your own gifting. (Checks may be made out to Learning Right Relations, with "Lummi Blanket" on the memo line, and mailed to LRR, 5515 40th Ave SW, Olympia WA 98512 OR donate via https://www.gofundme.com/paddle-to-lummi-blanket

  • Share with your friends, neighbors, family, co-workers, churches and community centers! Click here for the final flyer, which has more details about the project and can be posted and distributed as you see fit. This is a great opportunity to spark a conversation about your own journey of learning around right relationship and solidarity with the First Peoples of this land, and invite more people into this work and dialogue.  

  • Share the gofundme fundraiser on your social media outlets.

  • Continue to watch this newsletter and our website for updates on this project.

South Sound Climate Action Convention
Saturday April 13th
Olympia High School
1302 North Street SE, Olympia WA


The South Sound Climate Action Convention is an annual event offering sessions that cover a wide variety of climate action topics including estuary restoration, renewable energy, regenerative agriculture, ocean impacts, advocacy and more. Breakout sessions include Candace Penn, Climate Change Ecologist, Squaxin Island Tribe, speaking on Effects of Sea Level Rise on the Squaxin Island Tribe and Anna Bean and Annette Bryan, Tribal Council Members, Puyallup Tribe of Indians, speaking on Tacoma LNG: What It Is and Where It Stands Now. 

Click here for event website. 

IN THE NEWS: 

Representative Sharice Davids presided later in this week over the House Floor as the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2019 passed. Rep. Davids co-sponsored multiple amendments to the bill that address the crisis of violence against Native women and girls. Click here to read the press release from Rep. Sharice Davids office. 

Dawnland is an incredible documentary recently released chronicling the first government-sanctioned truth and reconciliation commission (TRC) in the United States, in Maine, addressing the systematic removal of Native American children from their homes. As recently as the 1970's, one in four Native children nationwide were living in non-Native foster care, adoptive homes, or boarding schools. Many children experienced devastating emotional and physical harm by adults who mistreated them and tried to erase their cultural identity. Click here for more information about the documentary on the Downland.org website. 

Click here to watch trailer of Dawnland on vimeo.

A DEEPER LOOK: The Green New Deal

Many are following the Green New Deal and its impact on the conversation around climate change within Congress and amongst 2020 presidential candidates. How are Indigenous groups thinking about the proposed legislation? What is the potential impact on Native communities? We invite you to dive deeper into this topic with the following list of resources: 

Mark your calendars! Paddle to Lummi 2019
July 24th - 28th
Click here for event website. 
Click here for facebook event.

Amy Troyer-Karas