By Josh Hughes
“One of these days you’re gonna pass on the gifts I’ve given to you, and one day you will be my voice,” said Patti Gobin early on in her talk at Western last week, quoting something her grandmother, Harriette Shelton Dover, had told her as a young adult. “When you have to share from the heart, it’s different than giving an academic talk,”
Last week, Western officially introduced its Western Reads book of the year by holding a panel of members from the Tulalip tribes talking about their connection to the book, their tribal history, and educational reform. The book, “Tulalip”, is an autobiographical account of Dover’s life on the Tulalip reservation in the early 20th century after treaties forced Native American tribes to resettle; much of the event was spent celebrating her life and all of her life’s work (Dover passed away in 1991).
“The Western Reads Book Selection Committee always tries to select an engaging book that provides the opportunity to have multi-disciplinary conversations across diverse colleges, departments and programs,” said Dawn Dietrich, the director of Western Reads when talking about the reasoning for this year’s selection. Certainly, “Tulalip” strikes a particular resonance in Western Washington, and specifically Bellingham, which rests on Lummi land. The book particularly addresses the hardships Dover’s people faced through centuries of oppression– stories of moving from villages to the Tulalip reservation, the horror of Catholic boarding schools and tender moments of familial connection throughout adversity fill up vignettes from the book.
“Washington state has never really told the history of how it became Washington State. We have to tell the truth, we have to tell our story because that’s the true fabric and history of America,” said an emotional Gobin during her time at the podium. “So for you to have this book here, thank you.”
The book certainly posits a different viewpoint for understanding Washington State history. Michael Vendiola, from the Office of Native Education at Western, expressed his regret over the way Native American history is taught in many schools throughout the country. Whereas K-12 curriculum largely teaches about Native Americans from a pre-1900 context, “Tulalip” shines a light on all of the historical trauma that Dover’s tribe, as well as tribes across America, experienced with European colonization.
In her retelling of stories relating to her grandmother, Gobin sidetracked to explain how the treaties that were made in the late 19th century ultimately helped her people live through suffering and get to where they are today. She talked about how Dover’s generation felt and lived through the trauma of relocation to a home that had never been theirs before, but how those very actions eventually helped her people regain strength and be able to thrive and occupy a singular space in the fabric of America in the 21st century.
Gobin’s potent words struck a chord in the audience (tears were shed both on and offstage), but three other Tulalip members had chances to speak as well. Though Senator John McCoy never showed up, Lummi Director of Education Bernie Thomas, Historical Education Coordinator for Tulalip Tribes Marjorie James and Tulalip Board of Directors Theresa Sheldon all had time at the podium to speak about Dover and the importance of celebration of Indigenous culture. Western President Sabah Randhawa even gave a warm welcome to the speakers, as did the Lummi Blackhawk Singers.
“Tulalip”, by Harriette Shelton Dover and translated by Darleen Fitzpatrick, is the Western Reads book of 2017-18, and can be picked up at the AS Bookstore or rented from the library.