WE WELCOME SUQUAMISH ELDER BARBARA LAWRENCE

At a time when white nationalism is on the rise, Shir Hayam is ramping up engagement with issues of social justice and diversity at the ground level. One effort underway is outreach to strengthen ties with the Suquamish Tribe, our Indigenous neighbors.

On Sunday March 14 at 11 AM Shir Hayam welcomes Suquamish Tribal elder Barbara Lawrence. Barbara was for years the Suquamish Museum’s official story-teller and is currently the Tribe’s Outreach Coordinator. Her talk will feature Suquamish history, geography, art and herbal lore. She will share Suquamish stories, and speak to her Tribe’s deep and abiding connection to their ancestral land.

The Shir Hayam community has offered support to the bereaved family of Stonechild Chiefstick in the form of a donation to help underwrite a memorial the family plans to build. Chiefstick, an enrolled Chippewa Cree and cherished member of the extended Suquamish Tribal community, was killed by a Poulsbo police officer on July 3, 2019.  Chiefstick is buried in Seabold Cemetery, and so his gravesite is adjacent to Shir Hayam’s plots there.