Sauk-Suiattle tribal leader Norma Joseph dies at 76

Published 1:30 am Saturday, October 7, 2023

SAUK-SUIATTLE RESERVATION — When Henry Cagey thinks of the Sauk-Suiattle Tribe, he thinks of Norma Joseph.

Joseph was the chair of the Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe for multiple stints, totaling seven years. As a young adult, she helped write the constitution for the modern tribe.

“She was a trailblazer in my eyes,” said Cagey, a Lummi Nation Council member.

On Sunday, she died at the age of 76.

“Norma will be remembered as someone who advanced the sovereignty of the Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe through preservation of culture, through protection of lands and waters, and through promotion of language,” said Kara Briggs, a Sauk-Suiattle tribal member.

She wasn’t just a tribal leader, Briggs said. She was a leader for the Puget Sound region.

Over the course of her life on the Sauk-Suiattle Reservation, north of Darrington, she held a number of roles. She served as a tutor, substance abuse counselor, social service director, language teacher, council member and council chair.

For a few years, she worked at Washington State University as a Native student coordinator.

One of Joseph’s key missions in life was the recovery and education of the Coast Salish language Lushootseed. Briggs studied the language with Joseph.

Joseph also worked to build up the tribe’s Department of Cultural Resources. The department allowed tribe members to learn the Lushootseed language in the dialect specific to the Sauk-Suiattle people.

Lushootseed is considered “critically endangered” by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Tallis King George, a tribal attorney who worked with the Sauk-Suiattle Tribe, said Joseph would take language teachers to the University of Oregon in the summer to get training in Lushootseed from its linguistics program.

In 1985, Joseph graduated from UCLA with a master’s degree in American Indian Studies. She was one of the first graduates of the program.

Joseph’s mother, Katherine, had suffered during those two years thinking her daughter might never return from Los Angeles, King George said.

Katherine was a survivor of the federal Tulalip Indian School and ran away in third grade after watching students disappear. King George said the government sent some people to Nevada, and many never made it home.

Joseph did come back to the North Cascades after obtaining her graduate degree. When she did, she put her education straight to use, Briggs said. She researched Lushootseed and looked for ways to innovate.

Up until her health began to decline, she kept the Sauk-Suiattle Tribe’s growth and future in mind.

Briggs said she and Joseph would drive once a month and look for places to be the future lands of the Sauk-Suiattle.

“Specifically, we were looking for the historic allotments that had been taken over by timber companies, private homes, state lands, that might be in some instances regained for future homes,” Briggs said.

With the small, 33-acre reservation located on a floodplain, it could leave members’ homes vulnerable to natural disaster.

Joseph’s hope for the future was the tribe would embrace all who are Sauk-Suiattle, Briggs said. King George noted Joseph’s vision for the tribe was always inclusive, with respect and recognition for all.

In April, Joseph and eight others sent a letter to the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs requesting action against the current tribal council. The letter outlined what members believed was an abuse of power. The tribal chair did not immediately respond to a Herald reporter’s request for comment Friday.

Joseph’s biggest concern was the council’s decision in 2021 to disenroll the Bill family from the tribe. The council forced the family off the reservation, causing them to lose their homes, jobs and more.

“Even when she was embattled at times of her life, that never changed,” King George said. “I find that rare.”

Joseph’s funeral service is set for 10 a.m. Tuesday at the Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe Gym, at 5316 Chief Brown Lane in Darrington.

Correction: A previous version of this article stated Norma Joseph died Monday. She passed away Sunday.

Jenelle Baumbach: 360-352-8623; jenelle.baumbach@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @jenelleclar.