EVERETT – By her own admission, Vi Hilbert, 88, is stubborn.
She was an only child raised in the Upper Skagit tribe. Her mother loved to perform and her father was a medicine man. When they passed the stories on to Hilbert, he spoke in Lushootseed, the language of Western Washington’s Coast Salish tribes.
Hilbert was a child in a desperate era for American Indian tribes. Tribal children went to boarding schools where they weren’t allowed to speak their native languages. Many children forgot Lushootseed, but not Hilbert.
She stubbornly tucked it away in her mind and in her heart.
Years later, the language emerged from an age of darkness and was brought into the light once again. Hilbert was one of the few people who remembered enough of it to speak it again.
At an event sponsored by Everett Community College’s Diversity and Equity Center Thursday, Hilbert shared her language with about 70 students. The students leaned forward in their seats in an effort to catch every word, and afterward they knelt on the floor in front of Hilbert to thank her.
“She’s living history,” said Earl Martin, director of the college’s counseling center and a member of the Cree tribe. “The knowledge she passes down orally is just as valuable as anything that’s in our library.”
Hilbert has dedicated her life to the rebirth of Lushootseed. She worked in the linguistics department at the University of Washington for 15 years. In 1989, she received an honorary doctorate from Seattle University and was named a Washington State Living Treasure.
Hilbert has worked closely with linguists to develop a written form of Lushootseed and publish dictionaries for the language.
“Given her age, I’ve wanted to get her here while she’s still able to speak,” said Christina Castorena, associate dean for diversity for EvCC. “She’s a local jewel, and it’s an honor to have her here.”
Hilbert clutched a dark blanket around her thin shoulders as she sat in a chair on the stage in Baker Hall on the EvCC campus. She demanded that the students speak up if they wanted to ask her a question.
“I’m bossy,” she said, smiling slyly.
Hilbert said she’s been criticized by some tribal members for sharing Upper Skagit culture. She argues that every culture is important and should be shared with as many people as possible. Sharing Lushootseed and ancient Coast Salish stories won’t dilute the value of the culture.
“The language will live because it’s important,” she said. “The culture will live because it’s important.”
Reporter Krista J. Kapralos: 425-339-3422 or kkapralos@heraldnet.com.
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