TULALIP – Elizabeth “Betty” Henry remembers her initiation ceremony in 1991 at the Tulalip Tribes’ longhouse on the shore above Tulalip Bay.
“I’m a dancer,” she said. “It’s a spiritual way of living.”
A sacred tribal rite, the initiation of dancers includes fasting, praying, living in the longhouse for days, and traveling to the mountains to swim in ice-cold mountain streams.
Michael O’Leary / The Herald
Henry, 59, participated in the special ceremonies for herself and to honor others who have helped her along her journey.
“I have beautiful memories there,” she said of the longhouse.
The Tulalips are concerned about the safety of the longhouse because of water damage at the bottom of the mighty posts that support the huge log structure.
Following tribal custom, the longhouse was built with a dirt floor. But the lack of a concrete foundation for the posts means that the frequent Northwest rains have undermined their strength. Tribal officials now have closed the longhouse and say it must be repaired or replaced.
They plan to repair it at a cost of about $150,000 and hope to have the work completed before the tribes’ annual First Salmon Ceremony in June.
But they’re also considering whether to expand the current one or build a new, larger longhouse in the same area near the tribal center. Even though it accommodates about 1,000 people, the longhouse is too small for the large crowds that come for the salmon ceremony, special ceremonies in which tribal members receive their Indian names, or other events that draw other tribes to Tulalip, Tribal Chairman Stan Jones Sr. said.
Michael O’Leary / The Herald
“Tribes from all over filled our Kenny Moses Building up” at a recent ceremony, Jones said, referring to a smaller building nearby that is being used until the longhouse is repaired.
Jones said he would like to see a larger longhouse similar to one built in the last few years by the Lummi Tribe in Whatcom County, which has a row of classrooms along one side.
If a new one is built or the longhouse expanded, it likely would be in the same location, but not necessarily with the same footprint, tribal board member Glen Gobin said. The tribe could remove a nearby building that serves as a youth center to expand the longhouse toward the northwest, he said.
The tribe plans to build a new administration building this year, and the current tribal center could become a teen center.
Tribal leaders have some decisions to make on whether to modernize the longhouse, Gobin said.
“This facility is as traditional as can be. It has a dirt floor, no heat, minimal lighting,” he said.
The only heat comes from ceremonial fires built on the floor, and tribal members often sing and dance around them as smoke drifts upward to openings in the high roof.
The board plans to discuss its longhouse options at an annual general council meeting in March.
“I hope they’re not going to build a new one,” Henry said. “Yes, this one needs to be extended, but it’s salvageable.”
Reporter Cathy Logg: 425-339-3437 or logg@heraldnet.com.
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