Swinomish host Governor for Centennial Accord

Politicians are known for being long-winded, but Gov. Jay Inslee took an opposite approach during a two-day visit to the Swinomish Tribal Community this week.

He listened.

The governor and his staff spent the better part of Monday and Tuesday hearing from Washington state tribal leaders in what National Congress of American Indians President Brian Cladoosby called “an opportunity for honest, open discussions.”

That opportunity wasn’t wasted.

Inslee fielded input on a wide range of issues – climate change, economic development, environmental protection, restoration of wild salmon runs, veterans services, early childhood education, health care, distracted driving and curbing opioid addiction, to name a few – during an all-day session Tuesday at the Wa Walton Event Center.

He spoke only after each Tribal leader addressed the roundtable format.

It was all part of the 28th annual Centennial Accord, a forum whose focus was consultation and collaboration, a theme frequently revisited by the governor.

The initial conference was held in 1989 in conjunction with the Washington State Centennial Celebration, in which Swinomish played an active role.

“For me,” said Michael Vendiola, of Anacortes, and The Philomath Groove multi-media outlet in Bellingham, “the annual Centennial Accord Gathering represents an opportunity to define and assess the relationship between the state and tribes. We should not take this for granted. There are very few states that enjoy this opportunity.”

Tribal leaders praised Swinomish for its role in hosting the event, and thanked Inslee and his advisers for their active engagement.

Inslee, widely regarded as the “greenest governor in the country,” said addressing climate change is one of many areas in which the state and tribes can effectively partner.

The opioid epidemic, often rooted in dependence on pain medication, is yet another, he said.

“It’s something that has troubled all of society,” Inslee said. “The statistics are stunning in showing how devastating a problem this is. It’s something that affects us across the state.”

Inslee said a community-based system of opioid addiction treatment is necessary, along with increased investment in mental health care.

Cladoosby, who chairs the Swinomish Tribal Community Senate, echoed those sentiments.

“We have to treat addiction as a disease, like a cancer,” said Cladoosby, adding that Swinomish will open an addiction clinic on Nov. 15.

He said the roots of alcohol and drug dependency in Indian Country dates to the trauma of young children being forced to attend boarding schools away from friends and family.

“Our grandparents and great-grandparents went through it with the boarding schools,” he said. “It was a lot like PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). They needed medicine to deal with all that, to drown out the problems, and ended up turning to alcohol. They didn’t have the right medicine.”

Today’s youth are tempted not only by alcohol, but by opioids, Cladoosby said.

The irony, he noted, is that education is now a vital tool in destroying the historical trauma that was fed by an educational system that once separated Native American children from their homes.

“We have to destroy historical trauma one generation at a time,” he said.

The Centennial Accord wasn’t strictly business.

Inslee enjoyed a Culture Night celebration Monday night at the Swinomish Smokehouse, where he was treated to traditional singing and dancing, and the opportunity to meet informally with Swinomish residents – young and old alike.

The annual Centennial Accord was established in great measure to ensure that tribal values and culture are preserved in Washington state. Its charter encourages participation by the chief representatives of all elements of state government.

Led by the governor, they were out in full force at Swinomish this week.