Yesterday Sienna Reid, Grey Webster and Deviney Wynecoop from WWU’s Native American Student Union (NASU) traveled to the Washington State Capitol in Olympia to meet with state lawmakers about a proposed Coast Salish Longhouse on Western’s campus and to testify in support of House Bill 2551, legislation that would ensure students are permitted to wear traditional tribal regalia or objects of Native American cultural significance at graduation ceremonies or related school events.
“To many Native people, tribal regalia is a form of resilience and resistance,” said Sienna Reid, co-chair of NASU, in her testimony to the House State Government & Tribal Relations Committee. “It honors our people and ancestors who have historically had to repress their cultural heritages.” Reid also noted that “native students have the highest school drop-out rates in the country, so graduation is a huge reason to celebrate.”
You can watch the students’ full testimony before the House State Government & Tribal Relations Committee here:
Reid, Webster and Wynecoop, along with Laural Ballew, WWU’s Executive Director of American Indian/Alaska Native and First Nations Relations and Tribal Liaison to the President, and Kristen French, Associate Professor of Education and NASU faculty advisor, met with a total of eight legislators, urging their support for state funding for the proposed Coast Salish Longhouse on WWU’s campus. The vision for the Coast Salish-style longhouse on WWU’s campus originated from the NASU, as students sought to find ways for the University to address current and historical issues faced by American Indian students on WWU’s campus. The proposed longhouse will reflect traditional Coast Salish architecture and design and will provide a gathering and ceremonial space to promote cultural exchange and understanding.
