My Favorite Speaking Engagement
Mar 04, 2021
The Muckleshoot Tribe.
It was November in 2016, way before I perfected my signature when signing books; We were invited to a community gathering from the tribe. Me, and my parents were with me and I was fully ready for this engagement. In its own way, this felt very personal.
For a very long time, I have always been fascinated with the native tribes of the nation. In elementary school, I would go to the library and learn more about the different cultures in the many tribes all around the country. Navajo, Apache, Cherokee, Cheyenne, Comanche, Cree, Seminole, Nootka, Klamath; all of them outstanding! I remember when I was very little, I was so extremely bummed out realizing I did not have any native blood; It is all European descent for me. There are ninety six tribes here in Washington state, and one of the tribes is Muckleshoot. Only tribes I was familiar with in the state were Spokane, Snoqualmie, and Muckleshoot; And I was fortunate and grateful to be reached out by Muckleshoot.
Little known secret is you never ever invite yourself to any tribe. That is a rule I have always known by; They invite you. Being invited by the tribe, that was one of the biggest privileges in my career! To me, the tribe is a lot like royalty; Be the best self you can be and give them all your utmost respect. Soon as we parked and went up to the community building, I saw this like any other speaking engagement at first, but then was reminded that this was the Muckleshoot tribe and I was so nervous! It was like an army of horses galloping in my stomach ready to burst out and be free; Deep breaths, and went in with a straight back.
The people were extremely welcoming and very kind. Was greeted warmly and so excited to learn more about how to help children with autism. We spent a good amount of time getting to know each other. I met with the event coordinator, that is the woman with the red shirt on my right; Amazing person! The sweet woman on my left is the linguist that teaches the language, Lushootseed. I was excited to meet her! She was very kind and full of knowledge; A wonderful member to the community. I love the language too! I get so excited when I hear a language I’m not familiar with; Really share so much about their culture. Then there’s the Chief! I instantly recognized him as the chief by that unique tie he wore, and he was a tall man! He has so much history spanning from multiple generations in the Muckleshoot tribe in his family. I literally and figuratively looked up to the chief and I still do today; All chiefs of the nation. The Chief of Muckleshoot, this man was big in everything! Height, power; to put it simply, the man in charge. I was extremely honored to meet him!
Saving the best part for last, I want to get to the main event. The only two things I would have done differently was wore a white V-neck under my red button up shirt, and an answer to a question that I felt like a complete fool. The question was: “What do you like to collect?” And I said: “Hundred dollar bills.” The community and my parents thought it was funny and heard laughter. I was surprised and confused why they were laughing. I explained that those bills would be so rare (to me anyway) and wouldn’t want to spend them. Then I thought about the accidental joke and felt really bad because it sounded as if I was being greedy. I felt very bad. Should have said CDs instead; I collect CDs. Other than those two things, everything else was everything I had hoped for in a speaking engagement. I shared my story and offered advice and strategies that can work for the tribe. These are good people, the children were well behaved; I was happy to be invited to inform and give out some guidance for the community.
This is now the paragraph where I describe the best part of the experience. The feast! Showing their genuine hospitality, the tribe provided a feast for everyone. Salmon! A grand meal of salmon with rice and vegetables. Freshly caught and cooked to perfection! It is a rich tradition involving salmon in many of the tribes in Washington State and this feast in particular was something extraordinary. Felt like I was part of the tribe at that moment! I would do something like that again instantly, but I know the rule; Invitation only, I never would invite myself to communities such as Muckleshoot. Like I said before, it is a privilege to be welcomed, and once I was in temporarily for the evening, I wanted to make the most of it all before having the hope that one day I may have one of those special invitations once again. After this event, they offered a big warm blanket that I still use for my bed. Thanked them for the warm gift and I still treasure it always.
Muckleshoot. I could not thank you enough for the time. We could not thank you enough. I am currently having salmon for dinner right now thinking about the event. Thank you for your kind generous hospitality.
Stay connected with news and updates!
Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from our team.
Don't worry, your information will not be shared.
We hate SPAM. We will never sell your information, for any reason.
