(Thanksgiving family gathering, 2006, Dufresne apartment in the International District of Seattle)
Mamook continued,
“We are Tsinúk, . . . we are Chinook. And we are all brothers with the coastal Clatsop peoples. For over four thousand years we lived and flourished on the land given to us by the Great Chief Above and our tribes prospered. Hundreds of years ago we migrated from the western coastal river banks and landed here, creating our village among the people of the inside, the Duwamish.”
“Harmony and balance. . . it is very important in our life’s path that we all walk and share. All of us gathered here are a family and dependent upon each other. . .we bring our own special gifts to sustain and support each other.”
Mamook smiled and clasped his two hand together intertwining his fingers. “We are all connected by mother nature, like the corn and the beans and the squash, planted together with a relationship dependent upon each other.” The children giggled and all clasped and intertwined their fingers in like kind.
“The corn grows tall, and helps the beans by giving them a tall stalk to grow high on. The beans bring richness to the soil helping the corn and the squash to flourish. The broad leaves of the squash provide shade at the bottom to help preserve moisture on the top of the rich earth. . .as directed by mother nature and the Great Chief Above.
“Yes, harmony and balance. . . as long as we have each other we will always prevail.”