Hydaburg
Heather Miller and I have just spent the last week in Hydaburg, AK working with representatives of Hydaburg and the Haida Nation on fundraising and community development projects.
I first travelled to Hydaburg to assist with their community projects just over three years ago. The changes that have occurred between then and now have been nothing less than outstanding. Often I don’t talk about the difficult things that we see within Native communities, but I will make an exception on this occasion to highlight just how much has changed.
On the previous trip there were literally burnt out or boarded up houses on every block. Most of the roads were unpaved, the community was concerned about losing its fluent speakers and culture holders, the world famous Totem Pole park was in a dangerous state, the community was fighting among itself and people were definitely not feeling proud. In addition the city itself was on the verge of bankruptcy and the State and Federal Government seemed to have washed their hands of all of these issues and their responsibilities.
We can tell you now that Alaskan Native pride is back in force in Hydaburg. The burnt out/bordered up houses have gone. The roads have been paved and the street names have the name in both English and in Haida. A new road has been named after Mr Morrison (Mijuu) a Haida elder who will celebrate his 100th birthday with the whole community in a few weeks.
The annual summer Culture Camp has grown to having up to 500 people (both Native and non-Native) in attendance, and with something like 10,000 meals being provided during the week. In the last two years eight of the communities 23 Totem and Story Poles have been replaced. The community has raised nearly $400,000 to help with the replacement of these Poles. However, this amount is just the tip of the iceberg. For each Pole there has been literally thousands of hours of volunteer labor and donated equipment, timber and services. The local cable channel is showing a slide show of two of the four Poles that were raised this year. As the pictures flashed across the screen, both Heather and I noted how significant this must have been for the community. Poles were being carried by about 100 people and one pole was carried by only women from the town. We saw the pride radiate from our host’s face as she shared these details with us. At the Culture camp community members are given master class instruction in language, dance, songs, regalia making, cedar bark weaving, carving, preserving foods and the list goes on.
And the community is proud. They are proud that they have been able to make such significant progress in just three years. They are proud that they have done most of this by themselves. They have had a few grants but most of their project has been funded by themselves and with their voluntary labor and in-kind contributions. For example the food provided at the Culture camp and for the Pole raising (some 10,000 meals) has been gathered from the local area. Haida people are proud to say that while the community as a whole is poor no one ever goes hungry.
Heather and I witnessed the generosity of the community, with community members taking pleasure in showing us all of the different traditional foods and the different ways of preparation (our marathon preparation may have taken a step back as we certainly haven’t lost weight here). We also witnessed Salmon travelling up the creek in phenomenal numbers and watched with delight as local children competed with each other to catch the biggest and most Coho. I spoke to an elder from Lower Elwha once who said that before the dams on the Elwha the fish runs were so plentiful that it looked like you could walk across the river on the backs of the Salmon. It is hard to imagine that quantity of fish, but that is what we had the privilege to see in Hydaburg.
The community has even bigger plans. They know that they have made huge progress, and they also know that there is more to do. They want to find ways to keep their children in school and support them to go to higher and other educational opportunities. They want to create more employment so that their children can stay and be attracted back to home to fulfilling jobs. They want to revitalize the language and the culture. They want to replace the remaining Totem and Story Poles. They also want to share their success with the wider community. During our workshop one local community member said that Haida culture will be their salvation and after spending five days with the community we couldn’t agree more. By the way we were given their permission to write this story.
Their dreams and their vision are huge. In most circumstances we would normally counsel for small obtainable projects with incremental steps. However, this community has made such progress in a short period that we think that what they dream will be reality.
We have helped them to set up a fundraising non-profit to attract philanthropic funds to this amazing work. We think that this work will be very attractive to mainstream foundations as they have been able to show that they can achieve so much with so little.
We were honored to work with the Hydaburg community, and we are returning home with much more than we left with, both bags stuffed with salmon and hearts filled with pride for our Native friends in Hydaburg. This community may not have much money but in all other respects they are rich in the best meaning of that word.
Thank you for hosting us.
Naku noa
Ken Gordon
Many and various things
Morena
This is just a random series of thoughts and a shout out to our friends at Fresh Air.
Heather Miller and I provided a fundraising workshop at the Community Strategic Training Initiative conference held in Portland last weekend. The conference was put on by the Western States Center an organization that really is seeking to improve philanthropy for progressive organizations.
It has been a big few weeks for us folks who work in the progressive world. Of particular note is the court in Arizona blocking most of the aspects of the Immigration laws proposed in that State. The Tribes in AZ had also opposed that law as they felt that their Tribal members would have been caught up in the racial profiling that was bound to occur and may have been subject to wrongful arrests just because they were not carrying their IDs. One fascinating aspect of this law is that it was passed because of concerns that undocumented immigration was increasing and because crime was also increasing. Their have been several great articles recently to show that this is clearly not the case. I love it when facts get in the way of such bad laws.
Talking about facts getting in the way of bad laws. I read the decision last night overturning Proposition 8 in California. The amazing thing about this case is that the judge used the evidence put forward by the people opposed to Gay marriage to show that none of their arguments made sense or were rational. This is great reading and hopefully yet another watershed moment in the development of human and civil rights in the US.
And here is our shout out. The information below is copied from the Fresh Air website. This organization gets inner city kids out of the New York during vacation time. I think they do a good job and am always happy to promote their work:
Fresh Air
The Summer of 2010 is almost over, but The Fresh Air Fund still needs loving host families. We are looking for families in the following areas to host THIS summer Red Hook, Columbia County, Saugerties, Delmar, Guilderland & Altamont, Latham and Rensselaer, NY. If you or someone you know is able to host, please sign up now.
In 2009, The Fresh Air Fund’s Volunteer Host Family program, called Friendly Town, gave close to 5,000 New York City boys and girls, ages six to 18, free summer experiences in the country and the suburbs. Volunteer host families shared their friendship and homes up to two weeks or more in 13 Northeastern states from Virginia to Maine and Canada.
The Fresh Air Fund relies on donations to provide memorable summers to NYC children.
Thanks to host families who open up their homes for a few weeks each summer, children growing up in New York City’s toughest neighborhoods have experienced the joys of Fresh Air experiences.
“It is rewarding to see the smile on our Fresh Air child’s face as she enjoys the simple things we take for granted…”
Friendly Town host families are volunteers who live in the suburbs or small town communities. Host families range in size, ethnicity and background, but share the desire to open their hearts and homes to give city children an experience they will never forget. Hosts say the Fresh Air experience is as enriching for their own families, as it is for the inner-city children. There are no financial requirements for hosting a child. Volunteers may request the age-group and gender of the Fresh Air youngster they would like to host. Stories about real Fresh Air host families and their New York City visitors are just a click away!
Click here to learn more about becoming a host or call (800) 367-0003!
“We made s’mores and hot dogs over the fire. I’ve never cooked outside before!”
Fresh Air children are boys and girls, six to 18 years old, who live in New York City. Children on first-time visits are six to 12 years old and stay for either one or two weeks. Youngsters who are re-invited by the same family may continue with The Fund through age 18, and many enjoy longer summertime visits, year after year. A visit to the home of a warm and loving volunteer host family can make all the difference in the world to an inner-city child. All it takes to create lifelong memories is laughing in the sunshine and making new friends.
The majority of Fresh Air children are from low-income communities. These are often families without the resources to send their children on summer vacations. Most inner-city youngsters grow up in towering apartment buildings without large, open, outdoor play spaces. Concrete playgrounds cannot replace the freedom of running barefoot through the grass or riding bikes down country lanes.
Fresh Air children are registered by more than 90 participating social service and community organizations located in disadvantaged neighborhoods in the five boroughs of New York City. These community-based agencies are in close contact with children in need of summer experiences in rural and suburban areas. Each agency is responsible for registering children for the program.
What do Fresh Air children enjoy?
- Playing in the backyard
- Laughing in the sunshine
- Catching fireflies
- Riding bicycles
- Learning to swim
- Running barefoot through the grass
- Gazing at the stars on moonlit nights
- Building sandcastles
- Making new friends
- Simple pleasures of life away from the inner-city
Our Marathon Fundraising Goal
Morena
It is another beautiful day here in the Northwest. As long term readers may recall last year Dana Arviso and I both participated in events which were part of the 2009 Seattle Marathon.
We did this so that we could stay fit and also to raise funds for Potlatch Fund. We were very successful with both goals. Dana and I both finished our events, met our goal times and together with all of our matching dollars we were able to raise about $6,000 for Potlatch Fund.
This event also inspired the entire staff. This year the entire staff has been working out, training and participating in running events. At the very start of summer we all participated in a 5km run organized by King County (the Big Backyard 5k fun run). This weekend just gone Heather Miller and Dana both did a 10km event. I also did the half marathon at the Rock and Roll event held in Seattle on June 26.
I haven’t been writing about running so much as I have had a series of injuries which has dramatically been slowing me down. I tore my calf muscle last year while preparing for the Seattle Marathon, and while I was able to get through that event (with a good time for an old timer like me) basically if I accelerate or try to quickly dodge something then my calf gets re-injured. This happened most recently at the Rock and Roll event when I tore my calf muscle yet again at the 20km mark and had to hobble home for a very slow last kilometre.
I have been seeing a great podiatrist for feet issues (Dr Warnerkross) and he advised me to see an equally great PT (Jutta Schneider) who can hopefully get my calf right. Jutta has told me that I can’t do any running until the strength and flexibility in my left calf at least matches the right side.
All that said I am signed up to do the Seattle Marathon again this year. I am going to make it so. Heather has signed up for the half marathon, and Dana, Kelly Gemmell and Lawrence Leake will most likely either do the 5km or 10km events.
We are doing this because (all evidence to the contrary) it is fun. There is also a great running tradition in Indian Country and this is one of those sports that you can do with very simple equipment. And yes we are also doing it as a fundraiser.
I am kicking off the fundraising by pledging $2 for every km run by the Potlatch Fund team. My podiatrist Dr Warnerkross has also committed to the event - but I still have to nail him down for an actual amount. All sponsorships will be announced on this blog (unless of course you wish to be anonymous), and at this stage we have confirmed that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will give us a dollar for dollar match from all donations made by individuals. Essentially my $2 per km pledge will become a $4 per km of cash in our hands thanks to the Gates match.
These funds all come to Potlatch Fund. They do not come personally to any of the staff, and all contributors will receive a tax receipt for their contribution. The funds will be used for our program work in Indian Country and for regranting.
Lastly, we are also looking for people who will join the team and who can also participate in the event as a fundraiser for Potlatch Fund.
I want to thank everyone who supported this event last year and open up the opportunity for new supporters this year.
If you have any questions you can call me or any of the Potlatch fund staff on 206 624 6076.
Thank you.
Naku noa
Ken Gordon
Friday
Ahi ahi marie
I just want to conclude this week with a shout out to my amazing staff.
Today has been performance review day and I have spent most of the day discussing each staff members goals for the last six months, what went well, what could have been improved upon and strategies for dealing with those areas. There was a lot of what went well and relatively few areas for improvement. For those areas each of the staff had thought about ways to improve and tackle the challenges that they faced.
We then set new goals for each staff member for the next six months.
This all came at the end of the week, where we took a funder’s tour to witness the canoe landings at Makah, and also see community and dam removal projects that impact the Lower Elwha Tribe. In addition to the tour Potlatch Fund staff helped with grants, accessing a new canoe tree for Makah, helped with environmental projects at the journey, led a meeting about a potential new non-profit to help with the journey and were out on the water pulling.
If that wasn’t enough my staff have been planning new trainings, paying our Community Building grants, receiving the grants for our Native Arts application process, made presentations about philanthropy, helped some non-profits with governance and financial issues, and also helped some other non-profits make connections with major foundations.
Whew!!!
And in addition to all of the above the staff also sent out some major notices about transitions and other announcements to our donors and other supporters.
Dana Arviso, Kelly Gemmell, Lawrence Leake and Heather Miller all do an amazing job and I am honored to work with them.
Naku noa
Ken Gordon
“merciless Indian savages”
Morena
As I was slowly waking this morning NPR was playing on the radio. In celebration of this Independence Day weekend the staff at NPR read the full text of the Declaration of Independence. They concluded their reading with a reference to Jefferson’s beautiful word craft. What struck me as I was listening to this reading was the following clause - which was nestled in the clauses which talked about all the reasons why the break from King of Great Britain was necessary:
“He … has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian savages, whose known rule of warfare, is undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions. ”
This clause so grossly and unfairly misrepresents the true history of the colonization of these United States. It is an ugly statement and the sentiments contained therein were reflected in the genocidal approach that the new Government took towards the indigenous peoples of this land. By referring to them as “merciless” “savages” who undertake “undistinguished destruction” the colonial congress set in place the framework that allowed for the stealing of lands, the burning and destruction of villages, the forced repatriation to Reservations and the stripping of all legal rights.
I would ask you all on this holiday weekend to think of the toll that this Declaration of Independence took on the people who were here first. There has been a huge injuctice and the consequences of that are still seen today.
Naku noa
Ken Gordon
The Big Backyard 5k Run
Morena
I have been remiss in not updating about the progress being made by Team Potlatch Fund.
As regular readers will know last year Dana Arviso and I both participated at different events at the Seattle Marathon n 2009. We did this for our own health (and enjoyment?) and as a fundraiser for PotlatchFund. Together with all the matching dollars we brought in over $7,000 from that one event.
The event was so exciting that I have already signed up for the Seattle Marathon this year. What’s more the entire Potlatch Fund staff has also committed to running/walking one of the several events held that same weekend. We have also opened up the opportunity for other supporters to join us and so far we have had several enquiries but no confirmed takers - but watch this space.
As you know you can’t just go out and run a marathon, so as a staff we have all been hitting the gym and doing some miles to start to get ready.
On May the 24th we all did the Big Backyard 5km event which was run to support the King County Park system. I am very proud that we all finished and what’s more we all had a lot of fun.
I have also signed up to do a half marathon which is part of the Rock and Roll marathon series being held in Seattle in June.
So far we are all injury free. If anyone is interested in joining in then just please let me know.
Naku noa
Ken Gordon
LEAD Cohort
Morena
Just a quick note this morning. The LEAD leadership development cohort is meeting at the Tulalip Reservation today. It is exciting as we will be meeting with Representative John McCoy a leader both in WA State and in Indian Country.
Naku noa
Ken Gordon
The French Riviera
Ahi ahi marie (Goodafternoon)
It is a very quiet office here today. I am busy doing some work around a proposed new grant to the Gates Foundation. Lawrence Leake is working to look at our database requirements for the future. Meanwhile Kelly Gemmell is off at a training to learn about the Quickbooks accounting package, Heather Miller is in Spokane running a fund raising training and Dana Arviso is off to the French Riviera!
This is a very well deserved trip for Ms Arviso. A year or so ago Potlatch Fund started acting as the fiscal sponsor for Native Lens which works with young people and media to tell their stories. Ms Arviso has therefore through our fiscal sponsorship service looked after the accounting of the grants that Native Lens has received. She also volunteered to be an intern on Native Lens’ Board and was recently a production assistant on a short film called “UNRESERVED: the work of Louie Gong” about the work of artist (and Potlatch Fund supporter) Louie Gong.
The short film Unreserved was accepted to the Cannes International Film Festival. Hence Dana is at the very moment winging her way to the French Riviera. We are both extremely jealous and proud of Ms Arviso, our involvement with Native Lens and Louie Gong. As a foil for some of the negative stuff discussed in the last few days there can be nothing better that this.
You can follow Ms Arviso’s exploits at Cannes at the following link.
Naku noa
Ken Gordon
More about racism
Ahi ahi marie
I am just back in the office having spent the morning in a small Tribal community in the Northern part of Washington State. During the meeting an elder recalled the advice that she had received from her mother - which was “Don’t tell anybody that you are an Indian - because people don’t like Indians”.
I was also aware of a blog post that I read yesterday where several non-Native high school students attended the Stanford Powwow dressed up in the kind of “Indian” costumes that you might get from a more risque costume store.
It is very clear to me that the high school students were trying to be funny. That is, they were trying to make a joke out of pretending to be Indians. I think that the bottom line of this kind of thinking is a dislike for Native people. I can’t see how you can try and participate in this kind of stereotyping without having some form of enmity at its base. I also think that this particular group of students were also most likely not the brightest bunch.
At Potlatch Fund we observe incidences like this on an almost daily basis. The cost of this enmity, this stereotyping and this racism is that Native peoples are taught that “they don’t like us”, they are taught to hide the fact that they are Indian.
The elder’s pain as she recounted her story this morning was both very moving and real. She then spoke about the moves that the Tribe is making to remind the community of the pride that they once had and are now starting to recover.
In the non-Native community we need to be reeducated about the history of colonization in the Americas and in the rest of the world. An unbelievable amount of damage was done in the cause of progress and at the very least we can start to stop damaging further by challenging racist and stereotyped beliefs and starting to relearn what has really gone on here.
Naku noa
Ken Gordon
7871
A reader asked me some followup questions about section 7871 organizations and here is my response-
Thanks for your email. So up first we are not lawyers so please do not take this as legal advice. But here is what we think we know.
Section 7871 is the section of the Tax Code that applies to Tribes. 7871 is very clear that Tribes are allowed to receive qualifying distributions (grants) from Foundations.
7871 applies to the Tribes and also to their major departments. The rules around how far down through a Tribe 7871 stretches is not quite so clear. A couple of things to be taken into account is whether the department is clearly a subsidiary of the Tribe and whether the department has some governmental authority. On a continuum I would say, for example, that a Tribal Education and Police departments clearly come under a Tribe’s 7871 status. I think at the other extreme a youth basketball program (for example) most likely would not.
If I just follow this example therefore a Tribally run youth basketball program may have difficulty raising money from foundations if they were relying on the Tribes 7871 status as it is not clear whether this status would flow to that program. I think, and I am not sure on this point, that the Tribe can seek a ruling on such examples, however this can be a very expensive process.
There is another problem that the foundation world generally is not aware of section 7871. This comes about because honestly they may see one 7871 request in every several thousand requests that come in the door. Partly because of this 7871 imposes a glass ceiling that is difficult to work past. In fact many foundations these days have an online pre-approval process. In essence if you can’t check the box to say that you have a 501(c)3 you can’t proceed with the application process.
Traditionally Tribes have been reluctant to incorporate their own 501(c)3’s because the first step in the process involved asking a State to incorporate a non-profit entity. Many Tribes see this as a breach of sovereignty.
These days however, there is a way past this impediment. If we go back to the example of the youth basketball program – if the Tribe has its own non-profit business code, or through a special resolution, the Tribe itself can incorporate this program as a non-profit (and thereby bypass involvement with the State).
The program once incorporated can then apply to the IRS for 501(c)3 status. Once the program has 501(c)3 status it may still wish to register with the State as a program that will be making charitable solicitations. However, that is an entirely different conversation. I hope this all helps, and please feel free to call me to discuss if anything is not clear.
Regards