Growing up in a community-oriented setting, we were taught to think of our family and community when we make decisions. Prior to the vaccine, our reservation (Yakama) had experienced so much loss and there have been many friends and relatives who had passed from COVID-19. All the way up to the announcement that a vaccine was approved, I became numb to the losses because we were getting phone calls every week and sometimes it was every day. There have been some really hopeless days. But I remember the moment when my wife told me the news about the vaccine, I started really sobbing, thinking about who we had lost and how I wished they had the choice. I finally felt like I could let the tears go for them. We have seen what COVID-19 does to the loved ones left behind and the lingering effects experienced by the survivors. So, the decision to protect my family and friends was a simple one because it came at a great cost to our people. We make the choices that our late relatives could not so the future generations never have to. This is what my elders taught me.

Sincerely,

Jon

Jon Olney Shellenberger (enrolled Yakama) started beadworking at the age of 12 after watching his paternal grandfather Peter Olney bead a pair of moccasins. He immediately fell in love with beadwork and was heavily inspired by his grandfather, mother (Rose Olney Sampson) and uncles, all of whom bead on the daily. Since Jon was a teen, he had helped design and make traditional regalia for powwows with his mother. He continued to make regalia into his college years to make money on the side, pay rent and buy groceries. Jon finished his B.S. in Anthropology in 2004 and a Master's of Science in Cultural Resource Management in 2006. Since 2002, he has worked with several tribes, conducted oral history interviews, helped protect sacred sites and compiled archaeological inventories throughout the Western United States. Experiences pulled from his culture and the exposure to the land and resources pulled from his anthropological background helped create his vision for his own retail brand NativeAnthro, which was created in 2017. Jon is grateful to have customers in the US, Mexico, Canada, UK, France and Italy. He lives in Toppenish with his wife Emily and their three children; from whom he draws daily inspiration for his work.

The reason I got vaccinated is plain and simple. I believe in science, and I believe a person's rights only come into effect after we do everything in our power to take care of the person next to us. Just like our forefathers looked out for one another. As a child growing up in Neah Bay the question about personal rights never came up and we were all vaccinated against the various viruses. I do believe in herd immunity, and I do believe my personal rights are being protected by science, how can I exercise my rights if I'm dead?

-Nytom

Nytom is a Makah Tribal member born in 1948 and raised in the community of Neah Bay. He has a strong sense of family gained from extensive historical knowledge of Makah songs, dances, ceremonies, and rituals. A sense of family helps Nytom understand how the families of Neah Bay came to be and allow him to trace his connections with other First Peoples of the coast. After returning from Vietnam in the early 1970s, he became more involved in the artistic traditions and culture of his home on the coast. He apprenticed under the late Art Thompson for several years. Through Art’s connections with other people in Canada, Nytom developed a greater understanding of how the art manifested the teachings of his ancestors. Nytom has worked in various artistic media—engraving in silver and gold, limited edition prints, glasswork, metals, and wood—and a passion to understand his traditional culture inspires a deep sense of responsibility:

to always maintain a close connection to the teachings of his people.

Nytom’s connection to other tribes has grown over the years, and he finds himself giving back to insure the cultures of First Nations people lives on by expanding his ability to help other First Nations secure old growth cedar for their longhouses, canoes, and other cultural project. He currently lives in Sequim, Washington.

The inspiration for this design came from one of the earliest teachings taught to me by Lyde Bulter, Hottowe, my grandmother. She grew up in a village called Physt and as the crow flies its halfway between The Lower Elwha River and Neah bay. She would tell me stories of how her family would travel between Physt and Neah Bay for parties and visiting family. Because of the Pandemic, for us to gather has been put on hold, and for now we can only imagine ourselves enjoying the company of family and other tribal members at a feast or potlatch, whatever you want to call gatherings of today. The canoes in the foreground that look like water marks, are to represent those relatives and tribal members who have passed on before us because they didn't have access to vaccines and died for reasons not of their own being. I want to quote Janine Ledford Director of Makah Cultural and Research Center "We know that smallpox vaccines were available in the 1790's". Yet Makah's didn't have access to them and hundreds of our people died 1852. Our ancestors signed the Treaty of Neah Bay in 1855, in part, due to the U.S. Government's promise to provide vaccinations to Makah's. She added in her press release, “We are using the wisdom of our ancestors to sustain ourselves and strengthen future generations.”

I got the vaccine because it is my duty to protect my family, my coworkers and my community in any way I can.

-Liz

Liz Rideau is an urban native mixed-media artist born-and-raised in South Seattle. She is an enrolled member of the Haida Tribe from Southeast Alaska and Filipino American. Her work conveys cultural diversity and pride while exploring the balance between both metropolitan and natural landscapes. Liz was a member of Native Action Network’s Leadership Cohort in 2018.

Our villages have faced many difficulties when it comes to livelihood and health, our ancestors prayed for healing and celebrated health and wellness, vaccines are sacred for me.

Thank you

zeke

Quinault member Ezekiel Serrano is an aspiring and upcoming traditional artist. He is a descendant of Master boat builders and craftsmen from his Native American and Filipino ancestry. He focuses on the spiritual aspects of the Quinault heritage through a combination of symbolism, traditional carving, and coastal art. His voice emerges through cultural arts and as a Community Health Representative for the Diabetes and Wellness Program of the Quinault Indian Nation.