PHOTO BY CLARE JENSEN

About 110 members of the Puyallup Tribal community came out April 5 to participate in the third-annual Peace Rally. The rally was the culmination of Peace Week, March 31-April 5. Check out pages 2-3 for highlights.

Puyallup Tribe continues its path to peace

By Clare Jensen

Members of the Puyallup Tribe united, once again, in honor of peace, well-being and healing for the community.

April 5 marked the third annual peace rally for the Tribe. A day of peaceful activities, presentations and a united walk was the culmination of an entire week of violence prevention campaigns.

The three-year-old tradition began in 2005 after a year of tragedy on the reservation.

By the end of 2004, eight young Tribal members had died at the hands of someone else, or due to substance abuse.

“We came together as a community and said ‘we need to rally for peace,’” said Danelle Reed-Inderbitzen, director of Kwawachee Counseling Center (KCC). “We want to continue to put the message out there,” she said. The message “Violence Is Not Tradition, Protect Future Generations” can be clearly seen on T-shirts, signage and fliers throughout the Tribal community year round.

In addition to the annual event, the Tribe organizes peace marches every few months throughout the year.

“Every day we make a commitment to be good to one another and make good things for the community,” said Connie McCloud, cultural coordinator for the Puyallup Tribe.

About 110 community members attended the event April 5. More than 300 people participated in a variety of violence prevention activities throughout Peace Week.

Tribal Councilmember David Bean applauded the community interaction in Peace Week and the rally.

“This is a beautiful event. It’s going to take people in the spirit of peace, love and respect” to create a non-violent community.

Eli Painted Crow, a 22-year retired U.S. Army veteran and member of the Yaqui Nation, spoke at the rally event.

“This really is a blessing for me…it’s really encouraging for me,” she said. “This peace rally today is the most peaceful rally I’ve ever been to.”

“This is a very powerful beginning. What you’re doing is so powerful,” Eli Painted Crow said.

Before the peace march April 5, Jody Brooks presented the KCC’s Helping Hands Project with a paddle inscribed with the rallies’ motto: “violence is not tradition: protect future generations.”

The paddle will remain in the Helping Hands Project’s office until the next rally, when it will be passed on to another deserving home for the year to come.

Miss out on Peace Week events? Check out Puyallup Tribal News’ “Peace Pathway” on pages 2-3 for information shared during Peace Week, and join the journey to peace with more than 900 other community members.

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