KKLAHLAH-C-CHEHE-M-MININ ?acaciAtalbix GeA te HelV yex ti stuLtuleI. A PUBLICATION OF SQUAXIN ISLAND TRIBE ?acaciAtalbix GeA te HelV yex ti stuLtuleI. JULY 2003 P eople of the Water COMPLIMENTARY Little Creek Casino Employment Information Expo for the Squaxin Island Community JUNE 30TH FROM 9:00 A.M. TO 6:00 P.M. Learn about the job opportunities at Little opportunities within the Facilities Depart- FRY BREAD/INDIAN TACO BOOTH Creek Casino, the upcoming hotel and ment. 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. tribal government. Job descriptions and Darlene Krise and Amanda Hernandez are educational information will be available. OLYMPIC COLLEGE the best in the West for Indian tacos! Booths focusing on hotel opportunities will Kelly Copp or a representative will have “job be as follows: readiness information” and help with how COOKIES, COFFEE AND SODA to enroll in continuing education, short All day HOTEL DISPLAY courses, hospitality and customer service Sam Askew will be available for informa- training and a ten week pre-employment tion and questions. course. FOOD AND BEVERAGE Representatives from Five Tribes Career Deb Hutchins and Janita Johnson will be Center, South Puget Intertribal Planning there to assist tribal members interested in Agency, Squaxin Island Museum Library the NEW restaurant and lounge as well as and Research Center (MLRC) and Tribal current employment opportunities in the government will also be on hand to help casino’s Food and Beverage Department. and answer questions about employment, Little Creek Casino jobs and career planning. MARKETING AND GIFT SHOP Dena Wuestner will provide information Computers will available at the MLRC for about customer service and retail opportu- developing resumes. nities. She will also be giving away balloons, casino cancelled cards and cancelled dice. HUMAN RESOURCES Peg Johnson will be available to answer ques- tions regarding all opportunities at Little Creek Casino and April Olson will have job descriptions and applications for current openings. Connie Whitener will be avail- able for training and educational informa- tion. Natascia Brown, Dorothy Auseth and Hotel construction Faith Wilbur will be there to assist with all the above and Indian tacos! We will also have a little trinket for people who bring their Job Information Expo card! ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES Patty Brown will have information about housekeeping service areas and housemen positions. FACILITIES Toby Villines will have information on tech- nician I and II positions as well as other job I SLAND ENTERPRISES INC. Island Enterprises The survey asked members to rank, in Survey Results Are In order of importance, the three functions of Robert Whitener, Jr. - Thanks to the over Island Enterprises which are: operating 150 tribal members who completed the sur- tribal businesses, developing tribal busi- vey for Island Enterprises, giving us your nesses and assisting tribal members in run- input. ning businesses. The response was: KLAH-CHE-MIN This information will be very valuable to the Island Enterprises Inc. Board mem- 1. Assist tribal members to start businesses S QUAXIN ISLAND bers who will try to make decisions regard- 2. Operate tribal businesses T RIBAL NEWS ing our economic future. I will try to relate the most interesting survey findings for you in this article. The full summary is too long 3. Develop tribal businesses 70 S.E. Squaxin Lane for this newsletter, but is available on re- Shelton, WA 98584 quest. We asked members to indicate how im- The first question was designed to see portant different aspects of economic en- PHONE: (360) 426-9781 how you think things are going overall; 26% terprises are to them. In ranked order of FAX: (360) 432-0858 of you think things are going in the right importance, based on percentages of those direction, while 61% think things are go- who gave a score of 6 or 7 on a 1-7 scale, Articles and opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily the opinions ing the wrong direction (For those of you they are: of this publication or the Tribal Council. trying to make this add up to 100%, there were 13% who didn’t know or did not re- 1. Employing tribal members - 84% The Klah-Che-Min encourages Tribal spond. This will be the case for the rest of Members to submit letters, articles, figures I report). 2. Selling/marketing tribal member pro- photographs and drawings to be considered for publication, but are subject to editing. The next question asked you to identify duced products - 75% the biggest problem you think the Tribe Contributing writers and artists include faces. This question was asked to see how 3. Providing managerial and career oppor- Squaxin Island community members & staff. many of you would identify economic en- tunities for tribal members - 76% terprise issues as this problem. The result Submissions Deadline: was 21 out of 145 comments, (14% of the 4. Providing employment opportunities 15th of each month respondents) identified an economic enter- that bring tribal members back to stay prise as the problem. in the community - 71% SQUAXIN ISLAND Following these questions, the survey TRIBAL COUNCIL: gave us a comparison between Island En- 5. Making a profit - 68% DAVID LOPEMAN: Chairman ANDY WHITENER: Vice Chairman terprises and other governmental programs. VINCE HENRY: Secretary Those who have a strongly or somewhat fa- 6. Employing tribal member spouses Patti Puhn: Treasurer vorable opinion of Island Enterprises, total and families - 59% PAULA HENRY: First Council Member 57%. For the tribal governmental programs ROY PEREZ: Second Council Member the total is 54%. However, when you look 7. Improving the Tribe’s identity to the CHARLENE KRISE: Third Council Member specifically at the two main enterprises run non-Indian public - 58% by Island Enterprises, you only get scores Klah-Che-Min Staff: of 38% for the Kamilche Trading Post and 8. Diversifying tribal enterprises to en- THERESA M. HENDERSON: EXT. #3945 [email protected] 25% for the Harstine Oyster Company. sure stability - 57% This, as many surveys do, looks at similar questions from different perspectives. 9. Expanding our landbase to support The survey also asked what members economic enterprises for the Tribe and think of overall economic enterprise man- tribal members - 57% agement. The survey indicates 44% think management is fair, 18% think it’s good and 10.Giving the Tribe political and/or eco- one person thinks it’s excellent. nomic clout in the local community - The survey asked a similar question, but 48% in the context of whether Island Enterprises is managing responsibly. The survey shows 11. Employing local community members 48% think Island Enterprises is managing - 29% somewhat or very responsibly. This com- pares with 49% for Little Creek Casino. Continued on Page 4. 2 C OMMUNITY Dreams Really Do Come True What an amazing accomplishment - three During another session, particpants We Are Who We Are sisters (Connie Napoleon, Debbie Obi and were asked to remember their greatest joys. Becky Napoleon) and an aunt (Lizzie Perez) “My joys were the canoe journey, By Becky Napoleon all decided to continue their educations to- New Chance (a program offered through Our people gether and with envious results - special Olympic College that led the women to fur- don’t come in parts. front row tickets to Oprah Winfrey’s “Live ther their educations), getting my GED and Your Best Life” workshop held in Seattle May seeing Oprah,” Connie said. “I don’t think Either we are an Indian 31. it was any coincidence that we were there - or we are not. The four women’s General Educa- it was our purpose.” tion Diploma (GED) instructor, Lynn And Oprah, herself, the first Afri- We really need to Ziegler, who was once a writer for Oprah’s can-American female billionaire, was aware take a look at how “Oxygen” television show, was so impressed of the presence of the four women from Indian people are talking with their accomplishment, she arranged for Squaxin Island. about Indian people. SPIPA to send them to the workshop. “She knew two weeks ahead of time “Just days before I got the news I that we’d be there,” Becky said. “She re- We say there are “Rez was watching her on TV and wishing I could ceived a letter about us. I think we were Indians, Traditional see her in person some day and then it hap- the only Native Americans out of 2,600 Indians, Urban Indians pened,” Connie said. “I was so excited, I people. I think we were an inspiration to and Breeds.” couldn’t sleep for weeks. I kept waking up her, too. We were interviewed by her writ- earlier and earlier I was so excited. ers and may be featured in her magazine This type of thinking “The amazing thing is the begin- “O.” will keep us separated. ning of all this was the canoe journey last “We could see a bit of ourselves in summer. It really changed my life. I de- her,” Connie said. “Part of her story is part An Indian is an Indian, cided to go back to school and then every- of our story . tragedy and triumph, grow- a brother is a brother,a thing just started falling into place like it ing up dirt poor with an outhouse, no phone sister is a sister. was all meant to be. I know my mom (re- and no TV and even being a billionaire.” cently passed on) is with us and guiding us.” “We’re rich with life,” Becky said. We are all related. Becky agreed, and added, “The “This has all been the best thing workshop really helped me see the purpose I ever expected and more,” Becky said.