2020

Dear Friends,

Wildfires that were started over the Labor Day weekend on the Colville Reservation burned more than acreage and homes, they consumed precious evidence of the cultural richness of our Methow tribal people.The fire’s destruction also has put Methow elders at risk for their health, livelihood and capacity to pass on their language, traditions and skills.

Yesterday Bruce Morrison and I visited culture keepers and knowledge holders (AKA: elders) from the Methow Tribe. These folks are friends who have supported the Methow Valley Interpretive Center from the beginning and who have kept a continuous connection with their ancestral homeland (the Methow Valley) for at least 8,000 years. Their connection to the lands and waters of this place and to their family’s history is deep beyond understanding.

We stood there yesterday standing on charred land and staring into the ashes and listening to what has been lost. The melted beads of full horse regalia beaded by an ancestor, generations ago made the gray ash sparkle with color in the heat. Family papers and photographs were barely discernible as they blew in the breeze. A fully beaded buckskin jacket made by a family member was scorched beyond recognition, and the cedar root baskets woven a generation ago are now completely gone.

We dug a hole to bury a cat near the piece of farm equipment where she liked to play, burying her so that she faced East (head to the West, feet to the East) and could see the sunrise. This is the traditional Methow way, we were told. As we stood there with the earth smoldering around us, we learned this most important lesson. You take care of each other in both good times and devastating times, and you do it right. In that way both the giver and the receiver are honored. Life must be honored and its about relationship.

During times like these, the Methow Valley has always risen to the occasion. If you would like to offer assistance here are a couple of the ways that you can do that.

• Donate to the Methow Valley Interpretive Center via paypal, or send a check to our address (PO Box 771, Twisp, WA 98856) and please write a note that it is for Fire Relief. 100% of these donations will go directly to families in need. We will purchase things that are needed (see list below), buy purchase cards, etc for those families that we know are in need. We will continue to work with our Tribal friends to identify what is needed and who needs it.

•  Donate directly to the following a GoFundMe campaign being run by the River Warriors Society: Cold Springs Canyon & Pearl River Fires Funds. These folks are getting on-the-ground needs met right away with these funds and have a distribution network of volunteers that reaches far and wide.

• For longer term support and recovery that will be essential, consider also the Community Foundation of North-Central Washington’s (cfncw.org) Fire Recovery Fund.

Here is a partial list of items that have been requested:  Camp stoves, Gas Cards, Single and large propane tanks, Hay feed, 55 gallon water tanks/drums, Any water jugs, Battery operated/solar lanterns, Gift cards from stores to purchase these items, Air filters, Generators..

Thank you in advance for your support and quick response during this tragic time. Please call (509-919-0686) or email if you have any questions.

With heavy hearts,

David LaFever, Executive Director
Bruce Morrison, Board Chair

---

Dear Friends,

We want to first thank you for your generosity and the quick way that you are helping us help those impacted by recent fires in our area. Through your generosity, we have raised more than $8,000 which is all going to direct fire relief efforts. The Interpretive Center is keeping none of this. Most of it is going towards meeting the day-to-day needs of the Methow and other tribal descendants (as described below), either directly by us or through working with the River Warriors Society, who is doing great on-the-ground work across the Reservation. We cannot thank you enough! 

Witnessing the full extent of the devastation from the Cold Springs wildfire suffered by our friends on the Colville Reservation is heartbreaking. Yet they themselves survived and the indomitable spirit of their people shines through. 

Because of their brave stance in the face of so much loss, it carried great meaning to join them recently, to help where we could, but mostly to be with them as they crafted ways that their lives and culture would be carried on. Friends, family and Tribal government have been there often, comforting, assessing needs and bringing food, shelter and clothing. The River Warriors Society (an Indigenous-led non-profit) came to offer help with the gritty process of sorting through the ashes and rubble to clean up and recover what was salvageable.

Our Interpretive Center board, members and staff have been part of this giving and receiving from the beginning when the land was still smoldering. We have all been nourished by their gratitude and they by our love and support. We have brought tools, utensils, food and cash. Gifts of dried serviceberries (“siya”), sweetgrass, honey and chokecherries provide both food and medicine. We have gathered important cultural plants such as cedar roots and tules to replace these essential cultural materials lost in the fire. Right after the fire swept through, when help was needed most, members of MVIC helped getting water flowing again to the horses and cattle, buying a coffepot, loaning a campstove, and listening. Now we continue to follow up with specific tasks and needs as these become evident. We will work with others, including the Tribe and River Warriors Society, to rebuild corrals and outbuildings as the cattle come off the range and winter sets in. Once homes and utilities have been replaced, we will work with Methow Natives and others to soften and green the charred landscape with native plants and seeds.

A lot of work has been done and there is still much to do, and we know that we can only do it together. With deep gratitude, we thank you for your contributions, financial and otherwise, that are helping ease the suffering of many and creating connections that will last far into the future.

Thank you so very much!

David LaFever, Executive Director