Honoring the Spirit of Vi Hilbert Community Gathering

We welcome you to participate in our community gathering to celebrate the legacy of IslandWood's grandmother, Vi Hilbert. This year, we're proud to honor Ed Carriere, Suquamish tribal member and friend of IslandWood, as he exemplifies the "Spirit of Vi Hilbert," to all. We are so proud of Ed and all that he has accomplished, and wish to honor him and his recent achievement as a National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage fellow!

Ed Eugene Carriere (Suquamish) learned the art of basketmaking from his great-grandmother, Julia Jacob of the Suquamish Tribe, who raised him from infancy. Jacob, born in 1874, was raised in a cedar plank longhouse called Old Man House, until she was a teenager, learning the early traditions of basketry; then her family was moved to their Indian allotment across the bay where Carriere currently lives. At age 14, he started to learn old-style split cedar limb and root Salish basketry and what became his lifetime specialty, clam baskets. Estimating from sales records, Carriere has likely made more than 600 clam baskets so far in his lifetime.

Carriere now presents his baskets for all future generations to learn from the deep-rooted cultural and arts heritage of the Salish Sea and peoples.

Join us, and celebrate Vi, Ed, and a healing world where all are welcome, and community is woven, and sustained.

To learn more about Ed and this prestigious award, please watch this short tribute video. Photo by Stuart Isett and video courtesy of the National Endowment for the Arts.

Your ticket includes: Welcome & Blessing, coffee, tea & healthful refreshments, award ceremony and celebration with tribal elders and leaders, and a Coastal Salish inspired appetizer reception, and non-alcoholic beverage that honors our connection and stewardship of Salish land and waters. Our signature IslandWood hospitality will be on display, and we are grateful to welcome you for a joyful fall afternoon!

This event is free and open to all. Seating is limited and we recommend you do not wait if you wish to reserve a ticket. We also ask that you cancel in advance if you cannot attend, as we will be running a waitlist. Thank you in advance for this consideration.

IslandWood is so proud to be in partnership with our friends at The Suquamish Tribe, with whom we are co-hosting this event.

IslandWood acknowledges that we live and work on the ancestral land of the Coast Salish people, who have been stewards of this region’s land and waters since time immemorial. While the majority of our work takes place on Suquamish and Duwamish land, we also conduct programs on the land of the Snohomish, Puyallup, Muckleshoot, Skokomish, and S’Klallam people.

IslandWood's beginnings were forged with community support from friends, neighbors, local organizations and Coast Salish tribal groups. Our very own Great Hall, which welcomes thousands of students and community members each year with enriching performances, lectures, and music, features a traditional house post that is carved in the likeness of a dear friend to IslandWood, Vi Hilbert, or Vi taqᵂšəblu Hilbert (1918–2008). At the time of the house post's conception, it was Vi that suggested that it be in the image of a grandmother welcoming children to IslandWood with open arms. In her culture, she explained, elders care for all grandchildren, not just their own. In the twenty years since, Grandmother Vi has welcomed over 50,000 children who have come to IslandWood to take part in the School Overnight Program.

MORE ABOUT OUR GRANDMOTHER, VI HILBERT

Vi taqᵂšəblu Hilbert, an Upper Skagit tribal member, was born and raised by Skagit (Lushootseed) speaking parents in the Skagit River area of Washington State. She was educated from birth to the traditional customs and language of her Indian community.

Vi began her extensive formal work with Lushootseed in 1967 and later founded the organization in 1983. She started working with linguist Thom Hess who introduced her to the written language. Vi taught the language at the University of Washington for nearly two decades and was awarded an honorary Ph.D. from Seattle University in 1994.

She encouraged and assisted many of the local tribes in developing their own language programs. Vi received many awards for her dedication including being named a Washington State Living Treasure, a US National Heritage Fellow and the Ken Hale Prize for lifelong achievement. Most recently Seattle University named a new ten-story building on campus in her honor.

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