Running for Tribal Council Treasurer
I’m Andrea Wilbur-Sigo. I’m the oldest granddaughter of Dennis Allen, Arline Peterson, and Bert Wilbur.
My Great-Grandparents are William Allen (aka Toko Bill), Rosie Pulsifer, Andrew Peterson, and Betty Byrd.
My GG Grandparents are Henry Allen, Alice Hawk, Joe Pulsifer, Kate Smith, Andrew Peterson, Nancy George, Cal Byrd, and Elizabeth Wilbur.
My GGG grandparents are Tyee George, Molly Tom.
Growing up between Squaxin and Skokomish my entire life, I’ve been blessed to have teachings from some of the best Elders a person could ever have. I just pray that I will be able to be half the person they are.
On May 4th, I will be running for the Tribal Council Treasurer position, and would be honored to have your support. I hope that I can help be your voice and help bring unity to our community. We need to remember change happens with a bit of disagreements, and it’s ok. We need to remember to agree to disagree. I was told by Bob Whitener, Sr. about 30 years ago, “You can’t fix it everything. Pick and choose your battles.” Being young, I didn’t understand, but now I see where he was guiding me.
We need to remember that we all come from a strong foundation and, ultimately, that foundation is going to be what makes us grow.
That foundation is our family and culture, and if we don’t fertilize those roots, we will merely exist and not flourish like we should. We need to be putting our energy into these young people and teaching them who they are and show them what they are capable of doing.
We need to work together to make this happen. It’s going to take all of our ideas wrapped together in mutual love and respect. We need to live by example. We need to be focusing on multi generational teaching. We need to be recording Elders’ stories and remember that we are always evolving. We are a live people who have made it here by our ancestors’ dreams, so let’s dream on together.
We then need to think outside of the box. Our parents and grandparents fought for the treaty rights we have today. But now let’s look and think broader and use our creative thinking skills. Let’s think about what words were written and ask ourselves, “Are we protecting everything the way we are supposed to be? What are we doing in our lifetime?” Yes, I’ve been so lucky to see the growth of the past 49 years, and can say it’s been amazing. Now it’s our turn. We need to do the same.
Ultimately, I truly believe investing in our children and having a culturally strong community is the best prevention program we could have. I believe that it will also help with the mental health issues we have and help people find their pathways. When our tribal family has self pride and works together, we are a force that is unstoppable.
I hope, no matter what choice you make, you show up and make your voice heard. It is one of the most important parts of being part of this awesome Squaxin Island Tribe I call my family.