Barbara Ann Lawrence is a Suquamish culture carrier. I am blessed when our paths cross in the many ways they do through our work, families and friendship. I consider her one of my precious teachers. I’m sharing an interview with Barbara here because she is a participant in many of the positive things going on in the Suquamish community today. Her storytelling skills make her an effective communicator of local history, the importance of non-native citizens understanding of it, and the mutual benefits of partnership between tribal nations and the surrounding communities. I have benefited in many ways as a teaching artist through grants from the Suquamish Tribe’s Appendix X Funds. The Suquamish Tribe gives generously to schools, entities and organizations that foster community health, housing, education and environmental stewardship.
In 2023 Seattle Maritime Association (SMA Seattle) partnered with the THING FEST/STG to bring PNW Tribal Storytellers to the renowned THING Festival in Fort Warden, WA. USA. I borrowed the following explainer off of the Ytube description. I hope you’ll find time to listen to this 35 minute interview while you are weaving or crafting:
Barbara Ann Lawrence is a Suquamish Tribal Elder and a traditional storyteller. She was raised on the Suquamish Port Madison Indian Reservation to her Suquamish Tribal member father, and Chairman of the Suquamish Tribe, Charles Russell Lawrence and her first-generation Norwegian American mother, Anne Roselynn (Berg) Lawrence.
She serves on the Suquamish Tribal Higher Education Board. She holds a BA from The Evergreen State College and an MBA in Sustainable Business from Bainbridge Graduate Institute AKA Pinchot University (recently Pinchot University merged with Presidio University in California).
Suquamish storytelling is a traditional way of teaching and Barbara uses this form of education with all ages from preschoolers to the elderly. She has a passion for and deep knowledge of, Suquamish and Coast Salish history, culture, politics, and archaeology, social justice, environmental racism, and contemporary issues.
She was involved in the conception of the Canoe Journeys through her appointment to the Washington State Centennial Commission in 1985. Barbara has served on several Washington State Advisory Boards, committees, commissions, and task forces that bridge tribal/state governmental interests.
