Stubborn Elder

[Andre Cramblit]

Native language lives in woman
Vi Hilbert of the Upper Skagit tribe stubbornly aims to keep the old  
words of Lushootseed alive.

By Krista J. Kapralos
Herald Writer


EVERETT - By her own admission, Vi Hilbert, 88, is stubborn.

She was an only child raised in the Upper Skagit tribe. Her mother  
loved to perform and her father was a medicine man. When they passed  
the stories on to Hilbert, he spoke in Lushootseed, the language of  
Western Washington's Coast Salish tribes.

Hilbert was a child in a desperate era for American Indian tribes.  
Tribal children went to boarding schools where they weren't allowed  
to speak their native languages. Many children forgot Lushootseed,  
but not Hilbert.

She stubbornly tucked it away in her mind and in her heart.

Years later, the language emerged from an age of darkness and was  
brought into the light once again. Hilbert was one of the few people  
who remembered enough of it to speak it again.

At an event sponsored by Everett Community College's Diversity and  
Equity Center Thursday, Hilbert shared her language with about 70  
students. The students leaned forward in their seats in an effort to  
catch every word, and afterward they knelt on the floor in front of  
Hilbert to thank her.

"She's living history," said Earl Martin, director of the college's  
counseling center and a member of the Cree tribe. "The knowledge she  
passes down orally is just as valuable as anything that's in our  
library."

Hilbert has dedicated her life to the rebirth of Lushootseed. She  
worked in the linguistics department at the University of Washington  
for 15 years. In 1989, she received an honorary doctorate from  
Seattle University and was named a Washington State Living Treasure.

Hilbert has worked closely with linguists to develop a written form  
of Lushootseed and publish dictionaries for the language.

"Given her age, I've wanted to get her here while she's still able to  
speak," said Christina Castorena, associate dean for diversity for  
EvCC. "She's a local jewel, and it's an honor to have her here."

Hilbert clutched a dark blanket around her thin shoulders as she sat  
in a chair on the stage in Baker Hall on the EvCC campus. She  
demanded that the students speak up if they wanted to ask her a  
question.

"I'm bossy," she said, smiling slyly.

Hilbert said she's been criticized by some tribal members for sharing  
Upper Skagit culture. She argues that every culture is important and  
should be shared with as many people as possible. Sharing Lushootseed  
and ancient Coast Salish stories won't dilute the value of the culture.

"The language will live because it's important," she said. "The  
culture will live because it's important."

Reporter Krista J. Kapralos: 425-339-3422 or kkapralos at heraldnet.com.