People of The Inside podcast

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Season 1: Episode 3

Duwamish Voices: Art, Healing, and Cultural Resilience

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In this episode of People of the Inside, host Nancy Sackman (Cultural Preservation Officer for the Duwamish Tribe) sits down with four tribal artists and relatives—DeAnn Sackman, Vanessa Gloria, Amity Preston and Forrest Harris. Together, they discuss the deep interplay between traditional artwork, personal and intergenerational healing, and living authentically as Coast Salish representatives of heritage in contemporary Western Washington.

From cedar basket weaving and two-needle beadwork to public art, murals, woodworking, and canoe journeys, these conversations illuminate how art serves as a living bridge connecting ancestors, current generations, and the future.

The episode emphasizes that Indigenous art is an evolving tradition that honors ancestors while shaping contemporary identity in the Pacific Northwest. 

As Chairwoman Cecile Hanson always reminds us, "the truth is the truth."

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Show Notes

Host:

• Vanessa Gloria (Beadwork Artist & Cultural Practitioner):

  • Identity & Recognition: Speaks candidly about descending from Duwamish, Snoqualmie, and Lower Elwha lineages, navigating tribal recognition, and identifying as an "urban Indian" in Seattle.

  • Canoe Journey as Healing: Recounts paddling from her mother’s ancestral waters to her father’s ancestral lands during the Paddle to Elwha, describing every paddle stroke as an intentional prayer for healing intergenerational trauma.

  • Beading as Sobriety & Medicine: Details how learning two-needle beadwork from tribal mentors became a grounding tool for sobriety and intention, strictly practicing the cultural boundary of never beading under the influence or with bad energy.

• DeAnn Sackman (Master Cedar Weaver & Hand Therapist):

  • Cedar Weaving Traditions: Diane shares her journey learning traditional cedar basketry from master weaver Mary Lou Slaughter, detailing the harvesting of western red cedar bark, roots, cattails, and sweetgrass.

  • Function & Engineering: Explores how traditional hard-coil and clam-washing baskets function, noting how wet cedar root gains incredible tensile strength.

  • Multiracial Identity & Dual History: Reflects on carrying both European and Native heritage, choosing to focus on positive cultural preservation rather than historical trauma.

• Forrest Harris (Woodworker, Tribal Council Member & Artist):

  • Artistic Inspiration: Describes how the natural environment in Sequim, WA—specifically eagles, hummingbirds, and dragonflies—fuels his sketches and public artwork.

  • Community Public Art: Discusses creating cultural stencil displays along the retaining walls near the Duwamish Longhouse along West Marginal Way.

  • Legacy of Crafting & Harvesting: Shares memories of his late father’s carving work and how he continues traditions through woodworking, fishing, and teaching his young daughter.

• Amity Preston (Digital design)

  • Bridging local storytelling, place-based advocacy, and community connection. 

  • Emerging from collaborative projects with the Duwamish Tribe’s art cohort, her design practice centers Native histories—particularly the Duwamish Tribe’s ongoing struggle for federal recognition despite signing the 1855 Treaty of Point Elliott. You can learn about her work with the Duwamish Design Collective.

Community Impact:

• Duwamish Longhouse November Art Market: Friday, November 27 & Saturday, November 28 (10:00 AM – 4:30 PM) at the Duwamish Longhouse and Cultural Center, 4705 West Marginal Way SW, Seattle, WA 98106. Free entry featuring Indigenous art, jewelry, specialty goods, clothing, and food including fry bread and soup.

• River Access Paddle Program (RAPP)    

• Visit the Duwamish Longhouse & Cultural Center to learn more, volunteer and get involved with Seattle’s first people.

• Learn about the the "Real Rent" initiative for Seattle residents to donate to the Duwamish Tribe.

Credits:

Creative Director and Host: Nancy Sackman, Vice Chair of the Duwamish Tribe; Cultural Preservation Officer | Duwamish Tribal Historic Preservation | Duwamish Tribe 

Additional voiceovers: Vanessa Gloria

Recorded at the Duwamish Longhouse in September and October 2026.

Music: The Grandmother song was gifted to the Duwamish by Justin Finkbonner and sung by Blake Shelafoe 

Resilience Song -- Duwamish Tribe

Nancy's Canoe Journey song in Lushootseed

Bird sound effects by Out of Sync: Freesound.org 

Artwork: Shayla Hufana

The Duwamish Tribal Services podcast graphic design and illustrative work is supported and funded by 4Culture.

People of the Inside is produced and edited by Elke Hautala and Cari Simson of Invisible Histories in Seattle, Washington.