The Departure for POBR

 Wednesday, July 6th, 2022 is the day of our departure...

I started the day out going to work to print off some maps and plans for the 2 weeks I would be gone from work so things will remain operating smoothly while I am away for the other Fiber Optic Technician in the department. I work at our Yakama Nation's Enterprise, Yakama Power a Utilities as their IT and Fiber Optics Technician.  

Upon arrival to Heritage University it was a pleasure to see some familiar faces joining the trip as classmates and mentors which always makes an absence from home a little more at home while on the road.  We began to organize and pack up supplies, the intended time of departure was 11am or noon, however it took longer than expected but we made it all work and departed approximately 2:30pm.  

I didn't get to ride along in the vans with my classmates where there is 6 of us and 4 mentors due to having to make a trip back home Monday/Tuesday to participate in a "Women of Trades" interview with a film maker out of Seattle by the name of Darrin Gunkel. The link for more information on this is, https://www.wawomenintrades.com/about-us.  My other half is on a business trip so it all worked out having to take my car to transport my 2 children (4 year old & 10 year old) to their grandparents in Wellpinit so it worked out perfectly that we were camping there for this trip.  

We all arrived to the campgrounds on the Spokane Reservation, Wellpinit, Washington about 6pm and began to prepare our sites to set up our tents. Our host Warren Seyler, Department of Natural Resources gave us his passionate history of the Spokane Tribe's history and how it ties into the Yakama Nation which was very interesting, I always like to hear the connection that we are all connected as Indigenous People. I also love history.  Also, how he incorporated environmental and restoration our land needs and it begins with us and the stories and history our elders pass down to us, along with modern knowledge. Calista Spoonhunter ended the night with presenting him with a mug with the Yakama Language and Spanish Language on it, however I am unsure what it said but it is always a significant thing that I love to see because generations back, tribes would bring gifts to enter upon another tribes land that represents prosperity (good fortune) and peace.  



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