This week, Hillary Clinton sat down with Tribal leaders in Arizona and Washington
In Washington, Hillary was joined by 19 tribal leaders from around the state at the Chief Leschi School on the Puyallup Indian Reservation
During the meeting, Hillary heard from Tribal leaders on a range of issues—from cleaning up Puget Sound, to the future of the salmon in the Northwest, to what we can do to improve health care and education in Native communities.
But before the meeting began, Hillary was honored by the Puyallup Tribe with two powerful gifts: A blanket and a Lushootseed Indian name.
Connie McCloud, the culture director of the Puyallup Tribe, explained what the blanket represents.
“It will heal you. It will give you strength. It will help you to continue on your path … that you’ve embarked on,” McCloud said.
Hillary also received a Lushootseed Indian name: tsiwələx̌ʷi. Pronounced “tsee-wuh-luh-x̌wee” which means “Strong Woman.”
“It all began to change,” Sterud said. “The night before the inauguration parade, I got a call that said, ‘Want to be in the parade?’ ... We are the first Natives in the inaugural parade since the late 1800s—Sitting Bull. It was an honor.”
President Clinton also held the first tribal summit at the White House since President George Washington was in office. And President Obama built on that by hosting annual White House Tribal Nations Conferences—something Hillary will continue to do as president.
Sterud joked, “And so in 2017, a little over a year—when she’s elected the next president, maybe, perhaps—we’ll get a call …”
