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October 7, 2022

The Story of Blue Jay Brings Back the Moon

Blue Jay, Northwest Coast Salish tribes’ trickster character, who through his antics brings us laughter, pranks, and yes, even powerful lessons. In this traditional story from the Snoqualmie people, the cunning Blue Jay ventures out to bring Snoqual the Moon—the Transformer, who has been kidnapped by the Dog Salmon people and taken to the Sky world—back to Earth to help prepare for the humans to arrive.

As Blue Jay was changing the Earth, and before he entered upon his work of giving light, Moon created the various peoples and all the rivers as they are now. He made the Puyallup, the Nisqually, and the other rivers. A man and a woman were placed upon one river; another man and woman were placed upon another river, people were placed on every river, the Skagit, Yakima, Lummi, Puyallup, and more.

Moon said, “Fish shall run up these rivers; they shall belong to each people on its own river. You shall make your own living from the fish, deer, and other wild game.” All the work of moon, many people were on these rivers.

Na’ah Illahee Fund, is celebrating Indigenous community brilliance and resilience, Saturday, October 8th 2022, at our “Blue Jay Brings Back the Moon” Festival. We will gather on the traditional lands of the Coast Salish people at Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center. Our time together will include Native speakers and traditional foods.

Read the full story about Blue Jay here.

Shelly Vendiola

(she/her), Swinomish/Visayan, Community Engagement and Culture Director

Shelly Vendiola, (Swinomish/Visayan) is an enrolled member of the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, and Visayan. She has served as an educator, facilitator, activist, and peacemaker/mediator for over 30 years. Shelly co-founded the native Community Engagement and Peacemaking Project and offers consultation in the areas of community engagement and facilitation services including: leadership development, strategic planning, organization mapping, dispute resolution, interest-based negotiations and peacemaking circles throughout the country.

Currently she works as a Community Engagement & Culture Director for the Na’ah Illahee Fund, and serves on the board of the Indigenous Environmental Network and the Skagit YMCA. She continues to work in partnership with the Swinomish Department of Environmental Protection, co-chairs the Protect Mother Earth Subcommittee, and is a member of the Swinomish Health, Education and Social Services Committee. Shelly developed a place-based curriculum about the history and culture of the Swinomish peoples and taught a series of cultural sovereignty courses for over 10 years at the Northwest Indian College – Coast Salish Institute within their Native Studies Leadership Program.

Previously her team provided leadership and consultation for the Lummi Cedar Project – Organized Generations Healthy Lifestyles Program. Ms. Vendiola served as President for the national Indigenous Women’s Network and a Campaign Director for the Indigenous Environmental Network. Shelly received several years of formal dispute resolution training from the Indian Dispute Resolution Services, Inc., and the San Francisco Community Boards Program. She is the recipient of the Native Action Network – Enduring Spirit Award, and a recognized educator and peacemaker in the Northwest region. Shelly has an M.Ed. in Higher Education and practices indigenous pedagogy and indigenous research methodology within all aspects of her work.

Following in her father’s footsteps, Shelly is passionate about gardening. She practices the ancient form of meditation known as Qi Gong for balance, energy, and resiliency, and is a certified Yoga instructor. Her motto is, “There is nothing permanent in the world but change, the key is how we flow with it!”