Recently the University of Washington Ethnomusicology Archives and Northwest Heritage Resources launched a new website called, Voices of the First People. The site enables us to hear the voices of numerous elders sharing traditional stories, cultural wisdom and history. It is a beautiful tribute to the work of my late grandmother, Upper Skagit elder, founder of Lushootseed Research, Vi taqʷšəbluʔ Hilbert, and the collective wisdom of our ancestors.

The new website is available on-line to the public and easy to navigate. The site provides categories that allow viewers to search information based on their specific interests and offers links to additional resources. The carefully selected video clips provide viewers the unique opportunity to see taqʷšəbluʔ’s graceful poise and eloquence.

It was my grandmother’s dream to fulfill the desires of numerous elders she worked with, to document and share their information so future generations could benefit from their wisdom. It’s a treasure to see the video recordings and hear the voice of my late grandmother, the founder of Lushootseed Research, along with a number of scholars and elders.

I raise my hands in thanks and praise to Jill Linzee, Project Director (NW Heritage Resources), Laurel Sercombe, Curator/Humanist (UW Ethnomusicology Program) and all the other individuals who created this beautiful, educational website. The Voices of the First People website will undoubtedly carry this important information to people all over the world.

To view the Voices of the First People website, go to: https://guides.lib.uw.edu/vihilbert