By Kristen Oliphant, Events and Partnerships Manager
As the official fundraising organization for Mount Rainier, North Cascades, and Olympic National Parks, Washington’s National Park Fund recognizes that the parks we support are situated on the ancestral lands of many Tribal Nations. One of our key priorities is giving access and opportunities to experience the parks in meaningful ways to communities that are traditionally underrepresented in these places, and we are proud to partner with Rachel Heaton, member of the Muckleshoot Tribe and descendant of the Duwamish people, to advance this goal through a historic climb of Mount təqʷuʔmaʔ – the original Muckleshoot name for the mountain many know as Mount Rainier.
There are six tribes that border the mountain (each of whom has a different name for it). Yet, members of these communities don’t always feel they have access to experiences within the national park boundaries that allow them to connect with their ancestral lands in a meaningful way. For Rachel, a Culture Specialist for the Muckleshoot Tribe which borders the Sunrise area of the park, organizing a climb group made up exclusively of members of federally recognized tribes is a way to reclaim the mountain and ensure tribal voices – especially the voices of those for whom it is ancestrally their homeland – are represented on it.
“I started realizing my people weren’t out here on the mountain,” Rachel shared. “Our stories, our knowledge, our language, and our faces weren’t visible out there. Yet when visitors are out there, they can see the plants that we use every day in our cultural teachings and that are important for our food sovereignty. There are millions of people out there not realizing the significance of these plants. It got me thinking, if we’re not out there, what are these people being exposed to? What are they learning?”
There are a lot of stories and accounts of the history of the mountain that are not being told, says Rachel. And mountaineering itself, one of the ways people choose to experience a unique side of the mountain, doesn’t necessarily offer the opportunity for people to reflect on the natural space they’re inhabiting. “Mountaineering is very much about getting to the summit more so than reflecting on this space you’re in and the spiritual impact of it.” Rachel is on a mission to change that, and this all-native climb through Washington’s National Park Fund is a first step.
Several groups are involved in making this climb happen, including the experienced guides at International Mountain Guides (IMG) who will lead the climb. REI Co-op will provide financial support, as well as Co-op Brand gear and apparel to help outfit Rachel and the climb team.
We never saw ourselves in these spaces and never thought we would.
Two years ago, Rachel developed an interest in climbing and began researching the history of indigenous climbers of Mount Rainier and quickly came to the realization that no members of the Muckleshoot tribe have summited the mountain in modern history. “So, as far as we know, we are the first group of native people ancestrally from these lands to attempt Mount Tahoma (Rainier).”
This will not be Rachel’s first attempt to climb Mount Rainier; in her last attempt, though she was turned around due to melting conditions, she was able to share stories and educate the individuals in her climb group about the plants around them as they ascended. She also shared traditional activities like tobacco offerings, smudging, and clearing. “Being able to have those experiences on the mountain – it was very special,” she says.
If her group summits this time Rachel would be pleased, but she knows it’s possible they won’t. “That’s alright because that’s not what it’s about. It’s about having our faces and our stories out on the mountain. And it’s about inspiring our youth and showing them that we are out here.”
Rachel’s team is diverse, made up of three members of the Muckleshoot tribe who are ancestrally from the area plus an individual from the East coast. For some, this will be their first experience on the mountain and their first experience climbing. But one thing they share in common is every climber came from their respected tribal communities to do this history-making climb.
Rita is Turtle Mountain Chippewa and of European descent. She is the wife of Steven (Nooksack) and mother to Bailee and Trayce. She is a Bill Gates Millennium Scholar and holds a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction. She has over a decade of teaching experience and has lived in multiple countries in Europe. She loves to travel and learn about other communities. She dedicated 2.5 years to developing a Muckleshoot-centered curriculum and supporting cultural implementation at the Muckleshoot Tribal School. She is currently a Learning Partner for the City of Seattle, embedding Racial Equity and Social Justice Analysis into research, stakeholder engagement, and curricula. She is an advocate for suicide awareness and is especially passionate about suicide prevention in indigenous communities, with her passion for suicide awareness stemming from the suicide of her father when she was 12 years old. As a former basketball and volleyball player, she has channeled her passion for sports into a hiking hobby. She loves hiking because she can take care of her emotional, spiritual, and physical health simultaneously.
Steven is Afro-indigenous and comes from the Nooksack tribe. He is husband to Rita and father to Bailee and Trayce. He played basketball at Gonzaga University from 2007-2011 and played professionally all over Europe for 11 seasons, spending most of his career in Greece and France. In 2022 he retired from professional basketball to be the Athletic Director at Muckleshoot Tribal School. He has recreationally hiked for the last 10 years and hopes to encourage and inspire indigenous youth to get outside and increase their physical health.
Jennifer is Nipmuc, Narragansett and European, and an enrolled Nipmuc Nation Tribal and Council member. Jennifer was born to Albert Vickers and Gloria Ogilvie in Worcester, Massachusetts. As an infant she moved with her family to Seattle, Washington, where she was raised on the traditional lands of the Coast Salish and graduated from Garfield High School and Indian Heritage High School. She is the mother to two amazing children: Benicio and Vida. She resides in Edmonds, Washington, and spends her free time tending to her garden or exploring the trails and mountains of the Pacific Northwest, foraging for traditional medicines, and following a rigorous regimen of exercise, yoga, and self-care. She is passionate and outspoken about indigenous issues in her life and work, as she feels called to apply her energy and experience to advocate for the wellbeing of all Native people. Jennifer serves on the board of the Potlatch Fund, co-chairs the Edmonds School District Indian Education Parent Committee and co-chairs the Indigenous Communities cultural group where she works at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Tayla is 22 years old, born and raised in Washington, and a member of the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe. She has worked for the tribe for five years, and for the past year and a half has served as a personal trainer at the Muckleshoot Health and Wellness Center. She is certified as a personal trainer (CPT) as well as a senior fitness specialist (SFS) through the National Academy of Sports Medicine, as well as CPR-certified and lifeguard certified. She says, “I am busy looking for more opportunities to educate myself and gain knowledge that will help me better myself and people around me. I really enjoy being involved with the community and helping others learn and care for their bodies.”
Gil is a member of the Muckleshoot Tribe located in Auburn, Washington who currently lives in the unceded territories of his people (King County). He is also Chicano and says “both sides of me are equally important and play major roles in my livelihood.” He is a father to four amazing children: Esai, Ailiah, Ariyana, and Estevan. He currently works in the Muckleshoot Tribal Court system and is very involved in his tribal community. His goal is to help troubled youth and to help keep them out of the system and hopes to inspire more youth to find their purpose whether it’s through sharing his story or by his actions.
My name Mercedes Sosa. I am of the Muckleshoot Tribe and of Argentinian descent. My mother and father are Rachel Heaton and Norberto Sosa. I am a certified personal trainer, Educator and a licensed master esthetician. My mom was one of my inspirations when it came to my fitness journey and becoming a personal trainer. I’ve always had a passion for helping people take care of their bodies from what they put into it, to what to put on it. Being in the outdoors has always been something I loved from hiking a trail to paddle boarding on a lake, anything to get me outside. I also live to travel and I’m a huge foodie.
Rachel, the organizer of this historic climb, is a member of the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe, a descendant of the Duwamish people and of European descent. She is the mother to three beautiful children: Mercedes, Nylah, and Dahnahhi. She was part of the coalition that led the city of Seattle to divest from Wells Fargo, one of the main funders of the Dakota Access Pipeline in Standing Rock, North Dakota. As a result of this movement, she became co-founder of the indigenous-led divestment organization Mazaska Talks and has traveled around the world speaking on the topic and working to bring attention to the destruction of mother earth caused by funding and investments provided by Wall Street banks and the fossil fuel industry. She also speaks on the violations of rights of Native and Indigenous peoples and seeks ways to educate and bring awareness to those outside of her community whether it be through speaking, connecting in nature or through physical fitness. She is a culture educator for her tribe, working to learn, build and sustain our cultural practices. Rachel also serves on the Solidarity Committee for the Equation Campaign and is a Board Member for the City of Seattle’s Green New Deal Oversight Board.
Good luck, Rachel and team!
After the team returned from their September climb, we connected back with Rachel, Gil, and Mercedes to chat about how it all went! Watch our virtual field trip from November 2023, in celebration of Native American Heritage Month.
Washington’s National Park Fund is the official philanthropic partner of Mount Rainier, North Cascades, and Olympic National Parks. We raise money to preserve and protect these three national parks, funding scientific research, youth and family experiences, and projects that will keep them strong and vital now and forever. We believe that tribal communities are the first stewards of these special places, and their voices are, and will forever be, vital in protecting, preserving, and sharing their homeland and traditions with the world.
Cover photo: Several team members training to hike to Camp Muir. Photo by Kristen Oliphant.