My name is Louie Ungaro, my Indian name is Shedulk, and I come from the Daniels and Courville families. My entire life has been dedicated to serving my community as a member of the Shaker religion, and as a lifelong fisherman and hunter.

As an elected member of your Muckleshoot Tribal Council, I understand my role to uphold and protect our sovereignty, the preservation of our lifeways, and to provide new opportunities for our people. In my recent term, I found inspiration in our youth and our future leaders! I worked hard to provide pathways that will prepare them in their future roles as protectors of our sovereignty, and traditional lifeways. I hope that these words I share with you, and my vision for the years to come inspires you to cast a vote for me Monday, January 18th, 2021.

In 2017 I worked with the Tribal Schools Commissioners, a team of passionate Muckleshoot tribal members, to take action on a school improvement plan. This plan focused on increasing literacy skills for all students, using time tested approaches as well as increasing cultural connections and experiences in all subjects. We understood that this approach would provide powerful outcomes as the wisdom of our lands, waters, and our Muckleshoot Ancestors are brilliant. They are beautiful, and have helped to shape us for thousands of years.

When I stepped into the Tribal School Chair position in 2017, the graduation rates were at forty-two percent, and after three years of implementing and supporting these changes our graduation rates are now at eighty-five percent in 2020, and are expected to continue to rise in 2021 despite the challenges of COVID-19.

Early last year I traveled to Washington D.C. and shared our schools success with Congress. I requested that they increase funds supporting cultural education, and the construction for adequate learning spaces in tribal schools. I have done this with success in previous terms by advocating with the Army Corp of Engineers to help our precious salmon and habitat by beginning the construction of the largest ever fish passage in North America right here on the Mud Mountain Dam, our ancestral White River.

In 2020, after several years working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, this process paid off again in the form of relief funding to support our fishermen affected by natural disasters in previous fishing seasons.

I have learned that these requests take time, and a lot of follow up. It is important to maintain these partnerships with local, state, and federal agencies. With each partnership we embrace, opportunities emerge for all of us to have meaningful livelihoods in industries beyond gaming, and into the fields of natural resources, business, health and education.
Ultimately, we can represent our Ancestral economies through having a presence in these spaces and sharing our story.

We are a thriving culture, we are strong, and we have answers to so many modern day problems.

Each year I get to spend time with our Muckleshoot graduates, listening to their testimony about their life stories, educational experiences, and their life goals. I’ve learned so much from spending this time listening to them. I’ve learned, as leaders, we must never stop providing opportunities that will serve our community and offer new career pathways, as well as a world-class education to all tribal members.
I’ve learned that our future is bright and inspiring, and committed to our lifeways, and to building a future that we- and our Ancestors- always dreamed of, and fight so hard for. The encouragement this gives me is hard to put into words, but it is everything.

It is what being “Battle-Tested” is truly all about. It is a time-tested culture of strategy and discipline, as well as the strategic and systematic thinking that comes with it all. I chose the words “Battle-Tested” because we are living in a world of so many unknowns right now, and it is my prayer that you may have peace of mind knowing that your vote for me is time-tested. The truth is, being “Muckleshoot Strong” means that we are all “Battle-Tested.”

IF RE-ELECTED I WILL FOCUS ON:

• The expansion, and further construction of a tribal school that meets the needs of our students, and begins offering vocational career options.

• Continue building partnerships that create career opportunities involving our Ancestral territories. These include careers in forestry, outdoor recreation, fighting wildfires, teaching, and stewardship. These relations are already established, and I plan to expand on them even more.

• Further work on the development of an ecotherapy program that offers outdoor life skills development. This new initiative is highly successful, and it is my vision that this program will continue to offer healing, learning, and inspiration to our people.

• Continue working hard to keep our people safe and healthy during the time of COVID-19.