Tulalip drug court honored

The tribes’ alternative court earned high honors and $10,000 in a ceremony with the National Congress of American Indians

By Krista J. Kapralos
Herald Writer

TULALIP - Directors of an alternative drug court on the Tulalip Indian Reservation were awarded $10,000 Tuesday in a ceremony in Sacramento, Calif.

The award came with high honors from Honoring Nations, a program through the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Dozens of tribes submitted applications on behalf of nearly 90 tribal programs. Fourteen of those programs were selected to make a presentation in California early this week.

The programs were evaluated based on cultural relevance, sustainability, significance to tribal sovereignty, transferability and effectiveness.

Seven tribes received high honors and $10,000 for their programs. The remaining seven received honors and $2,000.

The ceremony was held in conjunction with the National Congress of American Indians.

The programs that are honored become part of an information exchange on a national level, Honoring Nations Director Amy Besaw said in an interview conducted in September.

The programs will be highlighted for federal legislators and will be added to curriculum at the John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Representatives of the Honoring Nations project and spokesmen for the Tulalip Tribal Court could not be reached for comment.