Vi Hilbert

Vi Hilbert (née Anderson, Lushootseed name: taqʷšəblu, July 24, 1918 – December 19, 2008) was a Native American tribal elder of the Upper Skagit, a tribe of the greater Puget Salish in Washington State, whose ancestors occupied the banks along the Skagit River, and was a conservationist of the Lushootseed language and culture. She was named a Washington State Living Treasure in 1989, and received a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment of the Arts, presented by President Bill Clinton, in 1994. She co-wrote Lushootseed grammars and dictionaries, and published books of stories, teachings, and place names related to her native region, the Puget Sound (also known as Whulge in anglicized Lushootseed).

Childhood

Vi was born to Charlie and Louise Anderson on July 24, 1918 near Lyman, Washington, on the Upper Skagit River. Her father was a fisherman, a logger, and a canoe maker, whose canoe the Question Mark is housed in the Smithsonian Museum Archive.

Experience in WWII

Vi gave many interviews, however, one poignant interview with historian Julie Miller (who is also related to Vi via marriage), found that Vi was just shy of being put in the Japanese Internment Camps. Only after providing proof of her Native American heritage was she allowed to stay in her homeland.

Personal Life

Vi Anderson, was married three times. Her first marriage was to Hercy Woodcock in 1936 they had two children. Her first child, Denny was born in 1937, and her daughter, Lois, in 1938. After Denny died of meningitis in 1940, Vi and Percy Woodcock separated and Vi moved to Nooksak (near Bellingham, Washington), to live with her parents.

Vi's second marriage was to Bob Coy in 1942 at Tulalip (near Marysville, Washington), and gave birth to her son Ron in 1943.

Vi's third and final marriage in 1945 was to Henry Donald "Donny" Hilbert that honorable served in WWII surviving the attack at Pearl Harbor while aboard the USS West Virginia. Donny, subsequently adopted Vi's children from her previous marriages. They lived in a house they built in south Seattle until 2003, when they moved to Bow, Washington, in Skagit County.

Donny preceded Vi in death.

Death

Vi Hilbert died at her home in La Conner on the morning of December 19, 2008. She was surrounded by her family at the time of her death.[1]

The taqʷšəblu Vi Hilbert Ethnobotanical Garden at Seattle University is named in her honor.[2]

References

  1. ↑ "Upper Skagit Tribe elder dies". Skagit County's News and Information Source, goskagit.com (Dec. 19, 2008). Retrieved 2013-04-04.
  2. ↑ "Ethnobotanical Garden - Sustainability". Seattle University, College of Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 2013-04-20.