Hello again and welcome to this edition of Reader’s Window!

As we say farewell to summer and head into fall, we have an announcement of an exciting gift that was recently given to our library. Samish citizen Abigail Bergan, representing her non-profit organization Papaji’s Pages, has given a gift of funds to be used for “sustaining and expanding educational resources for the tribal community.”

Abigail is the granddaughter of Romaine Soucy, (Samish) and the great-great niece of Father Gerald (Papaji) Hofstee, SVD, a Divine Word Missionary. Father Hofstee served as a missionary in India for over 50 years and Papaji’s Pages was founded to carry on the legacy of his passion for education. 

With this generous gift, we were able to make substantial additions to our library collection!

With educational and cultural purposes in mind, books were purchased that pertained to our cultural classes, local history, and a significant addition to our children’s collection. 

Just to tempt you, here are some of the titles that were purchased with Abigail’s gift:

Homewaters: A Human and Natural History of Puget Sound by David B. Williams

Craft of the Dyer: Colour from Plants and Lichens by Karen Leigh Casselman

Spinning with a Drop Spindle by Christine Thresh

Northwest Native Harvest by Carol Batdorf

Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith

We Are Puget Sound: Discovering & Recovering the Salish Sea by David L. Workman in partnership with Washington Environmental Council.

These are just a sample of the selection of new books that will be hitting the shelves soon. Our hands go up to Abigail, and to Papaji’s Pages for thinking of Samish, and Samish Indian Nation Library in particular. This generous gift will benefit all ages of Samish readers for a long time to come. Hóy7sxwq’e, Abigail!

Take good care, be well, and enjoy this fall and all the beauty that it brings,