River Honoring celebrates elders, educators

With the Flathead River flowing behind him, Elder Johnny Arlee opened the 38th annual River Honoring on Monday night with a prayer in Salish and some special words for the gathering.

“I’m happy today to give a little prayer and give a little honoring for our river. We opened up our seasons with traveling to different places, memorial places,” Arlee said. “We must teach this to our children and to all of our people that this is a sacred place of our ancestors. We’re alive here for our young people so they can be taking care of the land when we get old enough to rest back and watch the young people continue on to a good life.”

This year’s River Honorees are elders Violet Trahan and Germaine White and educators Nicole Camel, Polson, and Jennifer Jilot and Bill Stockton, Arlee. White and Stockton were unable to attend.

Trahan received a violet fringed shawl, and all the honorees were given River Honoring prints. The Salish Kalispell Culture Committee nominate the elders for awards, while CSKT departments that are involved in the planning process select educators.

They want teachers who are doing their best to be good stewards, getting kids out on the landscape, and emphasizing place-based learning and “the importance of our culture and where we live,” according to Stephanie Gillin, CSKT wildlife biologist and information and education specialist.

Gillin and Whisper Camel-Means, manager of the CSKT Division of Fish, Wildlife, Recreation and Conservation, emceed the event.

Tom McDonald, CSKT vice-chair and retired fish and wildlife division manager, was disappointed that White missed the celebration because he had “lots of Germaine stories to tell,” he said as he congratulated the honorees. White and McDonald worked together for years at CSKT.

“We need educators – education is really the key, teaching our youth how to live in balance with our environment, protect our resources, know where you came from, know your people, know your language, and know what you can do for your future,” McDonald said, thanking all the award winners.

After the honorees were presented and applauded, Yamncut played an Honor Song, and the elders and awardees led the way to dinner.

Tuesday and Wednesday school buses transported about 1,000 kids from schools on and off the reservation to the site along the Flathead to learn about the river, the ecology of the area, wildlife, soils, and the culture of the CSKT people.

The Educators

Beginning her career teaching special education with mentoring from her dad, Don Dubuque, Nicole Camel took lessons to heart, such as “teaching is not about you” and “what are your students’ behaviors telling you” to help make her into the teacher she is today. She coached basketball, volleyball, and tennis during her first years of teaching, knowing that team sports bring a different kind of learning and growth potential.

Camel transitioned into teaching reading in 2006 alongside another mentor, Lori McCurdy, and realized there was a need for helping kids who struggle with reading.

Next year she’ll have been teaching for 25 years, and says she loves “the energy and quirkiness” of her middle school students. She teaches English language arts, Reading 180, and a WEB (Where Everyone Belongs) leadership class at Polson Middle School. She recently received the  National 180 Award for Excellence in Literary Instruction (see details below).

Jennifer Jilot teaches at Arlee High School, but before that she taught at Dixon Elementary and Nk'usm Salish Language School. After teaching for five years at Nk’usm, she returned to college and got her master’s and completed coursework for her secondary English certification.

She now teaches online classes for Montana Digital Academy, is secretary for Arlee Indian Education Committee, facilitator for the Arlee Indigenous Students Association, and is a member of the Native Educator Leadership Team at Arlee High School.

Jilot credits the knowledge and experience she has about land stewardship to the knowledge keepers she’s known throughout her lifetime and to the staff and parents at Nk’usm.

Bill Stockton, 2022 Montana Teacher of the Year, has taught science at Arlee High School for 15 years. He also teaches online classes for the Montana Digital Academy.

He founded a business called Stock’s Science Educational Consulting in order to provide leadership, training, and implementation of best practices for integrating the next generation of science standards and Indian Education for All.

The Elders

Linda Ferris introduced Violet McDonald Trahan. After graduating from Flandreau Indian School, Trahan attended business college and retired after 48 years spent working in a business capacity for CSKT.

She and Ron Trahan were married in 1971 and have four children and many grandchildren.

Violet and her mother, Felicity McDonald, and her sister, Sally, have been the “cultural anchors at the southwest corner of the longhouse during the jump dances,” Ferris said.

She and her family visit the medicine tree in the Bitterroot Valley every spring and fall, and Trahan is always present at the spring bitterroot ceremony. She also works in many capacities at the Culture Camp, sometimes cutting meat.

She and her sister spent 10 years helping plan the Arlee Celebration. Now, Trahan dances at the celebration, helps at the family camp, and sings with the Yamncut Drum.

Trahan thanked her mother for the cultural knowledge she shared on how to be a good person and mother. She enjoys wearing her mother’s regalia in parades and riding with her daughter, Stephanie Gillin, and grandchildren .

Trahan also thanked Clarence Woodcock, Johnny Arlee, Tony Incashola and Alex Quequesah for sharing their knowledge.

Germaine White has been a force as an educator and culture keeper on the Flathead Reservation and nationally. She worked for Char-Koosta News as a young woman and taught beadwork at Salish Kootenai College. She and Terry Tanner were hired by Clarence Woodcock to establish the cultural resources protection program within the Salish Kalispel Culture Committee, which became the Tribal Preservation Department.

White was also a part of a group of tribal cultural resource specialists who shaped the law for the Native American Graves and Repatriation Act or NAGRA.

After working on education with the Alaskan Inupiat people in Alaska, White returned to the Flathead Reservation and was hired by Tom McDonald as the Natural Resources Department Information and Education Officer. Developing curriculum for Fire on the Land, Explore the River, and Living Landscape, White also was responsible for nurturing the River Honoring into the impressive event it is today.

Retired, she serves on many boards and is now a member of the Salish Kalispel Culture Committee.

Camel also honored with national award

In addition to being named a River Honoree, Polson Middle School teacher Nicole Camel is also a recipient of the 2025 National 180 Educator Award by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH).

This prestigious award recognizes outstanding educators who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to student growth through the effective implementation of HMH's Read 180 program.

The award announcement praises Camel for “fostering a classroom environment where students feel safe, valued, and motivated to achieve their full potential. Her unwavering belief in her students' abilities, coupled with her dedication to building strong relationships, has led to significant improvements in literacy and overall academic performance.”

The announcement also lauds her innovative teaching methods and a commitment to continuous professional growth.

Casey Blake, an account executive with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, traveled from Indiana to Polson to present the award in person, alongside Polson students and educators. The celebration highlighted Camel's impactful work and her contribution to advancing literacy education within the school community.

The 180 Awards, now in their 19th year, celebrate both students who have overcome challenges to achieve academic success and the educators who support them. Winners are selected based on written nominations and demonstrated improvements in reading or math through the use of the HMH Read 180® or Math 180® curriculums, as well as a commitment to continuous improvement and academic growth.

    River Honoring Elder honoree Violet Trahan and a well-wisher watch the Yamncut drum. Trahan sings with Yamncut. (Berl Tiskus/Leader)