Current Tribal Council

Members of our Tribal Council at the Washington State History Museum to view the original Medicine Creek Treaty. Left to right: Steilacoom Tribal Council Members—Chairwoman Rebecca, Treasurer Diann, Council Members Jeff and Diana, [spouse of Council Member Dawn, Rick], Council Member Dawn, and Vice Chairman Ken. 2024

Steilacoom Tribal Council

Since the time of the Medicine Creek Treaty in 1854, the Steilacoom Tribe has used traditional methods to face the multitude of obstacles that they have encountered. The efforts of our People have produced an unbroken line of Leadership that has held our Tribe together, even without a Reservation. Click here to see a timeline of our Tribal Headman (modern-day, Tribal Chairperson), post Medicine Creek Treaty.

Below you will find the current Steilacoom Tribal Citizens who are serving on our Council. Each Council member dedicates a minimum of 4 years time. They are chosen by majority vote of our People. We have our Tribal Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, and 5 members at large.

Steilacoom Tribe Chairwoman | Rebecca Unzueta

haʔɬ sləxil (good day) Friends, I am Rebecca Unzueta, an Indigenous descendant from the Brown, Unzueta, Bloomfield, and Brownfield families; I’m daughter of Dolores Laux (Challender) and Saul Unzueta (Northern Durango Mexico); Granddaughter of Nina Brown and Willam P Challender from mother’s side; and descendant from Saspolitsa, an original Steilacoom/Squaxin Island tribal member. The title of Chairwoman came honorably, knowing I’m prepared for the responsibility. I bring over 20-years in retail and customer service, which prepared me for the continued collaborative work of building Native community connections amongst several tribes and hoping to connect with more. As a previous council member, I spearheaded inclusion as committee lead of tribal and local volunteers, our tribal flag design and implementation, co-lead of our Steilacoom Cultural Center building project, and established our Junior council. Over the years, other tribal leadership affiliations include the North Thurston School District’s Indian Education parent committee chairperson, a Title VI 506 Federal program working with the Native student programs. I am striving to move our tribe in a futuristic direction with long term goals of reconnecting our tribe and deepening roots within our culture while collaborating with other tribes to gain recognition within our community and someday federal recognition. ɬušudubicid čəd ʔal kʷi ƛ̕əllaʔ (see you later)

Steilacoom Tribe Vice Chairperson | Ken Dittbenner

Ken DittBenner was elected to serve on the tribal council as a councilman in the 1980’s. He was later elected as Vice Chairman. Ken reminisces about, “Going to Steilacoom meetings with my grandpa Mack Lyons, my mother Eva Lyons, and grandma Maude McCucheon Lyons when I was probably 6 or 7 years old; and growing up hearing them talk about recognition with cousin, Ida May, who I think was on the council at that time.” Over the years Ken has been involved with the Tribe. “At one time I served on the Tribal Council with my Uncle Merton Lyons. I think it is a privilege to serve on the Council, and I am proud to be a Tribal Citizen.” Ken also serves as liaison with STOWW (Small Tribes of Western Washington), a food program for Tribal Citizens that need assistance. He developed the Steilacoom hunting permits. He also reaches out to fish hatcheries and gets fish for our People.

Steilacoom Tribe Secretary | Linda Ross

I grew up in the Lakewood/Steilacoom area, my grandparents once owned the land where “Camp Lewis” was located until the war in 1917. The Cherrydale area of today was once my grandparents’ pasture lands. My grandmother also served the tribe as the treasurer for many years. I have been tribal secretary since 2018 elected by our citizens. It has been a rewarding experience to not only help our tribal citizens, public outreaches, and participate in many tribal outings but also to keep records of all the events the tribe is part of. We are keepers of our history and I am proud to be able to do that.

Steilacoom Tribe Treasurer | Diann Lewallen

Diann Lewallen is the proud daughter of former council member Diann Smith and granddaughter of Amelia (Betty) Marsh. She grew up sitting in the back of the room while her mother attended Council meetings. She carries forward that commitment to community service and preservation of our tribal culture. A seasoned professional with over 30 years of experience in state government finance, Diann was elected to the Treasurer position on the Steilacoom Tribal Council in 2023. She is dedicated to serving the Steilacoom people.

Steilacoom Tribe Council Members at Large :

Jeff Ackerman

For those of you who do not know me my name is Jeff Ackerman. I've been enrolled in the Steilacoom Tribe for about 15 years now and have been on the Tribal Council for around 12 yrs. I started out by bringing things to the our Tribal Citizen’s meeting for a simple raffle to have a little fun after the meetings. I was voted onto the Council and have continued doing raffles at the meetings, which were carried into the 4th of July celebration with the Town of Steilacoom. I am thankful for the opportunity to serve our People.

Dawn Elizabeth Hardison-Stevens, Ph.D.

haʔɬ sləx̌il tsi dsdaʔ (Good day, my name is) Dawn Hardison-Stevens. Donald Hardison ti dbad (father). Elizabeth Byrd tsi tudkayəʔ (grandmother). Martha (Bird/Byrd) tsi tudsč̓abiqʷ (great grandmother). My great-great grandmother was Elizabeth Bird (LeGard) and great-great grandfather Joseph Bird, who came down as a Canadian Indian with his parents to settle in Roy, WA. I acknowledge we are our Ancestor’s future, noting our Indigenous grandmothers and grandfathers carried stories from respective Ancestral lands since time immemorial. I’m currently Assistant Professor in Native American Education with the University of Washington. My professional field since 1987, centers on the commitment of inclusive and collective education with leadership views that prepare all peoples to live, learn, and strive to better understand their connections to self, family, community, culture, history, and worldviews. I understand individual life journeys create one’s own unique stories, noting our ideals should guide and lift other’s visions and dreams with a love of commitment to others. I believe in elevating Indigenous representation and cultivating Native people’s inspiration through intergenerational knowledges as Ancestors walk with us on our life paths. I am editor of the bi-annual č'tilqwɘbš ʔaciƚtalbixw Steilacoom Newsletters and enjoy sharing stories to our Tribal Museum visitors, acknowledging any opportunity to share tux̌ʷ didiʔɫ čəɫ ʔa ʔal ti sləx̌il (we are still here today). tigʷicid (Thank you)

Percy Hicks

Elder Steilacoom Tribal Citizen, Percy Hicks, has served on the Tribal Council since 2010. Percy was adopted to the Steilacoom Tribe from the Lummi Nation. Percy was raised on the Makah reservation because his folks were commercial fishermen. Percy has some great stories from his great uncles from Neah Bay. “My parents are Mary Ann (Jones) and Art Hicks. My Neah Bay great uncles and aunts talked about hunting the big elephants (Mastodons) with spears. I didn’t believe them because there were no elephants around here. Then a few years back they found the Mastodon skeleton near Sequim. Now I believe them. They also spoke about a big tsunami that washed through Neah Bay. Stories speak of the great floods and Native People tying their canoes to the tallest trees on the tallest mountains around Puget Sound. The flooding lasted quite awhile," they told Percy. "My aunt Jessie married into the Elwha Tribe, another aunt married a Whitener from Squaxin Island."

Diana Kilbourne

Hello everyone, I'm Diana Kilbourne. My parents were Nina Brown and William P Challender. That makes me a descendant from the Brown, Bloomfield, and Brownfield families. I am currently retired but in my years of working I used to be an CNA, custodian, and have worked other retail jobs. I been serving as part of the Election Committee and The Building Committee. With my knowledge and experience of being in these Committees, I volunteered to serve as a Council member at large beginning in 2023. On the days that we have volunteer work I help with cleaning up the outside of the building and gardening. One of the things I would like to achieve once the building is remodeled is planting Washington native flowers and shrubs around so we have representation of our natural environment. I regularly attend the Local Elders Luncheons in my free time, and learn stories of nearby Tribes and would love to be able to tell stories of our Tribe in return. Thank you for allowing me to serve, Diana

Jessica West

Jessica West is the granddaughter of current council member Percy Hicks. Watching his dedication to the tribe is what inspired her to follow in his footsteps and join the council. She is passionate in helping the younger generation be more involved in tribal events and ensure the teachings of our ancestors are carried forward. To help bridge any gaps she is currently the Liaison between Council and Junior council. She can be often found at tribal events to help in any way she can, especially if it involves cooking fry bread.

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