Nancy Shippentower is a member of the Northwest Fishing Commission, a member of the
Puyallup nation, and a fighter for tribal and fishing rights. Her parents are Jackie McCloud and
Tom McCloud. She grew up in a family invested in the fishing wars during the 50’ and 60’s. She
told us about how her father and their relatives went to jail for 60 days. When they were in jail
the other inmates didn’t believe that they were there for fishing, and they asked the guards if
they were telling the truth. Unlike many people in jail, her family were denied early release.
Billy Frank jr. was her uncle, and he joined them in jail, was even kept in jail an additional week.
Soon after he became the spokesperson for the tribes in Washington who fought for their
fishing rights. Darrell mentions that he did speak very well and very strong, able to unite the
tribes around his mind.
She told us the story of when her father went to jail when she was 8 years old. At this
time they were very poor (though she never saw it that way then) and she had to go to
Woolworth to get her shoes fixed. This was exciting because she could see her daddy. Yet when
she went to meet him there was only a steel wall. So little was the opening in it, that she could
only see his eyes. She wanted to grab him so much she couldn’t help but cry. Nancy then saw
the rest of her family, including her cousins and uncle who made her laugh. Yet when they went
back to their cells they all cried for how forsaken their wives and daughters were with them in
prison.
However the women didn’t let themselves become forsaken. Instead they banded
together and went fishing, helped each other, and fed each other. But do not believe that
because they were strong that they took the jails and detentions lightly, for whenever the
possibility of jail came up, a family meeting would be called to determine if the family members
should go through with the stand. They did believe in what they were doing.
Darrell then asked Nancy about when her mother got involved in fighting for Treaty and
fishing rights. However Nancy answered that her mother not only stood for those pillars, but
also for the poor, the welfare system, a decent education, empowerment to women and fixing
the foster care system for children.
When she got to this note, Nancy described a story of when her mother wrote a letter
called “operation Rotten Apple” about how Native kids were being taken from their homes and
given to non native homes. Soon after that she received a house call from a social worker who
delivered her cousins unto her saying “Here’s your rotten apples, you can have them.” After
this her mother started taking in kids who had no home.
Darrell and Nancy then discussed how her mother also fought for Sweat Lodges inside
Prison. This began shortly after she got invited to the American Indian Brotherhood. She had
learned that many native men and women couldn’t practice their religion due to the absence of
Sweat Lodges to worship in, about how to fast and pray to the creator people had to put
themselves in solitary. Nancy’s mother was so tenacious, she actually got banned from prisons,
but she got back inside after she appealed to the upper levels of government. She also tried
encouraging the inmates for after jail by bringing in celebrities like Jane Fonda and Dick Gregory
(who is featured in the podcast later).
Darrell then brought up her Minnesota visit which happened around 1969 or 8. Nancy
was supposed to be married in New York, Six Nations but changed her mind. On the way back in
Minnesota they met Dennis Banks and Russell Means and the Vernon Bellecourt who then
came to Washington state. They all had plans to make an American Indian Movement, which
her mother became a founder of. She wound up adopting almost all of them due to how much
they listened to her and respected her age.
Darrell asked about Nancy’s connection to Tulalip, to which Nancy responded “my
mother is Tulalip.” Nancy then discussed her Grandparents and their experience with boarding
schools. She told Nancy of many things; sending kids to Alaska when it was cold, and Arizona
when it was hot; how you couldn’t make friends with anyone because who knew if they’d die or
not?; how young girls were raped by teachers or priests when they reached puberty. Her
grandfather even explained that nuns wear long dresses to hide the pregnancies they got from
raping young men.
Her grandma went from foster home to foster home. When she was on 1rst Avenue in
seattle though, she learned how to cook international food. She taught him all how to cook all
kinds of food. But she also brought strength as she had to hide and protect her little sisters
whenever they would come home from drinking. She, her cousins Warren Haze and Mannie
from Tulalip and would protect her little girls.
Her grandfather was John Wrenicker but Nancy never really knew him well. Her
grandparents were friends that ran from the boarding schools together together, but they
didn’t last. She also explained that Louretta Joseph was her first cousin and was a Henry, Leroy
Henry was her grandma’s father. Apparently Nancy’s mother wanted to be buried next to her
dad but decided to ultimately be buried next to her grandma.
Nancy then talked about the occupy Cascadia movement which was spearheaded by
Ramona Bennett. This movement tried to keep the FBI from selling the Cascadia diagnostic
center for troubled kids. At the time it was basically another jail, but it was till on Puyallup land,
so they went in and took it over so the country could give it back to them.
Responding to Darrell’s question about what it was that her parents left her, Nancy
answered: love, compassion and spirituality. She reminisces about how good her parents were;
about how her Father taught his daughters about being strong, even taking them to karate to
teach them how to defend themselves. Fixing cars, changing tires and never let a man push you
down, those were other lessons they taught their children. Her mom taught her how to can and
a lot of things at her house. With 7 other kids in the house, there were assigned roles to
accomplish.
When Nancy was pregnant with her son she was nominated by her father to the Fishing
Commission at Puyallup. From there she was elected Chairman, and the only women on the
commission. She then got on Northwest Indian Fisheries, were she had to go to a meeting in
Seattle. There she met Allison and Kathy when the northern tribes wanted to intercept the
salmon. When their policy rep wanted to have their side step down, Nacny stood up and said
“You want a fishing war? I will give you a fishing war.” And then went to battle with the
northern tribes which, Nancy reminded Darrell, includes Lummi.
She expressed she didn’t want to fight with the tribes, but that it was necessary to
grapple after Boldt gave away half the fish. However a deal was reached with all the tribes,
though it took 6 to 8 months of negotiations. Nancy reminded us that gillnetters did not have
treaty rights, and Governor Rosalini wanted to turn this state into a competitive fishing state.
This lead Nancy to remember a meeting she took her 12 year old daughter to during the fishing
wars. Despite there being only a few native people there, the mob got extremely hostile. The
people there allowed a mob to get riled up, and she wasn’t sure what would happen, but the
police came and escorted them to their car. Even then though people followed them out with
the police and Nancy half suspected them to follow her home..
Dick Gregory wound up getting involved with Nancy’s family and the fishing wars. He
was really good at throwing benefits for the Tribes and Native rights. In fact he was arrested for
protesting! He was charged and convicted in Jail, which inspired Marilyn Brando to get involved.
However when he was arrested the police didn’t charge him, they just wanted his autograph.
When Dick went to jail, an encampment to support him was set up by Nancy’s mom
across from the jail. She didn’t let adults come in, feeling that there needed to be only young
people in the encampment. Then one night the Black Panthers came by, for they were upset
that Dick was in jail for fishing rights. During their stay, Jackie McCloud was the only person
willing to meet with them.
Turns out Dick’s commitment to the cause led him to a hunger strike after Robert Comp,
Nancy Nugyett and Bill Cosby couldn’t convince the judge to let Dick go. He wound up almost
dying during his hunger strike. The guards sent for his wife to try and convince him to eat, but
she simply asked him what he wanted her to do, to which he said “if Im going to die for this
cause, Im going to die for this cause.” After which the judge realized Dick really would die on his
watch, got scared, and ordered Dick’s release.
After his release there was a huge arrest at the encampment. Darrell note that this
wasn’t necessary. Nancy’s mother went down to unite with the Black Panthers. Nancy notes
that their fights were almost the exact same as Native fights but without treaty rights, and that
their ancestors didn’t have a choice in coming to America
Nancy ended the podcast with these words: to stay strong and stop the negativity that
keep seeping into the modern movements. People need to be careful what they bring into the
movements. If there’s a leader, support them, do not become jealous and envious as Nancy
saw with the leaders of her past. There’s nothing but love for human beings. Only politicians
and education makes people racist.
On her final note, Nancy tells Darrell how she saw someone on the news claim that the
president only wants to make America white again. But as Nancy points out “America was
never white! Before anyone came here everyone was brown. Where’s their education at?”
