ʔi čəxʷ syəyaʔyaʔ ʔi kʷi ʔiišəd. Angel Paquin tsi dsdaʔ sduhubš čəd cəda sdukʷalbixʷ čəda puyaləpabš čəda caddo čəda pastəd tulʔal ti dxʷlilap. absbədbədaʔ ʔə kʷi bəbuʔs Angelia Paquin tsi dbədaʔ Isaac Paquin ti dbədaʔ Lily Paquin tsi dbədaʔ ʔi Ayana Paquin tsi dbədaʔ Thomas (Tommy) Paquin ti tudbad Teena Kinder tsi dsk̓ʷuy Lavita Williams tsi badaligʷəd tudkayə. Augusta Wooster ti badaligʷəd tudscapaʔ Ellen Warner tsi sk̓ʷuyaligʷəd tudkayə. Keith Ayrea ti sk̓ʷuyaligʷəd tudscapaʔ. Edward ʔi tsi Maryann Williams ti badaligʷəd tudsč̓abiqʷ. Harry ʔi tsi Golda Merrill ti sk̓ʷuyaligʷəd tudsč̓abiqʷ. dxʷsčəwatil čəd čəda dxʷsgʷad čəda dxʷsʔugʷusalikʷ čəda dxʷskʷukʷcut čəda dxʷst̕ilib čəda dxʷsyəhubtxʷ čəda dxʷshəliʔ.

Hello friends and family. My name is Angel Paquin. I am Snohomish, Snoqualmie, Puyallup, Caddo, and White, and I live on the Tulalip reservation. I have four children. My daughters are Angelia, Lily, and Ayana Paquin. My son is Isaac Paquin. My dad is Thomas (Tommy) Paquin (deceased). My mom is Teena Kinder. Lavita Williams and Augusta Wooster are my grandparents on my dad’s side (deceased). Ellen Warner and Keith Ayrea are my grandparents on my mom’s side (deceased). My great grandparents on my dad’s side are Edward (WWI Veteran) and Maryann Williams (deceased). Harry and Golda Merrill are my great grandparents on my mom’s side. I am a student, a speaker, a teacher, a cook, a singer, a storyteller, and a healer.   

I joined the Lushootseed Department in October of 2021 having never spoken, heard, or read the language before, due to generations of disruption shaped by U.S. policies such as the Doctrine of Discovery, the Indian wars, the boarding school system, and the Indian Adoption Project (1958–1967). My father was a foster child, and my grandmother was a boarding school survivor, and these histories deeply affected my family’s relationship with language and culture. My first awakening to this loss came in 2009 when I returned to college and wrote a paper titled “Why Don’t I Know My Language?”—a question that led me to uncover the policies and systems designed to erase Indigenous identity. I share this history not to place blame, but to offer understanding. After struggling with alcoholism for more than twenty years and living disconnected from my ʔiišəd, alʔalʔtəd, and sqʷəlalitut, learning Lushootseed became a bridge back—to my ancestors, to myself, and to a sense of belonging and purpose. Today, I carry the language with gratitude and humility, and when I am asked to share stories, offer prayer, or speak with others, I do so with the intention of fostering connection, understanding, and respect across cultures and generations.      

Angelica Paquin
Lushootseed Teacher Assistant
[email protected]
(360) 716-4507