ʔu ɬi gʷəlapu, haʔɬ syəyaʔyaʔ, ʔə ti dʔiišəd.

Princess Jones ʔə Koh-Koh-Leh’na Keating ʔə Indica Power of the Moon tsi dsdaʔ.

Sduhubš čəd  suqʷabš čəda Nez Perce čəda Wasco čəda Yakama čəda Colville čəda Ute čəda Umatilla čəda Pascua čəd tul̕ʔal dxʷlilap, puyaləpabš.

Winn-Ei-Mi ʔə Koh-Koh-Leh’na ʔaciɬtalbixʷ dsdaʔ.

Jones / Pratt / Dunbar ti badaligʷəd dʔiišəd.

SoHappy / Nanamkin / Zack / Pimms ti sk̓ʷuyaligʷwəd dʔiišəd.

ʔabsbədbədaʔ čəɬ ʔə kʷi yəlaʔc.

dxʷsčəwatil čəd čəda dxʷsgʷad čəda dxʷad čəda dxʷsʔugʷusalikʷ ʔə ti dxʷləšucid.

ʔəsbutbutlačiʔbitubuɬəd dxʷʔal tʷ sʔahaləp ʔal tiʔəʔ sləx̌il.

My names are Princess Jones, Koh-Koh-Leh’na Keating, & Indica Power of the Moon.

My Indian Names are Winn-Ei-Mi & Koh-Koh-Leh’na.

I am Snohomish, Suquamish, Nez Perce, Wasco, Yakama, Colville, Ute, Umatilla, and Pascua, I am from Tulalip and Puyallup.

My fathers’ side of my family is Jones / Pratt / Dunbar.

My mother’s side of my family is SoHappy / Nanamkin / Zack / Pimms.

I have six children.

I am a student and a speaker and a teacher of Lushootseed.

I became a language warrior because Lushootseed is more than words—it is medicine, identity, and the voice of our ancestors. For many years I struggled, searching for healing in all the wrong places. My journey took me through decades of addiction and disconnection from culture, but on January 10, 2020, I chose to walk the red road. That choice began a new chapter of my life.

When I joined the Lushootseed Department, I found what I had been searching for all along. The language filled the void that nothing else could. Each day I hear the ancestors guiding me, teaching me to listen to the earth and to all our relatives we share this world with. Through Lushootseed, I discovered my purpose: to help carry our language forward and to honor the vision of those who recorded the stories and lessons for us to learn from today.

My recovery journey inspires me to bring Lushootseed into spaces of healing. I believe the language can be a powerful tool for those in early recovery, offering connection, identity, and strength when people need it most. Just as the language helped me find freedom, I hope to share that medicine with others walking the same path.

Looking ahead, I plan to become an advocate for Mother Earth, guided by the teachings of our ancestors and the wisdom within Lushootseed. I am also continuing my education and working toward a PhD, so that I can strengthen my voice and expand the ways I serve my community.

I am proud to stand in this work as a student, a speaker, and a teacher. My healing continues through the language, and I walk this path with gratitude. My hope is that Lushootseed will live again in our homes, our gatherings, and our everyday lives—spoken freely by future generations who know it as their birthright.

Princess “WinneiMi” Jones
Language Teacher Assistant
[email protected]
(360) 716-4506