se’nine – Dora Williams Solomon
1892-1981

Dora Williams was born on June 16th 1892 in Lyman Washington east of Mount Vernon. She was married to Felix Solomon in an arranged marriage. Dora’s granddaughter Vernell Lane says she was told how the two arrived at a set location in separate canoes when they were joined together. That took place on July 3, 1907. The pair settled on the Lummi Reservation. Dora and Felix had eight children, six boys and two girls.
Dora Solomon spoke Lushootseed, Lummi and broken English. Dora Solomon says her grandmother known as se’nine and se’hash, and she often switched between Lushootseed and Lummi as she spoke. She loved to tell numerous stories to all her children and grandchildren. And later shared them taqʷšəbluʔ, Vi Hilbert.
Dora was a skilled basket weaver and was active in the tribal communities of Lummi and Upper Skagit as well as Swinomish. She was a member of St. Joachim’s Catholic Church.
She was known as a gracious host, with her husband Felix, having plenty of salmon, crab and clams to serve guests. In her later years she worked with Vi Hilbert to record the stories she knew along with the teachings she learned in her younger years.
She was preceded in death by her husband Felix Peter Solomon in January 1981.

Some of the Stories she told were:

Star Child
Flood Story