Thornock, who is Two Spirit and uses they/them pronouns, appeared before the seven-member elected council with a specific goal: better oversight of beda?chelh, the tribe’s child welfare system. Their hair, neatly shaved at the sides and pulled into a short ponytail, framed a face hopeful but weathered for a 23-year-old.
Massive steel sculptures of salmon depicting the Tulalip Tribes’ livelihood hung overhead.Īndres “Dre” Thornock wore a dark gray suit and a pressed white button-up. Tribal members streamed in and out of the Washington casino’s ornate Orca Ballroom, marine-themed and decorated in the tribe’s signature black, red and white.
