Janet Yoder

Vi Hilbert was a force to be reckoned with and found her life's work in preserving and teaching the indigenous language Lushootseed. Janet Yoder was in her class in 1978, and thus began a lifelong friendship with Yoder assisting in the work and becoming part of Vi's "Lushootseed family". In this collection of essays, some previously published, Yoder celebrates the life and work of Vi Hilbert and the impact she had on passing on Lushootseed to the next generation.

This was really fascinating show more both as a memoir and portrait of a friend as well as all the details about Lushootseed and Upper Skagit culture. Hilbert's great-granddaughter, Sasha LaPointe, authored [Red Paint] and [Thunder Song: Essays], and both mention Vi Hilbert and piqued my interest in learning more about her. Yoder is a white woman and writes as an outsider allowed to participate or see some of the language and culture Hilbert was steeped in during her lifetime. She writes with respect and reverence, while also giving us a full picture of an imperfect woman. show less