Transformative Art Supporting Indigenous Prisoners’ Rights

On a crisp evening in November, the Eighth Generation warehouse in Seattle became a gathering place for both celebration and reflection. The event, which centered around the unveiling of a powerful collaboration between renowned Nooksack artist Louie Gong, Eighth Generation and the nonprofit Huy, was a step forward in addressing an often-overlooked issue: the struggles of incarcerated Indigenous people in the United States.

Louie Gong, a Nooksack artist and entrepreneur, is no stranger to using his art as a platform for social change. His latest project, the Never Say Goodbye wool blanket, was created to raise awareness and offer support for Indigenous people incarcerated across the Pacific Northwest and beyond. The blanket will be sold at Eighth Generation. Typically, 10 percent of anything sold through Eighth Generation goes to the artist, but Gong chose to donate that 10 percent to Huy.

Huy is an Indigenous nonprofit corporation based in Washington state that “provides economic, educational, rehabilitative and religious support for Indigenous prisoners.” Among other work, Huy, which gets its name from a Coast Salish Lushootseed word that means “see you again,” helps incarcerated people rejoin their communities after release.

Gong’s design — a colorful butterfly — was inspired by both personal reflection and the work of Huy. The butterfly, symbolizing metamorphosis and rebirth, seemed a perfect fit for a blanket aimed at offering warmth, comfort and hope for incarcerated relatives.

Gong’s design was more than just an aesthetic choice; it embodied the theme of transformation. It is a symbol of resilience, of pain released and new beginnings. Gong’s connection to the butterfly motif went beyond the studio. During the 2024 Canoe Journey, while sitting on Alki Beach, he had an encounter with a butterfly that lingered near him for several minutes, further deepening the meaning of the design.

“I was sitting there with these elders watching the canoes come in, and then this butterfly flew by,” Gong shared at the Nov. 7 event. “It’s doing its thing right in front of us. And I just happened to say out loud, ‘Why don’t you come back here and sit with me?’ And sure enough, while everybody was watching, the butterfly came back around and sat on my lap for several minutes. And then one of the elders who was sitting with me said something that I’ll never forget, and I’ll tell the story over and over again. She said, ‘Wow, you must be a true friend to the animals.’”

After Gabe Galanda, Huy’s chairman, approached Gong about a collaboration and Colleen Echohawk, chief executive officer of Eighth Generation, got on board, the artist’s creative energy and purpose came together in perfect synergy for a blanket with beautiful vibrant colors and a Coast Salish butterfly design. Gong positioned the design so that when someone gets wrapped in the blanket, as was demonstrated the evening of the unveiling, they’re embraced by the butterfly. Gong believes it captures the positive intentions of everybody who has been involved with Huy.

Art as advocacy

The Never Say Goodbye blanket is not only a piece of art — it is an act of advocacy.

Gong chose Huy as a beneficiary because of their innovative approach to supporting incarcerated Indigenous people, rooted in the belief that those individuals, too often forgotten by mainstream society, must not be left behind. Huy provides access to Indigenous religious and cultural activities within the Washington Department of Corrections, such as annual powwows, regalia making, drum circles, and, most recently, sacred medicine garden development and programming.

Through this work, Huy seeks to reduce recidivism and ensure that Indigenous people leave prison with the tools and support needed to walk the Good Red Road and re-enter society successfully.

The collaboration aims to spread the message of cultural healing and support for incarcerated Indigenous people to a wider audience, sparking conversations that may lead to tangible change.

Gong shared his personal connection to the project with Underscore Native News + ICT, reflecting on the deep responsibility he felt to use his platform and art for positive change.

“I like to think of these blankets as little trojan horses,” Gong said. “When least expected, these beautiful blankets will spark up conversations about topics we care about. In this case, it’s our incarcerated Indigenous relatives and the work of both Huy and Eighth Generation.”

Eighth Generation is a Native-owned enterprise founded by Gong in 2008 in Seattle that makes Indigenous-designed products such as wool blankets, supporting Native artists by showcasing their work and giving a percentage of sales proceeds to them. Gong sold Eighth Generation to the Snoqualmie Tribe in 2019.

For Huy, the release of the blanket was not just about raising funds. It was a statement of solidarity.

“In terms of Indigenous relatives who find themselves incarcerated, the message to them, even though they are often unseen and unheard and, candidly, often forgotten, including by our own people and our own communities, is that they are not lost, they are not to be forgotten, they are not to be unseen and unheard,” Galanda, Round Valley Indian Tribes citizen, said at the event. “We see them, we hear them, and we know eventually they will come home.”

Huy’s work over the last 12 years has been to prepare incarcerated Natives to come home and to succeed, rather than become another recidivism statistic, according to Galanda.

“Our people suffer the highest rate of recidivism in the state of Washington, meaning they’re more likely to go back into prison than they are to stay home,” Galanda said. “And so our work at Huy is to give them an opportunity while they are in prison, especially through religious and cultural ceremony and celebration, to figure out why they ended up there and how they might change the course of their lives.”

Good medicine

Huy’s newest program is the sacred medicine gardens within Washington’s Department of Corrections, where incarcerated individuals grow medicines like sage, sweetgrass and cedar for use in cultural ceremonies. These efforts ensure that Indigenous inmates can maintain a connection to their culture while behind bars, strengthening their resolve to heal and transform.

This work is largely possible because of a lifetime of dedication by Francis Cullooyah, Kalispel, former Huy vice chairman and former Washington State Department of Corrections statewide religious coordinator, to the care and rehabilitation of incarcerated Natives. Cullooyah  brought his entire family year after year to the powwows at Washington’s penitentiaries. He died this fall.

His daughter, Taunie Cullooyah, has attended the powwows since she was 7 years old. Now, she brings her own three daughters.

To honor the work of her father at the Seattle event, Taunie Cullooyah was wrapped in the Never Say Goodbye blanket by Echohawk and Minty LongEarth, in the first blanketing of the night to honor and recognize her father and his lifelong work for Indigenous people. LongEarth, Santee citizen and Creek/Choctaw descent, is a Huy advisor and the racial equity manager for the King County Hazardous Waste Management Program.

“There are very few people in the state of Washington who can bridge the gap between state government and law enforcement and Indigenous humanity,” Galanda said. “This man, Francis Cullooyah, starting in the 1980s went into prisons and began to show the brothers a better walk of life. To have done that for the better part of 40 years is truly something. And not only did he teach those brothers that there’s a better way to walk than the one that got them behind prison walls, he taught the Department of Corrections how to respect the humanity of those brothers and those sisters in the [Department of Corrections]. In that way, he taught the Washington State government really to come to know and appreciate our humanity and to respect that humanity, particularly through prayer and through culture.”

The night was filled with emotional moments, as four individuals who had been involved in Huy’s programs were honored for their resilience and successful reintegration into society.

“This is a huge honor and privilege, and I’m extremely grateful for this,” said Benjamin Brockie, Aaniiih of the Fork Belknap Reservation, who was released only 60 days prior to the Nov. 7 event. “I would also like to just use this opportunity to draw attention to the bros and the sisters who are still locked up right now. Nothing I did was unique. I was just a part of the hoop, just like they are. And they need attention. They need a voice out here, and we need to shine light on their causes as well, because they definitely deserve an opportunity to come home. Sometimes our richest culture is behind the bars. That’s where everybody sings, everybody drums, everybody sweats, and everybody makes regalia. I think if we were able to help these guys come home it would really help our communities.”

Brockie was released with the help of volunteer lawyers at the Seattle Clemency Project after more than 22 years of incarceration. Brockie is now working toward a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and American Indian Studies, with hopes of someday attending graduate school, according to the Seattle Clemency Project.

Jason Vickers, Nipmuc Nation, who catered the event through his company NATONCKS METSU, meaning feeding my cousins, was another one of the four relatives who have returned to the community and was honored and blanketed.

The ceremony included special blanketings for both returning community members and public officials who had supported Huy’s mission, such as DOC Secretary Cheryl Strange and Assistant Secretary Don Holbrook. The Eighth Generation warehouse was brimming with Native leaders and community members, including Snoqualmie Tribal Council member Vice Chair Steven de los Angeles, Washington State Sen. Claudia Kaufman, Nez Perce; state Rep. Chris Stearns, Navajo; Willie Frank III, former tribal councilman and former chairman of the Nisqually Nation; and former Seattle City Council President Debora Juarez, Blackfeet.

Power of community

The event concluded with a closing song by the Singing River Drum Group, as attendees left the warehouse with not only a sense of hope and purpose but also a deeper understanding of the profound impact art can have on social change. The Never Say Goodbye blanket, with its butterfly design, serves as a reminder that transformation is possible — that the struggle, pain and joy of life, while often difficult, can lead to beautiful new beginnings, both for individuals and communities.

As Gong, Huy and Eighth Generation continue their work, their collaboration stands as a testament to the power of art, community and unwavering belief in the potential for change, even in the most challenging of circumstances. With every blanket sold, and every conversation sparked, the vision of healing and transformation grows closer to reality.

“This collaboration highlights how good things happen when cultural artists have the freedom to use their art and resources in ways that support their values and community,” Gong said.