Jackie Thomas Swanson was born on the Warm Springs reservation
and later spent time with her grandmother on the Muckleshoot
reservation. Jackie’s family emphasized to her that she was a
descendant of the ancient people of the Northwest, the Duwamish.
Jackie also claims ancestry with the Yakama and Nez Perce
tribes. Family is important to Jackie. She refers to the
difficulties facing many Native people regarding marriage: of
having to make decisions on whether to marry inter-tribally or
taking on non-Indian partners. She shares that because the
Native community is tightly-knit, tribal members must be aware
of family ties, and look beyond those ties when choosing life
partners. By following the theme of family, Jackie describes how
intergenerational connectedness supports Native tradition.