Bigfoot has been helping the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board’s (NPAIHB) Tribal Epidemiology Center spread the word about how to stay safe from COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic.

In his first appearance in March 2020, Bigfoot stressed the importance of protecting our Elders and staying home to stay safe. Since then, his guiding presence has brought important messages to the NW Tribes wrapped up in a bit of fun.

Last fall, Bigfoot started making personal appearances at all the NPAIHB Tribes to encourage mask wearing and to spread some joy despite the pandemic. Wearing his extra LARGE mask, he was enthusiastically received by all.

In early 2021, besides his Stay Safe messages, Bigfoot began encouraging people to get vaccinated culminating in his appearance on a “tattoo” after vaccination. These tattoos were also distributed to all the Tribes served by the NPAIHB for distribution at vaccination events.

In his most recent appearance, Bigfoot has been seen taking his children to be vaccinated, encouraging parents to take care of their children and communities!

 

Like our Tribes, Bigfoot is committed to protecting those who came before him and nurturing those who come after.

 

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In September 2020, UIHI released a grant opportunity, Supporting the Sacred: Womxn of Resilience, for Native femme-identifying survivors of sexual violence who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The individuals who applied shared their stories with us and allowed us to be a small part of their healing journey. For that, we are beyond grateful.

To show our appreciation and love for this community, we created care packages full of medicines, jewelry, and other self-care items purchased from Indigenous-owned and operated businesses including Sister Sky, Eighth Generation, Haípažaža pȟežúta, Red Lake Nation Foods, and NativeWorks Jewelry Store.

 

Each care package was a display of the respect and care we have for our relatives who have survived sexual violence and who chose to trust us with their story so we can better serve our community.

 

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