Chief Taholah Days canceled and General Council meeting postponed by QIN

The Quinault Indian Nation has announced additional changes in response to COVID-19.

In a release from QIN President Fawn Sharp, she states that large gatherings this summer have been cancelled or postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes Chief Taholah Days and the General Council meeting scheduled for this month.

Sharp says that “Social and physical distancing is everyone’s first and best line of defense to stay healthy and minimize the spread of the Coronavirus.”

​“We are all incredibly disheartened about cancelling Chief Taholah Days, a time when our families come together to honor the hereditary Chief who signed our Treaty and saved our homelands,” said QIN President Fawn Sharp. “For many of us this celebration has been a constant in our lives. A reminder of the strength of our people and what we can achieve when we work together. But these difficult times demand sacrifices we would never would have thought necessary. Staying vigilant now to protect everyone’s health and safety will only make us stronger as we work our way out of this crisis.”

While gatherings have been adjusted, Sharp says that the Nation is relaxing its shelter-in-place order to allow non-essential travel within Grays Harbor County, Jefferson County and Clallam County.

Following is the status of key large gatherings normally planned during the summer months:

CANCELLED:

Lake Quinault Fishing Derby, which had tentatively been scheduled for this Memorial Day weekend.

POSTPONED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE:

General Council meeting, which had been scheduled for the end of May, is postponed until the Quinault Business Committee determines it can be held safely.

TO BE DETERMINED:

Queets Days, normally scheduled in August every year. The Quinault Business Committee will decide whether Queets Days can be held safely at a later time based on the status of the COVID-19 pandemic.