Thornock joined the committee in 2022 after returning to live with relatives on the tribe ’s reservation, following 15 years in and out of foster care. Under Tulalip tribal codes, the advocacy committee is “charged with reviewing case issues as specified by and at the request of the parent or guardian.” Committee members are expected to “make recommendations to beda?chelh on ways to proceed in accordance with law and policies.” Beda?chelh steps in when parents are accused of abuse or neglect. The name beda?chelh is a Lushootseed word that means “our children.” It is pronounced “buh-DAH-chuh” and is also spelled bədaʔčəɬ, using the phonetic symbol “ʔ.”Īt the time, Thornock was secretary of the beda?chelh advocacy committee and the first former foster youth to serve on the panel, they said. Thornock, who is Two Spirit and uses they/them pronouns, appeared before the seven-member elected council with a specific goal: better oversight of beda?chelh, the tribe’s child welfare system. Their hair, neatly shaved at the sides and pulled into a short ponytail, framed a face hopeful but weathered for a 23-year-old. Massive steel sculptures of salmon depicting the Tulalip Tribes’ livelihood hung overhead.Īndres “Dre” Thornock wore a dark gray suit and a pressed white button-up. Tribal members streamed in and out of the Washington casino’s ornate Orca Ballroom, marine-themed and decorated in the tribe’s signature black, red and white.

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