LITTLE BOSTON — With the help of the United States government, the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe will be able to revive a part of its ancestry that was lost 100 years ago.
This week, the Department of Agriculture Rural Development set aside $1.1 million in loan funding for construction of a longhouse that will be part of the tribe’s House of Knowledge (HOK) campus.
“USDA Rural Development is proud to be assisting the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe, in partnership with the Washington State Office of Community Development, to provide funding for this much-needed project,” said Jackie J. Gleason, Washington State Director for USDA Rural Development.
It is estimated that the longhouse will cost $1.3 million to build.
An additional $200,000 is expected to be provided by a Building for the Arts grant from the Washington State Office of Community Development later this year.
The funds will be used to construct the longhouse in the House of Knowledge complex, which will serve tribal and non-tribal members, providing education in Port Gamble S’Klallam’s traditional art, language, dancing and ceremonies.
Other buildings in the campus will include an elders center, career and education center and a new library. The ground breaking ceremony for the longhouse on Little Boston Road will take place later this month.
Members of the HOK committee, who have been working on the project, said they were pleased to finally receive the much-anticipated loan.
“The tribe applied for and received this loan as part of funding package to bring this longhouse closer to completion,” said Don Chalmers, campaign coordinator for the project. “This particular USDA support, I think, reflects the tribe’s very strong commitment to the contribution of the longhouse.”
The competition for such loan dollars is tough, he said, adding that everyone involved in the campaign is excited about this step in the process.
“It really is a commitment on the part of the tribe to build the structure because it’s central to the reservation and the tribe,” Chalmers said. “The longhouse portion is the hub of the House of Knowledge project.”
