A proud member of the Chinook Indian Nation, Jessica Marie Porter got her start writing songs as a young woman growing up on Willapa Bay in Southwestern, WA. Much like the swirling brackish waters of the Willapa, Jessica’s music is muddied by life’s trials yet willfully bends toward triumph and hope. Jessica has served as a tribal leader/educator within her community and other tribal communities for more than 10 years. With a Master’s of Arts in Organizational Development, Jessica currently works as a Facilitative Design Consultant supporting the implementation of several critical Native initiatives throughout the Pacific Northwest. Jessica aspires to leverage her background in social change with the transformative nature of music to partner with indigenous communities worldwide and further the impact of intergenerational healing.
Jessica is our featured researcher for February 2015 and shares environmental health perspectives from the Chinook Indian Nation through her musical interpretation and discusses the importance of Wapato- aka “Indian Swamp Potato”.
NativeTEACH 