Local News

Former Colville Tribal Chair Jim Boyd Honored by His Tribe


Jun 19, 2017

“Snina?qn,” the name passed on to James L. (Jim) Boyd, Sr.,  through his family is now the official name of the Colville Business Council Chambers in the Tribes’ Lucy F. Covington Tribal Government Building.

            The Colville Business Council on Thursday voted unanimously to designate their meeting room the “Snina?qn (Jim Boyd) Council Chambers” in honor of the  former CBC Chairman, who passed unexpectedly last year.

            “Jim Boyd is an important figure in our Tribes’ government and history and it is fitting that we should honor him, as we emerge from our collective period of mourning, by giving our Council Chambers his Sinixt name. He was a lifelong friend of mine and too many others.” CBC Chairman Dr. Michael E. Marchand, said today.  “His many contributions to the Tribes and the arts will not and should not be forgotten.”

            Boyd, from the Inchelium District, served on the CBC beginning in 2012 and was Chairman from 2014 until his sudden passing on June 21, 2016.

            “Jim was not only a respected Tribal leader, but a talented and accomplished musician who gained international acclaim for his songwriting, recording, and performances.  He was an amazing person with great heart and a generous spirit,” said CBC member Jack Ferguson.

            Boyd played a number of instruments including guitar and won numerous awards for his music, including a Native American Music Association Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014.  In 2016, three of his works, his albums “Unity” and “Bridge Creek Road” and his video “Hell Raisers on Harleys” were nominated for NAMA awards.  That year Boyd won NAMA Album of the Year—his eighth NAMA award—posthumously for “Bridge Creek Road.”  He also sang four songs with lyrics by Sherman Alexie on the soundtrack for the 1998 movie Smoke Signals, and also appeared in Alexie's The Business of Fancydancing. 

            The designation of the Chambers as the Snina?qn (Snee-nok-n) comes just days before a traditional tribal memorial for Boyd held in Inchelium on Sunday,  attended by family and friends from around the world. 

 


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