by By Dan Ninham
Tamiah Joseph, 16, is an enrolled member of the Tulalip tribes, and she is part Yakama. “My Indian name is Tamiah Bow unqwut and it means ‘From these mountains to her mountains, from here to there’,” said Tamiah. “I reside on the Tulalip reservation, 30 minutes north of Seattle. I attend Archbishop Murphy High School and it is a private Catholic school. My parent’s are DeShawn and Sharmane Joseph.”
In 2019, Tamiah and her teams were Tulalip Junior Nationals champions, Denver All West Gold Division champions, LNYT champions, Oklahoma RESPECT Tournament champions, and NABI gold division runner-up.
In 2020 they were Las Vegas Nationals runner-up in the 16U division and 19U champions, and Best in the Midwest 19U champions.
“As a Native American youth in this generation, my tribal values define me as an athlete,” said Tamiah. “When I play, I represent not only my tribe but the Native community as a whole. When it comes my day to leave and go to college to get bigger and better opportunities off the reservation, I will come back and give to my community. Natives should help other natives.”
“My biggest inspirations and influencers are no doubt my parents and siblings,” said Tamiah. “My late great grandmother, Loretta James, was also an inspiration to me.”
“My father, DeShawn Joseph, has been here since day one and has never left my side,” said Tamiah. “He has pushed me to work harder not only for my family but for myself, he has put in the time and effort to train me and to get me to all the tournaments possible. My dad has taught me to work for what I want because it is truly not given.”
Dad DeShawn Joseph talked about his daughter playing basketball: “Tamiah currently plays for Zach Lavine’s AAU 16U Adidas Gauntlet club team. She plans on showing her skills for some D1 coaches to earn a scholarship to play collegiate basketball in her upcoming junior year of exposure. Earning a full ride D1 basketball scholarship would make Tamiah the first female from the Tulalip tribes to do so. We have some high expectations indeed. But private school being the focus for academics and she has progressed into a great student-athlete. That has helped her maintain some much needed grades to seek a collegiate scholarship at Archbishop High School. She currently holds a 2.5 GPA at a top academic school. This makes us happy as parents to see her get it.”
“Tamiah has caught the eye of colleges from Juco-D2 schools as of now. No offers yet but she is working towards that as she progresses into her fourth year of basketball. We’re definitely not picky of a college and just need the right fit for a good education and competitive level of play,” added DeShawn.
“Tamiah’s leadership off the court comes in the form of traditional teachings such as dancing our traditional dances or singing our historical songs passed down for generations,” added DeShawn. “We participate in our annual canoe journeys with upwards of 5k indigenous people sharing our traditional songs and stories, all while paddling by way of the sea to far off destinations with upwards of 16 hours of pulling in a day.”
“Tamiah also has participated in the Tulalip Youth Council with our communities youth. She has led by way of being a role model and an example with good friend characteristics. She is a great sister to her siblings,” added DeShawn.
“Tamiah’s mother and I did not have the support like parents in general and have stuck it out for 21 years to break the cycle in our people’s history of broken homes,” said DeShawn. “Coming from her father, Tamiah is my middle child. She was the baby of the family for close to 12 years. So her transition to the bigger sister has been a great characteristic to have. I have never met my father and make my journey daily to be the best I can for my children. She does the same to be the best sister possible, all while trying to live up to the hype of a top athlete daily. So I can’t imagine some of the pressure on her shoulders. We are yet to see the best from her yet. But she is definitely just a human. That is key to balance of understanding her path.”
“My mother, Sharmane Joseph, has been my rock, she has sacrificed her time to make sure I am able to make it to all the tournaments and trainings as well,” said Tamiah. “She has worked hard my whole life and rarely gets days off. She constantly works hard for her job and works just as hard on her hours off for Unity basketball and the clothing business my family owns. She is the most amazing mom I could’ve ever asked for. She inspires me to be a better person everyday.”
“Tamiah Joseph is an amazing person with such personality,” said mom Sharmane Joseph. “She has shown so many kids that it’s alright to step out of your families comfort zone. Tamiah has always been a part of a basketball family. But she chose a different route at first and more of a detour. Her first choice sport was gymnastics. She joined a gymnastics gym knowing close to nothing other than a cartwheel. Soon after finding her love for the sport she excelled at a highly fast pace. With her dedication and drive she was competing at a high level. It was so amazing to see her flourish and continue to grow. She learned so much from gymnastics. We as her family watched her learn great concentration, dedication and extreme self-control. A series of injuries caused us to eventually decide as a family for her to no longer be a gymnast.”
“Tamiah decided she would give basketball a try,” said Sharmane. “She played a few games with her older sisters’ team the original Lady UNITY as a first grader and playing in a sixth grade league.”
“Her first year of basketball she played for an AAU program where the coach called her a filler player and that she really didn’t bring anything to the game. Tamiah did not let that bring her down. She did not stay with that program but chose to keep working with the guidance of her coach/dad,” added Sharmane.
“She has overcome so many different obstacles and now she was excelling in a sport that she hoped would take her to the next level,” said Sharmane. “She continued to work on herself while she led by example for her younger siblings. We have community members who look to her for help with their own children that are her age. She gives guidance to some of our younger members of the community who she sees may be going down a path that may be destructive.”
“Tamiah has her struggles as a teenager but has always found a way to overcome them,” said Sharmane. “She has the support of her family and her siblings. She has many ventures that aren’t only sports. She was a member of the Tulalip Youth Council but had to choose and be fair to other kids that could dedicate more time to the youth council. Her school and sports schedule became priority. She also attends cultural events with her family such as tribal canoe journeys. Her biggest inspiration for everything she does is her late great grandmother Loretta ‘The Judge’ James. A pillar not only in her community but within Indian Country. She had a hand in raising Tamiah up until she lost her battle with diabetes two Christmases ago. The Judge always told Tamiah important things like getting an education and bringing it back to serve the people is what it is all about.”
“Tamiah plans to carry on her grandma’s legacy in whatever she chooses to do in her life,” added Sharmane.
“My oldest sister, Jlynn, 20, has been my built-in best friend my entire life, “ said Tamiah. “She pushed me to be better than all my doubters and stronger than you could ever imagine. She supports me financially out of her own pocket constantly and supports me physically and mentally. I wouldn’t be the person I am without my older nana. I am forever grateful to have her in my life.”
“My two youngest siblings Rhetta, 4, and Lore, 8 months, have taught me how to care for others and how to be a older nana,” said Tamiah. “I am grateful for them because they give me a reason to be the best example I could be as a leader. They’ve taught me patience and to love unconditionally. I plan in the future to watch them surpass me in the basketball realm and to see their life flourish.”
“Last but least my great grandmother Loretta James,” said Tamiah. “She passed back in 2017 but without her nothing would be possible. She taught me to be strong, independent and care for others. She is the strongest woman I have ever met, and she survived through the Great Depression and continued to care for her loved ones.”
“At the age of 12, I was a level 8 gymnast competing at the national level,” said Tamiah. “I have only been playing basketball for a little over four years.”
