But the cemetery's serenity was recently shattered. Desecration now runs deep after vandals drove through and uprooted heavy gravestones, leaving behind a reckless trail.

"Everybody was crying, wondering about what's happening," said tribal elder Don Hatch, who broke the news to the families. "Why would anybody do something like this?"

The pain of the desecration has spread through the reservation.

"The hurt is there. The hurt is really there in our community," Hatch said.

"It was pretty darn sad to me, people going up there and doing that. No respect four our ancestors and that," said tribal member Brenda Lyle.

Now tribal members are working hard, trying to right the wrong. They've been repairing the damage, uprighting headstones and smoothing over the ground the vandals tore apart.

The tribe wants justice. The Tulalip Tribal Council is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the vandals.

"I'm hoping and praying they get caught," said Hatch.

But the tribe also wants those responsible to know that forgiveness is another value in tribal culture.

"So they can go forward with the rest of their lives and know they've done something wrong. And we've sat down with them and shown some compassion and understanding," said tribal chairman Mel Sheldon.

The cemetery's gates were open day and night so that members can visit their relatives at all hours. But in the wake of the vandalism, tribal members decided to start locking the gates each night at 4 p.m.