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Suquamish Welcome Pole, Indigenous People’s Day


Last week a special monument was lifted for Chief Seattle’s father, Schweabe, on Bainbridge Island, Washington, carved by xʷibulicǝ (Randi Purser).
I’ve taken a few photographs to show how impressive it is. If you have a chance, make the trek out here to see it (more info below).
















From the plaque’s text:
“1
“This 14-foot Welcome Pole represents Chief Seattle’s father, Schweabe*, who was Suquamish. The Thunderbird atop the figure represents the power of his family. As a new father at the time of first European contact, he is depicted here with a frog of the new year, representing a family and a people at the cusp of a time of great change.
2
“The pole complements a carved post, across Puget Sound on the Seattle Waterfront, representing Chief Seattle’s mother Scholitza*, who was Duwamish, holding him as a baby.
Both were designed, carved from old-growth cedar, and painted by Suquamish tribal elder and carver xʷibulicǝ (Randi Purser).
3
“Old Man House, located at xʷsǝq’ʷǝb in Suquamish, was the largest longhouse in the region and built by Chief Seattle’s father, Schweabe, and Chief Kitsap.
*This name is an approximation of a traditional name.
“To learn more about the rich culture and history of the Suquamish People, please visit the Suquamish Museum at the Port Madison Indian Reservation.”









The Welcome Pole can be found on the Sound to Olympics Trail as it passes through Bainbridge Island in Kitsap County, just across the water from Seattle.
“Every part of this soil is sacred in the estimation of my people. Every hillside, every valley, every plain and grove, has been hallowed by some sad or happy event in days long vanished.”
— Chief Seattle 1854
I would like to acknowledge that the land on which we gather is within the ancestral territory of the suq̀ʷabš “People of Clear Salt Water” (Suquamish People). Expert fisherman, canoe builders and basket weavers, the suq̀ʷabš live in harmony with the lands and waterways along Washington’s Central Salish Sea as they have for thousands of years. Here, the suq̀ʷabš live and protect the land and waters of their ancestors for future generations as promised by the Point Elliot Treaty of 1855.
The QR code leads you to: https://bit.ly/SuqMuseum
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