Murdered & Missing Indigenous Peoples
Why Buffalo’s Fire was red for one day
May 5 is Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day
Tacoma’s First Native American Monument Stands 22 Feet Tall
Founder & Editor in Chief
This story was filed on
It took about a decade, but the City of Tacoma has its first Native American monument.
The monument is a cedar statue of a Native American woman. Located in Tollefson Plaza, a place that was once an important village site to the Puyallup people (the first people to occupy Tacoma), she stands 22 feet tall and wears a traditional woven cedar hat and white dress with a Thunderbird design. Her hands are outstretched in a welcoming gesture.
The statue was carved by Puyallup artist Shaun Peterson (Qwalsius). According to an article published by The Olympian on Aug. 15, when Peterson set out on this project in 2000, the piece was to be only eight feet tall. But thanks to his dream, financial support from the community and some luck in finding a log tall enough, he was able to more than double the size.
The piece was unveiled at a celebratory event, hosted by the City of Tacoma, Puyallup Tribe of Indians and Tacoma Art Museum, on Sept. 18.
Support the Documenters Program!
© Buffalo's Fire. All rights reserved.
This article is not included in our Story Share & Care selection.The content may only be reproduced with permission from the Indigenous Media Freedom Alliance. Please see our content sharing guidelines.
Dentalium
Harvesting Connection: Dentalium and the two ‘Indian’ worlds
The Hidden Link Between Indigenous North America and South India
Cultural Preservation
When is being ‘elder’ more than just being ‘older’?
An aging journalist ponders this distinct and precious role
Cultural Preservation
A look inside the Denver March Powwow
The annual event showcases traditional performing arts
Editorials
Buffalo’s Fire’s news-sharing campaign: When republishing a story avoid the ‘copycat’ syndrome
Simple attribution is not enough for search engines, so please give proper credit to fellow newsrooms like ours
Opinion
Renzo is a relative to us all
Ongoing Search
