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Native Art

Towering cedar totems, engaging museums, and  annual cultural celebrations throughout the state tell the millennia-old legacies of Washington’s storied tribes.
HIBULB CULTURAL CENTER
On a 50-acre natural history preserve, this Tulalip tribute features historic  canoes, a re-created long-house, and exhibits labeled in both English and the Coast Salish language Lushootseed. hibulbculturalcenter.org
LELOOSKA FOUNDATION  & MUSEUM
Woodcarving workshops and evenings of song and cer-emonial mask demos bring Northwest Coast traditions to life at this cultural center near Ariel, southwest of Mount St. Helens, where you can tour the collection of tomahawks, cornhusk bags, and other preserved relics. lelooska.org
SUQUAMISH MUSEUM
Amid towering trees on the Kitsap Peninsula, this LEED Gold–certified museum traces the Suquamish history back to the last ice age. Admire baskets, carv-ings, and artifacts before  paying respects at Chief Seattle’s gravesite a few blocks away. suquamishmuseum.org
TILLICUM VILLAGE
In spring and summer, Argosy Cruises’ boats depart from Seattle’s Pier 55 for Blake Island, where you can admire the totems or fill up at a salmon bake. argosycruises.com/tillicum-village
COLUMBIA GORGE INTERPRETIVE CENTER
With picture windows peer-ing out onto the Columbia River, this Stevenson museum recounts the 40- million-year history of the Gorge region. Trace the first peoples’ influence, from the Cascade Chinook to the Clah-clehlah village visited by Lewis and Clark. columbiagorge.org
OMAK STAMPEDE
Every August, this annual event stampedes into Omak (p. 100) with rodeo events and the Colville Confederated Tribes’ Indian Encampment and Pow Wow, featuring a tepee village and dancing. omakstampede.org
YAKAMA NATION MUSEUM AND CULTURAL CENTER
From traditional garb to life-size dwellings of the Plateau People, the history of Yakama Nation’s various tribes are on display at this 12,000-square-foot museum in Toppenish . Guided tours are available by appointment, Monday through Friday.  yakamamuseum.com
LUMMI NATION STOMMISH WATER FESTIVAL
This celebration of Coast Salish culture includes war canoe races and a tradi-tional salmon barbecue on the Lummi reservation near Bellingham, June 19 through 22. stommish.com
NORTHWEST MUSEUM OF ARTS & CULTURE
Learn about the Native cultures influencing the northeast corner of the state, from the indigenous Northern Plateau Indians to 1925’s National Indian Congress, plus the Inland Northwest Narrative: Crossroads and Confluence exhibit on display for two-plus years at this Smithsonian-affiliated museum in Spokane.northwestmuseum.org
CONFLUENCE PROJECT
An unprecedented collabora-tion between artist Maya Lin and Pacific Northwest tribes, this seven-site art installation reinterprets the journey of Lewis and Clark. One of the recently completed installa-tions is a Nez Perce–inspired listening circle made of sculpted earth on a Snake River island at Clarkston’s Chief Timothy Park. confluenceproject.org
—ANGELA CABOTAJE

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