Submitted by Kai Wise
on
Five years before a 25-foot story pole was installed outside Denny Hall on the University of Washington campus, Sven Haakanson (Sugpiaq/Alutiiq) had a vision.
A Native Alaskan, Haakanson understands the importance of recognizing a land’s native peoples. So, when he looked around the UW’s Seattle campus, he found himself wondering: Where is the Coast Salish community? The Burke Museum houses Coast Salish pieces, he said, and there are small works in other buildings. But representation was noticeably missing from the actual grounds.
Read the full story, and enjoy a short video, of how Professor Sven Haakanson, AIS adjunct faculty member, helped bring a Coast Salish Story Pole to the UW campus from UW News.