By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News
In the midst of Native American Heritage Month, we recognize the Seattle Seahawks for their continued partnership with the Muckleshoot Tribe. Together they’ve created a platform that amplifies Coast Salish culture in one of the region’s most visible public spaces.
It’s fitting that Seattle, the city bearing the name of Chief siaʔɫ (Duwamish and Suquamish), is home to such a meaningful collaboration. Nearly 160 years after his death, Chief Seattle’s legacy remains embedded in the very identity of the region.
At the heart of the partnership between Muckleshoot and the Seahawks lies the Heritage Plaza, nestled at Lumen Field. This space, designed in collaboration with Muckleshoot artists, is a vibrant tribute to Coast Salish artistry and tradition.
“To have this artwork here, in this space, at Lumen Fiend, makes me so proud,” shared Muckleshoot artist Sam Obrovac. “We are being represented here in Seattle, a place that we’ve always been, for the world to see. And we got to bless the art installations in our traditional way, by singing our songs, beating our drums, and having the youth bless each piece with cedar. It’s truly a beautiful thing.”
In November 2023, Seahawks leadership and Muckleshoot Council members gathered in a blessing ceremony. Traditional songs and drums echoed as two welcome figures, towering statues carved from cedar, were unveiled. They stand perched at the stadium’s north entrance, where they warmly greet millions of Lumen Field visitors each year.
Just below the welcome figures are stair railings that bear metal fabricated art inspired by a school of salmon swimming upstream.
According to Muckleshoot Historian Warren King George, each piece of art was designed to tell a story, an interconnected story of land, water, and people. “This was a place of importance…this place was home to the first people,” explained the tribal elder during the welcome figure unveiling. “When we get opportunities like this to remind our neighbors of who we are and where we come from, it’s our responsibility to share the value of this place, the value of home.”
Sail forward to 2025 and a second blessing ceremony held in Heritage Plaza. This time the Seahawks and Muckleshoot came together to dedicate a stunning bronze canoe installation. The canoe, featuring five seats and ten paddles held upright, is a sculpture intended to connect fans and visitors to the rich history of Coast Salish people, canoe culture, and a deep connection with the rivers and Salish Sea.
“We are certainly a water people, first and foremost,” declared Muckleshoot Councilman Donny Stevenson. “Traditionally, the waterways were our highways and byways in this land. It’s how we traveled place to place, village to village, land to land, and how we built and maintained relationships with our fellow tribes. This beautiful bronze canoe reflects our traditional values that still guide us today and into the future. It reminds us of what’s possible when we collaborate as equals and come together in friendship and goodwill.”
The Seahawks’ connection to Coast Salish culture goes back to their very logo. Rather than a caricature or stereotype, the iconic Seahawk is rooted in a Kwakwaka’wakw transformation mask. That mask, once hidden away in a collection, was later temporarily repatriated through the Burke Museum in Seattle.
Today, the Seahawks logo is not only embraced by local Coast Salish communities, but it’s also been reinterpreted and repurposed by countless artists across the region on textiles, jewelry, carvings, and more.
In a city named after Chief Seattle, the Seahawks’ recognition of Muckleshoot’s tribal sovereignty and present-day lifeways is a reaffirmation that Coast Salish culture is still here and still thriving. Lumen Field’s Heritage Plaza, the welcome figures, the canoe, and the mural are living expressions of a culture that continues to guide, teach, and enrich the broader Seattle community.
“I fully appreciate the fact that partnerships like these create visibility for all of us and for our culture,” reflected Muckleshoot artist and muralist Kimberly Saladin. “The mural was a labor of love I was contacted to create on behalf of my people. The women laughing and enjoying themselves is a representation of us and where we all come from.”
Tulalip News celebrates and applauds this vibrant partnership, and we look forward to more chapters of respect, recognition, and renewal in the years ahead.