The City of Seattle, Port of Seattle, Seattle-Kobe Sister City Association (SKSCA), local artist Qwalsius (qʷəlsius) - Shaun Peterson, and members of the Puyallup Tribe and Lummi Nation traveled to Kobe, Japan, this past weekend for a dedication ceremony of the new Coast Salish Story Pole created by artist Qwalsius – Shaun Peterson. Qwalsius – Shaun Peterson , a local artist of the Puyallup Tribe, was commissioned in 2017 to create a new gift representing our region’s relationship with Kobe, both as a sister city and a sister port. He took inspiration from the former Story Pole carved by Lummi Nation artist Mr. Joseph Hillaire (traditional name: kwul-kwul’tw), which stood outside Kobe City Hall for 54 years, and other important Coast Salish artistic traditions.
“It is an honor to be called upon to create a monumental work from the Seattle region to share with the people of Kobe,” said Qwalsius – Shaun Peterson. “I bring my thirty years of cultural exploration, the artistic workmanship of the art of my tribe, and the influence of master artists before me to this project. In a way, this new Story Pole is a short story to express how I had a brief stay in Kobe, and in that short time, a feeling of welcome remains.”
Forging Friendships
Seattle and Kobe forged a long-lasting friendship in 1957 by becoming each other’s first sister city. They’ve celebrated shared commonalities in nature and humanity ever since. As a gesture of goodwill, the people and City of Seattle commissioned Mr. Hillaire in 1961 to carve artwork that could be gifted to the people of Kobe. Mr. Hillaire spent three months preparing the original Story Pole in Seattle, finishing the work in Kobe later that year. By 2015, the pole had sustained extensive weather damage and was returned to nature as tribal tradition dictates, in the Kobe Municipal Arboretum in the Rokko Mountains, near the “Seattle Forest,” with another Coast Salish sculpture and trees from Seattle.
Nearly ten years later, Qwalsius – Shaun Peterson’s new Story Pole sits to the south of Kobe City Hall in Higashi Yuenchi park. The artist, along with representatives from the City of Seattle, Port of Seattle, SKSCA, Lummi Nation, and Puyallup Tribe, in addition to Secretary of State Steve Hobbs, traveled to Kobe for a dedication ceremony. Per tribal tradition, the dedication involved witnesses from both the Seattle and Kobe sides to partake in the ceremony, share their impressions, and commit to telling the story of this day to future generations. Witnesses were wrapped in blankets, and tribal members offered songs to honor and bless this new Story Pole and our sister city and sister port ties with Kobe.
"It is our honor for the City of Seattle to unite so many partners to bring a new piece of art to the City of Kobe – a symbol of the long-standing friendship between our cities. This Story Pole reflects both the history of the pole that came before and also the rich culture and traditions of the Coast Salish people,” said Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell. “This installation is an important opportunity to recognize our past relationship – and the work of our predecessors – as well as pay tribute to our shared vision, reaffirming our dedication to continuously building our relationship and working together to create a thriving Kobe and a thriving Seattle."
“Continuing to find meaningful ways to celebrate our relationship as a sister city and sister port only strengthens our bonds and honors our history,” said Port of Seattle Commission Vice President Toshiko Hasegawa. “I’m so proud to witness the evolution of our relationship and see this beautiful representation of friendship come to fruition, especially as a proud Japanese American from Seattle.”
“Kobe is our first sister port, and we are thrilled to be celebrating this special moment with the City and Port of Kobe,” said Port of Seattle Commissioner Sam Cho. “Japan may feel far away, but we are directly connected by the same ocean and our two water gateways. Our long history with the Port of Kobe has inspired us to continue forming more sister and friendship port relationships around the globe. We know that port collaboration promotes trade, and the sharing of ideas and best practices helps us find solutions to the challenges of tomorrow, like tackling the shared goal of decarbonization.”
“On behalf of our Seattle-Kobe Sister City Association board members, I want to extend our deep thanks to the City of Kobe, City of Seattle, and Port of Seattle for partnering with us on this meaningful project,” said SKSCA board member Rebecca Skoog. “This Story Pole will now stand in Kobe as an important symbol of our strong ties, just as the Kobe Bell in the Seattle Center stands in Seattle as a sign of our long relationship.”
“As I look at our delegation gathered in Kobe, I see a delegation that is the best of who we are from the Pacific Northwest – I see a delegation that knows honor and respect, and lives it in their everyday lives, and it is an honor to be among you,” said Lummi Nation Councilmember Nick Lewis. “There are many parallels between our Native American culture and the culture of Japan, and I hope we can continue to expand on growing these parallels with more events like this.”
“As the great grandson of Joseph Hillaire, and bearer of his traditional name, I am honored to be witness to the dedication of this new Story Pole that also honors his legacy,” said Dan Friday, Lummi Nation glass artist. “That his gift has stood by Kobe City Hall from 1961 to 2015 as a strong symbol of our region’s connection to Kobe is quite a blessing to our family.”
About the art
The new sculpture features two figures. The woman wearing a wool blanket represents the connection to the land, and the resources that land provides for us. The wool blanket is a symbol of wealth and art within Coast Salish culture, similar to a ceremonial kimono in Japanese culture. The eagle overhead is used as a symbol of honor in Pacific Northwest art and has been a part of our tribal histories for many generations, as well as a strong symbol of the broader United States.
About the Seattle-Kobe Sister City Association
The Seattle-Kobe Sister City Association (SKSCA) is a volunteer-based 501(c)3 nonprofit association that helps promote and facilitate friendly relations between Seattle and our sister city of Kobe, Japan. Kobe is Seattle's first sister city, established in 1957 under Seattle Mayor Gordon Clinton. The exchanges between our two cities are many and varied, ranging from cultural and educational to business and governmental. In addition to the official sister city relationship, there is also the official sister port relationship, as well as strong economic ties between many companies of our two regions, such as Starbucks, Costco, Boeing, and Microsoft, as well as other small business connections. Gifts from the people of Kobe can be seen around Seattle, most noticeably at the Kobe Terrace Park in Seattle's Chinatown/International District, which has Japanese pine and cherry trees and a stone lantern, and the Kobe Bell at the Seattle Center. Also located in Seattle is the Kobe Trade Information Office, the U.S. branch office for the City of Kobe. For more information, visit the SKSCA website.
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Contact
Chris Guizlo | SEA Airport
(206) 787-3433 | [email protected]
Photo at the top of the page (left to right): Maile Reynon, Native Hawaiian and member of the Puyallup Tribal Community; Tim Reynon, Tribal Relations Director, City of Seattle, and former councilmember of the Puyallup Tribe; Qwalsius — Shaun Peterson, carver of the “Honoring Our Connection” Story Pole, and member of the Puyallup Tribe; Dan Friday, great-grandson of Joseph Hillaire, and Seattle-based glass artist of the Lummi Nation; Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell; Kobe Mayor Kizo Hisamoto; Kobe City Assembly Chairman Yasunaga Bo; Councilmember Nickolaus Lewis, Lummi Nation; Roxanne Murphy, Senior Manager, Tribal Relations for the Port of Seattle, member of the Nooksack Tribe; Lawrence Solomon, Former Chairman of the Lummi Nation, and great grand-nephew of Joseph Hillaire; and David Bean, former Chairman of the Puyallup Tribe
