♪♪
-Part of what makes us whole as a person is to truly understand
the value of the place that we stand on, the story of that place,
and how it might shape and inform the way we live our life.
For this place in particular,
we're talking about a food ecosystem that fed people
very well for a long time.
♪♪
This used to be the Dzidzilalich Village,
which was known as an inner title lagoon that was home to several
sea species that fed people really well. In particular the starry flounder,
several different varieties of flounder were harvested here
and people would travel far to come harvest those fish with spears
that were made from certain types of plant materials using cordage,
that were made from certain types of plant material.
♪♪
And so
this place, knowing where we began and understanding the changes that it's
undergone, is going to help us find a direction
into where we can go in the future and how we can bring along with us
those teachings of the land and the wisdom that it holds.
[ cheering and applause ]
-We are here today
to celebrate the start
of construction of the Pioneer Square Streets Improvements Project.
We are incorporating native plants and we'll be adding interpretive panels
and ground level etchings depicting uses of Indigenous people in the area.
-We are trying to have a living memorial
essentially, through the stories of plants.
The selection really centers around what my ancestors
would have utilized as a traditional technology,
and that looks like what plants were fashioned into cordage,
into rope, into spears, into hooks
and things that we would have utilized to maintain our our way of life.
They'll be plants like Ocean Spray, also known as Ironwood here.
Various cherry trees will be planted here.
Those plants are going to help tell a story.
And so when we get to know our place, where we are in this world,
we have a better sense of connection to the land and a better respect for it.