Gathering at the Falls
The Gathering at the Falls Pow Wow takes place every year in Riverfront Park with activities centered here in the Lilac Bowl. The history of this event and the significance of gathering at the Spokane River goes back generations. It has been a sacred tradition for many of the tribes around the northwest to gather at the river because it gives life, love, hope, and a sense of revitalization. During past years, Riverfront Park has been home to this event and it has become a tradition for people of all nations to gather and celebrate those gifts the river provides, and create or renew friendships. Dancers and singers, young and old, come from near and far to showcase their songs and dance styles for our community. It is a unique cultural gathering that brings in thousands from the local community to enjoy. Find out more at http://www.gatfpowwow.org/Head over to the big Pavilion. Walk through it and around the back toward the next sight.
Totem Poles on Canada Island
Expo '74, the first environmentally themed World's Fair, opened in Spokane in May 1974. Native American and First Nations heritage was a focus. There were demonstrations of tepee building, traditional garments, and traditional dances. Canada Island is where the Canadian pavilion was housed and totem carving was demonstrated here by First Nations tribes. Though several totem poles were created during the Expo, this partially finished cedar totem with a man on top, reaching for the sky, is the only one that remains.The other totem pole, with an eagle spreading its wings on the top, was added here in 1978 by the Inland Northwest Wildlife Council.Continue over the island and take the bridge to your left, heading toward the building that says "Washington Water Power."
Bridge from Smoke Signals
This is the bridge from the final scene in the movie "Smoke Signals," where Victor throws his father's ashes over the railing.The scene features the poem "How Do We Forgive Our Fathers?" by Dick LourieHow do we forgive our Fathers?Maybe in a dreamDo we forgive our Fathers for leaving us too often or foreverwhen we were little?Maybe for scaring us with unexpected rageor making us nervousbecause there never seemed to be any rage there at all.Do we forgive our Fathers for marrying or not marrying our Mothers?For Divorcing or not divorcing our Mothers?And shall we forgive them for their excesses of warmth or coldness?Shall we forgive them for pushing or leaningfor shutting doorsfor speaking through wallsor never speakingor never being silent?Do we forgive our Fathers in our age or in theirsor their deathssaying it to them or not saying it?If we forgive our Fathers what is left?Continue across the bridge and walk up the hill, turning right and heading toward Post Street. Cross the street and turn left. Walk south to the courtyard by Spokane City Hall. Walk through the courtyard and proceed down to the next sight.
Spokane Falls
The Salish word for the Spokane Falls is Stluputqu, meaning "swift water." For countless generations, the Sp’q’n’I (Spokane) Tribe’s central gathering place was at these falls where tribal members met to fish and trade. In June of each year, giant 60- to 80-pound Chinook would make it to the Spokane River. This bounty was shared with many other tribes in the region. Fish were caught by many methods, including spearing from raised platforms and using fish traps.In one story about the creation of the Spokane Falls, a Coeur d'Alene Indian woman rejected the romantic interest of Coyote. When he couldn’t get help from the Spokane or the Kalispel people to seduce or kidnap the woman, the trickster used magic to build a barrier between the salmon and the Coeur d'Alene people—the Spokane Falls.The barriers that ultimately stopped the salmon were dams. Salmon ceased returning to the Spokane Falls in 1915 when a dam was built on the Spokane River just downstream, creating Long Lake in 1915. Then, in 1939, Grand Coulee Dam was constructed on the Columbia River, preventing salmon from reaching the Spokane River at all.There are a few different vantage points of the falls. Enjoy the views and then proceed down the hill (either on the concrete or dirt pathway) to the next sights.
Salmon Chief sculpture
When the three Spokane Indian bands and other tribes gathered here to fish, chiefs were elected to keep order and keep the peace. One very important chief was the Salmon Chief who was in charge of organizing the fishing and making sure the fish were distributed fairly. This sculpture was created by Virgil “Smoker” Marchand, and installed here in 2014 when Huntington Park was redesigned.Marchand, a member of the Colville Confederated Tribes, grew up on the Colville Reservation in Omak, WA. He graduated from the Institute of American Indian Arts in 1971. His work can be found throughout the West.If you look up the hillside, you will see the next sight.
Women drying salmon sculpture
Look uphill to see additional artwork by Virgil “Smoker” Marchand. These sculptures were also installed here in 2014. While men were charged with fishing at the Spokane Falls, women worked to preserve the fish for the long winter ahead. Drying and smoking are important and labor-intensive preservation techniques.Proceed back up the hill, taking the dirt road on your right to Spokane Falls Boulevard and the last sight.
Sherman Alexie Poem (The Place Where Ghosts of Salmon Jump)
This poem was installed here in a spiral, overlooking the Spokane Falls, when the new downtown library was built nearby in 1995. In the poem, author Sherman Alexie, a Spokane Indian, wrote about the creation story for the Spokane Falls and the devastation brought to the falls by the dams. Alexie was inspired to write the poem right at this spot.According to www.spokanehistorical.org, Alexie tried to see the river from his ancestor's point of view:"The river was the center of our lives, the center of our religion, so that location, there overlooking the river, is just where I wanted the poem to be. I looked down at the river and its beauty and also wondered how many inches of mercury lay under the water. The river makes me think of the ghosts of us and the ghosts of the salmon." At first Alexie did not care for the spiral design, but a few years later he changed his mind. He came back to see it, and saw a couple reading the poem. "Their movement was a dance. The design forces people to dance. The true power of it is in watching people reading the poem in that way."You can now return to the convention center via Spokane Falls Boulevard, along the edge of Riverfront Park. Along the way you will see the sculpture "The Joy of Running," commemorating Spokane's annual Bloomsday race and the Looff Carousel.
