The Puyallup Tribe will share displays at the Seattle Convention Center, highlighting the use of cedar. Sponsored by The Northwest Flower & Garden Festival.
SEATTLE — This Northwest Flower and Garden Festival is returning to the Seattle Convention Center with awe-inspiring displays that will leave guests inspired to give their own gardens a spruce. This year’s festival also highlights cultural teachings, traditional practices, and the enduring relationship between the Puyallup Tribe of Indians and the natural world.
“This year is a signatory year for us because, as everyone knows, the World Cup is coming. We are the proud Indigenous sponsors for first time in history. The Flower and Garden Festival made sense for us because we are sharing our story with the world and welcoming folks in,” said tribal member Amy McFarland.
At the heart of the Tribe’s exhibit is a garden built around the cultural teachings of the cedar tree.
“We are like the cedar tree and there are teachings that we learn when we use our five senses.” Hayward said. “So if we go sit by the river or in the mountains or by the cedar tree, we can pick up those teachings that are from the land and our plant relatives. And so the different teachings that will be showcased at the garden are going to be, we are flexible like a cedar tree, we stand tall.”
Long ago the people of the Puyallup Tribe used cedar to make almost everything they needed.
“For our transportation and canoes, our homes, utensils, berry picking baskets, baskets, you know, utilitarian items,” Hayward said. “It was our clothing, our regalia that we wear for ceremonies.”
As part of the Tribe’s treaty rights under the Medicine Creek Treaty, members can harvest cedar in their traditional areas. Hayward explained that the bark on display was gathered last year: “We usually let it sit for a year.” After removing the outer bark, the inner bark is rolled and stored. Later, it is soaked and pulled through what she called a “Jerry stripper” to prepare it for weaving. The finished products can range from baskets to jewelry.
The Northwest Flower & Garden Festival opens February 18 and runs through February 22 at the Seattle Convention Center. Visitors can explore the Puyallup Tribe’s cedar garden along with numerous other displays designed to inspire gardeners and nature enthusiasts across the region.
Sponsored by The Northwest Flower & Garden Festival
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