Live Canoe Carving

Celebrating Pacific Northwest culture is incomplete without the acknowledgment and direct participation of Native communities. Our indigenous canoe carving program, led by the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe, honors ten thousand plus years of dugout canoe carving practice and craft. Located in our entrance lobby, this 12’ x 36’ platform hosts regional tribes and indigenous craftspeople to bring a canoe to life, from tree to sea. Pedestrians and visitors alike witness this centuries-old practice, honoring the craft and seafaring nature of tribal life. We are honored to offer space and resources to exhibit this ancient practice and recognize our occupation of Native land.

Canoe Carvers: Keith Stevenson, Tyson Simmons, Samuel Obrovac, Henry Miller, Cole Buchanan The Canoe is a hunting canoe, modeled closely after the one that was dug up on the Green River in Auburn, on the lands of the Muckleshoot people, and is on display at the Burke Museum. The log for the canoe is a 26’ foot, 5000+ lb. old-growth Western Red Cedar log that was ethically sourced and was a product of windfall.

Carving this Canoe will help keep the time-honored practice of traditional canoe carving alive and well. Allowing Muckleshoot Children and Muckleshoot Tribal Members, as well as the public to witness the process. The Canoe will remain in The Muckleshoot Community and be used by Tribal Members and should be complete by Summer/Fall 2026.

  From the Muckleshoot Tribe: We are a collective of Muckleshoot Tribal members, artists, craftsmen and designers. Our work consists of partnerships with other Tribes, municipalities, schools, museums, galleries, major league teams, and arenas. Through our work, we carry on the stories that have been passed down and keep that tradition of storytelling alive and well. We focus on protecting natural resources, so we’ve started blending tradition with more contemporary means of telling those same stories. Although primarily carvers, we’ve done work in a variety of mediums including, but not limited to, digital design, printmaking, metallurgy, molding, casting, jewelry, fiberglass, and laser etching.