Suquamish Welcome Pole Dedication

The community is invited to dedication of the new Suquamish Welcome Pole on Bainbridge Island’s Sound to Olympics Trail, 3 p.m. Oct. 9. 

This unique cultural work by Suquamish carver Randi Purser is being gifted from the Bainbridge Island Parks & Trails Foundation to the City of Bainbridge Island. The pole was funded by community donations to the Parks & Trails Foundation, including a grant from Rotary Club of Bainbridge Island. The City of Bainbridge Island partnered to manage and fund Installation on the STO Trail through the Public Art Fund. 

Representing Chief Seattle’s father, the Welcome Pole will inspire all to learn about the rich culture of our Tribal neighbors and acknowledge that Bainbridge Island is the ancestral land of the Suquamish people. 

Suquamish Tribal Chairman Leonard Forsman and carver Randi Purser will be honored guests at the dedication, with a reception to follow at Bainbridge Island Museum of Art.  

The Welcome Pole

The 14-foot, old-growth cedar Welcome Pole by carver Randi Purser represents Chief Seattle’s father, Schweabe (an approximation of his traditional name), who was Suquamish. The Thunderbird atop the figure represents the power of his family. As a new father at the time of first European contact, he is depicted with a frog of the new year, representing a family and a people at the cusp of a time of great change.

The pole complements another carved post, across Puget Sound on the Seattle waterfront, representing Chief Seattle’s mother Scholitza (an approximation), who was Duwamish, holding him as a baby. 

About the artist

Randi Purser is an elder of the Suquamish Tribe. She carries forward the traditional disciplines and regional forms of Native carving, under the mentorship of the late Duane Pasco. 

The Parks & Trails Foundation approached the Suquamish Tribe about creating interpretive elements along the Sound to Olympics Trail. Tribal Council and Cultural Committee encouraged the Foundation to invite Purser to a special commission, which led to the Welcome Pole project.