CHIEF SEATTLE

1. Chief Seattle (hover to see an outline)

Part I of III

Chief Seattle (Si’ahl) is one of the largest, continuous landscape images found on earth. The landscape of his body lies upside-down along the entire northwestern coastline, from Smoke Creek, Nevada to Mount Thor, Alaska, covering a distance of 2,300 miles.

The placements of his body along this vast and mountainous landscape are symbolically interesting. The journey starts at the feather on Chief Seattle’s head, at Smoke Creek, Nevada. Next is Mount Hood at his forehead and Sacajawea Peak at his ear. Mount Adams and Mount St Helen’s are in front of his eyes and the mighty Mount Rainer, at 14,410 feet high, lies in front of his nose. To the Duwamish tribe, Mount Rainier’s is aptly known as Ti’Swaq’ or sky-scraper.

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3: Chief Seattle

Near the chief’s mouth is the City of Seattle named after Chief Si’ahl of the Duwamish tribe or Lushootseed. Near his chin are Glacier and Bonanza Peaks, and at his temple lies the City of Kennewick, the grassy place. Residing at his throat is the city of Spokane meaning Children of the Sun. Wenatchee, just under his nose, means flowing river from the canyon.

Next along the body of Chief Seattle comes Kelowna or grizzly bear, located in British Columbia. It lies near the chief’s heart along with the Tongrass National Park situated at his pelvis. Tongrass means Fortress of the Bears.

Finally, arriving in Alaska, Chief Seattle’s feet lie at the foot of the enormous Denali (Mount McKinley). the Great High One that stands at 20,320 feet.

Mount Rainier

4: Mount Rainier

Fortress of the Bears

5: Fortress of the bears

6: Mount Denali

Part II of III

Within the great head of Chief Seattle, 375 miles long and 235 wide, there are two other vividly detailed native landscape faces. The First is Sacajawea whose head is ‘back to back’ with Chief Seattle. He is looking homeward to the West and she is looking homeward to the East.

The beautiful face of a native woman contains the name Sacajawea Peak (9838 ft / 2999 m) lying directly on her forehead. This revelation drew me to naming her after Sacajawea, the Bird Woman, known for her great role as interpreter and guide for the Lewis and Clark expedition through the Western United States to the Pacific Ocean. Sacajawea is considered one of the first female heroines of the West and is honored as such until this day.

7: Hover to see outline

8: Sacajawea statue

9: Sacajawea Peak

Hidden within Sacajawea’s face lies the Walla Walla National Park, the place of many waters. At her chin is the City of Spokane-the Children of the Sun, and on her nose is on Lewiston, named after Lewis and Clark. Princeton is at her mouth with the Clearwater River running across her face from ear to nose. Her dark eye holds much of the Umatilla National Forest, the place of the rippling waters.

Part III of III

The third image residing within Chief Seattle’s head is the figure of a native from the Spokan Tribe, known as the plateau people and Children of the Sun. The Spokan lived in the area bounded in the North by the Spokane River and the west by the Columbia River, consisting of 154,000 acres in eastern Washington on the Columbia River Plateau.

10: Spokan Native (hover to see outline)

11: Palouse Falls

Upon the chin of this Spokan’s face is the Grand Coulee Dam; on his left is the City of Spokane and on the right is the great Palouse Falls. On the top of his head is a vividly detailed top-notch which merges with the face of Sacajawea. And as if that is not enough…

These three images, Chief Seattle, Sacajawea and Spokan are all part of an even greater landscape. When Chief Seattle’s head is turned sideways to the right on a map, the massive 350 mile wide landscape of the great Dwarf of the Northwest appears, but that is quite another story…

  1. Google earth Landscape, Chief Seattle 2013 / Sketch: Chief Seattle 2013, drawn by Gaia Prima Angelica
  2. Google earth Landscape; Chief Seattle, close-up 2013
  3. Public Domain; File Chief Seattle.jpg; Author L B Franklin
  4. bigstockphoto-Paradise-Ridge-93486530
  5. recreation.gov; photo by Kerry Howard-A young bear pauses while fishing on Anan Creek in the Tongass National Forest.
  6. bigstockphoto-193433806 by IleneS
  7. Google earth Landscape: Part Chief Seattle/Part Sacajawea; Image from year 2013 / Sketch: Sacajawea Sketch II, drawn by Gaia Prima Angelica
  8. Wikipedia.com; Public Domain; 800 px-Pdx_washpark_sacajawea_w.jpg
  9. Ice Lake, Sacajawea Peak.jpg; Author mountainamoeba; This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. https://www.flickr.com/photos/mountainamoeba/9991610966/in/photolist-gdVBQA-gdVsEm
  10. Google earth Landscape; Spokan native; Image from year 2012 / Sketch: Spokan Native, drawn by Gaia Prima Angelica
  11. bigstockphoto 46218079, by devon