Native American Cultural Exchange Back

The inclusion of the Native American culture has been a major focus for the International Project. We thank Elaine Grinnell for all of her efforts in helping to make this possible. We also recommend you to the site of one of our former students to learn more about the Elwha Tribe. There has been a great deal of Native American culture exchanged through the International Project. Thank you to Elaine Grinnell for making such opportunities possible.  Salmon bakes are not too uncommon at delegation farewell parties. With dinner there is always dancing. Shall of the wolf which symbolizes one of the different clans. Other clans included the bear clan, whale clan, thunderbird clan. When this shall is worn at the potlatch, others will know which clan you represent. This was presented during the 1997 delegation to Mutsu City, Japan. These two drums were hand made by Elaine Grinnell and presented during the 1997 delegation to Mutsu City, Japan. The top drum is an example of abstract Salish style artwork of the Northwest Coast Native American. The bottom drum depicts the traditional Northwest Coast long house. These houses were living quarters for extended families. Large houses could host five or more families. Depicted at the bottom of the drum is the canoe, which was the main source of transportation. This is a contemporary carving of the Salmon. The salmon was the main diet of the Northwest Coast Native American. It is still a major part of the diet and can still be found at most public gatherings. This small paddle was not used for transportation purposes, but used more for decorative purposes. These paddles were decorated with traditional Coast Salish Design. This larger paddle is representative of paddles used to navigate canoes. This design is the Thunderbird which symbolizes protection.