Duwamish Tribe Cultural Preservation Officer consults with Shoreline Historical Museum re the Miyawaki Urban Forest History Project

Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connected.
- Chief Seattle

The Shoreline Historical Museum is located at 18501 Linden Ave N, Shoreline WA

By Sally Yamasaki

The Shoreline Historical Museum is in the process of researching the feasibility of planting a Miyawaki Urban Forest in a portion of the open field adjacent to the museum’s buildings. This forest will become the “walls” for subsequent plans to incorporate local history. (see previous article)

Looking at the open field, one could think that the land belongs to the museum alone, however, just as Chief Seattle’s quote reminds us, nothing exists in isolation whether it be our environment or our history.

“If you are near a sacred site or an area where there is a medium to high probability of finding cultural artifacts, and the depth of excavation disturbs the ground in layers that contain peat or alluvium, then depending on the project, the Duwamish and other tribes might request an archaeological review or at least have an inadvertent discovery plan put in place for the earthwork contractor,” according to Nancy Sackman, Cultural Preservation Officer for the Duwamish Tribe.

Kenneth Doutt (Shoreline Historical Museum Executive Director), Nancy Sackman (Cultural Preservation Officer for the Duwamish Tribe), Sarah Phillips (Miyawaki Urban Forest History Project Volunteer).

Sackman came to the Shoreline Historical Museum for a site visit to help the museum learn about the impacts land disruption can have, and the steps it should take to make sure their Miyawaki Urban Forest History Project does not have a deleterious effect on the environment or history below the earth’s surface.

Sackman’s visit was a great reminder of the significance of the history of our past and how it is still very much present in our lives today.

The Shoreline Historical Museum is located at 18501 Linden Ave N, Shoreline WA 98133.

For more information on the Shoreline Historical Museum and how to get involved, visit: https://shorelinehistoricalmuseum.org, or call 206-542-7111