This past weekend I visited the Evergreen State College Longhouse Education and Cultural Center – Olympia, Washington for its 20th anniversary celebration. I had never been to the Evergreen State College before, let only the Longhouse. I was very impressed with the grounds. The college is located in a quiet, forest setting and is really beautiful this time of year with all the changing leaves. The Longhouse was packed and barely had room to move around in. I had arrived rather late to watch most of the cultural entertainment in the way of dancing, singing, and drumming – all done in beautiful, traditional regalia. This was a gathering of many local Puget Sound Salish tribes. Here are a couple of photos showing the beautiful, front entrance of the Longhouse.

Next to the entryway is a carved, wooden welcome figure.

Here is a photo I took of the beautiful wooden rafters inside the building. Notice the large timbers.

The decorative glass doors have traditional Salish art. The name “Salish” comes from the native name for the waters of Puget Sound – the Salish Sea.

And here is an example of Salish art painted on woven fiber material. Very beautiful!

I was surrounded by typical Northwest forests and colorful, deciduous trees on campus, and so I decided to walk around a bit to capture some seasonal images. Here a few photos of the surrounding natural beauty.

I’m glad I visited this beautiful campus and will be returning back in December for the Longhouse Native American Holiday Sale in December. You can read information about the Longhouse Cultural and Educational Center by clicking on the link at the top of this blog.

All images property of Peggy A Thompson