SAN JUAN ISLAND, Wash. — An event on this Salish Sea island paved the way
for new cultural experiences — and raised $5,000 for environmental
education.

Organizers say they plan to do it again next year.

“Summer Salmon Picnic — With a Touch of Potlatch,” hosted by the San Juan
Nature Institute July 23, wove teachings of Native culture with art,
tribute and lessons about the environment.

The event was coordinated by islander Farhad Ghatan and his wife, noted
Haida artist April White.

It was a fund-raiser, but it included a few elements of potlatch: older
people and special guests were served a traditional meal by younger people,
and dedications and speeches were given.

The gifts presented to guests were ones of knowledge. The Nature Institute
brought in an ethno-botanist, a marine scientist and an ornithologist to
teach visitors about the local environment that sustains them.

White produced a limited-edition print, “Raven Star,” specifically for the
event; it is considered to be the only depiction of a starfish in Northwest
Coast Native art.

White’s relatives from Haida Gwaii brought song and dance to the event —
also a history-making feat, considering this is Coast Salish territory.

Historically, relations between Coast Salish and Haida people were
adversarial.

“I wondered whether or not it was appropriate” for the Haida to have a
picnic in Coast Salish territory, said Lee Brooks, owner of Arctic Raven, a
Northwest Coast Native art gallery on San Juan Island.

“Given that it’s not a real potlatch — which would require formal
permission — it is just a chance to meet people.”

White added, “I don’t think there’s any hard feelings between Native people
today. I even heard some comments of ‘My brothers from the North are coming
down.’”

San Juan Nature Institute Director Victoria Parker added, “This is a chance
to get to know each other and our cultures better.”

In attendance were two representatives of the Samish Indian Nation,
Enrollment Coordinator and former Tribal Council Member Jan Flagg and
Dorothy Hill. They presented a plaque to Shirley Suttles, widow of
anthropologist Wayne Suttles, a scholar of Coast Salish people.

The plaque honored Suttles for his work on behalf of Coast Salish people.

His May 9 death was “a great loss to all Indian nations,” Hill said. “He
helped the Samish testify for recognition and even got our house post back”
from the Burke Museum.

The event also set the stage for the renewal of relationships. San Juan
Island resident Patricia Davis discovered that she and White are cousins
through her grandmother. Davis and others shared stories about mutual
relatives and got to know each other.

White and her relatives’ art were displayed throughout the picnic grounds.
Each piece had a story behind it. A button blanket created by Dorothy Grant
and Robert Davidson was what White wore for her wedding.

White created “Raven Star” because the Nature Institute’s logo is a
starfish. She chose Raven, because he is the transformer, and in the
picture he is in the process of changing into a starfish. In all of her
research, she has not come across a Native illustration of a sea star.

“It is certainly the first contemporary depiction,” White said. Her
assertion was confirmed by Brooks.

Throughout the picnic, people shared stories. Vernon White spoke about a
canoe trip he took to Alaska.

“I will remember it forever. We put a sail on our canoe and were way up
ahead of our safety boat and a gray whale followed our streamline, jumping
up and down … It was the best thing I’ve ever done. We saw nature,
different people and got to interact with different people.

“Just being in the ocean, with no land in sight, watching beautiful sunsets
and being surrounded by thousands of dolphins and porpoises was
incredible.”

His words echoed the earlier words of the ornithologist, Barbara Jensen:
“If you sit in a quiet spot and don’t disturb nature, it will come to you
and it will be amazing what you’ll experience.”

In the end, the organizer of the picnic’s wish was fulfilled. “I wanted to
share the culture I was so blessed to experience,” Ghatan said. “The San
Juan Nature Institute is all about education. I wanted to show what it is
like and used to be like, and share that with the people down here.”