Reminder: Inaugural ‘stubus’ Indigenous Walking Tour debuts on Indigenous Peoples’ Day in Edmonds Oct. 13

With a goal to engage and educate Edmonds about the lives of the Coast Salish people, a group of Edmonds community members have developed “Stubus – Indigenous Walking Tour,” which debuts at 3:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 13 on Indigenous Peoples’ Day at the Edmonds Waterfront Center’s welcoming figure Kaya’s Gift.

The tour highlights 16 sites throughout Edmonds, including murals, art and other topics that dive deep into understanding the lives and the region’s importance to the Coast Salish people. The walk will be less than two miles and would take about 45 minutes, and there will be blessing.

The word “stubus” (pronounced stew-boos) means “blunt face” in Lushootseed, the Indigenous language that is spoken along Puget Sound from Olympia to Skagit Valley. Stubus is the place used by local Coast Salish people for the bluff of Point Edwards, a prominent landmark that guided canoe travelers to the original Edmonds marsh. The marsh has natural resources, such as cattails and cedars, that were used by Indigenous people for thousands of years.

Participants will have the opportunity to learn directly about the art, the artists and the stories that bring this project to life. A website and booklet—currently in development—will soon make the tour available year-round for self-guided exploration.

An enrolled member of the Prairie Band of Potawatomi Indians and of Cherokee descent, community leader Diana White presented ideas for the tour to other community leaders last February. She said she drew inspiration two years ago from the University of Washington’s Indigenous Walking Tour, which highlights Indigenous presence on campus through art and traditional medicinal plants.

That tour was created by Owen L. Oliver, a 2021 UW graduate and member of the Chinook people and Isleta Pueblo.

For more information, contact Diane White at diana.white1@comcast.net.