‘It’s my home:’ Squaxin Island Tribe artist unveils plans for Welcome Figure in downtown
Standing at more than 10 feet tall with a whale-bone club clenched in his fist is “Steh-Chass Man,” a Welcome Figure overlooking Budd Inlet just south of Squaxin Park.
He soon may have a partner downtown to overlook the future Deschutes Estuary, if plans are approved by the City Council on Dec. 10. Artist Andrea Wilbur-Sigo hasn’t named her yet, but she plans to sculpt the cedar figure as a high-powered, anatomically-correct female decked out in regalia and symbols of unity and environmental stewardship.
The sculpture comes as part of the city’s five-year accord with the Squaxin Island Tribe. Signed in 2021, the agreement includes a commitment to long-term actions to create more opportunities for public art, education and community service that promotes a healthy exchange of cultures.
The accord is expected to be reaffirmed in 2026.
One of the tribe’s and city’s joint meetings culminated in a shared vision for a Welcome Figure downtown, designed by the tribe’s most well-known artist. Wilbur-Sigo chose a spot overlooking the future Deschutes Estuary instead of half a dozen other sites.
Wilbur-Sigo, 49, said welcome figures used to stand outside longhouses to welcome people to their territory. They were a way of protecting and celebrating people. They are often carved with arms outstretched in a welcoming gesture, or with a hand shading their eyes to watch for visitors. And they come in all shapes and sizes.
‘Steh-Chass Man’
The sculpture overlooking Budd Inlet and Squaxin Park was commissioned by a homeowner and friend of Wilbur-Sigo’s, and she finished it this year. She said it was created to represent her family, which is right here in Olympia.
He was created out of an old growth red cedar from Alaska. Wilbur-Sigo said her husband went to Alaska to purchase it, then it was barged to Seattle before making its way to Wilbur-Sigo. It’s the first anatomically-correct sculpture Wilbur-Sigo has ever made. She said most of the tribe’s art was historically anatomically correct, and it’s a feature she’s hoping to bring back to popularity.
“I’d like to think the creator kind of nudged me in this direction,” she said. “Sometimes when I’m doing public pieces I’m not able to do things that are so outside the box because people aren’t ready. I have to teach gently; a day will come where I’d like to think it won’t be abnormal, but sometimes it takes baby steps.”
Wilbur-Sigo said she wouldn’t necessarily call “Steh-Chass Man” a baby step, it was more like jumping in head first. He’s anatomically correct and has hand-weaved regalia all over him. He’s wearing a skirt weaved out of a parachute rope and adorned with elk toes. In his hand is a club carved out of whale bone, inspired by a staff found on Harstine Island.
She said the property owners gave her a lot of freedom with the story “Steh-Chass Man” told, and she knew she wanted it to represent the Squaxin people and their territory.
“It goes back to the creator letting me know exactly what is it I’m trying to do, and this one, after a little bit of time, we knew that we wanted it to represent our family right here in this area, which is the Steh-Chass family, and that’s where both my husband and I come from, and so it really made sense,” she said.
Wilbur-Sigo said she was contacted by an Olympia city council member about the price of a Welcome Figure to be displayed downtown. She already has a number of public pieces in Olympia, including a set of Art Crossing sculptures titled “Unity” on Eastside Street.
She also sculpted a welcome figure for South Puget Sound Community College, and two welcome figures for the Seattle Convention Center titled “Mowitch Man” and “The Creator.” She said she has upwards of 50 public pieces around the United States.
While finishing “Steh-Chass Man” this year, Wilbur-Sigo was contacted again by the city asking to be put on a waitlist. Her plans will be run by the City Council on Dec. 10.
New welcome figure concept
Wilbur-Sigo shared the concept for a new welcome figure with the city’s Arts Commission on Nov. 14. She will be an anatomically correct mother with a baby on her back and a raven-inspired paddle in her hand.
It will be carved from cedar and stand upwards of 12 feet tall, with images of salmon and kelp on her skirt. She’ll wear a beaded cedar headband and other regalia. And she’ll be topless.
She first started toying with the idea of anatomical correctness with “Steh-Chass Man.”
“The human body is a beautiful thing, especially when done correctly,” she said. “So when I was doing him, I was really researching online. Actually, I went to Roman statues and things, because they’re beautiful, and then different bodybuilders.”
Wilbur-Sigo said she wanted him to look strong, because he’s meant to take care of people and help educate. And it was a chance for her to play with form in a way she never has before.
Then when it came time to start designing a welcome figure for the city, she leaned on her kids for support. They agreed with her that the female figure should be a real partner to “Steh-Chass Man” and be anatomically correct as well.
Wilbur-Sigo said her daughter said, “If Olympia wasn’t the place, then there would be no place. This is where it needs to happen.”
“There’s nothing wrong with the human body,” Wilbur-Sigo said. “It is time for people to realize that and not look at things in a judgmental or a negative manner.”
So the female figure will be topless, with a carved skirt and carved cedar headband. She’ll carry a baby on her back and be decked out in jewelry to reflect her high status.
On the skirt will be carvings of salmon, representing the tribe and city’s efforts to restore salmon habitat and be environmental stewards. Her skirt will also depict kelp — Wilbur-Sigo said the largest kelp forests in the Salish Sea used to float off the coast of Squaxin Island. The tribe is now trying to bring them back.
She said whenever she’s working on a new piece, the thing at the top of her mind is, what are we doing right here in Olympia and Washington state?
“I can guarantee she would be absolutely stunning. She’s going to represent not just us as Squaxin people, but the connection that we’re building together to hopefully make Olympia just as great as it once was, and even better, hopefully in the future,” Wilbur-Sigo said.
Stephanie Johnson, the city’s Arts Program and Planning supervisor, said the city had put together six different locations around the downtown area for Andrea and the tribal council to choose from. The property at the eastern end of the Fourth Avenue Yashiro Friendship Bridge resonated with folks the most, because of its proximity to the water and the future Deschutes Estuary.
She said the location was pivotal in the fish wars of the 1970s, and the Squaxin Island Museum has a photo of Billy Frank Jr. fishing on the spot, exercising the tribe’s treaty rights in advance of the Boldt decision.
Wilbur-Sigo said the tribe had some of the best salmon runs this year than they’ve seen in a long time.
Johnson said the area around the sculpture will be improved through Percival Landing maintenance reserve funds and Parks funds. Improvements will include removing the asphalt and gravel, then planting native shrubs and trees, placing crushed oyster shells or rock paving around the sculpture, and wood log rounds will serve as seating for the small park.
She said it’s important to note that the sculpture will be created in part with a traditional tool called an adze. It gives the sculpture a distinct texture and helps it be more water resistant, therefore more weather durable.
Johnson said a welcome figure would be an important piece for the community in many ways. The accord between the city and tribe includes a commitment to long-term action, including creating more opportunities for public education and community service to promote an exchange of cultures. She said welcome figures being an important part of Coast Salish art and culture feeds directly into the accord’s goal.
