Saturday, May 5, 2018

Wiyakuktpa - The Gathering Place, Clover Island, Kennewick

Kennewick is located along the Columbia River in southeastern Washington. Clover Island is an island owned by the Port of Kennewick. The island today is a small remnant of the original island which has been covered by water backed up by McNary Dam. However, even before the dam the island would have been subject to inundation from the large floods associated with the late spring snow melt from the mountains to the north. Dams in Canada have largely minimized flooding on the Columbia.

The island has been going through a slow but steady development including a fair number of sculptures including this min park that recognizes the early use of the island as a gathering place and a place ceded to the United States by the Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla Tribes.

Bronze sculpture of Indians gathering tule
Tule was a major component for home construction


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