HistoryLink Tours

Day/Night by Hock E Aye Vi Edgar Heap of Birds (1992)

Wehn’s Chief Seattle does not stand alone. The fountain is flanked by two porcelain-enamel-on-steel works by Southern Cheyenne and Arapaho artist Hock E Aye Vi Edgar Heap of Birds (born 1954). The text on the panels’ front sides is written in Lushootseed, the language of the Salish people and that spoken by Chief Seattle, and the text on the back is in English. Known for his large public artworks grounded in textual messages, Heap of Birds created these panels in 1992 as part of the city-wide In Public: Seattle project, a response to a levy passed to construct a new museum building downtown and to celebrate Seattle’s history of commissioning public art. At the time, the use of the Lushootseed language outside of its community of speakers was considered novel. Heap of Birds wanted to convey the sentiments of a speech given by Chief Seattle during treaty negotiations in 1854, a public address that spoke about the relationship of his people and the earth. One panel reads, “Far away brothers and sisters, we still remember you” and includes falling leaves, a reference to the indigenous peoples’ relationship to the natural world. The other reads, “Chief Seattle, now the streets are our home” flanked by dollar signs and crosses, alluding to the capitalist system and Christianity, both of which had serious consequences for the people who had been here for thousands of years. The artist wanted to convey the reality that “for many transient inter-tribal Native people, the streets of Seattle are home … Although these tribal citizens have sought refuge in the urban centers … the far away rural tribal communities from which they originate hold each and everyone’s memory in close and high regard.”

Cross over James Street and walk two blocks east on Yesler Way. Turn right at the Second Avenue Extension. Walk a block until you reach Second Avenue S. Find the next work at the southwest corner of Second Avenue S and S Washington Street.