I attended the Native Purification Ceremony at the site of the new Edmonds Waterfront Center in September 2019. Chief William Depoe of the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians performed the ceremony.
Some 30 board members of the Edmonds Waterfront Center and friends gathered for the blessing of the future site of the Waterfront Center.
The smudging ceremony has been a sacred ritual for the Native American for thousands of years, Chief Depoe stated: “It is a ritual of cleansing and purification for the physical and spiritual bodies. We are not separate from our environment but are interconnected.” He lit the ritual sage leaves in an abalone shell which served as the smudge pot and used an eagle feather to waft the smoke over the attendees.
Chief Depoe announced to us after the ceremony “You are all new again.” It was a fitting beginning for the new Edmonds Waterfront Center and the community that will gather here.
I painted this image of Chief Depoe to honor the Chief and commemorate the occasion.