SEATTLE — During the month of November - Native American Heritage Month - Visit Seattle is encouraging people to explore and support indigenous-owned businesses and entrepreneurs.
Visit Seattle has a land acknowledgment on its website. It reads in part as follows: "We acknowledge that we live and work on the unceded, traditional territories of the Coast Salish peoples, whose ancestors have lived here and cared for these lands and waters since time immemorial."
Supporting entrepreneurs who represent several Native American tribes is part of Visit Seattle's mission. To view the Visit Seattle Heritage Guide, click here.
One of the many Native American artists and entrepreneurs in the region is Andrea Wilbur-Sigo
Wilbur-Sigo lives in Shelton, Wash. where she was born in 1975. She is a member of the Squaxin Island Tribe and of the SteChess family. She is the granddaughter of Bert and Arline Wilbur and Dennis Allen, great-granddaughter of Andrew and Betty Peterson and great-great-granddaughter of Henry and Alice Allen of which Henry was one of the major historical and cultural informant for ethnographic studies of the Twana and Salish people.
Her work is shown regularly at the Stonington Gallery in Seattle's Pioneer Square.
Wilbur-Sigo is the first known native woman carver of many generations of carvers.
She said has been an artist since she was three years old as she grew up with many types of art around her. She started out with beadwork and has since learned the Coast Salish art forms including bentwood boxes, welcome figures, house posts, masks, panels, button blankets, twine, twill weaving and baskets weaving.
Wilbur-Sigo is an active member of her tribe, volunteering her time and artwork for several community events including being an active member of the tribal museum board. She also teaches Coast Salish art classes on a regular basis to children and adults of all ages for many of the local tribes.
Wilbur-Sigo's work is located in several public places throughout Washington state.
Just a few of those installations include the Welcome Figure, Spindal Whori and a series of panels at the Suquamish Clear Water Hotel in 2006.
In 2010 - the Wilbur-Sigo's Welcome Figures at the Port of Seattle Cruise Terminal were installed.
Most recently, her work was installed in 2021 at the Kraken Community Iceplex and in 2023 - the Floyd I Snyder - Deschutes Estuary Design at Shoreline Community College