The Protector project encompasses 5 identical statues --designed by internationally acclaimed artist Haiying Wu-- placed throughout the Norther Straits Salish islands and coastlines. Larger-than-life and cast in bronze, the Protector is a traditional Lhaq-temish woman standing on a base of swimming salmon and a reef net anchor. Each statue will be place on traditional Lhaq'temish territory overlooking traditional reef net sites. An informational plaque will share, in brief, the teachings of Salmon Woman and of the reef net fishing technology. The Protector celebrates, protects, educates, and welcomes, bringing ancestral wisdom to all those who visit her. This entire project will cost about $375,000.
Right now we are fundraising for the first Protector, to be installed at Gooseberry Point. We will be able to install this Protector by May, 2027, in time for the first annual Lummi Blessing of the Fleet and commemorative reading of the names of fishermen lost to the sea, if we are able to crowdfund $30,000 in the next few months.
The Gooseberry Point Protector will be placed at Fisherman's Cove, on Lummi Nation, on the shoreline near the ferry dock, where fishermen and boaters coming from either direction can see her, and feel blessed, welcomed, and protected by her.
She, like all the other Protector statues, will:
- bless and protect fishermen and all those out on the water
- educate the public about the connection the Lhaq'temish people have had to these waters since time immemorial, and how all of us can belong to this place in a good way
- celebrate the reef net fisheries that once were throughout the islands; the ancestral maritime routes; and how Lhaq'temish villages were connected by kinship, language, and sxwole.
- commemorate Lummi fishermen lost at sea
- Hy'shqe / give thanks to Salmon Woman and the abundance of the Salish Sea
The Gooseberry Point Protector in particular will also be the site of the annual Blessing of the Fleet, and will serve as a memorial to Lummi fisherman lost at sea.
This project celebrates the spirit of the Salish Sea, and the Straits Salish peoples who have relied on and taken care of these islanded waters since time immemorial. All of us who now love this place have a sacred obligation to protect this place; the Protector will bless and protect us all.
Artist Haiying Wu has already designed the statue and created a maquette, which will be scaled up. The finished Protector will stand more than 7" tall, and will be cast in bronze, to last through the ages.
The total cost of this first Gooseberry Protector is $131,000. Lummi
Fish Commission's salmon dinners at SeaFeast and in-kind donations have provided seed funds, and Haiying Wu has completed the design phase (please see the maquette in the slideshow here). We have received some grants and continue to apply for grants. Any amount helps, as projects like this rely on community support as well as financial support!
Sculptor Haiying Wu's most recent work includes the Billy Frank, Jr. statue to be installed in Washington, DC. Haiying is generously contributing some production services towards this project. Hy'shqe, Haiying!
Artist Jason LaClair created the image "Woman Strength," used here, especially for this project. Hy'shqe, Jason!
We are grateful to each and every one of you, individuals who are working for a future where we all feel a sense of gratitude, belonging, and respect towards Mother Earth and all her waters. Hy'shqe!
Organizer
S
Sacred Lands Conservancy
Beneficiary