Muckleshoot Indian Tribe Veterans Memorial Park

To honor their veterans and provide a place for reflection and healing, the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe asked MIG | Nakano Associates to help design a new Veterans Memorial. The design, “The Long Way Home,” represents the journey that veterans have taken, travelling from their native lands to faraway places to defend and protect the American people. A winding path and a dry stream, representing the Green and White rivers, meander through the new park and converge at the Veteran’s Memorial. The path to the memorial plaza is edged with exposed river pebbles, and traverses several footbridges as the path crosses the dry, river-cobble-lined stream bed. The meandering of the path slows down the pace of visitors and transports them to a different mindset, more contemplative and restorative.

With towering Mt. Rainier as a backdrop, the Eagle Memorial Wall features a 25-foot-long stainless steel eagle by artist Jeffrey Veregge. The eagle’s chest is adorned with the names of tribal members who have served. The adjacent meadow visually connects the Memorial Plaza with the Grieving Mothers area. The pavilion at the Grieving Mothers area is designed to evoke the traditional cedar hats worn by members of Coast Salish tribes.

Plant material throughout the project is primarily native to the Pacific Northwest, with Western Red Cedar and Yellow Cedar trees forming a backdrop along the west property line. Many other plants throughout the park historically were used by warriors for first aid.