[Story Poles], John W. Thompson, State Library Photograph Collection, 1851-1990, Washington State Archives.

In 1912, William Shelton carved the first Tulalip story pole. The carving measured four feet in diameter and stretched sixty feet into the sky, a powerful representation of place and culture. An intentional adaptation of Alaskan Native totem traditions and his people’s traditional cedar carvings, the result was a new artform that sought to preserve elders’ stories from the Tulalip Tribes.

Read more below!

Re elect Virgil Duyungan, page 1 [pamphlet], Bicentennial Oral History Program, Filipino Oral History Project, Washington State Archives, Digital Archives

In 1933, Cannery Workers’ and Farm Labors’ Union Local 18257 was organized as the first Filipino-led union in the United States. The union elected Virgil Duyungan as their first president, a founding member who had been instrumental in organizing the union.

As October’s Filipino American History Month and Washington Archives Month begin, we are excited to share more about the recent digitization the Filipino Bicentennial Oral History Project and the Filipino voices in our collections. Read more below!