New designs focus on symbolism, tribal rituals and eco-friendly features
August 28, 2008
Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce
By BUTCH REIFERT
Mahlum Architects
Native Americans are showing increased interest nationwide in building
schools that instill in their children a deeper understanding of their
tribal culture and connection to the environment.
Recognizing the importance of preserving traditions that might otherwise be
lost on younger generations, Indian groups from New York state to Washington
state are making bold strides to restore cultural pride and understanding
through innovative school designs and programs.
Design with meaning
A new K-12 school now under construction near Auburn by the Muckleshoot
Indian Tribe will be rich in symbolism, referencing the geography of the
tribe's land between two rivers as well as the path that children take
toward adulthood. The school will also pay tribute to the four seasons.
The design of each building in the four-building complex will support tribal
identity and traditions. And each building will represent a step in the
development of a child, a deliberate hierarchy that brings children into
contact with older children and ultimately adults. An exterior fire pit and
story circle as well as a freestanding fireplace in the library will support
the tribe's oral tradition.
The elementary school building will evoke images of spring - chinook, new
fawns, first winds, new foliage of greens and yellows - while the middle
school building will reference summer - sockeye, fishing, berry picking,
dark greens and berry reds. The high school building will reflect autumn -
coho, fishing, hunting, and the fall colors of red, yellow and orange.
The fourth building will include a commons, library and gymnasium that can
accommodate large potlatches or community celebrations. These public spaces
will convey images of steelhead, storytelling, dancing and the winter colors
of smoked salmon, dark greens and browns. All public spaces will open onto a
central courtyard that looks toward Mount Rainier and the Cascade foothills.
The buildings will be timber-framed and clad with cedar, reflecting the
tribe's tradition of building with wood - a common practice among Native
Americans living in forested areas. Landscaping will incorporate wetlands
and plants native to the Muckleshoot Prairie that support the teaching of
traditional crafts - cattails for mats, firewood fluff for blankets of goat
hair, berries for food and tea, willows for fish weirs.
The Chief Leschi School of the Puyallup Tribe likewise makes extensive use
of wood.
A sacred circle at the center of the campus acknowledges an orientation of
the four directions and a belief that life is a journey from east to west,
infancy to old age, as the sun crosses the sky. The building forms that
radiate from the circle incorporate universal elements of the sea, the
valley and mountain into a unified whole.
Some members of the community see a raven in the building plan, others a
play of solid and void that represents bone and tissue in Native American
art. Still others find a natural flow of young to old in the organization of
the functional parts, reflective of the desire in Native American culture to
find harmony and balance. Nothing in the design is extraneous - everything
has meaning.
Consulting with elders
The elders' desire for more relevant school buildings is driven in part by
the ability to finance construction fully or in part from gaming money,
although some funds also come from federal sources. The Indian Community
School in Franklin, Wis., is unusual in that it is funded totally by a
gaming agreement between the state and the Potawatomi Nation, which operates
a successful casino.
In our experience at Mahlum Architects we have found it essential in all our
tribal projects to consult with the elders on elements of the design. This
attitude is in marked contrast to non-Indian schools, where members of a
neighboring community might voice their views but little effort is made by
architects to find out what the oldest citizens in the area think.
Elders increasingly recognize that if richness of the native culture is to
be passed on, they need to involve the younger generation in tribal rituals,
beliefs, arts, crafts and history. For this generation, the physical
facility and how it works is key to that process. All buildings should say
something about the place where the native community lives.
Physical roots
More than most non-natives, tribal communities value their geographical
place because it is inevitably linked with their culture. The spirituality
of the place informs the communities' beliefs and rituals.
Wisconsin's Indian Community School meanders ribbon-like for a quarter of a
mile on a 124-acre site that includes wetlands, hills, prairies and
woodlands.
At one end of the building, an amphitheater around a tree symbolizes the
tradition of oral history for the Oneida, Menomonee and Stockbridge-Munsee
Indian tribes. Metal beams in the ceiling near the main doorway represent
the migratory paths of birds and a breakout classroom overlooks wetlands.
The childcare center for the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe invites children to
explore and interact with nature and the built environment - bridges and
water-quality structures that demonstrate traditional salmon weirs,
interpretative trails for exploring indigenous plants, and tactile castings
in the floor.
The Seneca Nation of Indians in western New York is reaffirming its
storytelling culture as it considers plans for an early childhood learning
center. They will look for ways to represent stories of significance for
each season on the walls of the building. The school will provide exposure
in both English and the native language.
Many eco-friendly features are incorporated into Indian school design -
natural daylighting, rain gardens, energy-efficient heating and lighting,
nontoxic paints, recycled materials, sometimes roof gardens. But it is the
physical environment that heavily influences the design because it informs
so much of the community's rituals and culture.
As elders seek school designs that best reflect the traditions they want to
pass on to younger generations, they share the attitude of a Kickapoo Indian
chief who once reflected, "By our houses you will know us."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gerald "Butch" Reifert, managing partner of Mahlum Architects, has directed
many assignments for K-12 schools, college and universities.