EVERETT – A carved pole bearing a wildcat, the mascot of Archbishop Murphy High School, and the signatures of students and teachers was dedicated May 15.

“I just wanted to create something that is positive,” said James Madison, a member of the Tulalip Tribes who led the effort to create the healing pole as the inaugural “artist in residence” at Archbishop Murphy in Everett.

“The vision,” said principal Alicia Mitchell, “was building community as we came out of the pandemic.”

Students, staff, teachers and leaders from the Tulalip Tribes attended the dedication ceremony on the school’s athletic field. Tribal member Gayle Jones led a blessing in the Tulalips’ native language, and drummers and dancers — some of them Archbishop Murphy students — performed a blessing song.

Drummers from the Tulalip Tribes perform during a May 15 blessing during the dedication ceremony for the healing pole at Archbishop Murphy High School in Everett. (Photo: Nathan Whalen)

“It engages our children to be involved in education when you have hands-on education,” said Teri Gobin, chairwoman of the Tulalip Tribes. 

The pole was a hands-on project. It was carved over the past year from a 12-foot-long redwood log weighing some 8,000 pounds. Students participated in the carving under Madison’s direction, then burned their names into the back of the finished pole.

Students and teachers, who helped carve Archbishop Murphy’s healing pole from a 12-foot-long redwood log, burned their names into the back of the wooden pole as it neared completion. (Photo: Nathan Whalen) 

“I really loved that all the students on campus were really invested and interested and curious,” Madison said.

Students could watch him work and ask questions. Teachers not only brought their students to help carve, but also participated in the carving.

“It’s powerful when kids get to see teachers get out of their comfort zone and learn something completely new,” Mitchell said.

The project also was a way to bring part of the Tulalip culture to Archbishop Murphy, where 2% of students are Native, a number expected to grow to 3% next school year, Mitchell said. 

“It’s nice to see a representation of my culture on campus,” said Madison’s niece, sophomore Amaya Hernandez.

“I think it’s a cool way to show our culture,” added Madison’s son, Jevin Madison. “It’s a way to make us tribal members not feel isolated or alone, because everybody worked on this,” the junior said, noting that friends, teammates, students and staff participated in the project.

Native artist James Madison, in red, guided students at Archbishop Murphy High School through a year-long project to carve a healing pole bearing a wildcat, the school mascot. Pictured with Madison are his nieces and nephews who are Archbishop Murphy students and also members of the Tulalip Tribes. (Photo: Nathan Whalen)

Archbishop Murphy’s artist in residence program is part of an effort to bring more experiential, hands-on learning projects to the school, Mitchell said. The healing pole project not only had an artistic component, but it also has been a cultural bridge and an opportunity to bring the community together, she explained.

During the dedication ceremony, Mitchell said the school wants to construct a fieldhouse with a woodshop on the campus’ lower fields. The woodshop would provide more opportunities for students to learn about Coast Salish carving traditions and Tulalip culture, she said.

Madison, who also helps coach football and track at Archbishop Murphy, has artwork on display at the University of Washington, his alma mater. A bronze husky statue is on display at the university’s Tyee Club and a bronze salmon is laid in concrete at the Foster School of Business. Other pieces of his work are displayed at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, Edmonds College and the Tulalip Resort Casino.

Archbishop Murphy High School students and teachers helped Native artist James Madison carve this healing pole from a 12-foot-long redwood log, The wildcat is the high school's mascot. (Photo: Nathan Whalen)

The school’s healing pole is based on a “house post” found inside longhouses, Madison said. Traditionally, images on a house post are of a family and identify where they sit in the longhouse, he explained. For the Archbishop Murphy pole, he chose a wildcat — something familiar to the students —venturing down from the mountains.

Trista Garcia, a sophomore at Archbishop Murphy High School, uses an adze to carve on the school’s healing pole in May 2023. Looking on are the artist James Madison and his son, Archbishop Murphy sophomore Jevin Madison. The completed pole was dedicated May 15, 2024. (Photo: Stephen Brashear)

Madison visited the Archbishop Murphy campus several times a week since May 2023 to carve the pole and work with students. Earlier this year, students and teachers were invited to burn their names into the back of the pole. Then it was stained and installed on a concrete base next to a building east of the school’s football field. 

Madison said he would like such projects to become the norm at schools to help keep his culture alive.

“We’re still practicing our culture every day,” Madison said. “What you learn in the books isn’t always about the Natives that are in your classrooms. We come from all different places, and we have different history.”