Lelooska Museum

'The Lelooska Foundation and Cultural Center' is a living history museum in Ariel, Washington, highlighting Kwakwaka'wakw and other Indigenous cultures and histories.^[5] It is operated by the Lelooska Foundation that was established in 1977.^[4][1]

Lelooska Foundation and Cultural Center

Carved sculpture by Lelooska in Denver, Colorado
Established	1977[1]
Location	165 Merwin Village Road Ariel, Cowlitz County, Washington
Coordinates	45.957°N 122.572°W / 45.957; -122.572
Type	Native American cultural
Founder	Lelooska, Don Morse Smith[2][3]
Director	Mariah Stoll-Smith Reese[1]
President	Tsungani Fearon M. Smith[4]
Owner	Lelooska Foundation
Website	lelooska.org

The museum is a nonprofit organization with nine employees.^[4]

Collections

Collections include baskets, parfleches, corn husk bags, dolls, spoons, cradles, moccasins, tomahawks, pipes, pipe bags, dresses, a 15-foot birchbark canoe, and a replica fur trade store.

Living history

The foundation operating the museum also sponsors living history programs and performances, conducts classes in woodcarving and other Native art forms, and demonstrations of dance and basket weaving.^[1][6]

Founder

Lelooska, Don Morse Smith, for whom the foundation is named, was a “non-Indian/Cherokee” artist^[2] who carved sculptures and totem poles, one of which is displayed at the Christchurch International Airport in New Zealand, and another at the Oregon Zoo.^[7]. Smith was given the name Lelooska by Nez Perce elders out of appreciation for a carving he made of Chief Joseph^[8].