Culture

Photo: Cathy Morris/Burke Museum
Photo: Cathy Morris/Burke Museum
net weights in the archaeology collection

Archaeology

The Archaeology Collections reflect how people live through the objects they leave behind.

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close up of a cowlitz basket

Bill Holm Center

The Bill Holm Center is the premier center for the study of Native arts of the Pacific Northwest.

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baskets on a shelf

Contemporary Culture

The Contemporary Cultural Collections reflect living and dynamic cultures. 

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News & Stories

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An Ice Age scene depicting Columbian mammoths and early buffalo in an icy tundra. Blog

Bringing fossils to life through paleoart

While fossils give us a peek into what long extinct species left behind, paleoartists show us what these species were like while they still roamed the earth.

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two men pose for a photo Blog

Remembering Marvin Oliver

Qwalsius Shaun Peterson, a Puyallup/Tulalip carver and printmaker, shares a tribute to artist Marvin Oliver and in memory of his sharing. 

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Ryan Fedderson in front of the Synecdoche Mural Video

Deciphering the "Synecdoche" mural with RYAN! Fedderson

Artist RYAN! Fedderson's 60-foot-tall mural, “Synecdoche," represents intersections between history, culture, and contemporary pop culture in the Pacific Northwest.

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Featured Projects

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aerial view of a piece of land sticking out into puget sound Resource

The archaeology of Seattle's West Point

A 1992 construction site led to a significant discovery of cultural remains of local Native Americans that lived at and used the site for thousands of years.

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close up of a carved comb Project

Coast Salish Art

An introduction to the art of the First Peoples of western Washington and southwestern British Columbia who speak the Coast Salish languages.

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people weave ribbon and yarn to a community interactive Exhibit

Culture is Living

Cultural objects at the Burke Museum aren’t tucked away on shelves. They are alive, embodying the knowledge, language, and stories of people and cultures.

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Land Acknowledgement

The Burke Museum stands on the lands of the Coast Salish Peoples, whose ancestors resided here since time immemorial. Many Indigenous peoples thrive in this place—alive and strong.