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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two men stand next to each other in front of the bed of a pick up truck Blog

Building Family from Tragedy: Clean-Up Veterans and the Marshallese Community

The "Clean-Up Veterans" experiences are not often acknowledged or understood.

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Bronze paddles glisten in the sun

New Chinook Art Piece Welcomes Visitors to the Burke Museum

A new outdoor installation called Guests of the Great River greets guests as you arrive at the museum’s east entrance.

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Garter snakes of Washington state Blog

Q&A with a Biological Illustrator

Ecology and illustration have a long, shared history. Come learn how UW postdoc Simone Des Roches uses illustration to visualize her research.

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Featured Projects

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excerpt from a map showing historic waterways in the Seattle region Project

The Waterlines Project

Explore the dramatic changes to Seattle's landscapes and shorelines through The Waterlines Project.

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close up of wild onions and garlic in a basket Project

Salish Bounty

While there have been enormous changes in Coast Salish Native diet and culture over the centuries, a core value of food has survived.

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a family touches an interactive depicting salmon cooking over a fire pit Exhibit

Our Material World

From the food we put in our bodies to the furniture we put in our homes, human life is shaped by “stuff” all around us—and our stuff reveals surprising truths about our lives.

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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.