It would be difficult to overstate William Shelton's impact on the Tulalip Tribes, and his contribution to the preservation of Coast Salish culture and heritage. Throughout his life, Shelton sought to nurture understanding and respect between the Native Americans and the white men who came to this part of the northwest. By acting as a liaison and advocate for Indian culture, he was instrumental in the survival of the Lushootseed language, and he fostered an appreciation for native imagery and folktales.

He is most widely known as a carver, and his legacy includes an 80-foot story pole on display at the state's capitol. Another pole, currently undergoing restoration work, will eventually be placed in Everett's Legion Park, and the top half of another of his works now stands in front of Tulalip Elementary School.

Last week, descendants of Chief Shelton made another contribution to the Tulalip people-two hand-carved canoes that had been given to Shelton as wedding gifts were transported to the Hibulb Cultural Museum for safekeeping and eventual exhibit.

The canoes, each about 28 feet in length, are estimated to be around 120 years old. One was a gift from a tribe who lived on Guemes Island, relatives of Shelton's bride, and the other was crafted by Quinault cousins.

The canoes had been sheltered in a building on property owned by Wayne Williams, Shelton's grandson. The shed burned down a few years ago, and since then the fragile wooden boats have been covered with tarps.

"Father was worried about the canoes sitting on the ground," said Darryl Williams, Wayne's son. "He wanted to make sure they were taken care of."

Wayne Williams, formerly the Tribes' business manager, recalled childhood journeys in one of the boats, traveling to Sandy Point on Whidbey Island and back on the curved bottom of "Big Baby." He watched with pride as tribal members worked to carefully hoist the heavy wooden boat from its resting place in his yard and onto a waiting flatbed truck.

"This is a big part of our family legacy," said the elder Williams. "I should have done this ten years ago, but we didn't have a safe place to put them until now."

The museum has contracted for the services of a conservator, Dana Senge, who specializes in the restoration and conservation of three-dimensional objects. Senge and Jason Gobin, the tribes' project manager for the move, coordinated the removal of the canoes and their careful move to the museum grounds. A long Quonset hut-type structure was specially fabricated to hold the canoes and allow for their safe storage while the museum is being completed.

More than 30 tribal members and workers showed up for moving day, and every bit of that muscle was needed to carry the massive cedar canoes.

Joe Gobin, one of the Tribes' master carvers, was excited to see the canoes brought to safety. "I'm happy that they're finally being brought to the museum. They're in pretty bad shape," he said.

In 1985 the Tulalip Tribes, under the direction of Jerry Jones, used the largest canoe-known as "Big Baby"-as a model for the first cedar canoe made on the reservation in more than 50 years.

"Carving canoes was a lost art," explained Gobin. "Jerry Jones worked with Leslie Lincoln and Bill Holmes from the Burke Museum to take the lofting lines [curves and angles] off the Shelton canoes so we could make one of our own."

The team, with Gobin as a young apprentice, crafted two cedar canoes which are still used for the Tribes' annual Canoe Journey.

The museum staff, led by curator Melissa Parr, has been working for more than a year to prepare for the canoes' arrival. Senge's first job will be to stabilize the fragile centuries-old wood.

"We have to make sure there's no further deterioration, and get rid of any insect infestation," she explained. "My main focus will be to stabilize the material, then to do some minimal cleaning and repair."

Tribal leaders will decide how much restoration work the canoes should undergo, Senge said. The iconic boats are decorated with a few markings and symbols popular with Coast Salish tribes, which are still visible, but their purpose was mostly utilitarian rather than decorative.

Still, it's hard to argue with the boats' significance for the Tulalip people, both as a connection to their beloved Chief Shelton and to the tribes' history as coastal traders and fishermen. As a flock of eagles soared overhead, motorists along Marine Drive pulled over and offered raised hands-a Tulalip sign of welcome and thanks-as the convoy transporting the tribal relic made its way to the museum.

The Hibulb Cultural Museum and Nature Preserve is tentatively scheduled to open in early 2010.

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