In nod to first peoples, Gig Harbor’s newest school will be called ‘Swift Water’

After a brief but heartfelt campaign by native American advocates, the Peninsula School Board voted unanimously last Thursday to name the district’s 10th elementary school Swift Water Elementary, in honor of Gig Harbor’s first inhabitants.

“Swift Water” is a translation of Sx̌ʷəbabš — pronounced roughly “Skwa-bobsh” — and was the name of the band of Puyallup people who lived at the mouth of what is now known as Donkey Creek.

“We giving you, not just a name, but an identity,” board member Natalie Wimberly told the new school’s principal, David Brooks. She added, addressing the board, “Let’s not just name this school. Lets get this history into our curriculum. Lets teach this to our kids.”

The new school, which will open in the fall, will serve Gig Harbor North. Other names suggested included North Harbor, Maritime, Shenandoah and Beacon — all reflecting the maritime heritage of the area.

But Swift Water in particular had a grassroots groundswell behind it. A video promoting the name took off on social media last week, and the idea gathered support, including from the leadership of the Puyallup Tribe.

“Sadly the majority of our community are unaware of our local tribal history, and our native students often feel invisible in our school district.,” said Jennifer Keating, a Puyallup Tribe member who grew up on Fox Island. “Naming our newest school in honor of the original inhabitants of Gig Harbor would help change this.”

School board President David Olson argued for “Maritime” during the Feb. 25 meeting, but in the course of a half-hour discussion he came around.

“Sometimes you come out of a meeting with different ideas than when you went in,” he said.

The motion in favor of the new name was made by board member Chuck West, who said he hoped the school could become a magnet for earth sciences and ecology. The unanimous “aye” vote was greeted by a round of applause ny the board members, who were meeting in person — masked and separated — for the first time in months.

There was some concern about whether use of the English translation would be seen as disrespectful, but several board members said they had discussions with Puyallup tribal leaders who said they’d be fine with it. It has been suggested that the traditional Twulshootseed orthography be used in the school’s logo and other materials.

“Honestly, I’d prefer the original Twulshootseed, because we are trying so hard to restore the Puyallup language, which has come very close to being lost,” Keating, told The Gateway earlier. “But we’d be happy with either.”

It’s not that hard to pronounce, Keating said — it just takes a little practice. Twushootseed is the language that was spoken, in various dialects, by most of the Salish peoples up and down Puget Sound.

The suggest of “Swift Water” came late to the discussion about naming the school — known up to this point as School No. 9 — but it struck a chord. A video in support of the idea made by three Gig Harbor high school freshmen lit up Facebook over the weekend, with something over 1,800 views in just a couple of days.

“It kind of blew up,” said Jack Jolibois, 14. “We never expected this kind of reaction.”

It’s time, students say

In the video, the three boys said, basically, it’s about time. The pointed out that, while Gig Harbor has plenty of memorials and reminders about its fishing and boatbuilding past, there is little about the area’s first inhabitants.

“It is very important to educate the new generation, and name of this would show appreciation for our culture and would highlight diversity,” said Cassius Via, a freshman at Gig Harbor High School. “If kids grew up their whole lives knowing the Swift Water people lived here, even before the pioneers, even before all the shipbuilders, it would help them appreciate that history.”

“Growing up, I only thought about the fishermen, and original settlers,” said Via, whose grandmother is Apache. “I never thought about anyone before that.”

Adam McConoughy, also a freshman at GHHS, joined his two friends in the video. Even though he’s not of Native American heritage, he’s thinks it’s important to support the effort.

“Sometimes American history seems to be all about colonists and settlers,” he said. “I think it’s important to represent the people who were here first.”

According to historians, the Swift Water band of Puyallups lived at the west end of the harbor and fished in the waters at the mouth of the creek, as well as in the swift currents of the Narrows. There were about 200 people in the village, the second-largest group of Puyallup peoples outside the main settlement, and many more scattered among seasonal camps at places like Fox Island.

When the first European settlers arrived from Croatia and Scandinavia, they enjoyed friendly relations with the native Americans.

“There’s a misconception that was there was this huge feud between white people and Native Americans,” said Keating, who is the tribe’s director of planning and land use. “But here in Gig Harbor they lived together, worked together at the mills and on the boats, and married one another. Even today, we have tribal members who live in Gig Harbor.”

Lately the City of Gig Harbor has made some belated attempts to recognize the first inhabitants. A large redwood sculpture depicting a Swift Water fisherman has been commissioned from a Quinault sculptor, and is to be installed in the spring. Last Monday, the Gig Harbor City Council agreed to rename the estuary at Austin Park to honor the people who lived there.

This story was originally published February 23, 2021 at 9:50 AM.