Left: Vi Hilbert on the banks of the Skagit River, photo by Paul David Guy Eubanks.
dᶻixᵂ dxᵂɁugᵂusaϮ tiɁǝɁ swatixᵂtǝd (The earth is our first teacher)
taqᵂšǝblu Vi Hilbert (1918-2008)
Ethnobotany is the scientific study of people’s relationships with plants.
Seattle University’s taqᵂšǝblu Vi Hilbert Ethnobotanical Garden, one of several campus gardens, showcases the relationship between Lushootseed language-speaking peoples and the native plants of our southern Salish Sea region.
You are welcome to download and use our list of Lushootseed plant names.
Our garden is honored to bear the name of the preeminent Lushootseed teacher, scholar and storyteller taqᵂšǝblu Vi Hilbert (Upper Skagit).
We are dedicated to supporting Vi’s efforts to “reawaken” the language of this land.
Image: Vi Hilbert holding a book of Lushootseed stories by her Aunt Susie. Image used with permission of Jill LaPointe, Vi's granddaughter.