PORT ANGELES, Wash. (AP) - One thousand etched stones, once buried below the place that became Port Angeles, tell the story of the Klallam people.

These stones, along with a galaxy of other artifacts, came to light when the ancient Klallam village of Tse-whit-zen was discovered beginning in 2003.

Now seven of the stones - alongside some two dozen other Tse-whit-zen artifacts - are part of a public exhibit at the Elwha Heritage Center, where the Great Hall is the display space.

Viewing the collection, along with the centers new Spirit Unleashed art show by native and non-native artists, is free at the Heritage Center, 401 E. First St., and the Great Hall is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.

The exhibit of artifacts opened last Thursday night, along with a reception for the artists in the new show.

Some of the stones, smooth ovals that once rested in the palms of Klallam hands, were designed to catch peoples tears.

Many tears have been shed by the Native Americans who lived here, before and after the discovery of Tse-whit-zen beneath whats now Marine Drive.

But for Lower Elwha Klallam tribal chairwoman Frances Charles, this Heritage Center exhibit is a long-awaited closing of a circle.

The artifacts, from a village where the Klallam people lived for 2,700 years, have much to teach, Charles believes.

They represent her tribes ancestors, people who fished in the salmon-rich Elwha River long before it was dammed twice; who hiked high into the Olympic Mountains to commune with the spiritual and natural worlds.

Excerpt from:
Ancient Indian artifacts displayed in Port Angeles