The Lelooska Foundation & Cultural Center was formed to preserve the cultural heritage of the North Pacific Coast and other American Indians by encouraging study of their history, mythology, folklore, dance and other arts and crafts, with emphasis on preserving the legacy of chief Lelooska and his mother Shona-Hah, as manifested in the art, educational programs and museum collection created during their lifetimes.
The Lelooska Museum was built in 1972 to provide a permanent location to share the art and artifacts that were primarily collected and used by Chief Lelooska and his family. Other items in the collection were given to Chief Lelooska and his family by close family friends that wanted to ensure that their treasured pieces were shared with others. Chief Lelooska recognized the value of being able to share the great diversity of First Nations cultures and additional items were added as the family traded with other artists over the years to complete the collection.
Chief Lelooska passed away in 1996 but bequeathed one third of his collection of artifacts and carvings to the Lelooska Foundation in his will. In 2024 with the final gift from his brother’s family, all of Chief Lelooska’s remaining collection became part of the Lelooska Foundation Permanent Collection. Additionally, some items, primarily carvings by Chief Lelooska and dolls by his mother Shona-Hah have been donated to the Lelooska Foundation Acquisitions Committee.
The Lelooska Museum and the adjacent Gathering Hall holds an immense collection of artifacts from many regions: the Northwest, Midwest, Northeast, Southeast, Southwest and the Arctic. These items are many and varied including baskets, parfleches, corn husk bags, dolls, spoons, cradles, moccasins, tomahawks, pipes, pipe bags, dresses, a 15 foot birch bark canoe and an entire replica fur trade store fully furnished to the period.
The Lelooska Museum is Open by Appointment during the Winter Season. Contact the museum for seasonal opening and closing dates and regular in-season hours.
Credit: Overview from museum website