Bethesda in Montgomery County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Bear and the Steelhead
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, May 23, 2014
1. Bear and the Steelhead Marker
Inscription.
Bear and the Steelhead. . The carvings on this bench depict a story from the Salish people of the northwestern United States and British Columbia, Canada. The story teaches respect for natural cycles, represented by the salmon’s annual migration upriver from the sea to freshwater breeding grounds. Salmon Woman created the cycle when people who depended on the fish for food took the year-round abundance for granted and abused the resource. After Bear defied warnings not to harvest the fish in their breeding grounds, all salmon except the steelhead (the only one he had not disturbed) died. Today, it is only the steelhead that survives spawning and returns year after year to breed, while other salmon species die in the spawning beds. The proper time to catch the salmon is based on the tides that are controlled by the Moon., This bench and carvings are from a western red cedar tree used for the 9/11 Pentagon totem pole., Symbols and colors in this bench: ,
Moon: Protector and guardian of the earth by night , Salmon: Dependability and renewal, the provider , Bear: Strength, learned humility, motherhood and teaching , Red: Blood, valor , Black: Power , White: Skies and spacious heavens , Yellow: Sun, light and happiness
The carvings on this bench depict a story from the Salish people of the northwestern United States and British Columbia, Canada. The story teaches respect for natural cycles, represented by the salmon’s annual migration upriver from the sea to freshwater breeding grounds. Salmon Woman created the cycle when people who depended on the fish for food took the year-round abundance for granted and abused the resource. After Bear defied warnings not to harvest the fish in their breeding grounds, all salmon except the steelhead (the only one he had not disturbed) died. Today, it is only the steelhead that survives spawning and returns year after year to breed, while other salmon species die in the spawning beds. The proper time to catch the salmon is based on the tides that are controlled by the Moon.
This bench and carvings are from a western red cedar tree used for the 9/11 Pentagon totem pole.
Symbols and colors in this bench:
Moon: Protector and guardian of the earth by night
Salmon: Dependability and renewal—the provider
Bear: Strength, learned humility, motherhood and teaching
Red: Blood, valor
Black: Power
White: Skies and spacious heavens
Yellow: Sun, light and happiness
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic
Location. 38° 59.754′ N, 77° 5.862′ W. Marker is in Bethesda, Maryland, in Montgomery County. Marker can be reached from Center Drive close to Wisconsin Avenue (Maryland Route 355), on the left when traveling west. Marker is in front of the National Library of Medicine, 8600 Rockville Pike. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 38 Center Drive, Bethesda MD 20814, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on September 21, 2019. It was originally submitted on October 11, 2014, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. This page has been viewed 465 times since then and 11 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 11, 2014, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.