Governor's Heritage Award - David Forlines

David Forlines of La Push, Washington resided on the Quileute Indian Reservation. Forlines was instrumental in the revival of many Quileute traditions. Although Forlines was not a tribal member, he grew up on the west Olympic Peninsula, and served as a teacher, counselor, and spiritual leader on both the Puyallup and Quileute Reservations. He was a skilled carver, artist, and basket weaver. During the 1980s, Forlines led the effort to revive traditional canoe carving and open ocean paddling. Forlines learned traditional caring through careful observation and research. Forelines taught traditional arts to younger generations around the Olympic Coast Native communities. He organized a team in 1989 that carved a traditional canoe and paddled it over 200 miles of open water, from La Push to Seattle. This excursion was part of the State’s Centennial’s “Paddle to Seattle” celebration. He also organized the first potlatch held on the Quileute Reservation in seventy-five years. Forlines was a valued member of the Quileute community and passed away in 1991.