History displayed: 1954 mascot Kolidja still in school case

He may not have realized it at the time, but nearly 70 years ago the late famed Swinomish artisan Andrew Joe began carving a special and lasting niche in the history of La Conner Schools.

And it is a part of campus lore and tradition literally and figuratively standing the test of time.

It is the life-sized carving of the Native American chieftain fondly known to generations of La Conner students as "Kolidja," now in a secured display area at the entrance to the middle school building.

But during his prime years, before achieving elder status, Kolidja was a constant presence at high school athletic events – home and away – and greeted spectators to basketball games from his placement near the main doors of the old gym that adjoined the present Bruce Performing Arts Center.

His creation held added significance for Andrew Joe, already by the early 1950s long established as a much in demand carver who fashioned canoes used in races on the Salish Sea and whose work was often commissioned by Hollywood filmmakers.

As the 1953-54 school year approached, he set about on a project especially near and dear to his heart – the carving of a high school mascot to be gifted to that year's graduating class, which included his son, Robert, a standout athlete and later a beloved Swinomish Tribal senate chairman. The event center at the tribal casino bears his native name, Wa-Walton.

Kolidja, whose local spelling differs from the popular song "Kawliga" heard on radio airwaves in the '50s, became an endearing – and enduring – symbol for the La Conner school family.

"He was at every game and pep assembly and was part of the spirit of our teams," recalled Margie Hernandez, a member of the high school cheer squad in the early-to-mid 1970s. "I have fond memories of him."

Roy Ruiz, a player on the 1972 team that placed eighth at the state basketball tournament, echoed that sentiment.

"Kolidja was the spirit of every team that played for La Conner High School," Ruiz said. "When you'd walk in front of him it was like he was following you and wishing you good luck."

"My memories of him are just his great presence," said Don Misner, the starting center on undefeated 1968 football team who later played collegiate basketball at Skagit Valley College and Eastern Washington University. "He was always there, in the gym, watching over us during all of our practices and games. He was also there watching when coach (Dave) Edwards would leave a window ajar so I could reach in, grab the key to the gym and sneak in on the weekends to shoot for hours on my own."

Former town council member and Dunlap Towing retiree David Alvord was a teammate of Robert Joe and a member of the 1954 class to which Kolidja was gifted in a formal presentation during commencement ceremonies that May.

The Class of '54 remained close and embraced Kolidja as one of its own. Research conducted by Bellingham artist Mary Ennes Davis, creator of the middle school history wall, noted that the class had Kolidja transported to its 40th reunion celebration in 1994 and there Robert Joe proudly stood alongside the mascot that his dad – also trained as a medicine man and healer – had carved.

Other classes across the decades adopted Kolidja as well.

"We always tried to handle the sculpture with care and respect when transporting it," Rev. Don Robinson, a high school team manager in the late 1960s and early 1970s, told the Weekly News, "lest it be scratched, scraped or scarred loading and unloading it from the school bus. We recognized that it was a special mascot even though it was a Plains Native American wearing a bonnet that was not a likeness of a Salish Native American."

School officials relate that Swinomish leaders requested in 2021 that Kolidja, whom Andrew Joe intended to represent family pride, school spirit, inspiration and generosity, remain visible on campus following passage of state legislation regulating Native American imagery on public school campuses.

Stereotypical logos and images of Plains tribesmen are being swapped out here at state expense in favor of more authentic, culturally accurate Coast Salish depictions.

Kolidja, while adorned with feathered headdress rather than a cedar hat, still cuts a stylish and timely figure.

"It's a beautiful carving," Robinson stressed, "that remains as a tribute."

Kolidja is also a solid reminder – on several levels – of bygone days for many members of the La Conner Alumni Association, the oldest continuously active organization of its kind in the state.

"What I remember," said Robinson, "is how heavy the sculpture is and how hard it was to bring to away basketball games. We would have to load it on a bus and lay it across the backseats. It would occupy several seats. It took several of us to carry it into our opponents' gyms and we didn't use a hand truck to move it."

But move it, students did. And for the longest time.

On the informational panel in front of its display, Davis correctly described Kolidja as an invaluable part of the La Conner cheering section.

"Pioneer yearbooks," she pointed out, "show Kolidja surrounded by students, standing on the sidelines of the basketball court, the football field and with his head sticking out of a school bus. If the team was playing an away game, Kolidja was hustled onto the bus along with the team and rode to Coupeville, Concrete or wherever the team as playing."

These days, Kolidja enjoys what can best be termed as an active retirement.

"Kolidja stands in a place of honor," Davis explained, "greeting all who come up the steps to the school."