Native youth and elders team work to save a sacred Duwamish spring from development. For thousands of years, a vast network of mineral springs in what is now North Seattle, was known by its Lushootseed name, le?qtid, pronounced “LEE’kteed.” Its waters were sacred to all the tribes in the area. The local Duwamish built sweat lodges there and performed ceremonies using its red clay to adorn their bodies. Le?qtid means “Red Paint” or “Red Pigment.” But most of the springs are now paved over, covered by asphalt and concrete. Residential houses and a shopping mall now dominate the area that was once filled with many healing springs. Only one remains. Situated in a small park, Licton (after the Lushootseed “le?qtid”) Springs sits right in the middle of what is considered prime Seattle real estate. It’s just a few blocks north of the Woodland Park Zoo and a few blocks southwest of the Northgate Shopping Mall. Read the rest of the article and Indian Country Today: https://tinyurl.com/ycy76653