Yakama Nation, USA

TU’PAXIN

An inspirational & educational forest.

This forest is named after Debra, a member of the Yakama Nation in central Washington State. Debra grew up going to the mountains every weekend with her family to camp, hike, fish, gather, and hunt.

Her Indian name is Tu’paxin, she is named after her great grandmother, who was a strong & protective figure for the Tribe.

Tu’paxin will be an inspirational & educational forest for the Yakama Community in the shape of a medicinal wheel.

Forest Maker Ethan Bryson

1,400

Trees

400

Square Meters

native Species

white lines drawn in the dirt with a house in the background

White lines drawn on the ground form the shape of a medicinal wheel. These lines indicate the 400 Sq m that will become an educational forest for the Yakama Community.

person stands in front of a tall green forest

The Miyawaki forest at Tu'paxin after 24 months of growth. Aspen trees are growing as high as 21 feet, and rosehips are already being picked by the local community and prepared for use by elders.

"I have had great luck in the Tu’paxin Forest with elderberries, currants, rosebushes, pine trees for medicine. I saw quite a few colors in my forest this year, with the rose hips, berries, and of course the greenery. I call my forest a medicine forest and I will have some gatherers and possibly a medicine person come and view what I have and may be overlooking. I also have a lot of birds coming to my home and one hawk decided my forest was a good place for his final resting."

— Debra Byrd, AKA Tu’paxin

Traditional Medicine

Medicinal herbs planted include: stinging nettles for pain relief; tree moss for overall health; huckleberry leaves to settle the stomach; pine needle tea for digestive health; and yarrow for wound-healing.

Two year forest growth.

Debra Byrd stands next to a nearly 2 year old Aspen tree in the Tu'paxin forest. Rose hip (Rosa canina), rose (Rosa), and elderberry (Sambucus) thrive in the Miyawaki forest at Tu'paxin.

Yakama Nation

The Yakama Nation is located in the central part of Washington State. The Nation is approximately 1.2 million acres. Of the 573 Federally recognized Tribes in the United States, they are one of the only Tribes to have the majority of the Nation closed off to the public.

The forested area is located within the Cascade mountain range.