New CWU monument to celebrate Washoe’s legacy of interspecies communication

On Friday, May 16, Central Washington University will dedicate a new on-campus art installation to the profound legacy of Washoe the chimpanzee, and the flourishing primatology program she helped create, at the former site of the Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute (CHCI).

The occasion will be marked by several on-campus events, starting with a 1 p.m. panel discussion in Dean Hall 104 about the lasting impact of CWU’s Primate Behavior program. The panel will feature current primatology graduate student Katie Seymour, alumnus Joe Rausch, Professor of Primate Behavior and Anthropology Lori Sheeran, Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest Co-Director and alumna Diana Goodrich, and CWU Foundation Board Chair Wendy Iwaszuk. It will be moderated by Senior Lecturer and former CHCI Director Mary Lee Jensvold.

The Museum of Culture and Environment will be hosting an exhibit, specially curated for this celebration, showcasing the work of the CHCI as well as a stained-glass window by artist Julie Prather based on one of Washoe’s paintings, “Bug Flower.” The opening reception at 2 p.m. in Dean Hall will feature remarks from Friends of Washoe President Greg Beach, Mary Lee Jensvold, Museum Director Karisa Terry, and former CHCI co-director Bonnie Hendrickson. Snacks and refreshments will be provided.

The dedication event will kick off at 3 p.m., and will feature speeches from CWU President Wohlpart, Primate Behavior program founders Roger and Deborah Fouts, alumna Crickette Sanz, and former CWU Trustee Ron Dotzauer. The art installation will feature four smaller columns surrounding a taller central column, representing Washoe and her four adopted children: Loulis, Moja, Tatu, and Dar. The event will take place on the east patio of Dugmore Hall, which now stands in the same location where the five chimpanzees lived until 2013.

The legacy of Washoe, her family, and the care and compassion of the humans who worked with them cannot be understated. Thanks to everyone involved — both humans and primates — CWU became the site of some of the world’s most influential research into chimpanzees’ capacity for learning and understanding American Sign Language and communication in general, as observed by world-renowned Primatologist Jane Goodall.

“Roger [Fouts], through his ongoing conversations with Washoe and her extended family, has opened a window into the cognitive workings of a chimpanzee’s mind that adds a new dimension to our understanding,” she said in 1997, as displayed on the information plaque in downtown Ellensburg’s Friendship Park. “Clearly, chimpanzees are capable of intellectual feats that once we thought unique to humans.”

Friday’s events will be free and open to the public. Learn more about the legacy of Washoe and the CHCI in the fall 2024 edition of Crimson & Black magazine.