Daybreak Star Cultural Center facts for kids
| Location | Seattle, Washington, United States |
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The Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center is a special place for Native American culture in Seattle, Washington. Its main goal is to be a home base for Native Americans living in the Seattle area. The center is located on 20 acres (about 81,000 square meters) inside Discovery Park in the Magnolia neighborhood.
This center came to be because of the hard work of Bernie Whitebear and other Native American activists. In 1970, they peacefully took over the land. This land was part of the former Fort Lawton military base, which the U.S. government no longer needed. The Native American groups believed they had a right to the land based on old treaties from 1865. These treaties said that extra military lands should go back to their original owners.
The main building you see today was finished in 1977. It was designed by Arai Jackson Architects and Planners. The building mixes modern design with traditional Native American styles from the Northwest. There were plans to add more buildings, called the People's Lodge, but these plans were put on hold because of a lack of money. This was Bernie Whitebear's last big dream before he passed away in 2000.
Daybreak Star is a very important place for Native American culture in the region. It hosts many events, including pow wows, which are gatherings for Native American dancing and singing. It also has a Head Start school program for young children and an art gallery. The center has a permanent collection of art by and about Native Americans. One famous piece is Blue Jay, a huge sculpture by Lawney Reyes, who was Bernie Whitebear's brother. This sculpture is 30 feet (9 meters) wide and 12 feet (3.7 meters) high.
Next to the center, you can find the Bernie Whitebear Memorial Ethnobotanical Garden. This garden honors Bernie Whitebear and features plants important to Native American traditions.
Contents
How the Daybreak Star Center Began
The Idea for a Native American Center
In 1970, the U.S. government was looking at its military bases. It decided that much of Fort Lawton in Seattle was no longer needed. This fort was located on Puget Sound. Two U.S. Senators from Washington, Henry M. "Scoop" Jackson and Warren G. Magnuson, helped change a law. This change made it cheaper for groups other than real estate developers to get surplus government land. The land would first go to the city.
During this time, many Native Americans living in Seattle wanted to have their own land base in the city. About 25,000 Native Americans from different tribes live in the Seattle area today.
A group called Kinatechitapi formed. This name means "All Indians" in the Blackfoot language. It was similar to the "Indians of All Tribes" group that was occupying Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay. Joe DeLaCruz, a leader of the Quinault tribe, reached out to every tribe in Washington State. He wanted their support to get land in Seattle.
Challenges and Decisions
At first, Kinatechitapi tried to talk to the City of Seattle about the land. But the city, led by Mayor Wes Uhlman, said it would only talk after it had the land. The city also suggested the group talk to the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). However, the BIA usually did not help Native Americans living in cities. The city also thought the existing Indian Center downtown was enough. The Magnolia Community Club, a powerful local group, did not want a Native American presence at Fort Lawton.
The Kinatechitapi members had different ideas on how to move forward. Some wanted to take direct action, while others preferred to wait and negotiate. Pearl Warren, who started the American Indian Women's Service League, worried that strong actions might cause the city to cut services for urban Native Americans. However, Joyce Reyes, who supported direct action, later became the president of the Service League. In the end, all major Native American organizations in Seattle agreed to take action.
Taking Action at Fort Lawton
The group that wanted direct action soon called themselves the "American Indian Fort Lawton Occupation Forces." Bernie Whitebear became their leader. Some activists from the "Indians of All Tribes" group came from Alcatraz to help, including their leader Richard Oakes. Other activists came from Canada. Grace Thorpe, the daughter of famous athlete Jim Thorpe, also came to show her support. Local activists Ella Aquino and Ramona Bennett helped plan the takeover.
The group planned to enter the base from two sides. One group would climb the bluffs from Elliott Bay, and another would climb the fence near the Lawton Wood community. They all agreed to be peaceful during this action.
At the same time, Native American soldiers were protesting at Fort Lewis. They connected Native rights to their opposition to the Vietnam War. Actress Jane Fonda, who was against the Vietnam War, came to Seattle to support the Fort Lawton action. Bernie Whitebear later said that her presence brought worldwide attention. It turned their effort to get land into a big news story.
On March 7, 1970, the plans for the action were announced at a pow-wow. The next day, March 8, 1970, about 100 Native Americans and their supporters faced military police at the fort. About 500 more supporters protested peacefully outside the gates. Some of the activists reached the base chapel. The military police quickly stopped the action. Some activists did not stay peaceful when faced with aggressive police. The military police, with help from the Army and Seattle Police, put the activists in the fort's stockade. Then, they removed them from the fort. The Native American activists then set up a tipi camp outside the fort. Mayor Uhlman and Senator Jackson held a press conference about the land, promising a city park. They did not mention the Native American action.
Creating the United Indians of All Tribes Foundation
The Native American groups then formed the United Indians of All Tribes Foundation (UIATF), with Bernie Whitebear as its leader. They used many ways to gain support, from talking to politicians to occupying land and having famous people visit. For three months, activists kept trying to enter the fort. The Army put up barbed wire and brought in troops to stop them.
More than 40 non-Native American groups in King County supported the Native Americans. Bernie Whitebear and others spoke to a committee in the U.S. Congress. They also got support from U.S. Congressman Brock Adams from Seattle. Whitebear also worked with Tom McLaughlin from the United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW).
The UIATF, which had avoided the BIA before, now asked the National Congress of American Indians to help. They asked the BIA to stop the land transfer plans until their issue with the City was solved. The BIA commissioner did stop the transfer for a while, but later changed his mind.
When the government officially offered the surplus land, UIATF applied to get a part of the fort directly. Because of Bernie Whitebear's smart moves, UIATF's application was filed before the City's. The federal agency handling the land insisted that the City and UIATF create a joint plan. In November 1971, they agreed. The city would give UIATF a 99-year lease on 20 acres (81,000 m²) in what would become Discovery Park. The lease could be renewed without new negotiations. The City also gave $600,000 to the American Indian Women's Service League for a social services center.
Bernie Whitebear was then chosen as the CEO of UIATF. He raised money, including a one million dollar grant from the state. He also oversaw the design and building of the center. His brother, Lawney Reyes, worked with the architects to design the building. It opened in 1977.
Around the same time, Bernie Whitebear was appointed to the Seattle Arts Commission. The UIATF received an $80,000 arts grant for the center. Today, the Daybreak Star Center also has wireless Internet access.
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