House of Awakened Culture facts for kids

The House of Awakened Culture (in the Lushootseed language: sgwәdzadad qәɫ ʔaltxw) is a special community building. It is located in Suquamish, Washington State, on the Port Madison Indian Reservation. The Suquamish tribe built it in 2008. It is like a new version of the old Old Man House. That historic building was burned down in 1870. Since it opened in 2009, the House of Awakened Culture has been a busy place. It serves as a community center for the Suquamish tribe and everyone in the area.

A Look Back: The Old Man House

The Suquamish Tribe once had a very important longhouse called Old Man House. It stood on the shore of the Puget Sound. We don't know exactly when it was built. But the land it stood on was the Suquamish tribe's "mother village" for at least 2,000 years.

In 1870, the Old Man House was sadly burned to the ground. This was done by a local government official. It was possibly an attempt to make the tribe move away and change their traditional ways. The tribe still owned the land until 1904. Then, it was sold to the U.S. Army.

From 1950 to 2004, the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission managed the site as a state park. In 2004, the land was given back to the Suquamish tribe.

Building a New Home

Also in 2004, the Suquamish Tribal Council started thinking about building a new community center. They wanted a place for the tribe to hold traditional events. In 2006, the Suquamish tribe began a special fundraising effort. This was to pay for important cultural projects. These projects included the Suquamish Museum, a memorial for Chief Seattle, and the House of Awakened Culture.

The building was designed by Mithun. This is an architecture company based in Seattle. Construction on the house began in the middle of 2008.

Opening and Celebrations

The House of Awakened Culture was officially named and opened on February 28, 2009. A special ceremony brought together over 400 visitors. People came from all over the United States and Canada. It opened to the public in a second ceremony on March 10.

During the opening prayer, a tribal elder shared an important message. They said, "It's been a long, long time since we've had a home to call our own. It's the dreams of our ancestors, our people to have our own place to be who we were meant to be."

Soon after its opening, the house hosted the end of the 2009 Tribal Canoe Journeys. This is a big event where Native people travel by canoe. For six days, nearly 10,000 Indigenous people from around the world came to the house. They celebrated Native culture together.

Since then, the house has continued to be a central place for the Suquamish tribe. It is a community hub. Some community members, including former Tribal Council presidents, are remembered there.

Design of the House

The House of Awakened Culture has a long, curved shape. It includes a main hall, a canoe shed, and a garden area. The building is about 13,169 square feet (1,223.4 square meters) in size. It is mainly built from red cedar and other woods. These woods are native to the Kitsap Peninsula area.

The main hall of the building has large house posts. These are tall, carved poles. They show different Suquamish teachings. These posts are very heavy, weighing between 800 and 1,500 pounds (360 and 680 kg). They were put in place using a pulley system and teams of 30 workers.

A writer named Lauren Rieke compared the House of Awakened Culture to traditional longhouses. She said it shows how the Suquamish culture is alive today. It also connects them to their old traditions. Rieke noted that this house has large double doors and horizontal siding. Traditional longhouses usually have vertical siding.