Feliks Banel: Seafair Powwow commemorates layers of complex history

The Seafair Indian Days Powwow at Discovery Park begins Friday with the Grand Entry at 7:00 p.m. featuring drummers, dancers and other performers from around the western United States in a colorful and euphonious procession at Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center. The festivities continue through Sunday afternoon.

There are many, many layers of history at Discovery Park, which is named for Captain George Vancouver’s ship, which sailed by in 1792. Indigenous people were here then, of course, and have been present since time immemorial on this beautiful high bluff in Seattle’s Magnolia neighborhood. The views of Puget Sound are spectacular, particularly to the west and to the north.

A lighthouse was built by the federal government at West Point in 1881, which still stands and still operates as an aid to navigation for vessels offshore. Not long after the lighthouse was built, a big parcel of land was identified as early as 1894 a good place for a U.S. Army post. A fort was established in 1897, and named in 1900 for Major General Henry Ware Lawton.

Not surprisingly, there’s an abundance of military history at Discovery Park from the first half of the 20^th century – including during World War I, and especially during World War II – but the most pivotal year here arguably came much later.

The pivotal year was 1970, not long after portions of Fort Lawton were slated to be declared surplus by the federal government. That’s when Indigenous protestors led by the late, great Bernie Whitebear occupied the space for several months and ultimately won concessions from the federal government and from the City of Seattle. Most notable of these was a commitment to set aside land and create what became Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center. The facility opened in 1977, and is still home to the United Indians of All Tribes Foundation, the non-profit cultural and human services organization founded by Bernie Whitebear.

Admission to the 35^th annual Seafair Indian Days Powwow is free, but donations are gladly accepted. There will be drumming, singing and colorful dancing demonstrations and competitions for various age groups as well as other categories. There are also food vendors and arts and crafts vendors on-site. Special events include selection of the Miss Seafair Indian Days Powwow Princess on Saturday night, and a Grand Exit on Sunday evening.

The exact origins of what’s become a beloved annual tradition – and a bucket-list experience for many, to hear the songs and drumming and see the dancers and colorful costumes up close and in person – are a little vague. Newspaper archives indicate that what might have been the first major powwow at Daybreak Star was held over two days in March 1980 to mark the tenth anniversary of when the activists led by Bernie Whitebear began their occupation and successful protest.

If this is truly the origins of this weekend’s festivities, there couldn’t be a more fitting way to commemorate one of the most meaningful layers of Pacific Northwest history at Discovery Park.

You can hear Feliks Banel every Wednesday and Friday morning on Seattle’s Morning News with Dave Ross and Colleen O’Brien. Read more from Feliks here and subscribe to The Resident Historian Podcast here. If you have a story idea or a question about Northwest history, please email Feliks. You can also follow Feliks on X, formerly known as Twitter.

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