In 1970, a group of activists led by Bernie Whitebear (1937-2000), Sin-Aikst, or Sinixt (now one of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation), began a protest which culminated in approval for the development of both a cultural center for Indigenous peoples and a municipal park on decommissioned surplus land at Seattle's Fort Lawton site. After several years spent raising awareness and funds, the United Indian People's Council (later United Indians of All Tribes Foundation, or UIATF) opened the Daybreak Star Cultural Center in 1977, directed by Mr. Whitebear until his death in 2000. As of 2021, the Daybreak Indian Cultural Center continues to serve as an "urban base for Native Americans in the Seattle Area," by providing cultural, educational, and social services to local Indigenous communities.
In this image Bernie Whitebear and Pete Schnurman (1938-2020), lawyer for United Indians of All Tribes (UIAT), discuss construction of the Daybreak Star Cultural Center as eight Douglas fir timbers, each 50 feet long, are lowered into place across 10 upright cedar lodge poles.
Caption information source: "An Indian Work of Art Take Shape," Seattle Post-Intelligencer, June 10, 1976, page E1. Caption information source: "Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center opens its doors on May 13, 1977," by Antonia Kelleher, HistoryLink.org Essay 11237.
