In the late 1960s, the US Army announced its intention to decommission most of the land at Fort Lawton. The City of Seattle planned to turn the land into a park. However, members of Seattle’s Indigenous community wanted instead to reclaim the land for use by Indigenous peoples. On March 8, 1970, members of the United Indians of All Tribes Foundation (UIATF), led by activist Bernie Whitebear, began a peaceful occupation of Fort Lawton and reclaimed the land “in the name of all American Indians by right of discovery.” Both sides submitted requests for the land, and the federal government requested that they come to an agreement.
In October 1971, after four months of negotiation, the city and the UIATF reached an agreement to divide the decommissioned land: the city would receive 425 acres, and the UIATF would receive 17 of those acres on a perpetually renewable 99 year lease from the city. The city would also assist with financing the construction of a Native cultural center, which opened in 1977 as Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center.
This image shows UIATF leader Bernie Whitebear speaking at the site dedication ceremony on November 14, 1971. At left is Senator Henry Jackson, in dark suit. At right is Joyce Reyes, president of the American Indian Women’s Service League, and Seattle mayor Wes Uhlman, in light jacket.
Caption information source: “Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center,” Seattle Municipal Archives, retrieved from https://www.seattle.gov/cityarchives/exhibits-and-education/online-exhibits/daybreak-star-indian-cultural-center Caption information source: “City, Indians in accord on Lawton Center,” by Hilda Bryant, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, November 15, 1971, page A1.
