Till 5 pm today, the Duwamish Tribe welcomes you to an open house as their West Seattle longhouse celebrates its first anniversary. Duwamish chair Cecile Hansen spoke about an hour and a half ago, saying the tribe has sent a letter to President Obama, trying to accelerate consideration of their longstanding quest for federal recognition – briefly granted during the end of the Clinton Administration, canceled in the early going of the Bush Administration, being fought in court as well as the political arena. While the Duwamish fight for their future, you can also learn about their past – they’re showing the film “Princess Angeline,” about Chief Sealth‘s eldest daughter, twice today, and the next showing is at 3 pm. Or just check out the exhibits – remember its full name is the Duwamish Longhouse and Cultural Center:

The Duwamish Longhouse celebrated its grand opening 1/3/2009 (our reports, with video, are here and here). It’s at 4705 West Marginal Way; here’s a map. (Other upcoming longhouse events are on the calendar here.)