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Duwamish Tribe 41 results

DUWAMISH ALIVE! Early planting at tribe’s Longhouse
April 12, 2024 8:08 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Duwamish Tribe | Gardening | West Seattle news

Lots of planting happening this time of year, but this new planting in West Seattle is of special significance. These are camas plants, installed today in a new cedar planter outside the Duwamish Tribe Longhouse.

The Duwamish Tribe’s cultural preservation officer Nancy Sackman was joined by Sharon Leishman of the Duwamish Alive! Coalition for the planting. Camas has a cultural significance to the Duwamish people – with edible bulbs – and the planter will allow them to grow it in cleaner soil than they have access to on the Longhouse grounds.

The camas bulbs were sourced from Northwest Meadowscapes in Port Townsend; the planter, from Wabash Farms in east King County. Today’s planting was in advance of next Saturday’s Duwamish Alive! habitat-restoration volunteering; your help is needed that day, at multiple sites in the Duwamish River watershed – go here to sign up.

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VIDEO: Tea, thanks, and a tribute to Princess Angeline @ Duwamish Longhouse
March 23, 2024 11:02 pm
|    Comments Off on VIDEO: Tea, thanks, and a tribute to Princess Angeline @ Duwamish Longhouse
 |   Duwamish Tribe | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

Among the photos on the east wall of the great gathering room at the Duwamish Tribe Longhouse and Cultural Center in West Seattle, one stands out – a large portrait of the eldest daughter of Chief Si’ahl (Seattle), known as Princess Angeline, though her real name was Kikisoblu. The tribe gathers supporters each year for a tea social that is also a tribute to her, and that event filled the Longhouse today.

Titling the event the SovereignTEA was one way of reminding supporters about its ongoing fight to regain federal recognition.

There was no major update on the long-running legal battle today, but it was mentioned in some of the short speeches from Duwamish leaders. First, chair Cecile Hansen cheerily welcomed the sold-out crowd:

Duwamish Tribal Council member Paul Nelson had words of gratitude for community members continuing to support “justice for the Duwamish”:

Later, he told the story of Princess Angeline’s determination to stay in the city rather than moving out to a reservation; Seattle, the city named for her father, was the city where she lived and died. One of the chief’s descendants, Ken Workman, also spoke today:

Final words were offered by Edie Nelson, with a hope that Duwamish Tribe recognition – and true sovereignty – “will come soon.”

The Longhouse/Cultural Center hosts other public events throughout the year; next month, for example, a Spring Native Art Market is planned for the weekend of April 27-28.

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VIDEO: Duwamish Tribe asks for equal share in West Seattle Bridge art project, as council committee tables it again
March 5, 2024 2:45 pm
|      24 COMMENTS
 |   Duwamish Tribe | Transportation | West Seattle news

(Image from December 2023 council-committee agenda, incorporating Google Maps photo)

Not including the Duwamish Tribe in a highly visible Native-art project barely a mile from their Longhouse would be a “systemic erasure,” the City Council’s Transportation Committee was told by tribal officials this morning.

The committee, chaired by District 1 Councilmember Rob Saka, was scheduled to be briefed and to possibly vote on the project at today’s meeting, three months after the previous membership of the committee tabled it at the request of Saka’s predecessor Lisa Herbold. At the start of the meeting, Saka announced that it would not be voted on today; then after the previous two (unrelated) agenda items ran long, he announced the art-project briefing would be tabled entirely, “possibly” to an unspecified later date.

Though this project has been in the planning stages for almost two years, it was not mentioned publicly until the agenda emerged for a committee meeting last December. The project is proposed to involve the Muckleshoot and Suquamish Tribes, sharing an estimated 15 West Seattle Bridge columns and $133,000 from the West Seattle Bridge repair/mitigation project. The Duwamish say the art project was never even mentioned to them (and the slide deck prepared for the meeting bears that out). At the committee briefing in December, SDOT countered by saying the Duwamish Tribe was involved with a different art project – but it turned out to involve the sidewalk close to the Longhouse, and, according to the tribe, was in the works long before this came to light.

(WSB photo, Council Chambers today)

At the start of the meeting, the public-comment period included more than half a dozen people telling the committee that the Duwamish Tribe should be included in the bridge-columns project. Here’s our video of the entire public-comment period (including several speakers talking about other agenda items); the first speaker, reading a statement from Duwamish Tribe chair Cecile Hansen, was Longhouse director Kristina Pearson:

Several of the Duwamish representatives who spoke said they’re being excluded because their tribe is not federally recognized, a status they’ve been fighting for years to regain. And to add insult to injury, said one speaker, the project excluding the Duwamish Tribe is in “an area that is culturally sensitive to” them.

Saka noted from the dais that he will be visiting the Duwamish Longhouse soon for a meeting; before adjourning, both he and the committee’s vice-chair, District 3 Councilmember Joy Hollingsworth, thanked the Duwamish members for coming to City Hall. She said, “You being the original caretakers of this land, when you speak, we need to listen.”

(Side note – we will cover the rest of the meeting, which focused on the Seattle Transportation Plan and a “State of the Bridges” overview, in a separate report.)

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FOLLOWUP: West Seattle Bridge columns tribal-art project returning to City Council committee
March 1, 2024 9:10 pm
|      17 COMMENTS
 |   Duwamish Tribe | West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

(Image from last December’s council-committee agenda, incorporating Google Maps photo)

Three months ago, outgoing City Councilmembers shelved consideration of a plan to pay the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe and Suquamish Tribe $133,000 for murals on up to 15 columns under the West Seattle Bridge – a mile from the Duwamish Tribe‘s Longhouse, funded with money left over in the bridge-repair project. In response to community concerns, then-Councilmember Lisa Herbold elicited SDOT acknowledgment that there had been no outreach to the Duwamish Tribe regarding the prospective pillar art, and a Transportation Committee vote was delayed at her request. According to the agenda published this afternoon, the proposal returns this Tuesday (March 5) to the committee, now chaired by Herbold’s District 1 successor, Councilmember Rob Saka. (The committee’s previous chair, Alex Pedersen, like Herbold, chose not to run for re-election last year.) Three of the committee’s other four members are new to the council as well.

Nothing in the agenda materials for Tuesday’s meeting indicates anything has changed since the December committee meeting at which the vote was postponed. In response to concerns about not involving the Duwamish Tribe in this project, SDOT reps mentioned at the December meeting that the Duwamish would be involved in a different art project closer to the Longhouse. They had few details to offer when we followed up at the time; that project has since been revealed to involve a stretch of sidewalk. Here’s an image the tribe included in an email to its members regarding a planning event for the sidewalk project:

Tuesday’s committee meeting is at 9:30 am at City Hall; it’ll include public comment, in person and remote, and the agenda explains how to participate. Other scheduled topics include an update on the newly released Seattle Transportation Plan and a “State of the Bridges” briefing.

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VIDEO: Past, present, future celebrated and explained at Duwamish Longhouse’s 15th anniversary party
January 28, 2024 9:31 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Duwamish Tribe | West Seattle history | West Seattle news

Story by Tracy Record
Photos/video by Patrick Sand
West Seattle Blog co-publishers

In light of 10,000+ years of history, the past 15 years were a blink for the Duwamish Tribe.

But it was a blink worth celebrating – and recalling – with more than 100 people filling the Duwamish Longhouse and Cultural Center in West Seattle on Saturday to celebrate its 15th anniversary.

The lineup of speakers was impressive – from the tribe’s longtime chair Cecile Hansen, to the longhouse’s architect, whose father got him involved by suggesting he could help “Seattle’s original homeless … find a home,” to its chief fundraiser, to its exhibit curator teaching the history of longhouses, to its historian discussing life in longhouses, to a lawyer updating the tribe’s longrunning fight to regain federal recognition, and more.

The four-hour by-invitation event was also an occasion to honor those and many others who worked with and for the tribe to bring the longhouse to life on a patch of land across from a historic site on the shore of the Duwamish River, more than a century after the last of the Duwamish’s previous longhouses was torched by settlers. After years of fundraising and planning, the groundbreaking happened in 2007, and the grand opening in January 2009. And this weekend, the milestone celebration.

“I raise my hands to you,” said Chair Hansen in her brief welcome, “It’s wonderful that our tribe has succeeded to come to this date.” She invited everyone to “have a good time,” and with that, the party was on – with speakers before lunch focused on history, those after lunch focused mostly on the present and future. Our first video clip features Duwamish Tribal Services board chair Kristina Pearson, chair Hansen, and pre-construction fundraising co-chair Chad Lewis:

Lewis said the fundraising campaign dated back to philanthropists who formed the Friends of the Duwamish in the late ’90s.

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CONTINUING ALL WEEKEND: Holiday shopping at Duwamish Longhouse Native Art Market
November 24, 2023 5:31 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Duwamish Tribe | Holidays | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

(WSB photos)

All weekend long, the main hall at the Duwamish Tribe Longhouse is transformed into a one-stop shop for holiday gifts during the annual holiday-season Native Art Market.

We visited this afternoon and photographed some of the artists – above, elk-skin drum maker Margie Morris; below, Coast Salish artist Peter Boome:

They’re among more than 15 vendors this year, as is Sue Shotridge from Raven’s Nest on Vashon:


You can buy food while you’re there too – we noticed more than a few marketgoers enjoying frybread. Also worth the visit, you can see the exhibits in the Cultural Center outside the hall where the market is happening, and shop the Longhouse gift shop too. The market continues Saturday and Sunday (November 25-26), 10 am-7 pm, 4705 W. Marginal Way SW. And if you haven’t been to the Longhouse in a while, note that they now have parking lots immediately north, same side of the street.

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VIDEO: Peace Pole, benches dedicated at Our Lady of Guadalupe
June 26, 2023 11:36 am
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   Duwamish Tribe | West Seattle news | West Seattle religion

As noted here Saturday, the Rotary Club of West Seattle has now placed five Peace Poles around West Seattle, part of a worldwide initiative. But the story behind the one dedicated Sunday at Our Lady of Guadalupe goes beyond the poles’ inscription, “Let Peace Prevail on Earth.” This one is part of an installation meant as a reminder of those whose land it’s on:

That plaque honoring the Duwamish Tribe is on a bench made by Eagle Scout Nick Krum:

He explained the project to those gathered for the dedication:

The space with the pole and benches is in front of the church on 35th SW south of SW Myrtle.

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First day for Native Art Market at Duwamish Tribe Longhouse
November 25, 2022 3:22 pm
|    Comments Off on First day for Native Art Market at Duwamish Tribe Longhouse
 |   Duwamish Tribe | Holidays | West Seattle news

Today is the first of three days for a West Seattle holiday-shopping tradition – the Native Art Market at the Duwamish Tribe Longhouse (4705 West Marginal Way SW). The art you’ll find there represents many tribes/nations – one of the art businesses there is Igmútȟaŋka Iháŋble (Lakota for Mountain Lion Dreams):

Neecee’s Ancestral Art is by Denise Emerson, Navajo and Skokomish:

The market continues until 5 pm today, and is open 10 am-5 pm Saturday and Sunday. If you’re driving, note that the Longhouse has increased parking options, plus a traffic signal to get safely across West Marginal if you park on the east side.

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COUNTDOWN: The Heron’s Nest benefit, three nights away
October 5, 2022 3:41 pm
|    Comments Off on COUNTDOWN: The Heron’s Nest benefit, three nights away
 |   Duwamish Tribe | Environment | How to help | West Seattle news

We’ve reported before on The Heron’s Nest, land between Puget Park and West Marginal Way SW that’s in the process of being restored and repatriated to the Duwamish Tribe. The nonprofit that’s been working on this is inviting you to a benefit celebration at the site this Saturday night – when the weather should be perfect for an outdoor event:

Saturday, October 8th: Fundraiser & Auction:

4-9 pm – Join us at The Heron’s Nest (4818 Puget Way SW)
Welcoming to the space by Ken Workman of Duwamish Tribal Council
Silent Auction, Raffle Prizes, Coast Salish Stories by Pamela Bond, Documentary Trailer Screening (Road to Recognition), Live performances, Dinner, Drinks, and more!

$50 tickets include two meal tickets, two 21+ drink tickets, two raffle tickets

Tickets are available online here.

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VIDEO: From longhouse to courthouse: Duwamish Tribe files lawsuit in new round of longrunning fight for federal recognition
May 11, 2022 3:35 pm
|      29 COMMENTS
 |   Duwamish Tribe | West Seattle news

(WSB photos. Drumming/singing at today’s event. At left, an image of Kikisoblu, Chief Sealth’s daughter)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

With this city named after its legendary leader, and home to a river bearing its name, the Duwamish Tribe says its lack of federal recognition makes no sense.

So the tribe is going to court, with a lawsuit launching a new chapter in the fight for recognition, which it says the federal government owes them as lead signatory to the 1855 Treaty of Point Elliott. The lawsuit – which you can read here – was announced during an hour-and-a-half midday event at the tribe’s Longhouse in West Seattle.

The event, attended by members and supporters via livestream as well as in person, featured Duwamish Tribe leaders as well as its lawyers, most of whom are with K&L Gates. The speeches, taken together, provided a history lesson as well as a briefing on the lawsuit itself (which also is laden with history). Here’s how it unfolded:

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WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Road-rage gunfire; stolen silver Elantra; tribe’s canopy taken
January 28, 2022 8:56 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Crime | Duwamish Tribe | West Seattle news

Three reports in West Seattle Crime Watch:

ROAD-RAGE GUNFIRE: SPD provided this brief summary tonight of an incident just before 9:30 this morning:

The victim and suspect were driving on the 1st Ave. S. Bridge when a road-rage incident occurred. The suspect followed the victim and drove in front of him. The suspect got out of his vehicle and made threats to kill the victim. The victim drove away, and while driving in the area of W Marginal Way SW/Highland Park Way SW, the suspect shot at the victim. The round struck the victim’s passenger-side door. The suspect fled SB on Highway 509.

As is usual for brief initial summaries, no descriptions were included.

STOLEN CAR: Reported by Carolyn:

Hyundai Elantra Silver 4-Door, License BKG 4627

Stolen yesterday, 1/27/22, from parking garage at Arrowhead Gardens Senior Living Apartments at 9230 2nd Avenue SW (near the Fire department training center off Olson Place SW and Myers Way South).

Additional identifying marks: Pink license-plate holder and reddish-brown Arrowhead Gardens parking sticker on rear window.

If seen, contact Carolyn – text location of vehicle to 206-965-5051

But first call 911.

TRIBE’S CANOPY TAKEN: Reported tonight by the Duwamish Tribe, via Twitter:

The Duwamish Longhouse is at 4705 W. Marginal Way SW. We’re checking with them to seek more information on what happened and what else. was taken.

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FOLLOWUP: Why West Marginal Way signal at Duwamish Longhouse isn’t activated yet
November 26, 2021 6:50 pm
|      16 COMMENTS
 |   Duwamish Tribe | Safety | Transportation | West Seattle news

for this weekend’s Native Art Market and Holiday Gift Fair at the Duwamish Longhouse, crossing guards are still stopping traffic on West Marginal Way, because the newly installed signal isn’t ready yet. Earlier this month, SDOT told the West Seattle Bridge Community Task Force that they expected to turn on the signal in “late November,” if weather permitted the crosswalk to be painted. Turns out the weather got in the way of a different aspect of the project. We followed up on the signal statuw before the holiday and got this explanation:

Seattle Department of Transportation crews completed all of the initial work to install traffic signal poles and equipment in early November. The next step is for Seattle City Light to hook up power to the traffic signal so that we can turn it on. Due to the series of severe storms leading to widespread power outages, Seattle City Light has had to reschedule this step for the first weekend in December. Once the power is connected, SDOT crews are ready to take the final steps to unveil the signal lights and paint the crosswalks, which will require dry weather. We intentionally wait to do this until the signal is ready to be turned on in order to avoid confusing travelers.

This signal is technically temporary, with a permanent one to follow.

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CONTINUING THIS WEEKEND: Duwamish Longhouse Native Art Market and Holiday Gift Fair
November 26, 2021 2:31 pm
|    Comments Off on CONTINUING THIS WEEKEND: Duwamish Longhouse Native Art Market and Holiday Gift Fair
 |   Duwamish Tribe | Holidays | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

At the Duwamish Longhouse Native Art Market and Holiday Gift Fair, you can find ornaments to decorate your tree, and/or gifts to put under it.

The work above is by Seciwa’s Southwest Native Jewelry and Crafts, one of this year’s vendors, spotlighting “the people and crafts from the Pueblo of Zuni,” described in a flyer as “the largest of the 20 ‘Pueblo’ tribes in New Mexico and Arizona.” The gift fair is a place to learn as well as to browse and buy.

It was also a popular shopping stop while we were there in late morning, with a line to get in since capacity was capped. But you have plenty of time – until 5 pm today, and again 10 am-5 pm tomorrow and Sunday.

Parking is across the street in the Seattle Public Utilities lot – and there are crossing guards to stop West Marginal Way traffic so you can safely get across. (The temporary signal and crosswalk are not ready yet – more on that in a separate story later.) P.S. You can also visit the exhibits in the Longhouse Cultural Center while you’re there, and the gift shop is open,

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FOLLOWUP: The Heron’s Nest gets a big boost toward goal of buying and repatriating West Seattle site
November 10, 2021 11:52 am
|      11 COMMENTS
 |   Duwamish Tribe | Environment | How to help | West Seattle news

(WSB photo from September – Amanda Lee at The Heron’s Nest)

Two months ago, we reported on The Heron’s Nest, a site in the West Duwamish Greenbelt where volunteers have been working on a plan to purchase a site for environmental education and repatriate it to the Duwamish Tribe, whose Longhouse is nearby. At last night’s Admiral Neighborhood Association meeting, Amanda Lee from The Heron’s Nest gave an update and announced the project had received a city grant of nearly a million dollars. We followed up with Lee this morning and received the announcement they’re making:

The Shared Spaces Foundation is excited to announce a major milestone in its efforts to fundraise for the Heron’s Nest, a project aimed at preserving 3.56 acres of land in the West Duwamish Greenbelt for community use, stewardship, sustainable education, and repatriating it to the Duwamish people. On October 5th, the City of Seattle issued a $900,000 grant from its Strategic Investment Fund to the Shared Spaces Foundation. These funds will allow Shared Spaces to purchase the land currently used for the Heron’s Nest, serving as the first step in the repatriation process.

The Duwamish people have resided in present-day Seattle and King County since time immemorial. Where they once inhabited 50 villages in the Puget Sound area, they now own less than an acre of land and have been unfairly stripped of their federal recognition. Preserving this land will increase the footprint of land access by 5x for Duwamish Tribal Services.

The Shared Spaces Foundation currently leases the 3.56-acre parcel just a short walk from the Duwamish Longhouse and Cultural Center in West Seattle. This undeveloped parcel was, until recently, destined to become the site for a new housing complex. Now, with the help of the SIF grant, the Shared Spaces Foundation will be able to preserve the land from destructive development and allow the Heron’s Nest project to continue the steps they have already taken to restore its indigenous vegetation and ecology, improve its productive uses, and provide for public access and education. Over 5,000 hours of community volunteering has been put into the restoration and construction efforts since the Heron’s Nest founding at the beginning of 2020.

In time, the Heron’s Nest will include the development of sustainable, community-accessible facilities including campgrounds, an outdoor kitchen, outdoor classrooms, tool libraries, an urban farm and agroforest, a recycling center, and a natural aquaculture pool. Once restored and with the above amenities in place, the land will be given back to the Duwamish people and be used for community benefit.

However, the Shared Spaces Foundation must continue its fundraising efforts in order to bring the full project to fruition. The entirety of the SIF grant will be applied toward the purchase of the land. To fund the remaining services and facilities, Shared Spaces is driving a community-giving effort. Shared Spaces looks to raise another $500,000 for materials, staffing, and operational costs, and have set a target deadline for the end of 2021. A successful fundraising campaign this Winter will allow for many of the facilities to be operational by Spring 2022.

In addition to further grant funding, the fundraising efforts include an upcoming holiday market at the Heron’s Nest, a recent dinner and auction held on October 16th, and utilizing the space for community events, nature viewing parties, and workshops. To learn more about the vision for the land and the scope of the project, visit: www.TheHeronsNest.org

Lee says the holiday market is scheduled for December 11th – more on that when it gets closer.

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TEMPORARILY CLOSED: Duwamish Longhouse and Cultural Center
November 8, 2021 2:23 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Duwamish Tribe | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

(WSB file photo)

The Duwqmish Tribe Longhouse and Cultural Center (4705 W. Marginal Way) is usually open Tuesdays-Saturdays, but not this week. The longhouse is closed “to get ready for the Native Art Market and Holiday Gift Fair,” which as usual is set for the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday after Thanksgiving (November 26-28). The Longhouse plans to reopen at 10 am Tuesday, November 16th. If you’re doing early shopping, the announcement includes a reminder that you can shop with them online any time – art, apparel, books, toys, more – by going here.

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The Heron’s Nest Project: A dream with the chance for you to be the wind beneath its wings
September 15, 2021 5:08 pm
|      14 COMMENTS
 |   Duwamish Tribe | Environment | How to help | West Seattle news

(WSB photos. Above, Amanda Lee at The Heron’s Nest)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Off Puget Way – one of the few streets that connect to busier-than-ever West Marginal Way – a parcel of land is in the process of healing from decades of serving as a dumping ground.

A group of passionate volunteers are working not only to heal the land, but to use it to help heal injustices done to the area’s First People.

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CONTINUING SUNDAY/MONDAY: Labor Day Acknowledgment Art Market @ Duwamish Longhouse
September 4, 2021 1:03 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Duwamish Tribe | West Seattle news

That sign is one of the reasons why what’s happening at the Duwamish Tribe Longhouse in West Seattle through Monday is the Labor Day Acknowledgment Art Market – you’re offered not only a chance to shop Indigenous art and craft items, but also to learn about and support the tribe’s ongoing fight for federal recognition (acknowledgment). Yard signs, brochures, and other information about supporting the tribe are all under the canopy by the entrance. Inside, new T-shirts have arrived at the gift shop:

(If you can’t read it, beneath Seattle it says “Occupied Duwamish Territory.”) Beyond the gift shop and Cultural Center displays inside the longhouse, you can shop the Native Art Market:

Vendors include Singing Pots and Love Warrior Medicinals:

And Native Knits:

There’s plenty of parking (and if you park across the street, there are crossing guards to stop traffic) – here’s a map. The market continues until 5 pm today, and again 10 am-5 pm Sunday and Monday, at 4705 W. Marginal Way SW.

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VIDEO: The Jingle Dress Project visits West Seattle ‘to lift up the Duwamish’
July 17, 2021 10:27 pm
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   Duwamish Tribe | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

(WSB photos/video)

An event announced less than a week ago filled the Duwamish Tribe Longhouse with more than 100 visitors this afternoon: The Jingle Dress Project. Longhouse director Jolene Haas explained the dancers were there for a ceremony, not a performance. They came to “lift up the Duwamish … they are sharing part of their heart.”

After Haas and her mother, Duwamish Tribe chair Cecile Hansen (above), welcomed the visitors seated all around the Longhouse’s main room, Jingle Dress Project founder Eugene Tapahe and the dancers – three women including his two daughters – spoke to the visitors for an hour.

Tapahe, a landscape photographer, told the story of how the idea came to him in a dream – after he lost his aunt to COVID. Native people celebrate death along with life, he explained, and it was agonizing that only six people could gather to commemorate the death. The Jingle Dress Dance was an Ojibwe creation for healing in the Spanish Flu pandemic a century ago – while he and the dancers are Diné (Navajo), he said the Ojibwe gave permission to other tribes to use the Jingle Dress to heal. “If we heal the land, then we’ll heal the people,” he realized. “We need Mother Earth; she doesn’t need us.” At first, they danced on lands that especially needed healing – national/state parks that he said were among the first Native lands lost to colonization.

The dancers – from left above, Sunni Begay and Erin and Dion Tapahe – are all college students or recent graduates, all from Utah. Their first dance today was an Honor Song – a prayer; Eugene asked that it not be followed by applause. The second and third were more celebratory, Before you watch and listen, a few words about the Jingle Dress – it is covered in more than 100 metal cones, not bells, that “jingle” when they click together, but make no sound if one is shaken alone.

The dancers’ regalia also included red scarves in tribute to missing/murdered Indigenous women.

After a third dance, and words of gratitude from Eugene’s wife Sharon Tapahe, they answered questions from those gathered. One question was “Who made the dresses?” Answer – family and friends. And they’re “really heavy” – up to 15 pounds.

THeir Duwamish hosts (Jolene Haas is at right above) presented gifts of cedar sprigs – a sacred tree – before a fourth dance, one that everyone present was invited to join in, a “round dance” that circled the room.

Then it was time to go, with memories of the healing as well as of the message the Duwamish and their guests repeated throughout the afternoon, a reminder from all Indigenous people: “We are still here.”

P.S. Before leaving Seattle, they plan to dance tomorrow (Sunday) at Pike Place, 3:30 pm.

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Next step in Duwamish Tribe’s fight for recognition: Clothing collaboration
July 17, 2021 5:53 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Duwamish Tribe | West Seattle news

Announced at the Duwamish Tribe Longhouse this afternoon before a crowd of 100+ who came for the Jingle Dress Project‘s visit (separate story on that later) – the tribe’s ongoing fight for federal recognition will include a clothing collaboration. They’re teaming up with Native-owned First Citizen Co., which showed off a few examples of the streetwear they’ll be making for the tribe to sell:

First Citizen is based in Seattle, founded by Burdette Birdinground and Devin Gros Ventre of the Crow Tribe. Duwamish Longhouse director Jolene Haas told those in attendance to watch for the formal announcement of the collaboration soon. (They already have an online store where you can buy tribe-supporting merch.)

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SATURDAY: Jingle Dress Project @ Duwamish Longhouse & Cultural Center
July 15, 2021 11:29 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Duwamish Tribe | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

Now that the weekend is in view, it’s time for a few previews. On Saturday afternoon, the Duwamish Longhouse and Cultural Center in West Seattle hosts “Art Heals: The Jingle Dress Project,” which has been touring the West. This was born from a dream that came to Navajo photographer Eugene Tapahe, who explains, “Our goal is to take the healing power of the Ojibwe jingle dress to the land, to travel, to dance and capture a series of images to document the spiritual places our ancestors once walked, and to unite and give hope to the world through art, dance and culture to help us heal.” He and the dancers are based in Utah. (You can read about the history of the jingle dress dance here.)

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WEST SEATTLE SCENE: Father’s Day Weekend Native Art Market @ Duwamish Longhouse
June 19, 2021 12:13 pm
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   Duwamish Tribe | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

(WSB photos)

Father’s Day is tomorrow. Gift-buying is one reason to visit the Duwamish Tribe Longhouse (4705 West Marginal Way) for this weekend’s Native Art Market. Among the artists you’ll meet: Margaret Morris, a Tlingit drum-maker from Edmonds:

This hand-crafted/hand-painted art is by Elena Jackson:

You can have lunch at the Longhouse, too – $25 for a salmon-bake meal, until 3 pm today, again noon-3 pm tomorrow – fry bread and corn are available too, and lots of outdoor seating:

The Art Market continues until 5 pm and again 10 am-5 pm Sunday.

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UPDATE: Duwamish Tribe hosts Gov. Inslee’s bill signing for HEAL Act
May 17, 2021 11:32 am
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Duwamish Tribe | Environment | West Seattle news

11:32 AM: Gov. Inslee is in West Seattle right now during a daylong tour of the metro area, signing bills. He has just arrived at the Duwamish Tribe Longhouse, he is signing the HEAL Act (SB 5141), which he says will “set a course toward a more healthy and equitable future with greater environmental justice for all Washingtonians.” The Longhouse is hosting a celebratory event for the occasion, both inside and outside.TVW plans to stream the signing above; we are at the Longhouse to cover the event, and we’ll add more photos/details later.

(After arrival, governor elbow-bumps Paulina López of the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition)

11:52 AM: The ceremony has begun with a song of welcome. James Rasmussen of the Duwamish Tribe then speaks.

“My people have been here for over 10,000 years.” The bill the governor will sign today, he says, is “about healing” – not just environmental, but “all kinds.” He also reminds those gathered – and those watching.- that the Duwamish are still seeking federal recognition.

11:59 AM: Now the governor takes the podium. He says this bill addressing systemic racism’s role in environmental injustice has been decades in the making. He hails the work of organizations such as the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition, whose executive director Paulina López is among the dozens of people in attendance. While the bill may “sound like process,” the governor insists that it’s “about results.”

(L-R with the governor: Sen. Rebecca Saldaña, Rep. Debra Lekanoff, Rep. Kirsten Harris-Talley)

Also speaking, the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Rebecca Saldaña. “It is about how we approach all the work we do” – to undo what has led to disparities in “health and opportunity” affecting too many “because of where they live.” Joining her at the podium is Rep. Kirsten Harris-Talley, a new legislator who speaks emotionally about her pride that this was accomplished – “I don’t want one more auntie to die 10 years too early … I don’t want one more child to have asthma” because of pollution.

12:40 PM: And after more speaking and singing, the signing.

The governor declares that the HEAL Act will make environmental justice part of the state’s “core strategy.” He moves on to one more on-location signing in about an hour, three environmental bills he’ll sign in Shoreline, two of them sponsored by West Seattle House Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon. Meantime, the video from this event should be viewable, archived, above, before long. And we’ll add more coverage when we’re back at HQ.

ADDED MONDAY NIGHT: From the legislative news release about the HEAL Act, more explanation:

Senate Bill 5141, the Healthy Environment for All Act (HEAL Act), addresses the disproportionate exposure to environmental hazards suffered by Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color, along with low-income communities in neighborhoods across Washington state, putting them at higher risk of adverse health outcomes. This risk is further amplified for communities with pre-existing economic barriers and environmental risks.

The HEAL Act, sponsored by Sen. Rebecca Saldaña (D-Seattle), implements recommendations from the Environmental Justice Task Force – established by the Legislature in 2019 – on how state agencies should incorporate environmental justice principles to reduce health disparities when implementing policies and programs. Environmental justice means the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. …

Saldaña’s bill establishes environmental justice requirements for seven state agencies, an interagency workgroup, and a permanent environmental justice council, the makeup of which includes a majority of representatives from impacted communities. It also sets timelines for guidance, recommendations, and implementation of environmental justice assessments, measurements, and public reporting of progress.

The indoor ceremony at the Duwamish Longhouse and Cultural Center was followed by an outdoor celebration (with food by the Off the Rez truck, funded by Front and Centered Coalition). Speakers included the tribe’s longtime chair Cecile Hansen:

She also reminded those in attendance that the Duwamish battle for recognition is not yet won, and noted what they had given up so long ago – 55,000 acres, while now, they hold only the 2/3 of an acre on which the Longhouse sits. As noted in our recent District 1 Community Network report, you can expect to hear more about the tribe’s renewed quest. Their message is that despite the federal attempt at erasure, “We are still here.”

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HAPPENING THIS WEEKEND: Duwamish Longhouse hosting first Native Art Market since pre-pandemic
April 10, 2021 2:56 pm
|    Comments Off on HAPPENING THIS WEEKEND: Duwamish Longhouse hosting first Native Art Market since pre-pandemic
 |   Duwamish Tribe | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

For the first time in more than a year, the Duwamish Longhouse and Cultural Center in West Seattle has opened its doors for a Native Art Market. As you can see in our photo, it’s a distanced layout – Longhouse director Jolene Haas had told the District 1 Community Network this week that they would limit the number of participating artists to allow more space for them and visitors.

You’ll still find a wide variety of art, craft, and apparel items to choose from. The event continues until 7 tonight and again 11 am-7 pm on Sunday. Free admission; mask required. And if you have to park on the other side of West Marginal Way, there is crossing assistance:

The Longhouse’s address is 4705 West Marginal Way SW.

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