Well, for a lot of Native Americans, it's a beacon of hope.
When a lot of Native Americans came here, even like I said, in the early fifties,
there was a lot of needs that were very much needed, but they just
didn't know where to look.
This beacon of hope is Daybreak Star Cultural Center.
It's soaring design and construction from natural Northwest materials
make it stand out, yet fit in among the evergreens at Seattle's Discovery Park.
Mike Tulee is executive director of United Indians of All Tribes Foundation,
the group created by indigenous activist Bernie Whitebear more than 50 years ago.
Well, it's an organization that was founded on
social values back in 1970.
At some point there was a gentleman named Bernie Whitebear, who's seen
a lot of powerful social needs for natives within the urban sector of Seattle,
and so he took it upon himself to gather others of like minded philosophies,
and one day they decided that we're going to fight for our rights.
As the 1960s were drawing to a close.
Hundreds of acres of the old army base at Fort Lawton were being surplused.
Bernie Whitebear was born in the 1930s and grew up in northeastern
Washington on the Colville Reservation,
living in a tent with his brother Lawney and his sister Luana.
In 1970, after moving to Seattle,
Bernie saw an opportunity to reclaim land for indigenous people.
Took this place over for a set of time
beginning March 8th, 1970, lasted for about a month.
There was a great deal of kerfuffle about it
between the the Urban Indians of this city.
Washington's powerful U.S.
senators got involved to help find a solution.
So Henry Scoop Jackson and Warren Magnuson, they brokered that deal
between a Bernie Whitebear and the city of Seattle.
That deal was for 20 acres of land and construction of Daybreak
Star, which was completed in 1977.
Along with an art gallery and a Head Start program,
the beacon of hope is home base for the United Indians of All Tribes
Foundation and their work serving Indigenous people.
We try to find these folks, find out what is that need.
How can we help you?
We have 12 different programs that we can
we can deploy and see if we can make something happen.
Depending on specific needs, program staff connect people with support
such as nutrition for elders, foster care, homelessness
prevention and other resources from within and from other organizations.
Bear room this is Nick. Do you copy? Bear room.
This is Nick.
We're pretty much strongly outfitted to provide
these kind of services towards their needs.
Though Bernie Whitebear passed away in 2000.
His legacy at Daybreak
Star clearly lives on.
Well, he was very highly intelligent, very charming.
He could really bring a smile on your face.
He just knew how to really engage with folks.
He just had a very powerful personality that influenced a lot of people
in a great way.
I was fortunate because I also had an older brother and sister that
contributed a great deal to
my childhood.
Bernie's big brother is artist Lawney Reyes.
One of his most famous works, Blue Jay, is on display at Daybreak Star.
To his brother, Bernie was family
just a regular guy.
More than 50 years
after Bernie Whitebear led the effort to create Daybreak Star, it's a good bet
that the house that Bernie built will always be a beacon of hope.