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63-520: The existing building, a work of modern architecture incorporating many elements of traditional Northwest Native architecture, was designed by Arai Jackson Architects and Planners and completed in 1977. In 2004, plans were approved to supplement it with a complex of three additional related buildings, to be known as the People's Lodge. This was Whitebear's final dream project before he died of cancer in 2000. But in 2006, after agreements had been reached between

126-426: A college or university campus, a tribe, or any other organization that can provide startup funds, insurance, and volunteer workers. A powwow committee consists of several individuals who do all the planning before the event. If a pow wow has a sponsor, such as a tribe, college , or organization, many or all members of the committee may come from that group. The committee is responsible for recruiting and hiring

189-407: A host drum, which is accorded great respect. The members of drum groups are often family, extended family, or friends. Groups are then often named for families, geographic locations, tribal societies, or more colorful names. Many groups display their names on jackets, caps, vehicles, and chairs. Traditionally, only men would drum and women would sit behind the men, singing high harmonies. Beginning in

252-476: A different step to be used during them, but are open for dancers of any style. In addition to the open dances, contest dances for a particular style and age group are often held, with the top winners receiving a cash prize. To compete in a contest, the dancer must be in regalia appropriate for the competition. Larger pow wows have more specific categories. The dance categories vary somewhat by region, but general categories are as follows: Normal intertribal dancing

315-402: A drum to indicate his request for a song even if it is not that drum group's turn to sing. In some regions, it is considered disrespectful to leave a drum completely unattended. Some drum groups do not allow females to sit down at their drum but welcome them to stand behind the drummers and sing backup harmonies; the reasons for this point vaguely to a variety of tribal stories that attempt to tell

378-797: A group of mostly student activists then occupying Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay . Joe DeLaCruz , leader of the Quinault , conducted outreach to every tribe in Washington State to try to gain their support for gaining land in Seattle. Kinatechitapi's first efforts to open discussions about the property with the City of Seattle, in advance of surplus land being transferred to the city, failed. The City, under mayor Wes Uhlman , said it would not open discussions until it had acquired

441-718: A land base for urban Indians" into "a bizarre, ready-for-prime-time, movie scenario, complete with soldiers, modern-day Indians, and anti-war activists. Without really appreciating it at the time, the Indian movement had achieved through Jane Fonda's presence, a long-sought credibility which would not have been possible otherwise." On the evening of March 7, 1970, at a pow-wow held at the Filipino Community Hall in south Seattle, invasion plans were announced. The following day, March 8, 1970, about 100 "Native Americans and sympathizers" confronted military police in riot gear at

504-702: A modern building. It opened in 1977. In the same era when Daybreak Star was being constructed, Whitebear was appointed to the Seattle Arts Commission . The UIATF was granted an $ 80,000 arts grant for the center. The Center has wireless Internet access ("UIATF-A"). https://www.unitedindians.org/arts-culture/sacred-circle-gallery/ https://www.unitedindians.org/daybreak-star-center/ https://sacredcirclegiftsandart.com/pages/locations 47°40′05″N 122°25′05″W  /  47.66806°N 122.41806°W  / 47.66806; -122.41806 Pow wow A powwow (also pow wow or pow-wow )

567-487: A pentatonic scale, like playing only the black keys on a piano. While to the outsider, it may simply sound like drum beats accompanied by vocables, some songs include words in Cree, Pikuni, Lushuutsid, Niimipuu, Lakhota, Sahpatin, Salish, Ojibwemowin, or many other Native languages. Bob Satiacum Robert "Bob" Satiacum (1929–March 25, 1991) was a Puyallup tribal leader and an advocate of native treaty fishing rights in

630-432: A pow-wow. In many cases, the head dancers are also responsible for leading the dancers during songs, and often dancers will not enter the arena unless the head dancers are already out dancing. The singers perform while singing. Host drummers are responsible for leading songs at the beginning and end of a pow-wow session, typically starting with a grand entry song, followed by a flag song, veterans or victory song. To conclude

693-636: A relationship with Tom McLaughlin, deputy regional director of the United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare and through him with Buck Kelley , the regional director and top political appointee for HEW in the region. UIATF, which had previously avoided dealing with the BIA, now went through the National Congress of American Indians to approach the BIA and request a freeze on plans to transfer land at Fort Lawton until

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756-647: A respected member of the community to deliver an invocation. The host drum that did not perform the Grand Entry song will then perform a Flag Song, followed by a Victory or Veterans' Song, during which the flags and staffs are placed at the MC's table. The styles and types of dances at a pow wow are descended from the traditions of the Great Plains nations of Canada and the United States . Besides those for

819-398: A shortened chorus. Sometimes a drum group will sing the song more than four times, particularly when the song feels good and the singers seize the moment for an extra pushup or two (or more), or when a dancer blows a whistle or passes his staff or fan over the drum to signal that the song is to be continued four extra pushups while he prays. Singing differs by region in that a high falsetto

882-454: A variety of large art works by and about Native Americans, notably Blue Jay , a 30-foot (9 m) wide, 12 foot (3.7 m) high sculpture by Lawney Reyes , Whitebear's brother. It was commissioned by and hung prominently for more than 30 years at the Bank of California building in downtown Seattle . (After the Bank of California merged with Union Bank in 1996 to form Union Bank of California , the work

945-466: Is a gathering with dances held by many Native American and First Nations communities. Powwows today are an opportunity for Indigenous people to socialize, dance, sing, and honor their cultures. Powwows may be private or public, indoors or outdoors. Dancing events can be competitive with monetary prizes. Powwows vary in length from single-day to weeklong events. In mainstream American culture, such as 20th-century Western movies or by military personnel,

1008-457: Is an individual activity, but there are also couples and group dances. Couples dances include the two step and owl dance . During a two step, each couple follows the lead of the head dancers, forming a line behind them. In contrast, in an owl dance, each couple dances alone. Group dances include the Snake and Buffalo dance, where the group dances to mimic the motions of a snake at the beginning of

1071-584: Is often covered by either a committee-built arbor or tent, or each group, particularly the MC and the drums, will provide their own. While most of the time, a tent provides shelter from the sun, rain can also plague outdoor events. It is particularly important to protect the drums used by the drum groups, as they are sensitive to temperature changes and, if it rains, they cannot get wet. Most vendors provide their own tents or shelters at an outdoor pow wow. Pow-wow etiquette includes guidelines regarding acceptable behavior, such as rules for photography and protocol during

1134-492: Is often set up as a series of large circles. The center circle is the dance arena , outside of which is a larger circle consisting of the MC's table, drum groups, and sitting areas for dancers and their families. Beyond these two circles for participants is an area for spectators, while outside of all are designated areas with vendor's booths, where one can buy food, music, jewelry, souvenirs, arts and crafts, beadwork, leather, and regalia supplies. At outdoor pow wows, this circle

1197-498: Is particularly evident in intertribal songs, such as the AIM Song , which cannot be biased towards a certain language . The song structure consists of four pushups , singing through the chorus and verse four times. In each chorus, the melody is introduced or led off by the lead singer, who is then seconded by another singer. The second singer begins to vary the melody before the leader's first line ends. They are then joined by

1260-402: Is used in the north, while in the south, a lower range is used. "To the unfamiliar listener, Indian singing sounds exotic, different, and difficult to comprehend," and the contrast in the quality or timbre of voice used in traditional Indian and European music may have much to do with that difficulty. However, "to the trained ear, melodies flow, ascend and descend" while dancers react to changes in

1323-588: The Daybreak Star Cultural Center . By the early 1980s, Satiacum had "amassed a fortune" which ultimately led to an investigation by the U.S. government. In 1982 a jury convicted him under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) for selling cigarettes illegally, for embezzlement of tribal health care funds, and for illegally attempting to control competing businesses through an arson campaign. He

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1386-511: The MPs ". MPs (Military Police), aided by regular Army troops and Seattle Police, initially placed the invaders in the fort stockade, then ejected them from the fort. The Indian activists established a tipi encampment outside the fort. Mayor Uhlman and Senator Jackson held a press conference about the Fort Lawton property, promising a city park at the site above Puget Sound. They did not refer to

1449-404: The "Hot Five" method five beats are used, with the first hard beat four beats before the second, after which the beats alternate. To understand drum protocol, a drum may be thought of as a person or being and is to be regarded and respected as such. Drum etiquette is highly important. There are regional variations. The drum is the central symbol of Oklahoma pow wows and is located in the center of

1512-541: The "first" pow wow. Initially, public dances that most resemble what are now known as pow wows were most common in the Great Plains region of the United States during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a time when the United States government destroyed many Native communities in the hopes of acquiring land for economic exploitation. In 1923, Charles H. Burke , Commissioner of Indian Affairs in

1575-439: The "hard beats" used to indicate sections of the song. The "traditional method" consists of a pronounced strike by all singers every other beat. These may appear in the first or second line of a song, the end of a section, before the repetition of a song. A cluster of three hard beats (on consecutive beats) may be used at the end of a series of hard beats, while a few beats in the first line of a song indicate performer enthusiasm. In

1638-548: The City granted $ 600,000 to the American Indian Women's Service League for a social services center. Whitebear was soon elected as CEO of the UIATF, and undertook fundraising (including a one million dollar grant from the state), and supervision of design and construction. Whitebear's brother Lawney Reyes joined with architects of Arai Jackson to design the facility, which used traditional Native American elements in

1701-437: The Grand Entry. Common practices emphasize respect for participants and traditions. The clothing worn by participants is referred to as 'regalia' and should not be called a 'costume.' Additionally, certain rules promote courtesy, such as refraining from touching or playing the drums unless one is part of the drum group. It is also important to avoid touching individuals or their regalia without permission. Certain tribes, including

1764-531: The Indian action. Organizing as the United Indians of All Tribes Foundation (UIATF) with Whitebear as executive director, the Indians used tactics ranging from politicking to occupation of land to celebrity appearances to gain more support. For three months, activists engaged in what Whitebear later described as "Invasion, arrests, jailings, letters of expulsion from military property, physical escort off

1827-506: The Magnolia Community Club, a group with significant political clout, were opposed to an Indian presence on the Fort Lawton land. Kinatechitapi members split between a faction that called for direct action and one that preferred to wait until the city acquired the land, in order to conduct negotiations. Prominent among those who preferred to wait was Pearl Warren, founder of the American Indian Women's Service League, who

1890-553: The Pascua Yaqui and Hopi, prohibit photography and sketching during ceremonies. A pow-wow session begins with the Grand Entry and a prayer. The Eagle Staff leads the Grand Entry, followed by flags and then the dancers, while one of the host drums performs an opening song. This event is considered sacred, and some pow-wows prohibit filming or photography during this time, though others permit it. When military veterans or active duty service members are present, they are often given

1953-487: The United States, passed legislation modeled on Circular 1665, which he published in 1921. This legislation restricted the times of the year in which Native Americans could practice traditional dance, which Burke deemed as a direct threat to the Christian religion. However, many Native communities continued to gather together in secret to practice their cultures' dance and music in defiance of this and other legislation. By

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2016-522: The United States. He was convicted in 1982 of attempted murder, embezzlement of tribal funds, and other charges but fled to Canada to avoid a prison term. He was convicted of child molestation in Canada in 1989. Satiacum was a 1947 graduate of Lincoln High School in Tacoma, Washington , where he was a star athlete. His son, Robert Satiacum, Jr. , was a faithless elector in 2016 . He first came to

2079-524: The behest of the Fort Lewis coalition, actress Jane Fonda came to Seattle at the time of the invasion of Fort Lawton. According to Whitebear, her presence "captured the imagination of the world press. American Indians were attacking active military forts along with one of the nation's leading opponents of United States involvement in the Vietnam War." Her presence transformed "an effort to secure

2142-409: The city but was not constrained in use. In that period of Indian activism, many of Seattle's urban Indians were concerned to gain a land base within the city. (As of the early 21st century, about 25,000 Indians from a variety of tribes live in the Seattle area.) A group arose, initially identifying as Kinatechitapi , Blackfoot for "All Indians"; the name referred to the Indians of All Tribes (IAT),

2205-421: The dance floor and pow wow (which are themselves shaped in concentric circles). Southern drums are suspended by four posts, one for each direction. Northern drums are set up on the outside of the dance area, with the host drum in the best position. Drummer-singers are expected to remain at their drum and ready to sing at any moment's notice; a dancer might approach the drum and whistle, fan, or gesture his staff over

2268-523: The dance, then changes to mimic the actions of a herd of buffalo. At pow wows, where there is a large Southern Plains community in the area, the Gourd Dance is often included before the start of the pow wow sessions. The gourd dance originated with the Kiowa tribe and spread from there. It is a society dance for veterans and their families. Unlike other dances, the gourd dance is normally performed with

2331-462: The drum in the center of the dance arena, not on the side. Though there are many genres unique to different tribes , pow wow music is characterized by pan or intertribalism with the Plains cultures , the originators of the modern pow wow, predominating. For information on dancing, see Dances . There may be many drums at a pow wow, especially weekend or week-long ones, but each pow wow features

2394-409: The entire chorus for the rest of the pushup. Three down strokes or hard beats mark the end of the chorus and beginning of the verse, and during these dancers will alter their dancing such as by hopping low like fancy dancers. An increase in tempo and volume on the last five beats marks the end of the final verse. The dancing stops on the final beat and then a tail , or coda , finishes the song with

2457-581: The fort, re-invasion." The Army cordoned off the fort with concertina wire , brought in two companies of troops from Fort Lewis to prevent incursions, and dug foxholes. By this time more than 40 non-Indian organizations in King County supported the Indians' efforts. Gary and Beverly Beaver, Randy Lewis, Grace Thorpe, Douglas Remington, and Bernie Whitebear testified before a congressional committee chaired by Morris Udall , and received support from US congressman Brock Adams from Seattle. Whitebear forged

2520-410: The fort, while about 500 supporters staged a legal protest outside the gates. Some of the invaders reached the base chapel, where a Sunday service was in progress, but in general, skirmish lines were quickly formed and the military police contained the invasion. Some of the invaders failed to maintain non-violence, especially when confronted by what Whitebear characterized as "overly aggressive handling by

2583-549: The grounds of Fort Lawton , located on Puget Sound in the northwestern section of the Magnolia neighborhood. The state's two U.S. Senators, Henry M. "Scoop" Jackson and Warren G. Magnuson amended the U.S. Land and Water Conservation Act of 1965 , reducing the previous 50-100 percent cost of acquiring surplus federal government property to 0-50 percent, so that such property might be acquired by bodies other than real estate developers. The property would initially be transferred to

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2646-433: The head staff is an honor, showing respect for the person's skills or dedication. The master of ceremonies , or MC, is the voice of the pow wow. It is his job to keep the singers, dancers, and public informed as to what is happening. The MC sets the schedule of events and maintains the drum rotation , or order of when each drum group gets to sing. The MC is also responsible for filling any dead air time that may occur during

2709-410: The head staff, publicizing the powwow, securing a location, and recruiting vendors who pay for the right to set up and sell food or merchandise at the powwow. The head staff of a pow-wow are the people who run the event on the day or days it occurs. They are generally hired by the powwow committee several months in advance, as the quality of the head staff can affect attendance. To be chosen as part of

2772-560: The history of drumming as each group understands it. The drum is offered gifts of tobacco during giveaways and musicians acknowledge this by standing. While the drum is central to pow wows, "the drum only helps them keep beat. Dancers key on the melody of the song. Rhythms , tones, pitch all help create their ' moves '." (p. 85) Note that Bill Runs Above did not mention the lyrics of the songs, and while they are no doubt important, most lyrics of most songs employ vocables , syllable sounds such as "ya," "hey," and "loi" (p. 86). This

2835-431: The honor for carrying the flags and eagle staffs. These individuals are followed by the head dancers, after which the remaining dancers typically enter the arena in a designated order: Men's Traditional, Men's Grass Dance, Men's Fancy, Women's Traditional, Women's Jingle, and Women's Fancy. This sequence is then followed by teens and small children in the same order. After the Grand Entry, the master of ceremonies (MC) invites

2898-456: The incident, but would be issued a summons to appear in court the following week. This ultimately culminated in the historic Boldt Decision , which held that treaties signed with native tribes and the federal government in the 1850s entitled the tribes to fifty percent of the total fish harvest. Satiacum was prominent the 1970 action at Seattle 's Fort Lawton that resulted in the creation of United Indians of All Tribes and ultimately of

2961-548: The issue between UIATF and the City was resolved. BIA commissioner Louis Bruce imposed such a freeze for a time, but eventually backed off at the behest of his boss, the Department of the Interior . When the federal government officially put the surplus land up for offers, UIATF filed to acquire a portion of the fort directly from the federal government. Thanks to Whitebear's maneuvering, UIATF's application to acquire part of

3024-478: The land was technically filed prior to the City's application for the whole parcel. The federal General Services Administration , which handled the surplus process, ultimately insisted that the City and UIATF come up with a joint plan for the property. In November 1971, the parties agreed that the city would grant UIATF with a 99-year lease on 20 acres (81,000 m²) in what would become Seattle's Discovery Park , with options for renewal without renegotiation. In addition,

3087-545: The land, and referred the group to the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). As Whitebear later wrote, "This action displayed their ignorance of both the BIA's restricted service policy, which excluded urban Indians, and also the disregard and disfavor urban Indians held for the BIA." The City said that the Indian Center in a former church near Stewart Street downtown was an adequate facility for Seattle's Indians. The members of

3150-544: The mid-1970s, women began drumming with men and seconding , or singing, an octave higher, the song. Today, there are mixed-gender and all-female drum groups. The supplies a drum group carries include the drum, rawhide headed, a cloth bag for padded drum sticks, the drum stand, folding chairs for sitting, and, in some cases, a public address system. The drum head, stand, microphone stands, and PA box are often decorated with paintings or eagle feathers, fur, flags, and strips of colored cloth. Readily noticeable in performances are

3213-462: The mid-twentieth century, powwows were also being held in the Great Lakes region. Planning for a powwow generally begins months, perhaps even a year, before the event by a group of people usually referred to as a powwow committee. Pow wows may be sponsored by a tribal organization, an American Native community within an urban area, a Native American Studies program, or an American Native club on

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3276-510: The name "American Indian Fort Lawton Occupation Forces". The faction included Bob Satiacum , initially a rival to Whitebear for the top leadership role. A group vote settled on Whitebear as leader. Some of the Indians of All Tribes traveled to Seattle from Alcatraz for the action, including Richard Oakes , leader of that action; other activists came from Canada. Grace Thorpe , daughter of athlete Jim Thorpe , also arrived to give support. Local activists Ella Aquino and Ramona Bennett helped plan

3339-534: The occupation. The group planned to invade the base from two directions, with one group scaling the bluffs from Elliott Bay while another scaled the fence near the Lawton Wood community on the north side of the base. The group committed to nonviolence in this action. American Indian soldiers and others were protesting at Fort Lewis , near Tacoma, linking native rights to opposition to the Vietnam War . At

3402-406: The opening and closing of a pow wow session, the most common is the intertribal , where a Drum will sing a song, and anyone who wants to can come and dance. Similar dances are the round dance ; crow hop when performed by a northern drum or a horse stealing song by a southern drum; there is also "double beat", "sneakup" and, for Women's Traditional and Jingle, "sidestep". Each of these songs have

3465-565: The pow wow, often with jokes. The MC often runs any raffles or other contests that may happen during the pow wow. The head dancers consist of the Head Man Dancer and the Head Woman Dancer, and often Head Teen Dancers, Head Little Boy and Girl Dancers, Head Golden Age Dancers, and a Head Gourd Dancer if the pow wow has a Gourd Dance . The head dancers lead the other dancers in the grand entry or parade of dancers that opens

3528-483: The pow-wow, they also perform a flag song, retreat song, and a closing song. Additionally, if a pow-wow has gourd dancing, the Southern Host Drum is often the drum that sings all the gourd songs, though another drum can perform them. The host drums are often called upon to sing special songs during the pow-wow. Famous host drums include Black Lodge Singers , Cozad Singers , and Yellowhammer . A pow wow

3591-619: The public attention in 1954, when he was arrested for illegally fishing in the Puyallup River in Tacoma, Washington . Satiacum was convicted, but the Washington State Supreme Court overturned the conviction. This led to years of legal wranglings over the issue, as well as to "fish-ins" by Satiacum and his cadre of celebrity supporters, most notably Marlon Brando , who was arrested while protesting with him on March 2, 1964; Satiacum would not be detained during

3654-466: The structure of the melody and the song. Boye Ladd says, "If you give me a stink song, I'll dance stink. If you give me good music, I'll give you a great show," implying that one can appreciate the music through the dancing, which is readily appreciated by everyone. But others say that today's contemporary contest dancers should dance their best no matter how well or poorly the drum group singing for their contest is. Generally, Native American singing follows

3717-485: The term powwow was used to refer to any type of meeting. This usage is now considered by some Native Americans to be an offensive case of appropriation because of the cultural significance powwows hold. The word powwow is derived from the Narragansett word powwaw , meaning "spiritual leader." The term has variants, including Powaw , Pawaw , Powah, Pauwau and Pawau . A number of nations claim to have held

3780-470: The tribes, the city and nearby residents on a reduced size for the new project, the Center decided to postpone construction indefinitely for lack of funds. Daybreak Star, a major nucleus of Native American cultural activity in its region, functions as a conference center, a location for pow wows , the location for a Head Start school program, and an art gallery. The center's permanent art collection includes

3843-559: Was concerned that a militant attitude would result in the city's reducing its provision of services to urban Indians. Members agreed that those who wished to take more extreme action would not use the name Kinatechitapi. Warren lost the next election for presidency of the Service League to Joyce Reyes, who was aligned with those promoting direct action. All significant Seattle Indian organizations agreed on taking action. The more militant faction, led by Bernie Whitebear, soon adopted

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3906-612: Was donated to the Daybreak Star Center.) Also included in that donation was a major oil painting by Guy Anderson , based on a traditional Northwest Native representation of a whale . Bernie Whitebear is memorialized by the Bernie Whitebear Memorial Ethnobotanical Garden next to the Center building. In 1970, the U.S. federal government was in the process of reviewing military needs and planned to declare as surplus much of

3969-520: Was separately convicted of conspiracy to murder his former girlfriend. Satiacum fled to Canada before he could be sent to prison. He was re-arrested in Canada but in 1987, he became the first U.S. citizen to be granted refugee status in Canada. Satiacum was later found to have molested a 10-year-old girl in Canada and the refugee status decision was subsequently reversed by the Federal Court of Canada . After fleeing Canadian authorities, he

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