History
Daybreak Star owes its existence to Native American activists, including United Indians’ founder, Bernie Whitebear. Together with the Indian community, they staged a non-violent takeover and occupation of the land in 1970 after most of the Fort Lawton military base was declared surplus by the U.S. Department of Defense.
Architecture
The building was completed and opened to the public in 1977. It is an impressive piece of modern architecture incorporating many elements of traditional Northwest Native architecture.
Cultural Center, Event and Conference Space
A major nucleus of Native American cultural activity as well as a unique event space, Daybreak Star services as a conference center, a location for powwows, home to United Indians’ Sacred Circle Gallery, and the headquarters of our organization and many of our services.
Permanent Art Collection
The center’s permanent art collection includes 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 Bernie Whitebear’s brother Lawney Reyes, which came to the Center in 2004 after hanging prominently for over 30 years at the Bank of California building in downtown Seattle. Also included in that donation was a major oil painting by Guy Anderson based on a traditional Northwest Native representation of a whale.
