Takeover at Fort Lawton

Native Americans demonstrating at Fort Lawton, Seattle, 1970

Courtesy MOHAI (1986.5.51939.1)

Takeover at Fort Lawton

The Takeover at Fort Lawton began in March of 1970 and was organized by a group formerly known as the United Indian People’s Council—now called the United Indians of All Tribes (UIAT)— with the goal of reclaiming a portion of the abandoned army post, Fort Lawton. Fort Lawton is a 1,100 acre former army post situated in present-day Discovery Park on the western edge of Seattle’s Magnolia neighborhood.

Photo by Cary Tolman, Courtesy MOHAI (1986.5.55140.1)

Bernie Whitebear (1937-2000), Seattle, 1971

The basis for the takeover was a provision included in many treaties between Native Nations and the United States which stipulates that surplus military lands be returned to their original owners, a similar logic to that used in the infamous 1969-1971 Occupation of Alcatraz. Frustrated at the inadequacy of the lands chosen to be designated as reservations, members of the now UIAT made the proclamation…

“We the native Americans reclaim the land known as Ft. Lawton in the name of all American Indians by right of discovery.

We feel that this land of Ft. Lawton is more suitable to pursue an Indian way of life, as determined by our own standards. By this we mean — this place does not resemble most Indian reservations. It has potential for modern facilities, adequate sanitation facilities, health care facilities, fresh running water, educational facilities, and transportation facilities.”

- Bernie Whitebear

University of Washington Daily Article, 1970

The occupiers intended to use the land to establish a center for Native American studies, a Native university, a center for ecology, a school, and a restaurant. This need was especially prevalent given that the University of Washington had failed to establish an American Indian Studies department at the time, leaving Seattle lacking a designated space or resources for Native education and empowerment.

The efforts of the UIAT were supported by Indigenous students and the UW Daily, which called for Seattle residents to get involved and support the cause. The UW Daily also gave a voice to student protesters, highlighting issues like police brutality and uplifting organizations like the Indian Student Association.

Though efforts to reclaim the entirety of the former fort were unsuccessful, through the work of the UIAT, Indigenous student protesters, and other supporters, the Takeover at Fort Lawton resulted in the ceding of twenty acres of the land to the UIAT, which established the Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center.

Daybreak Star Cultural Center

The center has become a space for collaboration between Native peoples and their supporters on a local, national, and international level, along with hosting a permanent collection of Native art, and being home to the Sacred Circle Gallery which features rotating exhibits of work by contemporary Native artists.

Additionally, through a $1.45 million grant secured by the American Indian Studies Department at the University of Washington through the Mellon Foundation, Daybreak Star will be collaborating with the department to establish a Daybreak Star Walking Tour.

The tour will be a public history research project on the center’s twenty acre site, complete with permanent signage telling the story of the takeover of Fort Lawton; the historical era in which the takeover took place, including information about fish-ins, the Boldt Decision, and other activist-led initiatives of the 1960s and 1970s in the Puget Sound; the Coast Salish history of the site, including village names and histories; the history of Daybreak Star; and information about contemporary activities at Daybreak Star.

Photo courtesy of the United Indians of All Tribes

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