Image provided by: Oregon Historical Society; Portland, OR
About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (June 13, 1980)
Spilyay Tymoo Yakima’s Grand Opening New facility pays tribute to history of tribe by Donna Behrend With a sigh of relief and a quick wipe of damp brows, the 300 or so hard-working Yakima Indian Cultural Center employees and volunteers were pleased with the dedication of their new facility, June 9. Even though rain sprinkled on their parade and opening ceremonies, about 2,S00 people attended the dedication and browsed through the gift shop, museum, winter lodge, library and theatre. The day began with a short parade of decorated pickups and v a n s, fire fig h tin g equipment and small wagons pulled by even smaller ponies. Following the parade and opening remarks, about 2,000 guests were treated to a free lunch at the Sm artlowit Education Center. The Yakima tribe donated elk meat and salmon and the Lummi and Squaxin Island tribes furnished fresh oysters and clams for the feast. Other traditional foods were served as well. The museum offers great visual pleasure with wall murals painted by Yakima artist Larry George. A tule mat teepee was also set up to provide the foreground for s c e n ic p h o to g r a p h s o f ancestors and old friends. “Oh, that’s the grandfather of.....” murmured some of the people touring the 12,000 square-foot museum. G lass cases con tain ed artifacts belonging to the late- Nipo Stongheart, an honorary member of the Yakima tribe. The library has 12,000 volumes, which were also part of the estate of Strongheart. It was Strongheart who donated his collection to the tribe for proper display and more or less sparked the idea of the cultural center. Two films were shown throughout the day in the 400-seat theatre. “Braveheart,” a 1923 silent film, brought laughter from the auditorium crowd as an Indian brave won the heart of a non-Indian maiden, only to shunt her a ff e c tio n a fter he was pronounced chief of his tribe. Bob Peterson, caseworker fo r th e d iv is io n o f Protection and Advocacy for the Handicapped, provided appropriate piano music to accompany the film. The second film “More than Bows and Arrows” gave an histroical review of Indian trials and tribulations. The Sagebrush Associates performed dances and told a brief histroy of each dance. A Whitehouse spokesman, Admiral Freeman, presented the Tribe with a letter from President Carter congratula ting them on their achieve ments. Many other local, state and federal officials also attended the opening. The Yakima architectural firm of Doudna and Williams worked with consultant Pietro Belluschi on the design of the f iv e -b u ild in g c o m p le x . Belluschi is a world renowned architect and has approxi mately 1,500 buildings to his credit. Belluschi attended the opening and when asked if he thought the complex was what: he h ad im a g in e d , he commented that it was better, o b v io u sly proud o f his accomplishment. Center director Gary Young s a y s th e s u r r o u n d in g co m m u n itie s have been supportive of the new facility. “Local businesses will probably have an increase in their b u sin ess because o f the Jimmy Selam explained the construction o f a tule mat teepee to (from left to right) Anna Clements, H azel Tewe and Loretta Selam. Selam has worked with the Indian Life program at the Yakima Cultural Heritage Center fo r the past 18 months. fa c ility .” M any feel the complex is the greatest thing that has happened to the valley, which -has a population of 250,000. Some people are driving 100 miles just to visit the center and have a meal at the Heritage Inn restaurant, which is also part of the complex. The center, indeed, is a landmark in the fertile Yakima Valley. It stands as a tribute to th e Y a k im a s , to th e ir enterprising nature and their desire to preserve their past and identity. The facility will insure future generations that their history and culture is accurately documented and permanently recorded. Recognition lights up the face o f H azel Tewee as she points to a familiar face on an exhibit photo. Such ph otos make up but a part o f the Center’s spacious (12,000 square feet) exhibhfon area that includes artifacts donated by silent fibn star N ipo Strongheart, a photos by Donna Behrend 12,000 volumn library, murals by Yakima artist Larry George and a 400-seat theatre. The new complex is expected to bring added business to area merchants.
