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.