Indigenous People Festival

OVERVIEW

Seattle Center Festál presents Indigenous People Festival in partnership with Seattle Indian Health Board (SIHB). The festival provides a venue for Native people to celebrate their unique cultures through song, dance, performances, art, food, and the sharing of indigenous knowledge.

HISTORY

Seattle Indian Health Board (SIHB) is a community health clinic that provides health and human services to its patients, while specializing in the care of Native people. The organization is recognized as a leader in the promotion of health improvement for urban American Indians and Alaska Natives, locally and nationally.

In addition to its main clinic in the International District, SIHB recently opened two new satellite clinics – in Pioneer Square adjacent to Chief Seattle Club and Lake City above North Helpline – and a mobile dental van that will be onsite at the Festival for tours. The organization serves approximately 6,000 patients annually in King County, and more than 4,000 of those identify as American Indian and/or Alaska Native, and  employs more than 200 people. 

SIHB opened its doors to the community in 1970. In the 1960s, Native activists refused to let urban Indians go unseen and ignored any longer, which inspired the formation of a number of Native organizations, including SIHB. For the first time, urban Indians in Seattle had access to healthcare and services by organizations that were operated by Native people for Native people.

Seattle Indian Health Board (SIHB) is a private, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization.

DID YOU KNOW?

• 7 out of 10 American Indians and Alaska Natives live in urban areas.
• Urban Indians are tribal people currently living off federally-defined tribal lands in urban areas and are often an overlooked population in society, despite representing the majority of American Indians and Alaska Natives throughout the country.
• There are over 500 federally recognized tribes in the United States, each with its own unique culture, language, and traditions. The diversity among Native American cultures reflects a wide range of historical and social experiences.
• Indigenous art forms, such as beadwork, basket weaving, and totem carving, hold significant cultural meanings and are often used to tell stories, convey spiritual beliefs, and preserve history. Additionally, Indigenous art is modern, and not limited by materiality or theme.
• Indigenous communities are often at the forefront of environmental activism. Many Indigenous groups advocate for the protection of sacred lands and water sources, and they play a key role in the global movement to address climate change.
• There is amazing work being done around language revitalization. This is a multigenerational effort in response to genocidal policies. Indigenous people are the greatest source of language diversity, and have the greatest stake in its preservation.