In Honor of Bernie Whitebear
This month we celebrate Bernie Whitebear's birthday and his enduring legacy of social activism. This year also marks the 50th anniversary of the historic Takeover event of Fort Lawton. Bernie, alongside a stalwart group of activists, staged a successful protest at Fort Lawton which has since become the site of our cherished Daybreak Star Cultural Center.
Bernie's biography chronicles his immense contributions to his community and the legacy of his many accomplishments for Native rights. We invite you to learn more about Bernie Whitebear's life and the historical events surrounding his upbringing and experiences through the array of books written by his brother, Lawney L. Reyes.
We carry this collection of books written by Lawney L. Reyes alongside others that are co-written with Therese Kennedy Johns. His stories document the battle for Native American fishing rights near Tacoma, Washington, the colorful history surrounding the building of the Grand Coulee Dam, and a lively story about Indian Relay Racing. He recently released A Tribal Manifesto, which is a fascinating collection of 54 biographies and autobiographies of many renowned and successful Natives from nearby communities and abroad.
Below is an excerpt from Lawney's recent interview with Justus Cadell of The Trial Tribune upon the release of A Tribal Manifesto:
Colville Tribal author Lawney Reyes says his new book 'A Tribal Manifesto' was borne from a moment of half-unconsciousness in the middle of the night. He woke up thinking of Manifest Destiny, he said, " I knew what this was all about, when the white man decided to take all the Indian land in America and moved them all onto the reservations or killed them,", he said. "This happened in the 1800s. That's what inspired me. The white man said that they did not think that Indians had the genetic make-up to be part of a larger society, the white society. They didn't think Indians were smart enough. But I knew there were a number of Indians who were very successful."
Lawney undertakes to set the record straight on this misconception with A Tribal Manifesto. This book comes hand signed by the authors and is exclusive to the Sacred Circle Gift Shops and online store.
