Dr. Michael Tulee, UW alum and AIS Instructor, Director of the United Indians of All Tribes Foundation, is helping Seattle regain a Native perspective. This story was published by the Seattle Times on January 4th, 2023 and we're excited to share it with you all.
More than 150 years after Seattle’s government tried to ban Native residents and more than 50 years after Native activists embarked on a campaign to regain waterfront access in the city, a space dedicated to Coast Salish canoe culture is about to take shape on the shore of Lake Union.
The United Indians of All Tribes Foundation will hold a ceremony Friday to bless the construction of the new Canoe Carving House, which is scheduled to break ground later this year. The 1,200-square-foot structure on the western edge of Lake Union Park will be a place to carve, store, launch and educate visitors about traditional canoes made from cedar trees.
Located in the middle of tech-powered Seattle, below a thicket of glass and steel towers, the Canoe Carving House should serve as a reminder, said Mike Tulee, executive director of United Indians. Native people have always lived in the city, “but you wouldn’t know it just by walking down the street,” he said.
“There’s very little Native cultural presence in the city, especially in the heart of Seattle,” Tulee said. “We’re trying to change that.”