Daybreak Star Pow Wow, Seattle, WA

July 15 – 17, 2011

Seattle, WA Daybreak Star Pow Wow Friday, July 15th I got up and quickly got dressed since it is once again really cold. I decided I have had enough of the wet cold weather so I got ready to leave my campsite, even though I had paid for tonight. I wanted to go get my fridge checked out and fixed if need be since I have some time now before the pow wows begin . I emptied my dirty water and waste tanks and headed towards Tacoma where I knew there was a Camping World store. I had the service department person look at the camper and he determined that my cooling unit was not working that’s why my fridge was not getting cold. I was told I needed a new fridge and it’s very expensive since it’s a gas/electric 2 way fridge and being a 5 cubic foot fridge, it’s not a size they stock, it has to be ordered. I found out that there is a Camping World store in Burlington, WA near where I will be at a pow wow called Journey the last week in July, so I called up there and they will have my fridge for me on August 2nd, hopefully. It turns out the sales tax rate is lower there than the 9% in Seattle area, so I will save about $25 in taxes. I had to throw away all the food in my freezer and a little in my fridge, but it’s okay. I am safe and that’s the important thing, and I can still use my camper without a fridge.

I drove up to Seattle to a pow wow and hooked up with my friend Bear/Ron and put a few items in his fridge and helped him set up. I am camping in a field at the Daybreak Star Indian grounds in Discovery Park for the weekend. It is cold and rainy here too. Saturday and Sunday, July 16th and 17th We got up and had breakfast and then opened the booth for the pow wow, it was still raining, but it turns out about noon the weather cleared and the sun came out.

Photos of Daybreak Star pow wow.

Dancers in opening ceremony

For the opening ceremony the Attorney General and one of the Congressman were in attendance.  It turns out the AG is running for governor so that’s probably why he was there. I met lots of new people and talked with many of the vendors and people in line when I was getting some food. Lots of new experiences for me. There is a Chief Seattle Club that helps the homeless and indigent with job placement, health care, learning to do crafts to support themselves, etc. Many of the participants of the programs were there selling their handmade items. They did some really beautiful beadwork, metal work, drew greeting cards, etc. I was really impressed by not only their artwork and skills, but by getting to know several of them.

More Dancers for opening ceremony

J T White Memorial Totem Pole

There was also a booth for the J.T. White totem pole project. JT was a Native American shot and killed on August 30, 2010 by a Seattle police officer. It turns out that JT had a carving knife and piece of wood in his hand and the police officer stopped and told him to put the knife down and he didn’t, primarily because he had a hearing problem. The police officer shot and killed JT and it turns out the carving knife with a 3 inch blade was closed and JT was not a threat to anyone. There was a trial, and the shooting was not justified and it caused an uproar in the community. If you are interested, I’m sure you can do a search on the Internet and learn more. The outcome of the event was that there is a project in Seattle now to carve the first totem pole in about 70 years, it will be on the Seattle waterfront near Pier 56 I believe. JT’s brother Rick is heading the project and I got to meet Rick’s son and some friends and learn more about JT and the project. They had a small wood replica of the totem pole which will be painted when completed. It’s really interesting about the symbols and meaning of the totem pole which is being carved in JT’s memory.

Raccoon having a feast!

Saturday evening I was walking around the pow wow looking at the various booths and passed a big metal garbage container, it was like a large 18 wheeler container type receptacle, open on one end close to the ground. It turns out there was a very large raccoon in the dumpster going through the black plastic garbage bags finding things to eat, it was really having a good time feasting. Finally, after about 10 minutes, it found a really large piece of meat or something and it took it in it’s mouth and walked out of the dumpster into the woods behind one of the tents. I was able to get a good picture of the raccoon with my phone, I wished I had my camera handy. Let’s see, I had some fresh salmon that was baked over a wood fire, it tasted really good, and especially since it was warm when it was so cold outside. I’ve been wearing a scarf, jacket, socks, boots, and still feel my bones being cold. It was sunny part of Saturday, but it rained all day on Sunday. I was really impressed by the variety of regalia that the dancers wore, even in the rain. We packed up the booth Sunday night and I went back to my camper to get warm. Even though I was in bed about 9 at night, I couldn’t fall asleep until about 11.

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