Seattle’s Honors Indigenous Peoples’ Day and Native American Heritage Month with Festivities, Exhibits, and Performances
SEATTLE – This fall, Seattle acknowledges the ongoing contributions, cultures, and histories of its Native communities with Indigenous Peoples’ Day on Oct. 13 and Native American Heritage Month in November. Seattle visitors and locals alike are encouraged to join the city’s celebrations and to support Native businesses, artists, and programs year-round.
Indigenous Peoples’ Day Celebrations
Seattle became one of the first U.S. cities to formally recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day in 2014, following the advocacy of Native organizers and allies. In celebration, the United Indians of All Tribes Foundation hosted Seattle’s first Indigenous Peoples’ Day celebration, which is now an annual tradition and will take place at the Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center on Oct. 13.
“We are proud to carry on the tradition of celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day at the Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center,” said Dr. Michael Tulee, Chief Executive Officer of United Indians of All Tribes Foundation. “For decades, Native activists and allies fought for the space in which the cultural center is located, and celebrating this important day here pays honor to our history and heritage. The Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center is a major hub for our community and the perfect place to celebrate our past, present, and future. We invite everyone to come celebrate with us.”
Visitors and locals are welcome to join the city’s Indigenous Peoples’ Day festivities, like Indigenous Peoples’ Day at the Burke Museum (Oct. 12) and the Indigenous Peoples’ Day Celebration at Pier 62 at Waterfront Park (Oct. 13).
Native American Heritage Month Events
For Native American Heritage Month in November, Seattle offers a variety of exhibitions, performances, and programs to dive into.
The Burke Museum’s new exhibit, “Woven in Wool: Resilience in Coast Salish Weaving,” created in partnership with Native artists and the Coast Salish Wool Weaving Center, explores the seasonal cycle of Coast Salish weaving, from gathering and preparing materials to production. The exhibit showcases both traditional and contemporary weavings created by the artists in residence, providing insight into the cultural and scientific significance of Coast Salish weaving. The exhibit will be open through Aug. 30, 2026.
“As matriarchs and leaders, we are incredibly proud to share this work, which is important and vital to ceremony and culture,” said members of the Coast Salish Wool Weaving Center. “We are honoring the responsibility to future generations of Salish people. Carrying knowledge makes us who we are. Along with our ancestors, we weave for our great-great grandchildren, teaching them how important it is to hold on to the culture. ‘Woven in Wool’ is a monumental partnership with the Burke Museum to pass on the teachings to all who seek them.”
Visitors are also welcome to:
- Witness a tribe-led live canoe carving program at Seattle’s newest contemporary art center, Cannonball Arts. The new creative hub opened on Aug. 20 as a partnership between the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe and New Rising Sun.
- Experience the works of Indigenous creatives, like Seattle-born Duwamish artist Camille Trautman and the late Beau Dick at Frye Art Museum. “Boren Banner Series: Camille Trautman” (Oct. 15 through January 2026) incorporates photography and video to challenge colonial narratives and Indigenous erasure. “Beau Dick: Insatiable Beings” (Oct. 25 through January 2026) is the first U.S. museum survey of the Kwakwaka’wakw Hereditary Chief and master carver.
- Support Indigenous vendors at Duwamish Longhouse & Cultural Center’s November Native Art Market (Nov. 29-Dec. 1).
- Enjoy the world premiere of “Fancy Dancer,” (through Nov. 2) an autobiographical play by renowned Lakota writer and dancer Larissa FastHorse, presented by Seattle Rep and Seattle Children’s Theatre.
Cultural Sites to Visit Year-Round
- Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center is home to a permanent collection of Native art, as well as the Sacred Circle Gallery, featuring rotating exhibits of work by contemporary Native artists. It is the headquarters of the United Indians of All Tribes Foundation, which provides services and programming to Seattle and King County’s urban Native community.
- Duwamish Longhouse and Cultural Center is a cedar-post and beam structure that serves as the Duwamish Tribe’s headquarters building, with gallery exhibits, programming, and community events. When it opened in 2009, it was the newest tribal longhouse constructed in Seattle in over 150 years.
- Chief Seattle Statue is a life-size bronze statue of Chief Seattle, a leader of the Suquamish and Duwamish tribes. The centerpiece of Tilikum Place Park near Seattle Center, the sculpture depicts the Chief’s right arm raised in greeting, a pose characteristic of the tribal leader who signed a treaty in 1855 on behalf of the Duwamish and Suquamish people.
- Pioneer Square, once known as “Little Crossing Over Place” (dᶻidᶻəlal̕ič) in the shared Lushootseed language, was once a gathering place for Coast Salish tribes. At the center of the neighborhood, in the cobblestone Pioneer Place Park, is a totem pole created by Tlingit carver Charles Brown. The park is also home to a bust of Chief Seattle by sculptor James Wehn and artwork called “Day/Night” by Hachivi Edgar Heap of Birds, which comments on the experiences of Native people in Seattle. One block southeast of Pioneer Place is Occidental Square, home to several contemporary carvings in traditional Northwest Coast styles.
- The Suquamish Museum is a museum dedicated to the Suquamish people located on the Port Madison Reservation, less than an hour west of Seattle via the Bainbridge Island ferry. The museum offers permanent exhibits, educational opportunities, and ongoing programming for the Suquamish Tribe.
Native-owned Businesses to Support
- Tidelands: Indigenous-owned art gallery and creative space focused on Native scholarship, storytelling, and art in downtown Seattle.
- Off the Rez Cafe: Cafe at the Burke Museum serving Blackfeet frybread and recipes inspired by the childhood of the owner Mark McConnell, a Native chef who grew up on the Blackfeet Reservation in Browning, Montana.
- Bury Me in Gold: Piercing shop in South Lake Union that sources ethically made gold body jewelry in a variety of standards.
- Dark Horse Tattoo: Tattoo parlor in Belltown with a collective of artists.
- Eighth Generation: Seattle-based art and lifestyle brand owned by the Snoqualmie Tribe that partners with community-based Indigenous artists and operates under the tagline “inspired natives, not native-inspired.”
- Foggy Tea Shop: Cafe in the Pioneer Square neighborhood offering a variety of teas and tea lattes.
- In Bloom Salon & Beauty Boutique: Salon offering high-quality cosmetic services in Pioneer Square. Services include hairstyling, lash extensions, and facial waxing.
- Indian Summer: Vintage store in Capitol Hill that promotes community in Seattle by hosting local events.
- Kaigani Craft: Found in Pike Place Market, Kaigani Craft sells handwoven products, from jewelry to basketry made by Jacinthe Demmert. Demmert grew up in the Stáas’taas clan of the Haida Nation in Alaska, where she learned wood-crafting and textile work from her parents.
- MEKA: Seattle-based slow fashion designer who specializes in one-of-a-kind women’s wear.
- Opal Nail Studio: Nail studio in West Seattle specializing in hand-painted nail art.
- Sacred Circle Gallery and Gift Shop: Gift shop owned by the United Indians for All Tribes Foundation that sells 100% Native-designed products in Magnolia, Ballard, and SEA Airport.
- Ya’axche Massage Therapy: Massage therapy studio in Ballard offering treatments in techniques like fascia, cupping, and sports massage.
- Yubəč: New boutique and gift shop in the Fremont neighborhood named for the Lushootseed word for “king salmon.”
- Via Tribunali: Neapolitan pizzeria in the Capitol Hill neighborhood owned by the owners of Off the Rez.
- Native Soul Cuisine: Pop-up restaurant and catering business owned by chef Jeremy Thunderbird, serving Native American comfort food, like blue corn tamales and Navajo tacos.
Explore more Native-owned businesses in Seattle on The Intentionalist, founded by Seattle leader and entrepreneur, Laura Clise.
History of Indigenous Communities in the Seattle Area
Seattle is built on Native land – the unceded, traditional territories of the Coast Salish people, who have lived and cared for this land and its waters since time immemorial. We honor their enduring connection to this land and commit to learning from and supporting Indigenous communities in meaningful ways.
Once called “Little Crossing Over Place” (dᶻidᶻəlal̕ič) in the shared Lushootseed language, the area that is now Seattle’s Pioneer Square neighborhood was a gathering place for Coast Salish tribes to meet, socialize, trade, and share. Seattle is now named after the hereditary Chief Seattle (siʔaɬ) of the Suquamish and Duwamish peoples and continues to be a place where Native people live, work, celebrate, and steward the land and waters.
Additional Resources and Content
For more ways to support the local Indigenous communities and to view Visit Seattle’s Native American Heritage Guide, please see Visit Seattle’s website.
Learn more about Indigenous leaders and artists who shape Seattle on VISITSEATTLE.tv:
Do you have a recommendation for how to celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day or Native American Heritage Month in Seattle? Please submit your ideas to [email protected]. We would love to hear from you!
About Visit Seattle
Visit Seattle has served as the official destination marketing organization (DMO) for Seattle and King County for more than 50 years. A 501(c)(6) organization, Visit Seattle enhances the economic prosperity of the region through global destination branding along with competitive programs and campaigns in leisure travel marketing, convention sales, and overseas tourism development. Visit visitseattle.org.