Mission

“To provide a sacred space to nurture, affirm and renew the spirit of urban Native Peoples”

Five days a week, we offer a place where urban American Indians and Alaska Natives, many of whom are homeless and low-income, can join to share a common meal, speak their own languages, access social services, and find peace, without fear of public censure or discrimination. These articles explore aspects of our mission in depth.

Sacred

Adjective -

  1. devoted or dedicated to a deity or to some religious purpose; consecrated.
  2. reverently dedicated to some person, purpose, or object: a morning hour sacred to study.
  3. secured against violation, infringement, etc., as by reverence or sense of right: sacred oaths; sacred rights.
  4. properly immune from violence, interference, etc., as a person or office.

The word sacred is a complicated and beautiful one. Layered with many meanings, from the religious to the secular, some definitions stand out as particularly apropos to the mission of the Chief Seattle club.

The club welcomes all regardless of religious belief, but at the same time provides support for traditional native beliefs and traditions, and indeed treats them as sacred.

Space

Noun, verb, adjective -

  1. freedom or opportunity to express oneself, resolve a personal difficulty, be alone, etc.; allowance, understanding, or noninterference
  2. a place available for a particular purpose

Our gathering circle

The club is proud to be able to provide space in our newly renovated downtown center. Having our own space is tremendously important to our members – as well as a place to congregate, it provides a mailing address to our members who otherwise would have difficulty connecting with many services. The space we provide our members can act as a physical anchor that may otherwise be very difficult to come by.

Our gathering circle in particular is an uplifting space, traditional in shape and purpose yet modern in design and construction. It typifies our approach to melding the modern, urban environment with traditional Native American heritage.

Nurture

Verb -

  1. to feed and protect: to nurture one’s offspring.
  2. to support and encourage, as during the period of training or development; foster: to nurture promising musicians.
  3. to bring up; train; educate.

- noun

  1. rearing, upbringing, training, education, or the like.
  2. development: the nurture of young artists.
  3. something that nourishes; nourishment; food.

The Chief Seattle Club fulfills every sense of the word. As well as providing food and space for our members, we nurture artistic talents, and provide Rental Readiness training, job readiness, computer training and professional mentoring.

Affirm

Verb -

  1. to state or assert positively; maintain as true
  2. to assert solemnly
  3. to express agreement with or commitment to; uphold; support

The club affirms our members dignity, traditions and spirit; we are also totally committed to our members.

Renew

Verb -

  1. to restore or replenish
  2. to begin or take up again, as an acquaintance, a conversation, etc.; resume.
  3. to make, say, or do again.
  4. to revive; reestablish.
  5. to recover (youth, strength, etc.).
  6. to restore to a former state; make new or as if new again.

The Chief Seattle Club helps renew the spirit of our members by providing the support needed to get back on their feet, and also helps to renew the native spirit of the region, by keeping alive old languages, traditions and art forms that until recently were dwindling into oblivion.

Spirit

Noun -

  1. the principle of conscious life; the vital principle in humans, animating the body or mediating between body and soul.
  2. the incorporeal part of humans: present in spirit though absent in body.
  3. an attitude or principle that inspires, animates, or pervades thought, feeling, or action: the spirit of reform
  4. a divine, inspiring, or animating being or influence.
  5. the soul or heart as the seat of feelings or sentiments, or as prompting to action
  6. excellent disposition or attitude in terms of vigor, courage, firmness of intent, etc.; mettle
  7. vigorous sense of membership in a group

Urban

Adjective -

  1. characteristic of or accustomed to cities; citified.
  2. of, pertaining to, or designating a city or town.
  3. living in a city.

The Chief Seattle Club is the Seattle’s only day center meeting the needs of the most underserved ethnic group in America. Many of the North-West’s most in-need Native Peoples are in the City of Seattle, and their needs can be quite different than in rural areas. The club is unique in catering to this intersection of the two groups.