Filmmakers Yasu (far left) and Sandy (next to him) Osawa answer questions from an overflow crowd of more than 100 at High Point Neighborhood House on Saturday evening, Sept. 6, 2014, following a showing of their “Princess Angeline” documentary.
The 53-minute film focuses on the history of the Duwamish Tribe and its efforts to become federally recognized. Sponsoring the presentation were West Seattle Meaningful Movies and the Southwest Seattle Historical Society.
Those attending were encouraged to inscribe pre-addressed postcards to President Obama asking that the Duwamish Tribe be recognized.
Princess Angeline was the daughter of Chief Seattle. She was one of the few Duwamish people left in Seattle by the 1890s, only 35 years after a peace treaty was signed guaranteeing that land would be reserved for the Duwamish people – a guarantee that never became reality.
The Duwamish Tribe was formally recognized by the federal government at the end of the Clinton administration, only to have that recognition overturned by the incoming Bush administration.
With historical photographs, interviews and narration, the documentary explores the story of the Duwamish people and their unrecognized tribal status.
A DVD of “Princess Angeline” is available for viewing at our “Birthplace of Seattle” Log House Museum.
