SPOKANE, Wash. – One of the five pillars of Expo 74’s 50th anniversary celebration is tribal culture, and to local tribes, Expo ’74 meant a lot.
Nonstop Local spoke with a member of the Spokane Salish Tribe, who says part of the reason is because of the positive environmental impact that it brought, specifically to the Spokane river.
Leading up to Expo 74, local tribes were thrilled with how the city started to clear the banks and wash through some of the pollution that new facilities brought as Spokane became more populated.
The river was their way of life. It was how they traveled, how they fed their children, and where they socialized. It connected tribes from across the region and it was how they named themselves.
The upper, middle and lower river Spokane’s.
As the city grew more buildings meant more pollution in the river, which is why local tribes were thrilled to hear Spokane’s was the first environmentally-themed world’s fair.
“The non-Indians were finally recognizing how important our river was to our existence,” said Spokane Tribe member Margo Hill.
Hill is excited for this year’s celebration because it is a chance for this community to hear more about the tribal culture dating back thousands of years.
Hill says you will see all sorts of different looks and costumes, traditional and modernized. She says one of the main themes you will see is generosity.
Local tribes take a lot of pride in inviting everyone to participate and share in their culture.
As they would fish salmon from the Spokane river, they would be sure to leave enough swimming by for the next tribe around the corner.
There will be cultural dances, some historic and some modern. There will be storytelling, singing and all types of music. This is art that these tribes have practiced for thousands of years, that now the community can get involved in.
“Our neighbors will have an opportunity to see these tribal ceremonies,” Hill said. “And the joy of our young people when they dance on the war dance floor, it’s a beautiful thing.”
