The World Cup spotlights Indigenous cultures

As the World Cup comes to the Pacific Northwest, Indigenous people are welcoming fans with ceremonies, music and culture while sharing the history of the land. Lauren Gallup reports from Seattle.

Transcript

DON GONYEA, HOST:

Some cities hosting World Cup games are making an effort to involve Indigenous nations in the events. Northwest Public Broadcasting’s Lauren Gallup has this story about what that’s looking like in the Pacific Northwest.

LAUREN GALLUP, BYLINE: This month, as soccer fans swarm Seattle to watch World Cup games, the Puyallup Tribe of Indians hosted their own celebration to kick off the matches.

(SOUNDBITE OF RHYTHMIC DRUMMING)

UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: (Chanting in non-English language).

GALLUP: On their reservation, a short drive from Seattle, the tribe hosted a Coastal Protocol for the public with other Indigenous nations. That’s a traditional cultural exchange of song, dance and often gift giving. Amy McFarland is directing World Cup events for the Puyallup Tribe.

AMY MCFARLAND: That’s the opportunity. Really, the winning point is to share our culture, our language and our heritage with the world.

GALLUP: The tribe is partnering with local organizers to be part of hosting the games. That means, in addition to culturally significant gatherings like the Coastal Protocol, they’re holding watch parties on their reservation. A video also plays before each of the games in Seattle that features the Muckleshoot, Suquamish and Puyallup tribes.

MCFARLAND: It gives a real good snapshot of who the Pacific Northwest native is.

LEO FLOR: It’s just really fitting, and it makes a ton of sense that at this – you know, in the world’s largest and most watched sporting event that really celebrates the coming together of nations, that we would intentionally include the sovereign Indigenous nations that are hosting it.

GALLUP: Flor says the local organizing committee also helped build school soccer pitches for the Puyallup Tribe and the Lummi Nation to support young Indigenous soccer players. Meanwhile, up north in Vancouver, British Columbia, the city included three First Nations as host city supporters of the games there. Charlene Aleck is a member of the Tsleil Waututh Nation. She says Vancouver city leaders made sure that Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil Waututh would be partners with the city. The nations helped plan the events and are meeting with world leaders who have come to town for the games.

CHARLENE ALECK: Having the inclusion of our chiefs and our women of high standing be participating at the same level as dignitaries, that – you know, it’s a good step.

GALLUP: Aleck is in charge of the nation’s display at Vancouver’s festival for the games. It includes a traditional 30-foot-long canoe, a map of their homelands and demonstrations of wood carving and weaving. She says people from all over the world have come to the site, and some have spent hours wrapped in the smell of red cedar and absorbing the stories shared within.

ALECK: We had a lady from Costa Rica, knowing our history of the atrocities that we endured, but to see our culture still vibrant and just so giving, she said, the feeling that I got when I stepped onto your site brought me to tears.

GALLUP: Aleck says that woman was among many visitors who say they are grateful that the World Cup has given them an opportunity to learn more about the cultures of the people whose land the games are being played on. For NPR News, I’m Lauren Gallup on the Puyallup Reservation.

(SOUNDBITE OF SEAN ANGUS WATSON’S “RUNNING”)

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