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Beacon Hill resident Lawney Reyes, 75, started writing about his family's Indian history in the Northwest so his grandchildren could understand their past.
It was probably a good move, especially for people interested in learning more about Bernie Whitebear.
The men are brothers, and Whitebear was a well-known Indian activist from Seattle.
In April, the University of Arizona Press released Reyes' new book, "Bernie Whitebear: An Urban Indian's Quest for Justice."
It describes Whitebear's life on the Colville Reservation and how his parents' separation led the family to become more protective of each other.
Whitebear is known for staging a demonstration at Fort Lawton in 1970, getting the land back from the federal government and establishing the Daybreak Star Cultural Center on the site.
He was born to a Filipino father and an Indian mother Sept. 27, 1937. He eventually changed his surname to honor his grandfather, who went by the name of White Grizzly Bear.
Whitebear died of colon cancer at age 62.
Reyes recently spoke with the Seattle P-I about his book and his family.
On why he wrote the book:
A number of people told me that a book should be written about him because of what he did. I didn't get into it until I was the only guy living who knew about his early life and where he was born and what he did.
... Some people only knew about what he did in the 1970s when he invaded Fort Lawton. It made worldwide news.
... In 2000, my family was taking care of him. We knew within weeks, he would be dead. Probably, in April of 2000, I decided to write the book about Bernie.
He was there in the bedroom of his house. I moved a computer into a room nearby. When he didn't need any help, I would be in the other room writing the book.
On describing his brother:
He was a person who loved people, regardless of who they were. He believed in fair play and a level playing field. Indians have never had this in this country.
He believed every kid should have a chance in life to do something better than where they came from.
On what motivated his brother:
Our family faced quite a bit of prejudice. This angered him. My brother was in the 101st Airborne. One time, he had four white buddies, and they were stationed in Kentucky.
They decided to go to Nashville, and this was in 1958. They walked the street and heard music. It's a big dance hall, and his four white buddies went in.
When he went in, a bouncer stopped him and said, "No Mexicans allowed." My brother said, "I'm an Indian." The bouncer said, "That's worse yet."
... I think my brother was knocked down many times in life. But he had the ability to get up. Once you commit yourself to doing something, you have to continue to work and do what you believe.
On what his brother said to him before he died:
"I think this is it."
I'll remember those words for the rest of my life. I remember when he said it, his eyes were closed.
On what readers might learn:
I'm hoping that a lot of young Indians will read the book and learn from it. Bernie had some methods that were never used by Indians before.
In the political arena, Indians had never been included. Bernie would go to Olympia and would get to know all the senators and the people in the House. He did the same thing in Washington, D.C.
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