Besa Gordon: Good Vibes and Indigenous Joy at Waterfront Park's Indigiqueer Celebration
By Besa Gordon
Hey everyone! Besa Gordon here, and let me tell you, my day at Seattle's Waterfront Park, Pier 62, for the Indigiqueer Celebration was fast-paced, as I was also shooting a segment with my producer, Tavis Conway, for a future episode of Back2Besa. I was so surprised to learn this was their fourth time doing it—how did I miss the others?! But I'm so glad I got to experience this one.
From the moment I arrived, the atmosphere was filled with good vibes. We began with a prayer ceremony, led by "Gathered in this Place," a drum group and non-profit organization that provides resources and community to Two-Spirit and Indigenous people in the Pacific Northwest. Raven Two Feathers, one of their founding members, shared that they've opened the festival for years, helping "bring everyone's spirits into this."
The day was packed with a diverse array of music that kept people dancing and moving. Different workshops were going on, taught by Indigenous people, where you could learn to weave, or even paint. Plus, there was even a drag show towards the end. Yoon Kang O'Higgins, Senior Director of Community Impact and Programs for Friends of Waterfront Park, told me there were "about 14" drag queens performing throughout the day. But for me, what really stood out was just how welcome everyone felt in that space. People were even enjoying the water, and for the first time I ventured down to the dock (with a little guidance, since I can’t swim) for a closer look.
One of the things I always talk about with the folks at Friends of Waterfront is the importance of making sure everyone feels welcome at the waterfront. And for the Indigiqueer festival, that message rang loud and clear. As Yoon explained, "This space that is sacred, it's a space that is deeply tied to the indigenous community." She emphasized the importance of "really welcoming a community that may historically and currently feel maybe not safe or welcome in many spaces." This event at Waterfront Park is a vital "visible space in Seattle" to declare, "this is a space by and for indigenous folks and in particular here today."
While there, I met Camilla Ray Summers St. James, one of the drag queens who hit the stage. It was really cool to hear their story as they’re from Idaho, and shared how hard it is for them and other Indigiqueer folks to connect since they're so spread out. This festival, they said, is often "the only place I ever get to see anybody" from their community, which just shows how crucial events like this are. They added, "being able to connect with my ethnicity is probably the best thing I could do to be able to support my community all around."
I also spoke with Jordan Remington, who goes by Hailey Ay Ahy, who is not only a drag queen but also the Program Manager and Curator of Indigenous Programs for Friends of Waterfront Park. They opened the festival with a number and shared how being by the water is "just such a healing environment."
And you know I couldn’t leave the Waterfront without talking to the big boss herself, Friends of Waterfront CEO, Joy Shigaki. I asked Joy, whose name perfectly embodies the feeling, what "Waterfront Joy" meant to her. She hadn't thought of it quite like that before, but for her, it's about seeing people truly being at the waterfront, knowing they're welcome, and coming to these festivals, bringing others to have a good time. She explained that "joy means you're connecting to the beauty of a place...be with people from different communities that maybe you traditionally are not in and find a place that actually you see yourself and see other communities in." It’s about creating "that connection that's extremely powerful and joyful to me at a time when we're dealing with a lot of things in the world that are really heartbreaking, we also need to be together as people more than ever."
Elisa Spears Hamton, Executive Assistant at Matriarch Art Gallery, was also there, highlighting their mission of "bringing awareness to that we're still here." She eloquently described "indigenous joy" as "to sit on a beach and just exist with no trauma and just breathe." Being on "our land where we used to fish and you know hang out with our relatives" is incredibly significant.
If you haven’t done so already, I suggest you get down to the Waterfront. Friends of Waterfront has over 270 programs and activations happening this summer, so there's truly something for everyone. Joy encourages everyone to "come to our website to learn about all the free programs" at waterfrontparkseattle.com.
It was such a dope day of celebrating Indigenous joy, community, and just being together. I'm already looking forward to the next event at the Waterfront!
