Lawney Reyes was born c.1931 to Mary Christian, Sin Aikst. Historically her people were known as the Senjextee and they now make up one of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. His father was Julian Reyes, a native Filipino who largely assimilated to an Indian way of life after his marriage. Lawney's maternal grandfather, Alex Christian, was known as Pic Ah Kelowna, ; his great-uncle was Chief James Bernard, a Sin Aikst leader in the early 20th century. Lawney's siblings included Luana Reyes and Bernie Whitebear. Reyes' early childhood with his family was largely lived on the Colville Indian Reservation in Washington. In 1935–1937, during the period of construction of the Grand Coulee Dam, his parents moved to Grand Coulee and started a Chinese restaurant, even though "either of them could prepare Chinese food except for simple dishes such as pork fried rice, egg foo-yung, and chop suey". They soon acquired an ethnically Chinese partner and cook, Harry Wong whom later bought them out of the restaurant in 1937. His parents separated in 1939 and subsequently divorced. His mother later worked again for Wong in Tacoma, Washington and she eventually married Wong. From 1940 to 1942, Reyes was a student at the Chemawa Indian School, a boarding school five miles north of Salem, Oregon. He would later write that his consciousness of being "Indian" was largely formed through his conversations there with other students. The rest of his childhood and youth was spent living with his father, variously on the Colville Reservation and in Okanogan, Washington. After graduating from Okanogan High School in 1949, Reyes moved to Tacoma, Washington, where he lived again with his mother and her second husband. He moved back east across the mountains and attended Wenatchee Junior College, where he obtained a two-year degree. He met Joyce Meacham, a Yakama and Warm Springs Indian and they were married in 1955. She later had a career in social work and especially in Indian Health programs. Reyes served in the U.S. Army which gave him the opportunity to see much of Europe which confirmed his interest in working in a field related to "architecture design, and art". Upon his return he attended the University of Washington, studying painting and sculpture and majoring in interior design. He graduated in 1959. He worked for Seafirst Bank, initially as a designer, eventually collecting and curating the Seafirst Corporate Art Collection. During this time, he also used his nights and weekends to work at sculpture and as a freelance interior designer. He took early retirement from Seafirst Bank in 1984, and traveled North America visiting various Indian tribes. He wrote two books, his memoir White Grizzly Bear's Legacy: Learning to be Indian, and a biography of his brother Bernie Whitebear: An Urban Indian's Quest for Justice.
Writings
Reyes' 2002 memoir White Grizzly Bear's Legacy: Learning to be Indian combines his own memories and research with notes from library and field research done by his mother before her death in a traffic accident in May 1978. Among other things, it describes traditional tribal fishing at Kettle Falls on the Columbia River and living in Inchelium, Washington at its old site. Both Kettle Falls and Old Inchelium were later flooded by the rising waters after the construction of Grand Coulee Dam. His book also described the forced changes of life for the Sin Aikst/Lakes as conditions forced them away from traditional patterns and how they worked to preserve elements of their traditions. He explored the ambiguous effect of institutions such as the Chemawa Indian School circa 1940, which simultaneously acculturated natives to the majority American culture while inspiring a sense of "Indianness," rather than affiliation with only individual tribes. His second book, Bernie Whitebear: An Urban Indian's Quest for Justice, is a biography of his brother Bernie Whitebear. He was one of the so-called "Gang of Four" or "Four Amigos" who founded Seattle's Minority Executive Directors' Coalition. Reyes' third book, B Street: A Gathering of Saints and Sinners, is an exploration of the Grand Coulee area between 1933 and 1941, during the construction of the Dam. It was published by the University of Washington Press.
Sculpture and design
Reyes' works are prominent in Seattle. He helped design the Daybreak Star Cultural Center at Fort Lawton in the Magnolia section of Seattle. His sculpture Blue Jay wide and 12 feet was hung prominently for over 30 years at the Bank of California building in downtown Seattle. After a bank merger in 2004, the piece was transferred to the Daybreak Star Center. His Dreamcatcher, installed at the corner of 32nd Avenue and Yesler Way in Seattle, honors the memory of his brother Bernie and his sister Luana.
Awards and Honors
Commissioner of the Seattle Arts Commission and a member of the Governor's Task Force for the state's arts appropriation budget.
