Puyallup tribe use World Cup fan zone to share culture near Seattle | OneFootball

The Puyallup tribe near Seattle are using the World Cup to share their history and culture, building a fan zone on their reservation. According to L'Équipe, it has become a focal point during the tournament.

Their land was granted in 1854 under the Medicine Creek agreement, intended to calm conflict between authorities and tribes. Communities settled in reservations under pressure, receiving 20-year annuities alongside hunting and fishing rights. Tribal council president Bill Sterud says his people have lived here for 10,000 years, wearing a Seattle Sounders shirt for the occasion.

In June, with the World Cup spread across the United States, the Puyallups erected an enormous marquee with a giant screen and temporary seating, screening every match staged in Seattle. Elder Connie McCloud traces her lineage to the times when animals and plants were said to converse with humans.

Mark, 16, came to watch the United States face Australia. A tribal member and footballer since second grade, he says many teens prefer basketball or baseball, but football spoke to him. With the tribe partnered with the MLS club Seattle Sounders, he can attend games, sometimes pitchside, and is relishing the fan zone after graduating.

On one day the big screen stayed dark as the annual Pow Wow took centre stage, moved from September to June to reach a larger World Cup audience. Tribespeople filled the tent, alongside townsfolk, tourists and neighbouring tribes. Football, they feel, helps preserve memory, widen horizons for children and combat threats such as obesity.

Source: L'Équipe