Late tribal leader, Billy Frank Jr., honored at Washington capitol

Emotions flooded the State Reception Room in Olympia Jan. 10 as tribal leaders, Washington lawmakers and community members came together to witness the unveiling of the maquette of Billy Frank Jr. The maquette, a smaller replica of a 9-foot tall statue of Frank that will go to the National Statuary Hall collection, honors the late champion for Native American treaty rights and natural resources.

“Today, it’s an honor to stand here before you. I think we too are sending the very best of Washington to Washington, D.C.” said state Rep. Debra Lekanoff, D-40, the prime sponsor of House Bill 1372, which made it possible to create the statue. 

Lekanoff and others shared the impact Frank had on their lives. Billy Frank Jr. is primarily recognized for his advocacy for getting tribes’ treaty rights reaffirmed and stewardship of natural resources. 

This replica will stay on display in Washington, while the full, 9-foot statue will represent our state in the National Statuary Hall Collection. (Credit: WA Leg Photography)

“Billy taught me the word of courage, the word to stand up, the words to be brave,” Lekanoff said. “That nothing’s ever forgotten, if you have salmon in your heart, nothing’s ever forgotten if you know who you are and where you come from.”

Frank’s impact was far-reaching and affirmed repeatedly at the ceremony.

Many turned out to the State Reception Room at the Washington State Capitol for the unveiling, Jan. 10. 2024. (Credit: WA Leg Photography)

“What I took from him is a unique combination of human attributes and here’s what I mean. He had the courage to stand up against forces against him, which at the time was the entire government of the United States of America. That takes spine. It takes resilience. It takes a strength of character that not everyone has,” Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said. “At the same time, I don’t think I ever worked with someone who was more committed to bringing people together.”

State Rep. J.T. Wilcox, R-2, echoed those sentiments, sharing the relationship Frank built with the Wilcox family.

“My dad’s relationship with Billy Frank started with a high-pressure handshake in the middle of a scary meeting when people thought that they should be fighting and it changed my dad’s life,” Wilcox said. “What Billy’s statue in Washington, D.C. can teach our whole country is there’s a time to shake hands.”

In the 1960s Washington pushed aside treaty rights for what it called “conservation.”

“Our fishermen were told they can only fish within the reservation boundaries,” said Willie Frank III, chairman of the Nisqually Tribe and Billy Frank Jr.’s son. “As Nisqually people and tribal people, we’re taught that we have the right to fish and hunt in all of our usual and accustomed grounds and we protect and we manage from the summit to the sea.”

This year marks 50 years since the decision in the United States vs. State of Washington case, commonly known as the Boldt Decision. That case reaffirmed the rights of Native American tribes to co-manage and harvest fish under treaty agreements.  Billy Frank Jr. was instrumental in organizing and advocating what would lead to this decision. 

“My father, he was arrested over 50 times in his life for exercising his treaty rights along the Nisqually River,” Chairman Frank told those gathered in the State Reception Room. 

The chairman was given a standing ovation as he approached the podium to thank everyone in attendance, Nisqually elders and ancestors who came before him.

“It truly is a blessing to be here today. My dad, he’s looking down on us and smiling on all of us,” he said. “Where do we go for the next 50 years?” 

The chairman said he looks forward to these next decades, looking at what has already happened, with the Nisqually language being spoken and the Nisqually flag being displayed in the North Thurston School District.

Lt. Gov. Denny Heck gestures toward the maquette of Billy Frank Jr., Jan. 10. 2024. (Credit: WA Leg Photography)

The maquette is now on display in Lt. Gov. Denny Heck’s office alongside display boards that tell Frank’s story.

When the memorial statue of Billy Frank Jr. is put on display in Washington, D.C. in 2025, it will be the first statue by a Chinese-American artist in National Statuary Hall. Haiying Wu is best known for the Seattle Fallen Firefighters Memorial.