Frank Dunn of Washougal grew up feeling less than magical about his Cherokee roots.
“I grew up off the reservation,” and visiting relatives there confronted him with a not-too-pretty picture of poverty and vice, Dunn said. Even back at home in Tigard, Ore., playing cowboys and Indians with his friends, there was never any question about who had to lose.
“As a kid, I didn’t want to associate with being Indian,” he said.
What he did associate with was stage magic. Many kids flirt briefly with learning simple magic tricks, but Dunn’s passion for applause, laughs and amazement — especially from adults — only increased. He wasn’t a strong reader at first, he said, but he loved reading magic books, and his family and teachers encouraged that. He offered a magic trick for school show-and-tell every week; by age 13, he was entertaining at birthday parties.
In college, Dunn’s political and historical awareness grew, and he became proud of his Native American heritage. After college, he went to work for the Snohomish Tribe, then the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation in Vancouver.
And he never stopped doing magic.
Once, in the middle of a show, he looked down at a classic Chinese box prop and wondered, “Why do I have this dragon decoration? I should be using Coast Salish art.” He started collecting Native American art to use in his magic shows. He also started making the transition from parties and other small gigs to bigger, bolder stage presentations.
