Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians

Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians

stuləgʷabš
Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians stuləgʷabš
Federally-recognized Indian Tribe
	Flag
	A map of the Stillaguamish reservation overlaid the traditional territory of the Stillaguamish
Founded	1953
Recognized	1976
Reservation established	2014
Government
• Body	Tribal Council/Board of Directors
• Chairman	Eric White
• Vice-Chairman	Jeremy Smith
Population (2003)
• Total	237

The Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians, formerly known as the Stillaguamish Tribe of Washington, is a federally recognized tribe of Stillaguamish people located in Snohomish County, Washington. They are descended from the aboriginal Stillaguamish, listed on the Treaty of Point Elliot as the Stoluck-wa-mish River Tribe.

Although the Stillaguamish had existed for thousands of years prior, the Stillaguamish Tribe as it is today was founded on January 31, 1953, when the tribe ratified its constitution. The tribe eventually petitioned for federal recognition in 1974, which they received two years later in 1976. In 2014, the tribe was finally granted a reservation.

The Stillaguamish Tribe is governed by the Stillaguamish Tribal Council, which carries out the administrative duties of the tribe. The tribe operates several businesses and services, both on and off the reservation.

Name

The name "Stillaguamish" is an anglicization of their Lushootseed endonym, stuləgʷabš. The Lushootseed name means "people of the river," from the root word stuləkʷ meaning "river" and the suffix =abš meaning "people."^[2]^[3] The name stuləgʷabš is a drainage term, referring not to a central village but to all the people living along the Stillaguamish River.^[4]^[5]

History

In 1855, the Stillaguamish were party to the Treaty of Point Elliott, alongside many other Puget Sound peoples. The Stillaguamish were listed on the treaty as the Stoluck-wa-mish River Tribe. Although the treaty promised the establishment of a Stillaguamish reservation, one was not established until 2014. For this reason, many Stillaguamish remained in their traditional homelands, unrecognized and off reservation lands.^[6]

On January 31, 1953, the Stillaguamish Tribe of Washington wrote and approved their constitution, which established a democratically-elected six-member tribal council.^[1]

In 1974, the tribe petitioned for federal recognition, which was achieved on October 27, 1976.^[2]

In 2014, the tribe owned 64 acres of land, which were recognized as a reservation for the tribe.^[2]

Government

The administrative duties of the Stillaguamish Tribe are performed by the Stillaguamish Tribal Council, also called the Board of Directors. The tribal council is composed of six popularly-elected members, including a Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Treasurer, Secretary, and two additional members. As of June 2023, the membership of the Stillaguamish Tribal Council is as follows:^[7]

Chairman: Eric White
Vice Chairman: Jeremy Smith
Treasurer: Gary Tatro
Secretary: Kadi Bizyayeva
Joshua Wells
Stacy White

Language

The language of the Stillaguamish Tribe is Lushootseed, a Coast Salish language spoken by many different tribes throughout the Puget Sound region. Today, English is the more-commonly spoken language by members of the tribe, although the tribe is working to revitalize the language. The Cultural Resources Department of the tribe manages the tribe's cultural elements, including language.^[8] They offer classes for Lushootseed, and the tribe has a YouTube channel where they offer resources and lessons in Lushootseed.^{[citation needed]}

Economic Development

The Stillaguamish Tribal Business Development Department develops and works in partnership with the Board of Directors for the tribe's businesses. Businesses operated by the tribe include River Rock Tobacco & Fuel and the Angel of the Winds Casino Resort, all located in Arlington.^[9]^[10]