Native Lands Statement

We acknowledge, with humility, the unjustly colonized indigenous peoples whose presence permeates the waterways, shorelines, valleys, and mountains of the Olympic region. The land where we are is the territory of the Coast Salish Peoples, in particular the Chimacum, Hoh, Makah, S’Klallam, Suquamish, and Quileute tribes on whose sacred land we live, work, and play.

Whenever possible please support native populations, businesses, and activities.

Some useful educational resources include:

1. The čičməhán Trail, an educational walking and biking path dedicated to S’Klallam history located in Port Townsend http://www.tribalmuseum.jamestowntribe.org/hsg/exhibits/chetzemokatrail/ct_menu.php
   
2. The Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe(StətíɬəmNəxʷsƛ̕áy̕əm̕), based near Sequim:  https://jamestowntribe.org/history-culture/
   
3. The Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe (NəxʷqíytNəxʷsƛ̕áy̕əm̕): https://www.pgst.nsn.us/land-and-people-and-lifestyle
   
4. The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe (ʔéʔɬx̣ʷaʔNəxʷsƛ̕áy̕əm̕), near Port Angeles:  https://www.elwha.org
   
5. The Snohomish Tribe of Indians (on Puget Sound, north of Seattle and south of Whidbey Island in what is now Edmonds): https://snohomishtribe.org
   
6. The Quileute Nation, on the Pacific coastline, near La Push, and the Hoh Tribe (Chalá·at), near Forks. (The Quileute and Hoh are related to the Chemakum, who sought shelter in S’Klallam territory after a massive flood.): https://quileutenation.org/history/ & http://hohtribe-nsn.org/our-history/
   
7. Coast Salish Country, dedicated to Coast Salish landscapes, archaeology, and oral histories of the Olympic Peninsula:  https://www.instagram.com/coastsalishcountry/
   
8. Makah Tribe https://makah.com/ https://makahmuseum.com/
   

* “Coast Salish” is an anthropological “umbrella” term used to refer to Native nations whose territories occupy lands bordering the Salish Sea, which consists of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Puget Sound, Georgia Strait, and numerous bays, inlets, rivers, and lakes. In Washington, these include communities such as the S’Klallam, the Snohomish, the Skokomish, the Suquamish, the Puyallup, and the Duwamish, amongst many others. Coast Salish tribes are unique in their lands and livelihoods, though share related languages and cultural customs. It is best practice to refer to individual Indigenous communities by their nations’ names, acknowledging that Coast Salish is a general term that describes dozens of such communities--and a term that was not used by Coast Salish peoples themselves until fairly recently. 

Thank you to thehttps://www.chimacumcenter.org for some of this information and education.