Snoqualmie Indian Tribe

For a list of locations and entities named for the Snoqualmie tribe, see Snoqualmie (disambiguation).

The Snoqualmie Indian Tribe (Lushootseed: sdukʷalbixʷ)^[1] is a federally recognized tribe of Snoqualmie people. They are Coast Salish Native American peoples from the Snoqualmie Valley in east King and Snohomish Counties in Washington state. Other names for the Snoqualmies include Snoqualmu, Snoqualmoo, Snoqualmick, Snoqualamuke, and Snuqualmi.^[2]

Snoqualmie Indian Tribe

sdukʷalbixʷ
Snoqualmie Tribal Government Campus, Snoqualmie, Washington
Total population
approximately 650
Regions with significant populations
City of Snoqualmie City of North Bend Greater Seattle Area Washington United States
Languages
English, Southern Lushootseed
Religion
Christianity, traditional tribal religion
Related ethnic groups
other Snoqualmie people

Location of the Snoqualmie Indian Reservation

History

Some Snoqualmies settled onto the Tulalip Reservation after signing the Point Elliott Treaty with the Washington Territory in 1855, but many remained in their ancestral homelands around the Snoqualmie Valley and Lake Sammamish. At that time they were one of the largest tribes in the Puget Sound region numbering around 4,000.^[3] In 1937 the Federal Government proposed granting a reservation though in the end the land was never given.^[4] The tribe lost federal recognition in 1953. In October 1999, the Bureau of Indian Affairs once again granted recognition to the Snoqualmie.^[5]

They purchased land for and were granted a reservation near Snoqualmie, Washington, on which the tribe opened the Snoqualmie Casino in 2008.^[6] They have tried and failed on several occasions to secure a reservation on their ancestral lands along the Tolt River (a tributary of the Snoqualmie River) until the Snoqualmie Tribe Ancestral Forest was purchased by the tribe at the end of 2021. The 12,000-acre ancestral forestlands (4,900 ha) in East King County holds environmental, economic, and historic value to the tribe.^[7] The land, most recently used for industrial timber, will be sustainably harvested while the ecosystem is managed to support the native plant and wildlife populations.^[8]

Government

The Snoqualmie Tribe is governed by a Tribal constitution and an elected Council. The Tribe's governing structure includes building codes, health codes and other standard governmental functions.