Snoqualmie Indian Tribe facts for kids
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 |
The Snoqualmie Indian Tribe (S·dukʷalbixʷ), 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.
Name
The Snoqualmie are also known as the Snoqualmu, Snoqualmoo, Snoqualmick, Snoqualamuke, or Snuqualmi. Their autonym is Sduk-al-bixw, meaning "strong people of status."
History
Snoqualmie people lived in 58 wooden longhouses in sixteen villages, with a population of 3,000–4,000. In the mid-19th century, their homelands had four districts: Monroe, Tolt, Fall City, and North Bend. They had an influential leader, Chief Patkanin.
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.
In 1916, the Snoqualmie people changed their political system to one based on majority rule. They developed four councils: the General Council of the People, the Council of Elders, the Representative Tribal Council, and the Council of Chiefs.
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). Instead, they purchased land for and were granted a Reservation near Snoqualmie, Washington, on which the tribe opened the Snoqualmie Casino in 2008.
Food
The fish, game, trees, and roots provided everything needed to live. The people hunted deer and elk, fished for salmon, and gathered berries and wild plants for food and medicine.
They still practice the harvesting and gathering methods of their ancestors which helps preserve the region they live in.
Culture
Snoqualmie legends talk about how the first man and women were created by the Moon Transformer, who is the son of an Indian women and a star. The Moon Transformer also created a massive waterfall (Snoqualmie Falls).
This is why the Snoqualmie people call themselves People of the Moon and why the Snoqualmie Falls is a sacred place to the tribe. They believe the mists carry their thoughts and prayers to their spirits and ancestors.
They use the trees in the Snoqualmie Valley to build their longhouses and used stone for making tools.
The Snoqualmie have many tribal songs which are accompanied by drumming, & dancing. They also use rattles and flutes.
They also create blankets, baskets, fishing nets, instruments, bowls and jewelry as well as their longhouses and canoes from resources in their environment.
Recognition by the United States
The tribe lost federal recognition in 1953. In October 1999 the Bureau of Indian Affairs once again granted recognition to the Snoqualmie.
