The Salmon People

The Salmon People. sʔuladxʷbixʷ xʷəʔaʔxʷəʔ. , In 1853, Washington's territorial governor Isaac Stevens identified 30 different Indian tribes in the Puget Sound area. A presidential order directed him to sign treaties with them. The Point Elliott Treaty, signed on this waterfront in 1855, sought vast portions of the territory in exchange for various goods and services. Chiefs were to receive annuities; schools were to be provided. All of it required the tribes to move to areas set aside as reservations. The Coast Salish people wanted assurances their fishing rights would be preserved. Fishing was - and still is - a core part of their culture, their way of life. To the Coast Salish tribes, fishing is no less important than the air they breathe., The schools established under the treaty taught farming (not fishing) in English (not Lushootseed) and Christian religion (not tribal spiritualism). The focus on these nearly erased tribal language, history, culture, values, and spirituality. This is why you see Northern Lushootseed words and phrases throughout the site as a way of honoring the tribes' tradition and language and helping to foster their growth.