Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians
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,. The Lushootseed name means "people of the river," from the root word meaning "river" and the suffix meaning "people." The name is a drainage term, referring not to a central village but to all the people living along the Stillaguamish River.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.On January 31, 1953, the Stillaguamish Tribe of Washington wrote and approved their constitution, which established a democratically elected six-member tribal council.
In 1974, the tribe petitioned for federal recognition, which was achieved on October 27, 1976.
In 2014, the tribe owned 64 acres of land, which were recognized as a reservation for the tribe.
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 September 2024, the membership of the Stillaguamish Tribal Council is as follows:
- Chairman: Eric White
- Vice Chairman: Kadi Bizyayeva
- Secretary: Gary Tatro
- Treasurer: Joshua Wells
- Jeremy Smith
- Stacy White