Chief Si'ahl is the first signature on the Point Elliott Treaty, signed Chief of the Duwamish and Suquamish tribes
WE ARE STILL HERE
The Duwamish Tribe is the true successor of the Duwamish who signed the Treaty of Point Elliott. Chief Si'ahl, or Seattle, was listed as Chief of the D'wamish and Suquamish tribes, and three other Duwamish sub-chiefs signed their names to the treaty as well. Our leadership has been unbroken since treaty times.
We successfully petitioned the government for a settlement in 1925 and received a positive judgement in our favor. We were recognized by Congress as the Duwamish Tribe, receiving a settlement from the government for that case in the form of $64 dollars per tribal member in 1971.
We began our efforts to restore our recognition with the government in 1978. We received acknowledgement in 2001 by the Clinton administration, but our decision was reversed in 2002 by the Bush administration.
In 2015, we appealed our case. Our case is still pending in the Interior Board of Indian Appeals today.
On May 11, 2022, the Duwamish Tribe filed a lawsuit against the Department of the Interior in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington to secure its tribal sovereignty that predates the founding of the United States.
Check our LAWSUIT FOR FEDERAL RECOGNITION webpage, and the below resources for most recent information on our acknowledgement case:
Duwamish Tribe: Status Report (Jan 26, 2019)
Visit our Duwamish Drum webpage for the latest news!