Snoqualmie Tribe Vision Statement
We, the Snoqualmie, are proud of our determination, tenacity and our strength. We honor our ancestors, our cultural traditions, and our sacred places. Serving our own as we should all with respect and honor. We acknowledge the great progress we have made toward our goals while recognizing that work remains to be done by healing our land, restoring our spirits and uniting our nation to provide our families with education, health care, and homes.
About Us
The people known today as the Snoqualmie Tribe have lived in the Puget Sound region since time immemorial, long before the early explorers came to the Northwest. They hunted deer, elk, and other game animals, fished for salmon and gathered berries and wild plants for food and medicinal purposes.
The Snoqualmie Tribe currently has approximately 650 members. Historically, Tribal members lived in an area of East King and Snohomish Counties that now contains the communities of Monroe, Carnation, Fall City, Snoqualmie, North Bend, Mercer Island and Issaquah. Tribal members continue to live in each of these communities.
In 1855 Snoqualmie signed the Point Elliott Treaty. This treaty created a government-to-government relationship between the United States and the Snoqualmie Tribe and the Tribe ceded to the US government all of its land between Snoqualmie Pass and Marysville. The Tribe lost federal recognition in 1953 when federal policies limited recognition to tribes having reservations.
In October of 1999, After 46 years of petitioning, the Bureau of Indian Affairs notified the Tribe's Fall City headquarters that they had re-recognized the Snoqualmie Tribe and granted Snoqualmie Nation tribal status based on evidence that the Tribe had maintained a continuous community from historical times to the present. Recognition provided the Tribe the right to acquire its initial reservation land and to develop a casino to help fund the costs of tribal governance, administration and services to its members.
Governance: The Tribe is governed by a Tribal constitution and elected Council. The Tribe's governing structure includes building codes, health codes and other standard governmental functions.