Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe of Washington
The Sauk - Suiattle (formerly also Sah- Ku -Me- Hu) are a living in the northwest of Washington state Indian tribe that used to belong to the Upper Skagit. They lived on the Sauk and Suiattle River, tributaries of the Skagit River.
The Sauk - Suiattle spoke a dialect of the south-western coastal Salish, the Lushootseed.
History
Like all coastal Salish also led the Sauk - Suiattle seasonal migration as a function of salmon, game and vegetation cycles. This led to permanent homes were purchased only in winter. They lived on Suiattle River, which flows into the Sauk. This in turn is a tributary of the Skagit River. On Suiattle the tribe lived in five winter houses between the mouth of the Sauk and Sauk Prairie, an important meeting place for several tribes, near Darrington. In the summer they lived further upstream. At an unknown date they began to breed horses.
With their canoes they engaged in commerce with the groups in the Puget Sound. About this trade but they dragged also European diseases such as smallpox.
The Treaty of Point Elliott
The Sauk - Suiattle chief Wawsitkin 1855 signed the Treaty of Point Elliott not out of concern that his people do not get their own reserve. The chief as a (sub - chief) called Dahtldemin signed the contract instead. Settlement pressure of white settlers forced the tribe to abandon its traditional way of life. They stopped to hunt large game such as elk.
According to oral tradition by the Sauk - Suiattle turned on the recommendation of other Indians to Walla Walla to send a missionary. But they built themselves an easy mission.
1870 came surveyor who wanted to build a railroad through their country. 1884 White burned a village with eight large long houses from cedar planks on the Suiattle estuary down. Some moved to the Swinomish reserve and other reserves in the area and lived in scattered groups. 1886 protested chief Wawitkin - Americanized John Sauk - against the land surveying, and one of them was sold. As neighboring Indians against settlers protested that had appropriated land, they sent an army unit with Josephine, under the leadership of Colonel Simmons. Some Indians now moved into the territory of Sauk - Suiattle so that chief Wawitkin protested to the Congress. One of the settlers was then forced to leave his occupied property. Wawitkin died on March 16, 1912, allegedly at the age of 120 years.
In 1891 a settler family lived in the territory of the Sauk - Suiattle. As head of the family was James Howard Bedal (* January 19, 1862, † September 14, 1932 ) from Minnesota, the daughter Wawitkins, for whose name different spellings exist, Susie Wahwetkin († December 15, 1947 ) got married. They moved three daughters and two sons in size. While Lucie died on 2 February 1916, the flu, were Edith and Jean to connoisseurs of the traditions and were as Elders to major consultants, and their knowledge of history proved to be indispensable for the recognition procedure as the root. Edith was honored in 1989 as one of the State Centennial Artists. Harry, who was born on May 2, 1890, worked at the Snoqualmie National Forest, died on 20 February 1945.
Nevertheless, the Treaty of Point Elliott was in his protection and in its definition of violence for the participating 22 tribes of central importance. Again and again, the recognition of the signatory tribes were required its observance, demanded to hunting and fishing rights. But until 1934, the government pursued a program of the resolution of the tribes in individuals.
The struggle for recognition and land rights
The strain 1924 was one of only 18 members ( according to other sources 20), filed a lawsuit in 1936 against the United States to get replaced the loss of land from the Treaty of Point Elliott. The action came before the Court of Claims ( Court for damages ), but it was forwarded to the Indian Claims Commission ( Commission of Indian claims ). The Commission dismissed the action because the strain at the time of the Point Elliott Treaty had no identifiable tribal identity that distinguished him from the Upper Skagit. So be included in the demand of the Upper Skagit.
In June 1943, the tribe received federal recognition. In the Treaty of Point Elliott the tribe fishing rights had been granted and he became a member of the Skagit System Cooperative. This system was recognized on September 17, 1975 and 1976 set up to regulate fishing on the Skagit River.
In 1974, the Sauk - Suiattle by the Boldt judgment ( Boldt decision ), the only recognized tribes promised their contractual fishing rights, these rights are conferred - in contrast to the Samish, Duwamish, Snohomish and Steilacoom. They were at that time no recognized tribes. 1985 were counted 260 members of the Sauk - Suiattle.
The reserve began in 1984 with an area of 15 acre. In 2000 lived in the meantime a 23- acre reserve of 45 inhabitants, of which 43 belonged to the tribe.
Current Situation
The tribe elects a seven-member tribal council in staggered three -year cycle. It has a constitution, tribal laws, a fisheries and electoral rules and a code of law. The reservation consists of two areas located in the Skagit and Snohomish County and include 135,500 sqm and 48,800 sqm. Only in the former territory of live people, in 2000, exactly 45 The Sauk - Suiattle had at the end of the 20th century 237 enrolled tribal members.
In 1997, a sensational incident, which aroused unpleasant memories occurred. On July 2, nearly a helicopter of the U.S. Navy in the middle of the end of the 19th century would have landed furnished Cemetery Suiattle at Darrington. The helicopter from the Naval Air Station Whidbey Iceland turned off at the last moment, but crosses, flowers and fences were whirled.
In the churchyard are three chiefs: Captain Moses, James Brown and Leo Brown. 1993 was buried here James Joseph, the husband of tribal elders Katherine Brown Joseph and father of Chief James Lawrence Joseph. Chief James Brown, one of the eight by early settlers in 1884 destroyed longhouses had heard, and had his life trying to save the tribal homeland, was again disturbed in his rest. A spokesman for the U.S. Navy promised the Sauk tribe Suiattle a review of the incident and made an apology in view. The hereditary chief James Lawrence Joseph, however, wanted a personal apology from President Bill Clinton.
Another reason for the violent reaction of the Sauk - Suiattle is the fact that the tribe sought in the last 25 years to revive traditions. There is a growing readiness, language, and important questions of faith to the younger generation to pass. The elder Paul Harvey, a former chairman of the tribal council who was raised by his grandparents, had learned the tribal language and the ancient customs of them wants to transfer and write down the stories of his people so that they can be passed on to future generations.
In 2004, the strain on the initiative of the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians Economic Development Corporation, Verizon, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation twenty computer and a fast Internet connection.
Together with the Earthwatch Institute staged the Sauk - Suiattle with non-Indian residents of the area in May 2005, a theatrical performance of their common history, a piece that Traditions of Cedar, Salmon, and was gold. It was performed at the Old School Park of Darrington and comes from Will Weigler. Consultant was Astrida Onat ( Boas, Inc.), Weigler lived for the piece for six months in the region.
In 2007, the tribe for his study of the declining population of mountain goats, their number had fallen to less than 100 copies, a premium from the U.S. Fish Wildlife Service in the amount of $ 172,724.
The current reserve covers 84 acres, including 23 in Trust Management. A multi-purpose building in Darrington houses the administration, a daycare center and apartments. The tribe has about 45 employees, among others, to the police, facilities for medical and family care, for environmental, legal advice and a housing and an education department.
Every year in June, a powwow held to maintain the traditions, at the same time trying Korean Baptists to evangelize among them.