Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe of Washington

Federally-recognized Indian Tribe in Washington (state)

For the Sauk people of the American Midwest, see Sauk people.

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Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe

saʔqʷəbixʷ-suyaƛ̕bixʷ

Location of the Sauk Suiattle Indian Tribe

Headquarters| Darrington, Washington
Languages| Lushootseed, English
Religion

| Christianity (incl. syncretic forms); Indigenous folk religion
Demonym(s)| Sauk-Suiattle
Enrolled members| 314-350[note 1]
Government| Tribal Council

• Chairperson

| Nino Maltos

• Vice-Chair

| Nino Maltos Sr.
Domestic dependent nation

within the United States

• Treaty

| 1855

• Formed

| 1946

• Recognized

| September 17, 1975

Website
https://sauk-suiattle.com

The Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe[2] (Lushootseed: saʔqʷəbixʷ-suyaƛ̕bixʷ;[1] Commonly known as the Sauk-Suiattle Tribe) is a federally-recognized tribe of Sauk people located in western Washington state. The tribe historically lived along the banks of the Sauk, Suiattle, Cascade, Stillaguamish, and Skagit rivers, in the area known as Sauk Prairie at the foot of Whitehorse Mountain in the North Cascade Range.

## Name[edit]

The name "Sauk-Suiattle" is a combination of the names for two groups of people. The Sauk are the ethnic group who make up the majority of the population of the tribe today, while "Suiattle" is a term used for those among the Sauk who travelled to the Suiattle River during the summer, and is not an ethnic identifier. However, due to the closeness of the two groups, they are commonly known together as the "Sauk-Suiattle."[citation needed]

The name for the Sauk-Suiattle in Lushootseed is saʔqʷəbixʷ-suyaƛ̕bixʷ. The first part of the name, saʔqʷəbixʷ,[note 2] was recorded on the Treaty of Point Elliott as "Sah-ku-méhu" or "Sah-ku-me-hu."[1][3] The Sauk were also recorded as the Sabbu-uqu.[4]

## History[edit]

The Suiattle River near the Sauk-Suiattle Reservation

For generations, the Sauk (Lushootseed: saʔqʷəbixʷ[note 3]) lived in the Sauk River valley, fishing, hunting, and gathering along the waterways of the Sauk, Suiattle, Cascade, Skagit, and Stillaguamish rivers. The people traveled to Puget Sound and across the mountains as well, using horses and canoes for travel.[1]

In 1855, the aboriginal Sauk people were party to the Treaty of Point Elliot at what is now Muckilteo, Washington. The Sauk were listed on the treaty as the Sah-ku-mehu (spelled also Sah-ku-me-hu).[3] The man appointed as "chief," Wawsitkin, refused to sign the treaty, because he feared they would not receive a reservation. Thus, Dahtldemin, an appointed "sub-chief," was the signatory for the Sah-ku-me-hu.[4]

The Sauk had an important village at Sauk Prairie, near the confluence of the Sauk and Suiattle rivers,[note 4] which had eight longhouses. This village was destroyed in the 1880s by American settlers claiming land under the Homestead Act of 1862.[1][4] Due to this encroachment by settlers, many were forced to move to local reservations such as the Swinomish Reservation.[5]

The Sauk continued to seek reparations from the United States government, and in 1936, sued in the Indian Claims Commission. Their case was dismissed as the commission found that they were not a distinct tribal entity, separate from the Upper Skagit Indian Tribe (with whom they were currently affiliated). They were included in the Upper Skagit claim, which was allowed.[6]

In 1946, the Sauk separated from the Upper Skagit, forming their own government and seeking recognition as a sovereign entity. They received this on September 17, 1975. They also received a reservation in 1984, which, as of 2008, was 84 acres.[7]

## Government[edit]

In 1946, the Sauk-Suiattle separated from the Upper Skagit and wrote a constitution and bylaws. The Sauk-Suiattle Tribe achieved federal recognition on September 17, 1975. Their constitution and bylaws were approved by the Secretary of the Interior on the same day.[6]

The Sauk-Suiattle Tribe is governed by the seven-member Sauk-Suiattle Tribal Council. The current[note 5] membership of the Tribal Council is as follows.[8]

* Nino Maltos (Chairperson)
* Nino Maltos Sr. (Vice-Chair)
* Natalie Misanses (Secretary)
* Demi Maltos (Treasurer)
* Kevin Lenon
* Sharmen Enick-Pizano
* Norma Joseph

## Sauk-Suiattle Indian Reservation[edit]

Old flag of the Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe

The Sauk-Suiattle Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation belonging to the Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe, located in western Washington state. The reservation was established on July 9, 1984, and was originally 15 acres. By 2008, the reservation had grown to 84 acres. 23 acres are in trust, while the rest is in the process of gaining trust status.[9]

The reservation is located near the present-day town of Darrington. It lies in two non-contiguous sections: the largest (48°19′16″N 121°32′59″W﻿ / ﻿48.32111°N 121.54972°W﻿ / 48.32111; -121.54972) is in southern Skagit County, comprising 33.5 acres (13.6 hectares), or 73.5 percent of the reservation's total land area and all of its resident population of 45 persons (2000 census); the smaller section (48°17′25″N 121°32′36″W﻿ / ﻿48.29028°N 121.54333°W﻿ / 48.29028; -121.54333), in northern Snohomish County, has a land area of 12.1 acres (4.9 hectares) and no resident population.[citation needed]

## Economy and services[edit]

The tribe operates a smokeshop and a country store through its economic development group.[1] It opened a casino and bingo hall located on Washington State Route 530 in September 2018.[10] In early 2021 they opened a Marijuana Store.[citation needed]

Under the Point Elliot Treaty, the Sauk-Suiattle has fishing rights on the rivers. They are a member of the Skagit River System Cooperative together with the Swinomish.[11]

## Demographics[edit]

Around 1855, the Sauk-Suiattle were estimated to be around 4,000. By 1924, their population had decreased to 18. In 1985, their population was 260, and by 2008, it was 233.[4] As of 2024, the Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe has at least 314 citizens, with some estimates going as high as 350.[1]

The tribe sets the requirements for citizenship. Individuals seeking to enroll must have at least 1/4 Indian blood and proof of descendancy from one or more Native American ancestors recorded in the 1942 federal census as living in the Sauk River valley.[1]

## Culture[edit]

The tribe celebrates an annual pow-wow, held in August. It also holds traditional stickgames at the same time.[1]

### Languages[edit]

The Sauk-Suiattle language (Lushootseed) belongs to the Salishan family of Native American languages; dialects of Lushotseed have traditionally been spoken by several Salishan groups. Several of these languages are endangered, as speakers are a decreasing number of elders.

## See also[edit]

* Upper Skagit Indian Tribe
* Lushootseed
* List of Lushootseed-speaking peoples

## Notes[edit]

1. ^ "314 tribal members and counting." In other parts of the website, the figure is said to be "over 350 individuals"[1]
2. ^ Also spelled saʔkʷbixʷ or saʔkʷəbixʷ
3. ^ Also spelled saʔkʷbixʷ or saʔkʷəbixʷ
4. ^ Alternatively, it has been claimed that the village in question was located at the confluence of the Skagit and Sauk rivers.[4]
5. ^ As of April 2024

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Sauk-Suiattle - Index". Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
2. ^ "Constitution and Bylaws of the Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe" (PDF). Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
3. ^ a b "Treaty of Point Elliott, 1855". Governors Office of Indian Affairs. State of Washington. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
4. ^ a b c d e Ruby, Brown & Collins 2010, p. 266.
5. ^ Ruby, Brown & Collins 2010, p. 266-267.
6. ^ a b Ruby, Brown & Collins 2010, p. 267.
7. ^ Ruby, Brown & Collins 2010, p. 266, 268.
8. ^ "Tribal Council". Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
9. ^ Ruby, Brown & Collins 2010, p. 268.
10. ^ Bray, Kari (September 6, 2018). "Sauk-Suiattle Tribe's casino and bingo hall near completion". The Everett Herald. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
11. ^ Skagit River System Cooperative, official website

### Bibliography[edit]

* Hollenbeck, Jan L. (1987). A Cultural Resource Overview: Prehistory, Ethnography, and History: Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. Portland: US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region. OCLC 892024380.
* Ruby, Robert H.; Brown, John A.; Collins, Cary C. (2010). A Guide to the Indian Tribes of the Pacific Northwest. Civilization of the American Indian. Vol. 173 (3rd ed.). Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 9780806124797.

## External links[edit]

* Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe, official website
* Sauk-Suiattle Reservation, Washington, United States Census Bureau

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