Stillaguamish people


Stillaguamish people are a Native American tribe located in northwest Washington state in the United States near the city of Arlington, Washington, near the river that bears their name, the Stillaguamish River. They are an indigenous people of the Northwest Plateau, specially a Southern Coast Salish people. Today Stillaguamish people are enrolled in the federally recognized tribes Stillaguamish Tribe of Washington and Tulalip Tribes of the Tulalip Reservation.

History

Stillaguamish people today are descendants of the Stoluck-wa-mish River Tribe, who lived along the Stillaguamish River in the 1850s. They signed the Point Elliott Treaty on 22 January 1855, as the "Stoluck-wa-mish." Many members of the tribe moved to the Tulalip Reservation, and others stayed along the river. Years later the Stillaguamish Reservation was established.
The Stillaguamish Tribe of Washington ratified its constitution on 31 January 1953, establishing a democratically elected, six-member tribal council.
The Stillaguamish Tribe petitioned for recognition from the United States Government in 1974, and received recognition on February 7, 1979. The enrolled population of the tribe in 2003 was 237. The tribe helps manage salmon populations in the Stillaguamish River watershed. As part of this effort, the tribe has a hatchery which releases chinook and coho salmon, running educational activities about salmon.