Squaxin Island

We are descendants of the maritime people who lived along the shores and watersheds of the seven southernmost inlets of Puget Sound for many thousands of years. Our culture is still very much connected to this aquatic environment.

On Christmas Day, 1854 the Treaty of Medicine Creek was negotiated in Chinook Jargon, a trade language inadequate to convey the complex issues of treaty making. This treaty, signed on December 26, was the first in Washington Territory. Approximately 660 people attended the negotiations, although it was raining and miserably cold. More could not attend because of the severity of the weather.

The ancestral lands ceded to the United States government (by the Squaxin Island, Nisqually and Puyallup Tribes) in the 1854 Treaty of Medicine Creek included 4,000 square miles, or 2,560,000 acres, extending from the Cascades on the east to the Black Hills on the west, and from Mt. St. Helens to the Skookumchuck and Chehalis Rivers on the south and Wilke’s Portage Vashon Island and the divide between the Puyallup and White Rivers on the North. Three small reserves. Only one small island, four and a half miles long and a half mile wide was reserved as the main area for all of our people to live. The island was named after the people of Case Inlet and became known as Squaxin Island.

Enrollment [1]

• Enrollment Application [2]
• Enrollment Ordinance [3]

Family Services[4]

• Family Services Programs provide assistance to individuals and families extending from prenatal to death.
  • Infant and Youth Services[5]
  • Adults, Elders and Family Services [6]
  • Community Support / Collaborative Services[7]

NWITC [9]

• Northwest Indian Treatment Center (NWITC), which opened in 1994, provides residential alcohol and drug treatment to a primarily Native American population from Washington, Oregon and Idaho. It received national accreditation by CARF in January 1998 and is recognized as one of the best residential programs in the nation.
  • About the Center [10]
  • Residential Services [11]

Salish Roots Farm [12]

• The Squaxin Island Garden is located in the Kamilche Valley, which is translated to English as “the Peaceful Valley”, on a ten-acre parcel. The Garden features forested wetlands lined with native plants, an abundant orchard, a small berry field and a thriving vegetable garden. The Garden was established in 2016 with the mission to increase access to culturally relevant foods, as well as locally-grown organic produce.

Ta Ha' Buts Learning Center [13]

• Education Information Sheet[14]
• Education Information Release Form [15]
• Application Checklist [16]
• Memorandum of Commitment [17]

Community Development and Planning [19]

• The Department of Community Development and Planning team’s main focus is construction and maintenance of homes in the Squaxin Island community. This includes roads, sewer and water. Planning and construction of public buildings is another important function of the department.
• Housing Application [20]

Contact Information[21]