MUCKLESHOOT YOUTH FACILITY

Community > Social Services

United States policy in the latter half of the Nineteenth Century sought to break up tribal communal land holdings by allotting reservation lands to individual Indian families and selling “surplus” lands that remained to non-Indians. At Muckleshoot that policy was implemented in the early 1900s when almost all of the Muckleshoot Reservation was divided into allotments that were assigned to Indian families. In the following years tribal members suffering from grinding poverty, discrimination, and substandard housing often were forced to sell their Reservation land to non-Indians in order to survive. During this time period, the State of Washington also increasingly sought to restrict off-reservation fishing, hunting, and gathering activities upon which tribal members depended for their sustenance and livelihood.

In spite of these obstacles and a lack of resources, the Muckleshoot Tribe persevered. The Tribe maintained a cohesive community and government structure, preserved its culture, and built its own community hall. In the 1960s, the Muckleshoot Tribe, together with the Puyallup and Nisqually Tribes, repeatedly challenged state efforts to prohibit Indian fishing at traditional fishing locations. In 1970 these actions led the United States to file a lawsuit against the State of Washington to definitively determine the nature of the fishing rights reserved in the Treaties concluded by Governor Stevens.

The decision in that case, United States v. Washington, was rendered in 1974 and subsequently upheld by the United States Supreme Court. It held that the Tribes that are party to the Stevens Treaties are entitled to take 50% of the fish available for harvest at traditional tribal fishing locations free from most state regulation. It also affirmed the United States’ recognition of the Muckleshoot Tribe as a political successor to Duwamish bands party to the Treaty of Point Elliott, including the band to which Chief Seattle belonged, and a political successor to Upper Puyallups, party to the Treaty of Medicine Creek. Thus, the Court found the Muckleshoot Tribe to uniquely possess rights under both the Treaty of Point Elliott and Treaty of Medicine Creek.

The renewed access to fishing resources that had been promised under the Treaties, but long denied by the State of Washington, resulted in a revitalization of tribal economies and communities throughout Western Washington, including Muckleshoot. Starting in the 1990’s, this revitalization accelerated with the introduction of bingo and casino gaming on the Reservation and has continued with the diversification of the Tribe’s economic enterprises and investments which include: Muckleshoot Seafood Products, the Muckleshoot Mini Mart, the Salish Tree Farm, the White River Amphitheatre, the Salish Lodge, and Emerald Downs.

The Tribe has become a major contributor to the local economy and community providing resources to other governments, schools, nonprofits, and churches throughout Washington. The benefits of the Muckleshoot Tribe’s economic revival go well beyond its financial contributions to the local community. From landmark agreements protecting fish and wildlife habitat, to innovative educational programming, and hundreds of partnerships with organizations serving those in need throughout the state, the Muckleshoot Tribe is contributing to the quality of life of its citizens and neighbors.

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