Sauk-Suiattle
Encyclopedia
Sauk-Suiattle, or Sah-Ku-Me-Hu, is a Native American
tribe in western Washington state in the United States
. The tribe originally lived along the banks of the Sauk
, Suiattle
, Cascade
, Stillaguamish
, and Skagit River
s. The Sauk-Suiattle Indian Reservation is in this area, centered near Darrington, Washington
. It lies in two non-contiguous sections: the largest is in southern Skagit County
, comprising 0.1355 square kilometres (33.5 acre), 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, in northern Snohomish County
, has a land area of 0.0488 square kilometres (12.1 acre) and had no resident population.
The Sauk-Suiattle are part of a group of tribes in the area which shared similar language and cultures, including the Skagit. Like many Northwest Coast natives, the Sauk-Suiattle relied heavily on fishing for their survival and their livelihood. The tribe moved onto a reservation in 1855 after the Point Elliott Treaty which was signed by a sub-chief after the chief refused. In 1884, their village consisting of eight traditional cedar longhouses which were destroyed by European settlers. Some tribe members moved to the Swinomish Indian Reservation which had people from many neighboring Coast Salish
tribes. From a pre-1855 population of 4,000, the tribe had declined to only 18 in 1924. Land claims were rejected on the basis that the tribe was not separate from the Upper Skagit
tribe. In 1946, the Sauk-Suiattle established a separate tribal entity and they were federally recognized as a tribe in 1973. Their constitution was approved by the Secretary of the Interior in 1975.
Tribal membership has today risen to about 200. Membership requirements are at least 1/4 blood descent from a member recorded in the 1942 census. The tribe has fishing rights under the Point Elliot Treaty and is a member of the Skagit River System Cooperative with the Swinomish.
) belongs to the Salishan family of Native American languages and is spoken by several Salishan groups.
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
tribe in western Washington state in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The tribe originally lived along the banks of the Sauk
Sauk River (Washington)
The Sauk River is a tributary of the Skagit River, approximately long, in northwestern Washington in the United States. It drains an area of the high Cascade Range in the watershed of Puget Sound north of Seattle. The river is a popular destination for fly fishing...
, Suiattle
Suiattle River
The Suiattle River is a river in the U.S. state of Washington.-Course:The Suiattle River originates from the Suiattle Glacier on the slopes of Glacier Peak in the Cascade Range. It flows generally northwest to join the Sauk River north of Darrington. The Sauk River in turn joins the Skagit River,...
, Cascade
Cascade River (Washington)
The Cascade River is a river in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a tributary of the Skagit River which it joins at the city of Marblemount. It is a National Wild and Scenic River.- South Fork :...
, Stillaguamish
Stillaguamish River
The Stillaguamish River is a river in northwest Washington in the United States. It is mainly composed of two forks, the longer North Fork Stillaguamish and the South Fork Stillaguamish. The two forks join near Arlington. From there the Stillaguamish River proper flows for to Puget Sound...
, and Skagit River
Skagit River
The Skagit River is a river in southwestern British Columbia in Canada and northwestern Washington in the United States, approximately 150 mi long...
s. The Sauk-Suiattle Indian Reservation is in this area, centered near Darrington, Washington
Darrington, Washington
Darrington is a town in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. The population was 1,347 at the 2010 census.-History:The upper Stillaguamish valley where Darrington is located was once settled by the local Sauk-Suiattle Tribes in the drainage of the Sauk, Suiattle and Whitechuck rivers...
. It lies in two non-contiguous sections: the largest is in southern Skagit County
Skagit County, Washington
Skagit County is a county in the U.S. state of Washington. It is named after the Skagit Indian tribe. As of 2010, the population was 116,901. It is included in the Mount Vernon-Anacortes, Washington, Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, comprising 0.1355 square kilometres (33.5 acre), or 73.5 percent of the reservation's total land area and all of its resident population of 45 persons (2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
); the smaller section, in northern Snohomish County
Snohomish County, Washington
Snohomish County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. It is named after the Snohomish tribe. Since 2000, the county's population has grown from 606,024 to 713,335 residents , making it one of the fastest-growing in the state, ranking third in overall population after King and...
, has a land area of 0.0488 square kilometres (12.1 acre) and had no resident population.
The Sauk-Suiattle are part of a group of tribes in the area which shared similar language and cultures, including the Skagit. Like many Northwest Coast natives, the Sauk-Suiattle relied heavily on fishing for their survival and their livelihood. The tribe moved onto a reservation in 1855 after the Point Elliott Treaty which was signed by a sub-chief after the chief refused. In 1884, their village consisting of eight traditional cedar longhouses which were destroyed by European settlers. Some tribe members moved to the Swinomish Indian Reservation which had people from many neighboring Coast Salish
Coast Salish
Coast Salish languages are a subgroup of the Salishan language family. These languages are spoken by First Nations or Native American peoples inhabiting the territory that is now the southwest coast of British Columbia around the Strait of Georgia and Washington state around Puget Sound...
tribes. From a pre-1855 population of 4,000, the tribe had declined to only 18 in 1924. Land claims were rejected on the basis that the tribe was not separate from the Upper Skagit
Upper Skagit (tribe)
The Upper Skagit are a Lushootseed Native American tribe living in the state of Washington. In pre-Colonial times, the tribe occupied lands along the Skagit River, from as far downstream as the land currently occupied by Mount Vernon, Washington, and villages going north as far as Newhalem along...
tribe. In 1946, the Sauk-Suiattle established a separate tribal entity and they were federally recognized as a tribe in 1973. Their constitution was approved by the Secretary of the Interior in 1975.
Tribal membership has today risen to about 200. Membership requirements are at least 1/4 blood descent from a member recorded in the 1942 census. The tribe has fishing rights under the Point Elliot Treaty and is a member of the Skagit River System Cooperative with the Swinomish.
Language
The Sauk-Suiattle language (LushootseedLushootseed
Lushootseed is the language or dialect continuum of several SalishNative American groups of modern-day Washington state...
) belongs to the Salishan family of Native American languages and is spoken by several Salishan groups.