The Puyallup Indians
July 24, 2006
The Puyallup Indians are a coastal Salish tribe that has resided in the Puget Sound
area for many generations. Their main food source has been salmon, which also
plays a key role in their tribal ceremonies. In 1854 they established relations with
the U.S. government that led to the Treaty of Medicine Creek of 1855. The
Puyallup Indians gave up much of their land but reserved certain lands and rights
including fishing rights.
The original 1,280-acre reservation was enlarged to 18,062 acres in 1856. In 1877
the Dawes Act broke up the reservation and divided it among individual members
of the tribe, except for the cemetery. Most of the Puyallup reservation falls within
the city limits of Tacoma, Washington. In 1893 select portions of the reservation
were opened up to white settlement and auctioned off. The land that was left
remained in Indian possession. Later the Puyallup people would lose half of their
land to non-tribal members.
In the 1950’s, 60’s and ‘70’s, Puyallup Indian fishing rights were challenged by the
State of Washington which led to Indian harassment and many arrests by state and
local authorities.
The images presented here are from the September 1970 fishing rights
demonstration and tribal fishing net confiscations by the state fish and game
authorities and supported by the local police who then arrested many of the Indians
who protested the actions by the authorities.
The Boldt Decision of 1974 held that treaties signed with native tribes and the
federal government in the 1850’s entitled tribes to 50% of the total fish harvest. In
1984 the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that a
dozen acres acquired by the Port of Tacoma in 1950 properly belonged to the
Puyallup people. President George H.W. Bush signed the bill that settled the
Puyallup tribal claims. The Puyallup tribe was then compensated to the amount of
$77.25 million.
It is my opinion that the organized harassment and oppression by the local and
state authorities was meant to beat down the moral of these local indigenous
people. I believe that it accomplished just the opposite; it strengthened the spirit
and culture of the long time stewards of this land.
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