by Callie Ridolfi, Virtual Unit Leader, LWV of Seattle King County

The Duwamish people: People of the Inside dxʷdəwʔabš 

The Seattle King County Virtual Unit’s program this year is educating members on local tribes and exploring partnership opportunities with them. The unit’s research and outreach also will support the state League’s update of the 1980 Tribal Study.   

The Duwamish people have resided in the Seattle area since time immemorial, with stories telling of the last Ice Age with an ice weir breaking at the Duwamish River. “Duwamish” means “people of the inside," referring to those who lived on the land around the Duwamish, Black, and Cedar rivers.  

Their ancestral language is Lushootseed, which the tribe is working to revitalize. Primary sources of food were historically from the water, including fish, salmon, shellfish, ducks and saltwater animals.  

The Duwamish tribal longhouse in Seattle is near where one of their largest villages was located before it burned in 1895. Many enrolled members live in the Seattle King County area on the aboriginal territory of the Duwamish people. 

In 1855, four Duwamish tribal members signed the Treaty of Point Elliott, including Chief Si’ahl (or Seattle). Chief Si’ahl was a chief of the D’wamish and Suquamish tribes. Since 1978, the tribe has been seeking to restore their status with the U.S. government as a federally recognized tribe.  

A six-member council leads the tribe, which is governed by a 1925 constitution and bylaws. Cecile Hansen, a descendant of Chief Si’ahl, is the tribe’s elected chair. 

The need for the update stems from significant developments since 2000: