Land area
Land of the Dwamish and Suquamish in Washington, ceded 1855 (area 347)
- 1855
Ceded to the United States
In the record
Ceded by the Dwamish, Suquamish and allied tribes in the 1855 Treaty of Point Elliott, land in Washington. The area covers about 6.6 million acres in what is now Washington.
The 1899 record names Duwamish and Suquamish as the people of this land.
How it was taken: a treaty made under documented pressure. The National Park Service says Stevens pressured Puget Sound tribes into signing the 1854-55 treaties, and the Supreme Court notes the councils used an imperfect Chinook Jargon.
Today, Duwamish Tribe, Muckleshoot Indian Tribe and Suquamish Indian Tribe of the Port Madison Reservation carry the history of the people named here.
Written from the records linked here; open any of them for its sources.
Shapes come from C. C. Royce’s 1899 maps as georeferenced by the US Forest Service. They are approximate and are not legal descriptions of land. Royce recorded land the United States treated as ceded; the shape does not show a nation’s territory.
Who is doing the work
This history belongs to living nations. Start with them:
- Duwamish Tribe
- Muckleshoot Indian Tribe
- Snohomish Tribe of Indians
- Steilacoom Tribe
- Stevens treaty tribes of western Washington
Working with these nations
- Duwamish Tribal Services (Real Rent Duwamish) Native-led Real Rent Duwamish: Seattle residents pay voluntary 'rent' Give on their site Website
Land return and Native-led work nearby
- Puyallup Tribe of Indians Nation government 1989 Land Claims Settlement (about $162-163M)
- Na'ah Illahee Fund Native-led Indigenous-led regranting for Land Back (building on E'lip Tilikum Land Conservancy), land and water protection,… Give on their site Website
- Potlatch Fund Native-led Native philanthropy and grantmaking to Native individuals and Native-led organizations Give on their site Website
Native legal and land defense, nationally
- Native American Rights Fund (NARF) Native-led Litigation and legal advocacy for tribal sovereignty, treaty rights, land and resources Give on their site Website
- NDN Collective (LANDBACK Campaign) Native-led LANDBACK campaign (launched 2020; Mount Rushmore closure and return of Black Hills public lands), Indigenous… Give on their site Website
- Indian Land Tenure Foundation (ILTF) Native-led Land recovery and control by tribes and individual Indian landowners Website
- Decolonizing Wealth Project (Indigenous Earth Fund; California Tribal Land Return) Native-led Reparative philanthropy Give on their site Website
Gifts go straight to each organization; this atlas takes nothing. Listing is not endorsement: how organizations are listed.
Connections
Links marked “suggested” were matched automatically by name or date and have not yet been reviewed by a person.
Nations named for this land 3, matched by the Forest Service, under review
- Duwamishsuggested
- Suquamishsuggested
- Suquamish Indian Tribe of the Port Madison Reservationsuggested
Agreements recorded for this land 1
- Treaty of Point Elliott, 18551855suggested
Located in 1
Sources
- Royce, Indian Land Cessions (1899), Schedule entry dated 1855-01-22primary record
- Kappler, Indian Affairs: Laws and Treaties, text for 1855-01-22primary record
- Royce’s map sheet: Washington 1 (Library of Congress)primary record
- USDA Forest Service, Tribal Lands Ceded to the United States (digitized Royce maps)reference work
The record’s fields
- Area number in the 1899 record
- 347
- Dates in the 1899 record
- 1855-01-22
- Kind of instrument
- Treaty or agreement
- Peoples as named in the 1899 record
- Dwamish; Suquamish
- States
- WA
- Counties
- Chelan; King; Kitsap; Okanogan; San Juan; Skagit; Snohomish; Whatcom
- Map sheets in the 1899 record
- Washington 1
- Geometry
- Approximate shape from Royce’s 1899 maps
Research notes
geometry_role is 'cession' for every USFS feature: no field in the source distinguishes cessions from reservations.
- Kind
- Land area
- Confidence
- Medium