Learn about the Snoqualmie Tribe Ancestral Lands Movement
Conservation Northwest / Aug 10, 2021 / Central Cascades, First Nations, Recreation
Read about how to support lands that the Snoqualmie Tribe have lived on and cared for since time immemorial.
Editor’s note: This content was written and shared by the Snoqualmie Tribe. As Conservation Northwest works to protect, connect and restore wildlands and wildlife, we are glad to help amplify the Snoqualmie Tribe Ancestral Lands Movement and their goals to cultivate higher levels of respect, knowledge and protection for beloved landscapes in the Central Cascades and beyond. Consistent with this movement, we are particularly focused on growing issues around wildlife-recreation coexistence, and will be rolling out a new conservation program along these lines in the months ahead.
GUEST POST BY SNOQUALMIE TRIBE STAFF
The Snoqualmie Tribe Ancestral Lands Movement seeks to spread awareness of the Snoqualmie People who have lived in the south Salish Sea region since time immemorial.
This movement strives to share the significance of these lands and to provide information on how people can help the Tribe in respecting, restoring, and protecting them.
As the Salish Sea region has grown in population, the Snoqualmie Tribe’s ancestral lands [primarily in the Central Cascades and Snoqualmie Valley] have been heavily impacted by recreation. This impact is especially apparent at popular trails in the Snoqualmie River corridor area, where increased visitation has resulted in a degradation of the land. Areas include many hikes accessible by I-90 such as Mount Si, Twin Falls, Rattlesnake Ridge, Tiger Mountain, Franklin Falls, Middle Fork Snoqualmie, Raging River, Cougar Mountain, and more.
Here are ways you can help support the Snoqualmie Tribe and their lands today:
- Treat the lands with the respect they deserve by picking up your own trash and that of others that you see, properly disposing of pet waste, and staying on designated trails.
- Commit to experience the lands in a way that is centered in mindfulness, rather than conquest.
- Learn more about the Snoqualmie Tribe and its history and deep connection to these lands, and support the work the Tribe does today to continue stewarding these lands.
- Acknowledge that you are recreating on Snoqualmie ancestral lands through both written acknowledgement and through practice.
- Help the Tribe spread its message by encouraging others to learn more and practice land acknowledgement both on and off the trails
Like, share and follow their page on Facebook: Snoqualmie Tribe Ancestral Lands Movement and take a few moments to sign the pledge to support the Snoqualmie Tribe ancestral lands. The Snoqualmie Tribe is regularly sharing a variety of education materials and calls to action with specific ways in which recreationists may support the Tribe in their work.
The Snoqualmie Tribe affirms that it is through education and awareness that individuals can integrate lands acknowledgment and respect for the Snoqualmie Tribe into their recreational practices and experiences. Here is a land acknowledgement you can use on your next outdoor adventure on their ancestral lands in the Central Cascades and Snoqualmie Valley:
I acknowledge that I am on the Indigenous Land of the Coast Salish peoples who have reserved treaty rights to this land, specifically the Snoqualmie Indian Tribe (sdukwalbixw). I thank these caretakers of this land who have lived and continue to live here since time immemorial.