SUQUAMISH — The Suquamish Tribe is submitting a proposal to name Washington state’s newest 144-vehicle ferry the MV Suquamish.
The Suquamish Tribe is requesting the Washington State Transportation Commission consider naming the new 144-car ferry Suquamish, to recognize the maritime history of the Suquamish people, the significant role the Tribe has played in the history of Washington state, and to commemorate the historical importance of the Suquamish waterfront to the Mosquito Fleet routes in the Central Puget Sound.
The Suquamish Tribal Council passed a resolution supporting the proposal on Sept. 8 during a regularly scheduled council meeting. The proposal, including the resolution and letters of support from elected officials, is scheduled to be submitted to the Washington State Transportation Commission on Sept. 11, Suquamish Tribe spokeswoman April Leigh reported.
About the Suquamish Tribe
The Suquamish, in the Southern Coast Salish Lushootseed language, are “the people of the clear salt water,” taken from the name of the beach in front of Old Man House on Agate Passage in Kitsap County. According to the Tribe, its historical area encompasses the north end of Hood Canal and Olympic Peninsula to Indian Island, the Kitsap Peninsula, and both sides of Admiralty Inlet, from Point Partridge on Whidbey Island south to the Tacoma Narrows.
The Suquamish had their first recorded contact with non-Natives in 1792 with the arrival of British explorer Capt. George Vancouver. Vancouver anchored off Bainbridge Island and traded with the Suquamish and surveyed Suquamish waters. Over the next 50 years, the Suquamish adapted to changes brought on by the entry of non-Natives into the Puget Sound.
On Jan. 22, 1855, Suquamish leaders, led by Chief Seattle, signed the Treaty of Point Elliott at Mukilteo. The Suquamish gave up title to their lands for acknowledgement and protection of their fishing and hunting rights, health care, education and a reservation at Port Madison.
“The Suquamish continue to live on the Port Madison Indian Reservation. The Tribe has approximately 1,100 enrolled members and have persevered despite attempts by the federal government to assimilate them through land policy,” Leigh wrote in a press release, “especially the allotment of the reservation into separate parcels assigned to family heads in 1886, the destruction of Old Man House village and scattering of the tribal settlement in 1904, and the mandatory attendance of Suquamish children at Indian Boarding Schools from 1900-1920.”
Today, the Suquamish Tribe provides comprehensive government, environmental and social programs for Tribal members. In the last two decades, the Suquamish have become key economic development partners in the region. The Tribe owns and operates Port Madison Enterprises, a successful business venture comprised of several entertainment, retail and hospitality properties. The Suquamish Tribe also owns a growing seafood company and performs property management duties for lease land on the reservation.
