Lummi Nation Storybook

Lummi Nation

THE STORY OF OUR PEOPLE

COVER PHOTO BY MATIKA WILBUR

WE ARE LHAQ’TEMISH,

Survivors of the flood

Since time immemorial, we have followed the salmon across the Salish Sea. Each season brought with it new bounty and sustenance for our people, from salmon and shellfish to berries and game.

Then, as now, we survived through adaptation and innovation. The reef net is one of the greatest symbols of our innovation: a fishing net, woven from nettles, that mimics a reef and attracts fish. For millenia, the reef net was the key to our way of life, enabling us to feed our people and trade with other nations.

Time has brought many changes, and the demands of the modern world now shape our lives. While the resources have changed, we continue to take advantage of opportunities that improve the lives of our people, strengthen our economy and contribute to the health of our natural resources.

LUMMI CULTURE:

Sustaining Our Way of Life

Our anthem, Che Shesh Whe Wheleq, “survivors of the flood,” tells us that our ancestors survived the Great Flood and that we, the Lummi people, have adapted over thousands of years to prosper and evolve with the times. Yet some things remain the same.

FIRST SALMON CEREMONY Salmon are as important as the air we breathe, the water we drink and the plants we gather. They are a gift to all people and each year we honor their return. Our First Salmon Ceremony reminds us all of the respect and stewardship we owe this resource.

CANOE JOURNEY Canoe Journey is an intertribal spiritual journey where family groups come together to share cultural values and beliefs through song, dance and oral tradition. Family groups range from Alaska, British Columbia, Canada, Washington and Oregon. Canoe families can travel more than 400 miles, with as many as 12,000 people in attendance at the seven to 10 day event. With participation ranging from 60 to 100 canoes that travel our traditional waterways, the journey is viewed as a time to remember our family connections, our ancestors and connect the past to present.

STOMMISH WATER FESTIVAL The Lummi Nation is one of just a few Indian nations that still races traditional canoes—war canoes carved from single cedar logs.

Each June, we celebrate this tradition at the Stommish Water Festival, which was created to honor our World War II veterans.

LUMMI PEOPLE:

A Self-Governing Nation

For thousands of years, the Lummi have been an independent and self-governing people.

In 1855, the Lummi Nation and United States formally recognized one another and signed the Treaty of Point Elliott. Our mission today is to protect, preserve and promote our way of life by investing in tribal economic development, and providing educational and training opportunities for our members.

GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE For nearly a century, the daily governance of the Lummi Nation was not under the authority of the people but of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

That changed in 1988 when the Lummi Nation became one of eight tribes to enter into self-governance compacts. Today, we directly manage all government functions, including: Cultural preservation

Health care

Economic development

Law enforcement and judicial system

Education

Natural resources

Employment training

Public works

More than two decades after embarking upon self-governance, the Lummi Nation has realized many goals: protection of fish and wildlife, development of family assistance programs and the establishment of business enterprises that support services for our people.

ABOUT THE LUMMI GOVERNMENT The Lummi Nation is the third largest tribe in Washington state, with more than 4,800 members. We manage nearly 13,000 acres of tidelands on the Lummi Reservation. The Lummi Indian Business Council—which consists of 11 members elected by Lummi tribal members—governs the Lummi Nation, and is assisted by numerous commissions and the general council, which is made up of the Lummi Nation electorate.

WHAT IS TRIBAL SELF-GOVERNANCE? A self-governing nation has the full authority over and responsibility for the use of resources for the benefit of Indian people. This means that self-governing nations oversee their own law enforcement, health care and other programs, and citizens have a strong voice in setting the nation’s priorities, ultimately leading to more tailored services that meet the specific needs of a tribe and its members.

THE ART OF THE CANOE:

Adapting to Changing Times The canoe has always been a central part of the Lummi way of life.

Traditional Lummi canoes are made from a single cedar tree, which is cut in half and then painstakingly hollowed. Owning one could mean the difference between wealth or poverty, life and death.

Historically, wood for canoes came from the forests that

For Sn-ok-why-a-uh, canoe making is an ancient tradition

made up the Lummi homeland, including the current Mt.

and a labor of love. He talks about “seeing the canoe”

Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. Due to conservation

inside the tree, noting that each one is

measures, the tribe is permitted two trees a year, and

distinct based on the quality and grain

those must be blown down and within 50 feet of a road.

of the tree.

To continue making canoes, the tribe had to evolve the design.

“The elders teach us that old growth cedar trees are our

Enter strip canoes, the modern equivalent of the

ancestors, so it’s natural

traditional dugout. Strip canoes are made from cedar

that all canoes have their

strips glued around wooden molds that have been

own characteristics.”

measured by computer, then sanded and glassed using fiberglass sheets. Lummi canoe carver Sn-ok-why-a-uh

Surveying his canoes,

(Dean Washington) can make a single canoe in about

Sn-ok-why-a-uh turns wistful,

28 hours, much faster than the month it takes for a

evoking the ongoing balance

traditional dugout canoe.

of maintaining tradition and embracing the modern world. “When you

Says Sn-ok-why-a-uh, “We took modern technology,

build a canoe, there’s a special connection. There’s

combined it with Lummi knowledge and tradition, and

a lot of love and time that goes into it. It becomes like

made it even better.”

your own child, and you don’t want to let it go.”

NATURAL RESOURCES:

Restoration and Protection

The Lummi people have always practiced sustainable harvesting of salmon and shellfish along the shorelines of the Salish Sea. Our traditional homelands stretched from the Fraser River in British Columbia to the environs of Seattle. By following the traditional salmon runs, and by utilizing the land through the seasons, our people prospered. Today, the Lummi Nation combines modern science and traditional knowledge to protect and restore salmon runs for future generations.

RESTORING SHELLFISH We have always reserved certain beaches for clam and shellfish harvesting by our elders. But, as more people used the beaches, the shellfish dwindled. In response, the Lummi Nation launched the first shellfish hatchery of its kind in the Pacific Northwest. We raise oysters, geoducks, mussels, clams and other shellfish for Northwest tribes and other growers.

ENHANCING SALMON POPULATIONS Due to declining salmon populations, the Lummi Nation is a proponent of creating hatcheries to supplement the stock. In support of that goal, the Lummi Nation created the Lummi Salmon Enhancement Program, which includes the Skookum Creek Fish Hatchery located near Acme, Washington, on the Nooksack River, and Lummi Bay Hatchery, located on the Lummi Reservation. The program is now one of the top producers of Coho and Chinook salmon in north Puget Sound.

RECOVERY OF THE NOOKSACK RIVER ESTUARY Degraded habitat in the Nooksack River Estuary led to Endangered Species Act designation for Chinook salmon, steelhead and bull trout. To restore this traditional fish habitat, the Lummi Nation breached a 2,200-foot levee to restore tidal flow to 543 acres of the freshwater estuary, and installed large wood into the channel to stabilize the bank and create juvenile fish habitat. With tidal flow restored, adjacent shellfish beds are healthier and juvenile fish from the entire Nooksack River have more rearing habitat.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT:

For thousands of years, the cornerstone of the Lummi economy was the reef net. It harnessed the sea’s bounty and created prosperity for our people.

Today, our prosperity comes not only from the sea but also from new enterprises and partnerships.

Just as we pulled together with the reef net, so we pull together now with our neighbors to build the regional economy.

A REGIONAL ECONOMIC ENGINE In 2001, the Lummi Nation established the wholly owned Lummi Commercial Company to manage its consumer goods and services businesses. Today, the company is the eighth largest employer in Whatcom County. In 2012, we created the Lummi Development Holding Company, marking our entry into government contracting.

All told, one in every 33 Whatcom County workers receives a paycheck from the Lummi Nation or its companies. Additionally, the nation purchases millions of dollars in goods and services from local companies each month. This, combined with the hundreds of travelers drawn daily to our doors, makes the Lummi Nation the single largest economic engine in the county.

INVESTING IN OUR CHILDREN A new 6,000 square foot Head Start facility, which serves approximately 120 students, and a donation toward the construction of a new Ferndale Public Library, are just two examples of our investment in the next generation.

EDUCATION:

Blending Culture with Academics Lummi education includes teaching our children to responsibly and sustainably harvest our resources, to take only what is needed and to share with others. Weaving and canoe making are also important skills to learn, as well as the stories, celebrations and customs— passed down through the generations—that make up the fabric of Lummi life. Today, our goal is to provide our children with the skills they need to be successful in whatever path they choose to follow.

LUMMI SCHOOL DISTRICT The Lummi Nation offers educational opportunities for a lifetime of learning, beginning with early childhood and continuing through college and beyond.

The school district includes the Head Start, elementary, middle and high school programs. Seven hundred eighty nine students attend school on the reservation, where they learn core academics in a culturally sensitive setting.

NORTHWEST INDIAN COLLEGE Northwest Indian College, located on the Lummi Reservation, is the only accredited tribal college in the states of Washington, Oregon and Idaho.

The college was founded on the belief that post-secondary educational opportunities for Native Americans must be provided within the Native American community. Northwest Indian College offers bachelor’s degrees, associate degrees and certificate programs in subject areas ranging from early childhood education, Native environmental science, Native Studies Leadership and information technology—all infused with an appreciation for and study of Native American history, culture and values.

HISTORIC LUMMI DAY SCHOOL Into the 20th century, Lummi children were still compelled to attend distant Indian boarding schools. Opened in 1931 in response to what amounted to the forced removal of children from their homes, the Lummi Day School provided elementary school curriculum to Lummi children at home on the Lummi reservation. Though eventually replaced by the grade school, the Lummi Day School is still at work as a building on the campus of the Lummi Nation’s Northwest Indian College.

LUMMI FUTURE:

Looking Forward

As a people and a nation we will continue to grow and thrive. We will hold on to the traditions of our ancestors as we navigate the changing world.

Schelangen, the Lummi way of life.

www.LUMMI-NSN.org | 360.312.2000 2665 Kwina Road, Bellingham, WA 98226