Swinomish (tribe)

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Swinomish is a Native American tribe in western Washington state in the United States. The tribe lives in the southeastern part of Fidalgo Island near the San Juan Islands in Skagit County, Washington adjacent to the town of La Conner. Skagit County is located about 70 miles (113.5 km) north of Seattle. The Swinomish Indian Reservation has a land area of 31.381 km² (12.116 sq mi) and a 2000 census resident population of 2,664 persons, only about 23 percent of whom were of solely Native American heritage.

The Swinomish moved onto reservation lands after the signing of the Point Elliott Treaty in 1855. The Swinomish people speak a dialect of the Salishan Lushootseed language. The lifestyle of the Swinomish, like many Northwest Coast tribes, involved the fishing of salmon and collecting of shellfish.

The Swinomish reservation is a confederation of several distinct tribes of Coast Salish, including the Swinomish, Kikyalus, Lower Skagit, and Samish.