| Total population |
|---|
| ~650 |
| Regions with significant populations |
| City of Snoqualmie Greater Seattle Area Washington United States |
| Languages |
|
English, Southern Lushootseed |
| Religion |
|
Christianity, Indigenous Religion |
| Related ethnic groups |
|
Duwamish, Puyallap, Nisqually, Sammamish, Suquamish, other Salish peoples |
The Snoqualmie Tribe (S·dukʷalbixʷ) is a tribal government of Coast Salish Native American peoples from the Snoqualmie Valley in east King and Snohomish Counties in Washington state. The Snoqualmie settled onto the Tulalip Reservation after signing the Point Elliott Treaty with the Washington Territory in 1855. At that time they were one of the largest tribes in the Puget Sound region numbering around 4000.[1] They have tried and failed on several occasions to secure a reservation on their ancestral lands along the Tolt River (a tributary of the Snoqualmie River). The tribe recently opened the Snoqualmie Casino. The casino has hosted numerous events in their ballroom, including a performance by Jessica Simpson.
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In 2008, the Snoqualmie Tribe Police Services was established to enforce tribal laws at the new Snoqualmie Casino in Snoqualmie, WA. In the summer of 2008 the department hired a Chief who was supposed to hire a force of up to six officers to patrol the Casino and the property in which it sits on. There is no actual reservation for the Snoqualmie Tribe, only property owned by the tribe itself. However in the spring of 2009 the tribe did not receive the funding they anticipated from the BIA, and disbanded the department. The tribe now contracts law enforcement out to the King County Sheriff's Office on a "calls for service" only basis. The Sheriff's Office does not actively patrol the casino, no one is assigned there, but the Sheriff's Office will respond to calls when needed and the tribe is billed per call for service.
The tribe lost federal recognition in 1953. In October 1999 the Bureau of Indian Affairs once again granted recognition to the Snoqualmie.[2]
According to one source, the Snoqualmie Tribe currently has approximately 597 members.[3] Another source puts the membership at approximately 650 members.[4]
The government consists of a tribal constitution and elected council.